#healthier version with natural colours and no white sugar
Tutti frutti is a vibrant and colorful confectionery which we all have had all through our childhood , topped or mixed in ice creams, cakes, muffins , sundaes, buns, sweet breads and dilkhush or all by itself. I never knew what it actually was. I always though it was some kind of jelly or gum made by confectioners.
If you thought so too, it's time to break that myth. It actually is a colorful confectionery containing various chopped and usually candied fruits. It differs from country to country and in India it usually refers to candied raw papaya,often small cubical brightly colored pieces.Raw papaya? 😲YES! I was equally shocked to know that.
What about some homemade Tutti frutti? A healthier version of it? What? It's ripe papayas that are plenty around and not raw papaya? Let's make that with something that is readily available in these summers and at no extra cost for the fruit. How about making them with watermelon rind? Wonder who thought of this idea !😍
I'm trying to make a healthier version of the confectionary like I almost try to do with most common recipes. I'm using brown sugar instead of white . This affects the colour a bit, just a wee bit . The choice is yours health or looks? If you say looks, just replace brown sugar in this recipe with regular white castor sugar.
Also , I'm using natural colours in this. The idea was to use all natural colours. But I had told in yesterday's blog how my dry mixer stopped working. So I could keep only 2 of those natural. Hopefully when I make the next batch, I will have it all in natural colours.
Let's get started.
Ingredients:
Watermelon rind : 2 cups
Sugar : 2 cups
Edible colours
Clean the outer green skin using a peeler or knife.
Check if any flesh is still on the rind and remove it off too.
You need only the white part of the rind.
Cut them into small cubes.
Place a saucepan and bring 3 cups water to a boil.
When the water begins to boil, transfer all the diced watermelon rinds into the boiling water.
Cook covered on medium flame for 5-8 minutes.
When you notice that the pieces have become soft and translucent, it is time to take it off the flame. You may check with a fork or toothpick.Boiling helps to neutralise the flavour of the rind apart from making it softer.
Take it out on a sieve and drain the water.
Place the saucepan back on the flame . Pour 2 cups water and add 1 1/2 cups sugar.
Let the sugar dissolve.
Now, add the cooked rind into the sugar syrup. If you are using regular sugar, you will have the rind more transparent.This looks darker as I'm using brown sugar.
Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes on medium flame.
In the meanwhile, get the bowls ready for colouring the tutti frutti. I have taken 6 bowls. In four bowls, I have used edible synthetic colours apple green, raspberry red,orange and yellow. Just add a little colouring agent and that would suffice. With white sugar you get the dyes brighter. I have kept one bowl empty as one portion is being left in its natural colour and in the middle one, 1 tbsp diced beetroot is added. They will act as natural colour to give a lovely red to the tutti frutti
After 15 minutes, when the rind has absorbed the syrup well, turn off the flame and add rose water for flavouring. You may use vanilla essence. You may also use the essence in the bowls directly and have a unique flavour for each colour.
Transfer the tutti-frutti into the bowls . Mix well.
Let them sit in the dyes for an hour.
In one hour, you will find that the rind has absorbed the colours. Do you notice the top bowl? That is its natural colour and the middle one is natural beet colour
Take them out on a sieve to drain out the excess syrup.
You may use individual sieves for each colour.
Or use a bigger one and put them side by side.
Leave it like this for another 1 hour.
Take it out on an absorbent paper and dry under the fan for 8-12 hours.
Your tutti frutti is ready. You may now store them in airtight jars and preserve it in the fridge and use as topping for your desserts or any ice creams.
You may dry them under the sun too. This will make it further dry and its shelf life increases. In case you wish you hadn't sun-dried them after you have already done that, don't worry, we can fix it up. Soak them in plain water for 30 seconds. Drain the water and leave them to dry under the fan. In case after soaking , you feel they are less sweet, put them back in the syrup(remember you have a lot left?) for an hour, drain the excess syrup and dry them.
This is how they look after being in the sun for 5 hours. I might prefer not to do this next time and store them after drying under the fan.
Fill them in glass jars and store them in the fridge and use as and when you require. I have stored the natural coloured and synthetic coloured in separate jars.
Comments