Fruit salad with custard. It was a given that when you went for Goan party, dessert would include a fruit salad with custard. In my home, it’s now a nice option for when the kids want a quick snack. Use low fat milk, let the fruit sweeten the sugar, and now you have a healthy snack or even breakfast option!

Custard, a creamy milk dish, was traditionally made with milk, cream and eggs. Today, the fastest (and eggless way) to make this is by using custard powder. I often buy Brown & Polson’s custard powder, as that’s what I remember my mom and grandma using. It’s easily available in Indian grocery stores and is a quick option for when the kids want something for a snack or a dessert when guests swing by. The addition of milk and a variety of chopped fruits give it a ton of nutritional benefits. For a twist, I will use unsweetened mango pulp for mango-flavored custard. I hope this becomes a regular at your home too.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup custard powder ( I use Brown & Polson vanilla custard powder)
• 2 cups 1% milk (3 cups milk, if you don’t want to make a mango custard but prefer a vanilla custard)
• 1 cup unsweetened mango pulp (omit if you just want a vanilla custard and increase milk to a total 3 cups)
• 2 tablespoons sugar ( or reduce it to 1 tablespoon and let the fruit sweetness take centre stage)
• Fruit for serving – blueberries, chopped banana, apple, grapes, strawberries, pomegranate arils

Method

• In a bowl, mix 4 tablespoons of the milk with the custard powder to form a smooth plaster and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, boil the remaining fill on medium heat. When the milk reaches boiling point, stir in the sugar and the mango pulp.
• Turn the heat to low, and add the custard paste and continue stirring until it thickens. The consistency should be almost like a sauce.  You don’t want this to burn so continue stirring until it reaches that consistency.
• Turn off the heat and cool. Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
• Serve with fresh fruits like blueberries, chopped strawberries, apples, bananas, grapes and pomegranate arils.