Champola

Ingredients

Fruit

• 1ripe soursop, guanábana, about 1 kg
• or 500 g frozen soursop pulp

The drink

• 600 mlcold milk
• 100 gsugar, or to taste
• or 4 tablespoons condensed milk
• 1 teaspoonvanilla
• a pinch of salt
• plenty of ice

Sometimes added

• a squeeze of lime
• a pinch of cinnamon
• evaporated milk, for richness

Directions

1. Check it daily once it starts to soften. Preparing the fruit takes patience. Cut the fruit open lengthways. Scoop the white flesh out with a spoon.
2. Discard the skin and the fibrous core. Work through the flesh with your fingers. Squeeze each pocket of flesh to find the seed. That removes the fibre and gives a smooth drink.
3. Put the deseeded flesh in a blender. Add the cold milk and the sugar. Add the vanilla and the pinch of salt.
4. Blend it until smooth and frothy. Champola should be thick and foamy. Blend it long enough to build the froth. Add more milk if it is too thick to drink.
5. Add more fruit if it seems thin. Add a good handful of ice cubes. Blend again until the ice is crushed through. It should end up cold and slushy.
6. Taste it once it is properly cold. Cold dulls sweetness noticeably. Add more sugar if it seems flat. Add a squeeze of lime if it seems cloying. Serving it is done immediately while cold.
7. Pour it out into tall glasses. Add a dusting of cinnamon if you like. It separates within about ten minutes. Stir it through again if it does.

Technique

• Soursop, Annona muricata, contains annonacin, and epidemiological work in Guadeloupe associated heavy long-term consumption of the fruit and its leaves with an atypical parkinsonism.
• Leaves and seeds contain far more annonacin than the pulp, so leaf teas and concentrated extracts are the greater concern rather than an occasional fruit drink.
• The seeds must be removed entirely and never blended into the drink.

Substitutions

• Frozen soursop pulp is sold in Latin American shops and is already deseeded.
• Condensed milk replaces the sugar and gives a richer drink.

Variations

• Some households use evaporated milk for a richer texture.
• A water-based version without milk is drunk as a juice.
• Similar drinks are made with mamey, guava and other tropical fruit.

History

A Cuban and Antillean drink of guanábana, once prescribed as a restorative for the ill.

Frequently asked questions

What is Champola?

Champola is a drink from Cuba: soursop pulp blended with milk, sugar and ice into a cold froth. A Cuban and Antillean drink of guanábana, once prescribed as a restorative for the ill.

How long does Champola take to make?

Champola takes 20 minutes of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Champola?

Yes, within limits. Frozen soursop pulp is sold in Latin American shops and is already deseeded. Condensed milk replaces the sugar and gives a richer drink.

What is the most important thing to get right in Champola?

Leaves and seeds contain far more annonacin than the pulp, so leaf teas and concentrated extracts are the greater concern rather than an occasional fruit drink.