Filipino Fruit Salad
The quickest ever dessert Salad. Feeds a crowd! A unique dessert from the Philipines that you have to try at least once! It’s pretty amazing!
The Recipe Intro has more information as well as Recipe Video. Don’t forget to check it out.
Ingredients:
| Fruit cocktail: Drained Weight: 490 gms ( So around 500 gms once drained) | Large can / Net weight:850 gms | |
| Canned pineapple cubes, drained or use fresh fruit like guava or apple | 1/2 can | |
| Jar of Kaong ( Sweet Palm Nut in Syrup ), drained - see notes | 1 jar / 340 gms / 12 oz | |
| Jar of Macapuno ( Tender Sports Coconut Strips in Syrup ), drained - see notes | 1 jar / 340 gms / 12 oz | |
| Nata de coco ( any flavor you like), drained | 1/2 cup | |
| Sweetened condensed milk OR Sweet dairy creamer | 3/4 cup | |
| Nestle cream | 1/4 cup | |
| Mayonnaise ( sounds crazy but works - It helps to balance the sweetness !! ) | 2 Large spoons | |
| Processed cheddar cheese (like KRAFT) | 1/4 cup | |
| My non-traditional Extra add ons! A small scoop of tutti frutti ice cream per serving and some cheeszelings ( salted cheese flavor puffs/mini puffed cheese crackers ) | As needed / Optional |
You will need a large bowl a can opener and a colander. This recipe contains ingredients that are native to the Philipines and widely available in shops that sell Philipines products.
Method:
- Have all the ingredients for the salad chilled in the refrigerator in advance.
- First, drain the fruit cocktail. Discard all the syrup. We need only the fruit. Drain the fruit using a colander. Add to the large bowl.
- Add the extra drained cubed pineapple as well. (Or replace with diced apple or guava).
- Also drain and add the Kaong, Macapuno and Nata de coco. Mix everything together in the large bowl.
- To make the custard that goes into the fruit salad: Add the sweetened condensed milk, nestle cream and mayonnaise into a smaller bowl.
- Whisk all this well till a homogenous mixture is formed. Taste and add a bit more of the sweetened creamer, if needed.
- Pour over the ingredients in the bowl. Toss everything well.
- Grate the processed cheese ( Slightly large shreds- not too fine, as you want a small bite from the cheese in this creamy salad) .
- Serve small sized portions with my additions of a tiny bit of tutti frutti icecream and cheezelings carckers – totally optional. Might as well go overboard with this one!!! 😀
Filipino Fruit Salad
Notes:
- Not all cans of fruit cocktail are the same. Some taste like cough syrup and don’t contain a good mix of fruits. Try to use one that you have tasted and liked before or one that you are sure about.
- Kaong is sweet palm nut native to the Philippines. It is a jelly bean shaped nut/ seed of the sugar palm tree. It is most notably used as an ingredient in the Filipino Halo Halo dessert. They are actually white in color, but the come preserved in sweetened syrup in green or red color. This is available in Asian stores that sell products from the Philipines. You can use either red or green kaong, or half of both for more color.
- Macapuno, also known as ‘Coconut ‘Sport’. It is a variety of coconut, also native to the Philipines. Different in flavor and texture from the regular coconut that we know. It has a very thick, but soft flesh and instead of coconut water in the center, it contains thick gelatin-like substance. The taste is also different and needs to be sweetened by some means before eating. This is why it is preserved in sweet syrup in jars.
- Nata de coco is a chewy, translucent jelly-like substance made from coconut water.
- As with the fruit cocktail, use a Sweetened condensed milk / Sweetened dairy creamer that actually tastes pleasant all on its own before adding to the salad.
- Kaong can be replaced with milder glace cherries ( not the very strong scented ones).
- Macapuno can be replaced with tender coconut strips, although not quite the same.
Key Ingredients: Canned Fruit / Fruit Cocktail, Preserved local ingredients, Condensed milk, Nestle Cream, Mayonnaise, Cheddar Cheese.
EAT AND TELL!!! Let us know if you tried – Filipino Fruit Salad
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