Tunisian Prickly Pear Juice (Assir Hindi)
A vivid, lightly sweet chilled juice made from fresh prickly pears (known in Tunisia as hindi), blended with water, strained free of the hard seeds, and brightened with fresh lime juice. Refreshing, naturally colorful, and ready in about 30 minutes plus chilling.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- —
- Wait
- 1 hr
- Total
- 1 hr 25 min
- Makes
- About 4 cups (950 ml), 4 servings
Steps
Before you start
- Choose prickly pears that are deeply colored and yield slightly when pressed; hard, green ones are bland and not sweet.
- Wear thin gloves or hold the fruit with a fork and towel: even store-bought pears can have tiny, nearly invisible spines (glochids) that irritate skin.
- Chill the pears in the fridge for 1 hour first if you can; cold fruit is easier to peel and the juice needs less chilling.
- Plan about 60 minutes of chilling time after straining for the best flavor.
Prepare work area
- Put on thin gloves if you have them.
- Set a cutting board on a damp kitchen towel so it doesn't slide.
- Rinse the prickly pears under cold running water, rubbing gently with a vegetable brush or cloth to remove any remaining spines.
- Pat dry.
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Ready when: Fruit feels smooth with no visible tufts of spines.
Tip: Never touch the skin with bare fingers; spines are hard to see and painful to remove.
Trim the ends
- Hold one pear steady with a fork.
- With a sharp paring knife, slice off about ½ inch (1 cm) from both ends and discard.
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Ready when: Both ends are cut flat and the pear stands on the board.
Slit and peel
- Make one shallow lengthwise cut, about ¼ inch (6 mm) deep, from top to bottom through the skin only.
- Slide the knife tip under the skin at the cut and peel it back, or pry it away with your fingers on the thick skin.
- The whole skin should come off in one or two pieces, leaving the jewel-colored flesh.
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Ready when: Skin is fully removed and the flesh is bright, with no green rind left.
Tip: Cut only skin-deep; cutting into the flesh wastes juice.
Chop the flesh
- Roughly chop the peeled pears into 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks.
- The seeds stay inside; that is normal.
- You should have about 3 cups (about 600 g) of flesh.
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Ready when: All pieces are roughly even so they blend smoothly.
Blend briefly
- Add the chopped pears and 1½ cups (360 ml) cold water to the blender.
- Pulse 5 to 6 times in 1-second bursts, then blend on low for 10 to 15 seconds, only until the flesh is liquid with seeds still whole.
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Ready when: Mixture is a smooth magenta liquid with whole, intact seeds visible.
Tip: Don't blend longer or on high; pulverized seeds make the juice gritty and bitter.
Strain the juice
- Set a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl or pitcher.
- Pour in the blended mixture in 2 batches.
- Stir and press gently with a spatula so the juice runs through; stop when only seeds and thick pulp remain.
- Discard the seeds.
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Ready when: The sieve holds a dry-looking mass of seeds, and about 3½ cups (830 ml) of juice are in the bowl.
Tip: Pressing too hard forces gritty pulp through; stir rather than mash.
Add lime and sweetener
- Squeeze in ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lime juice and stir.
- Taste.
- If the juice tastes flat, stir in 1 tablespoon sugar until dissolved, then taste again and add the second only if needed.
- If it's too thick, add up to ½ cup (120 ml) more cold water.
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Ready when: Juice tastes sweet-tart and bright, with no sugar grains at the bottom.
Tip: Lime juice also helps keep the color vivid, so don't skip it.
Chill
- Cover the pitcher and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until very cold.
- Stir before serving, as a little pulp settles.
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Ready when: Juice is thoroughly cold to the touch on the outside of the pitcher.
Serve
- Fill 4 glasses with ice if using.
- Pour the juice over, and garnish each glass with a lime wheel.
- Serve right away.
Good to know
Tips
- Pick fruit in a mix of colors (red, orange, green); all work, but deep red or magenta gives the most dramatic juice.
- Blend only briefly so the seeds stay whole and are easy to strain out.
- Add the lime juice gradually; prickly pears are mild, so taste as you go.
- A pinch of orange blossom water (about ¼ teaspoon) is a traditional-style aromatic touch if you have it.
Make ahead
Strain and mix the juice up to 1 day ahead; keep covered in the fridge and stir well before serving. Add ice only at serving.
Storage & reheating
Refrigerate in a sealed container or bottle for up to 2 days (flavor and color fade after that). Freeze in ice cube trays or freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge and stir well. Do not store at room temperature for more than 1 hour.
Substitutions
- limes → lemon juice. Use the same amount; the flavor is a bit softer and less floral.
- granulated sugar → honey or agave syrup. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons, stirred in until dissolved.
- cold water → sparkling water. Add just before serving for a fizzy version; don't blend with it.
- ripe prickly pears → frozen prickly pear pulp, thawed. Use about 3 cups (600 g); skip the peeling steps.