Mama's Philippine-style Fruit Salad

JS:
We usually end our Filipino-inspired gatherings with Mama's Philippine-style Fruit Salad. This is an extremely popular item among our guests.

"Hinahanap-hanap itong fruit salad."

My mother is always in charge of this dessert and I always know that she has finished making her fruit salad by the number of colanders out and near the sink. For a seemingly-simple recipe, my mother uses quite a lot of implements. Or actually, she just really likes using colanders. LOL.


canned condensed milk and canned thick cream

TS:
This really is super-simple to make; it's a matter of assembly. One needs only 3 items.

One, canned thick cream. Yes, canned cream.

Then, condensed milk. I heart condensed milk!

The third component, the fruit portion of this dish, is canned fruit cocktail. We prefer using canned "Fruit Cocktail", as opposed to "Fruit Salad", or "Tropical Fruit", or "Fruit Mix", or any other such things. Yes, there is a difference!

The USDA actually regulates "fruit cocktail", listing the correct percentages of which fruits go into canned "fruit cocktail".

Wikipedia: Fruit Cocktail

My mother also likes to supplement fruit cocktail with toddy palm. These also come canned. If they are whole, she slices them. If they come sliced, then she saves herself some work!

Image of Canned Toddy Palm Seed

I also like extra macapuno (meat from "mutant" coconuts) in fruit salad, but Mama doesn't like them for some reason, and thus, never adds them to her fruit salad.

Learn more about macapuno (mutant coconut) in our Lime Macapuno Bar post.

I supposed one can go wild and add other tropical fruits: jackfruit, rambutan, lychee, longan, mangoes...

But, fruit cocktail with toddy palm is my mother's classic combination.



TS:
To make Mama's Philippine-style Fruit Salad, simply open your cans of fruit cocktail and toddy palm and drain.

Hence, the colanders!

Although, I don't know why Mama has to dedicate one colander for the fruit cocktail and one for the toddy palm. Why not put both things in one colander?

If your toddy palm is whole, you may want to slice them first. If using other canned fruits, drain them as well.

Then, open your canned cream and your condensed milk, and mix everything together. This goes into the refrigerator until the end of dinner.


party-sized

JS:
Mama always makes this recipe enough for one platter for the party and a take-home box for one of our guests, much to everyone else's resentment.

"How come he always gets his own personal stash of fruit salad!?!"

TS:
Teehee.

There you go. That's the power of Mama's Philippine-style Fruit Salad: it causes building resentment among party guests. =)



Mama Dishes
Mama's Silkie Chicken ("Dyong Kwe")
Mama's Philippine-style Fruit Salad
Mama's Cilantro Beef Shin
Mama's Black Peppercorn Shortribs
Mama's Fish Head Soup
Mama's Giniling
Mama's Giniling, v4 and v5
Mama's Ampalaya (Bitter Melon)
Ma-Kut (Pork Bone) Soup

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Recipe
Mama's Philippine-style Fruit Salad

1 big can fruit cocktail (1 can = 2.84L/100 fl. oz)
2 cans toddy palm/toddy palm seed (1 can = 560mL; net weight: 20oz/565g)
1/2 can condensed milk (1 can = 300mL)
1 can thick cream/sterilized cream (1 can = 170mL)

Note:
This is Mama's preferred combination of fruits and cream/milk. Feel free to adjust fruit levels, creaminess levels and sweetness levels according to your tastes.

Note:
This is half the amount Mama would prepare for a party.

Drain canned fruit cocktail and canned toddy palm well. If whole, slice toddy palm. If using other fruits, prep them: cut into pieces; drained canned fruits, etc.

Mix together drained fruits with condensed milk and cream. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours (make sure the dish is well-chilled). Mix/stir right before serving.