Fresh Fruit Custard

The Indian Fresh Fruit Custard is perhaps similar to a Fruit Salad in any other part of the world. Yet the Indian version is something else entirely. If you’re new to this, Fresh Fruit Custard is seasonal fresh mixed fruit served in a chilled sweet custard sauce. No syrup, or whipped cream, just a custard sauce of flowing/ pouring consistency. For an authentic Indian experience, this custard must be vegetarian and so made with vanilla flavoured custard powder. No eggs here.

Fruit Custard or Fruit Salad used to be the ultimate childhood dessert experience for most Indians my age. It was so popular at one time that it even used to feature on wedding party menus. Ice-cream was the other one but rarer than Fresh Fruit Custard in my childhood memories. It was popular with children and grown-ups alike. This dessert has all but faded into oblivion except on the odd much thumbed small restaurant menu.

You may use fresh fruit of your choice depending on the season. My childhood Fresh Fruit Custard memories are of banana, papaya, apple, grapes, sometimes orange or pineapple and mango in summer. Traditionally, at least down in South India, we never had a concept of dessert. Yes, we had Payasam and sweets, but these were generally made for very special or festive occasions. It was always served along with the meal and eaten somewhere in between and not at the end of the meal.

A Fresh Fruit Salad was invariably a treat when we ate out, which was rare in my childhood. In those days, eating out at a restaurant wasn’t considered a good or even healthy thing to do. More so if one was a vegetarian. As I grew older, dessert became a fashionable thing to do. This fruit dessert was very often served at dinners and weddings, especially in summer. It was easy to make and vegetarian, and used fresh seasonal fruit. It was never too sweet, very light with simple flavours, and so appealed to both children and adults alike.

There are so many good things about this Fruit Custard. It always features seasonal fruit but you’re free to use canned fruit too. Since it is uses custard powder, it is naturally gluten-free. It can be made vegan by using coconut milk or other plant based milks. This custard is very low in fat, and sugar since a lot of the sweet comes from fresh fruit. It is rich in fibre yet light and about as healthy as a dessert can get.

If you can’t find custard powder, you can substitute with an equal amount of cornstarch, arrowroot or tapioca starch powder and vanilla paste. A hint of yellow edible colour will give the same colour if you desire it.

As I mentioned before, add fresh fruit of your choice. I would suggest not using more than four or five kinds of which banana must be one. Banana has a way of bringing different fruits together. Apple or pear would add some crunch while banana would be soft with something like pineapple somewhere in between. Orange is rare in the traditional Fresh Fruit Custard but add some so long as they’re sweet. A hint of sour fruit is nice but you don’t want anything mouth puckeringly sour here.

While not traditional, other garnishes can go well here. Chopped toasted or untoasted almonds and cashews, a drizzle of honey but not too much, a sprinkle of grated chocolate perhaps. I like mine undressed, just fruit and custard.

Just one more thing. You must pour the custard over the chopped fruit just before serving. You make the custard ahead and chill it. The fruit is generally chopped into small bite sized pieces and cold custard is poured over it. You can chill the fruit too but keep it separate from the custard. If you mix the two and chill it, the juice from the fruit will leach into the custard. This makes it unappetizing to look at and eat!