Fruit custard (Indian chilled vanilla custard with fruit)
Chilled vanilla custard set with eggless custard powder and folded with seasonal fruit
All over India, fruit custard is the dessert that turns up at birthday parties, Sunday lunches and wedding buffets, and in summer it is made by the bowlful to sit in the fridge. It is a pale yellow, spoonably thick vanilla custard, chilled until cold and then loaded with chopped banana, apple, grapes, pomegranate and mango or chikoo when they are in season. Serve it on its own in glasses, or next to warm gulab jamun at a party. This version uses eggless custard powder, which is simply cornflour with vanilla flavouring and a yellow colour: the cornflour thickens the hot milk and sets it softly as it cools, doing the work that yolks do in a French crème anglaise, so the custard is naturally egg-free. Check the label says egg-free; the usual powders are just starch, flavour and colour. Chef's tip: add the fruit only when the custard is fully cold and just before serving; stirring banana and apple into warm custard is the common mistake that turns it watery and brown.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the custard
- 3 ¼ cups full-fat milkdivided
- 1 ¼ oz eggless vanilla custard powdercornflour-based, about 4 tbsp
- 2 ½ oz sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom (optional)
For the fruit
- 2 bananaripe but firm, sliced
- 1 applecored and diced
- 4 oz seedless green grapeshalved
- 2 ⅞ oz pomegranate seeds
- 1 mango (optional)diced, or chikoo in winter
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Whisk 1 ¼ oz eggless vanilla custard powder with 100 ml of the ½ cup full-fat milk in a small bowl until completely smooth, with no dry lumps.
Step 2: Bring the remaining 2 ¾ cups full-fat milk and 2 ½ oz sugar to a gentle boil in a heavy pan over a medium heat, stirring so the sugar dissolves and the base doesn't catch.
6 minStep 3: Lower the heat, stir the custard mixture again and pour it into the milk in a thin stream, stirring all the time.
Step 4: Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, for 3–4 minutes, until it bubbles lazily and thickly coats the back of a spoon. Stir in ¼ tsp ground cardamom if using.
4 minStep 5: Pour into a bowl and press a sheet of baking paper onto the surface so no skin forms. Cool for 20 minutes, then chill for at least 1 hour, until cold and set to a soft, spoonable thickness.
80 minStep 6: Just before serving, whisk the cold custard briefly to loosen it, then fold in 2 banana, 1 apple, 4 oz seedless green grapes and most of 2 ⅞ oz pomegranate seeds, with 1 mango if using.
Step 7: Spoon into glasses, scatter over the rest of the pomegranate and serve cold.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fruit custard (Indian chilled vanilla custard with fruit) take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 75 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of full-fat milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of eggless vanilla custard powder?
- Cornflour with a drop of vanilla and a pinch of turmeric for colour, same amount.
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