HOW TO MAKE TUTTI FRUTTI

by SM - December 18, 2019

     I have always liked Tutti Frutti, maybe it was in Bread Loaves or in Coconut Buns or in Tutti Frutti Ice Cream or in my all-time Rich Fruit Cake or in any Cookies. I had thought that they were candied Cherries until my dad told that they are made out of Raw Papayas - Candied & Coloured. As a kid, it was a big disappointment for me. But the taste of those candied Papayas lasted along with the love for Bakery items.
     In terms of cooking Tutti Frutti can be classified into two versions. The Western (European/American) version and the Indian version. In Western cooking style Tutti Frutti refers to a fruit mixture that is preserved in Brandy/any other type of alcohol and prepared over several months. Indian Tutti Fruttis are Candied & Coloured Raw Papayas commonly used in Cookies, Fruit Cakes, Buns, Bread Loaves, Ice creams, Puddings etc., They are even used as a filling in Meetta Paans(Betel Leaves) along with Gulkand(Candied Rose Petals).

     It was recently that I was in search of good quality Vanilla Essence, and was speaking about the same to my SIL who has Vanilla in her farm. She suggested me with an idea of how to make Vanilla Essence with it and was in midst of searching for the same on the internet I came across a video which showed "How to make Tutti Frutti". The idea had never occurred to me to make it from scratch. The recipe seemed quite easy and the same day my husband bought a big Raw Papaya, utter coincidence.
     Without any second thought, the very next day I prepared those colourful Candied Raw Papayas the so-called Tutti Frutti. And along with it, I made a batch of Candied Peels with fresh Orange Peels too. This year my Christmas Fruit cake is going to be extra special with all my favourite homemade Tutti Frutti & Candied Orange Peels. Why spend money to buy these goodies when they can be prepared at home and above all, they have no preservatives in it. With an added advantage, you can even adjust the Sweetness of these Candied Papayas/Tutti Frutti to your preference. I used up just half of a Papaya and I had almost 500 -750g(3 Cups) of colourful homemade Tutti Frutti added into my stock.
     Once they were ready, it was pretty hard not to marvel at these delectable homemade Tutti Fruttis so colourful and beautiful. Appealing to my senses, I even gobbled up a handful as a snack. Sweet indulgence to satiate my cooking endeavour. Even cooking it for the first time I got it nailed up with perfect texture. To be frank, I was totally impressed by my work that immediately I started my experiment with Candied Peels(Orange). All homemade goodness ready for my Christmas Goodies. And I am sure I am never to going to go for store-bought Tutti Frutti and Candied Peels anymore.

Recipe Type - Candied Fruits
Difficulty - Medium
Author - SM

Preparation Time - 15-20 Minutes
Cooking Time - 30-45 Minutes
Soaking Time - 12-15 Hours/ Overnight

HOW TO MAKE TUTTI FRUTTI

INGREDIENTS:

To Cook the Raw Papayas:

Raw Papaya - 3 Cups
Water - as Required

For Candied Raw Papayas/Tutti Frutti:

Sugar - 2 Cups
Water - 11/2 -2 Cups
Vanilla Essence - 1 Tspn
Edible Food Colours - few drops of Red Colouring
few drops of Orange Colouring
few drops of Green Colouring

METHOD:

Make small incisions on the Raw Papaya, the milky sap from the fruit would start to ooze out.
Leave it aside for few minutes, then wash it in running water until all the milky sap is removed.
Peel off the skin, cut the Raw Papaya into halves and remove the seeds along with the white part.
Chop it into small cubes & keep it aside.
I used about 3 Cups of raw papaya.
Boil enough of Water in a pan. Once it starts to boil, add chopped raw papayas and cook it on a medium-low flame for about 3-5 Minutes.
The Raw Papayas should have turned translucent and only be half-cooked.
Drain the half-cooked Papayas in a Colander and keep it aside.
Meanwhile, Boil 2 Cups of Sugar in 3 Cups of Water in a pan.
Boil the Sugar Syrup on a medium-low flame.
Once Sugar is completely dissolved and it reaches one-string consistency, add the half-cooked papaya cubes into the Sugar Syrup.
Cook this on a medium-low flame for about 12-15 Minutes until the Papayas are cooked and it absorbs most of the Sugar Syrup.
The mixture would start to slightly thicken up at this stage(sugar syrup shouldn't get crystallized).
I cooked until the Sugar Syrup got completely absorbed by the Papayas.
Add few teaspoons of Vanilla Essence, give a quick stir and switch off the flame.
Divide the Candied Papayas into 3 portions.
Add each portion into a separate bowl.
Add a few drops of Red Food Colour to one bowl, Orange Food Colouring to the other bowl and Green Food Colour to the remaining bowl.
Once the food colouring is added make sure the Candied Papayas are mixed well, so that each piece is equally coloured.
Cover & leave it aside for 12-15 hours/overnight.
Candied Papayas would have absorbed the Sweetness and Colour.
Soak it up in a Paper Towel for a few minutes if you feel the Tutti Frutti to be moist.
Mine was totally dry and had the perfect texture.
Store it up in clean Airtight containers, individually or combined together.
For longer shelf life, store it in a refrigerator.
Can use it in Cookies, Fruit Cakes, Buns, Bread Loaves, Ice creams, Puddings etc.,

For a detailed Recipe on HOW TO SOAK DRY FRUITS FOR CHRISTMAS CAKE, Click here...

HOW TO MAKE TUTTI FRUTTI

NOTES:

Use firm, raw Papaya for the purpose.
Consistency of the Sugar syrup & cooking time plays a major role in the final texture of these Tutti Frutti.
I slow-cooked with care until all the Sugar Syrup was totally absorbed by the Papaya Cubes.
During the process, make sure the Sugar Syrup doesn't get crystallized.
Papayas shouldn't turn mushy or overcooked.
The amount of Sugar & Water I used in the recipe was perfect for the method I followed.
If the Tutti Frutti is moist at the final stage, leave it in a paper towel, until the excess liquids are absorbed.
You can get easy with the choice of colours for your homemade Tutti Frutti.
I have used Red, Orange and Green.
Use good quality edible food colours.