DESCRIPTION
Bael a.k.a. the “Bengal quince” is an underrated fruit. Calling a fruit so exquisite “wood apple” was a criminal branding mistake! It is also a pity that bael ripens in summer, when all anyone wants to know is if the mangoes are properly good yet. So, in April, when the bazars are full of ripe bael, and mangoes are nowhere near ripe, we sip on our bael sharbat, paying scant attention to the deliciousness of the fruit at hand, and pine for the mangoes.
200 g bael (wood apple) pulp
300 ml milk
50 g sugar
2 g salt
ice cubes (optional)
cold water (if making without milk)
1. Crack open the bael and scoop out all the flesh. Pick out the seeds.
2. Using a little water, mash the flesh to extract the pulp. Pass it through a mesh strainer to remove the fibrous parts.
3. In a mixing jug, take about 200 g of this bael pulp. To it, add milk, sugar and salt. Mix to combine and dissolve the sugar. Serve chilled or over ice.
4.If you don't prefer the milk version, simply add some bael pulp to the bottom of your glass, and top it with ice and/or cold water. Mix and enjoy chilled.
9. Serve chilled!!
"Doing it in a Bengali style!"