Homemade Tutty Fruitty

Hi to all.  Today's recipe is very special and makes me nostalgic.  This is the one which you all must have had many times but never ever have thought of making it at home. Its none other than our very own Tutty Fruitty :)

During my childhood, I used to love everything studded with these colorful beauties :)  My favourite topping on my icecream used to be these tutty fruitty.  Even today I love them.

It was so funny that till the day I had tried it making by myself at home I had no idea as to what goes into making these sweeties and I was so surprised to know that the secret ingredient was the very humble PAPAYA.  I am sure many of you too came to know about it only after reading this post and the reason is so obvious i.e. in India its easily available in the market so no need of making it at home.  I have started making this coz here in Zambia its not available anywhere and I love to add it to my recipes.  So whenever I make something that calls for tutty fruitty I add my very own homemade tutty fruitty.  The best thing is that I have got a big papaya tree here in my own garden.. what a luck :D  Though I dont like papaya as fruit, I love tutty fruitty.

So my dear readers, here I am posting the detailed process of making tutty fruitty and its not so difficult though a bit time consuming.  It wont be so useful for those living in India but for others, like me, its a gem.. Do try and enjoy.

Happy Cooking :)

                        

Ingredients:

Raw papaya	1 medium size (2 cups chopped)
Sugar	2 ½ cup
Water (for sugar syrup)	2 cups
Vanilla essence	1 /4 tsp
Food color (I used Red and yellow)

 

Method

• Take papaya and wash it very well.  Cut it into two and remove the seeds. Peel it off and wash once again.  

• Chop the papaya into small pieces (size depends on your choice of tutty fruity size).  I have got 2 cups of chopped papaya. 

Blanch the papaya pieces - 

• Take a pan and fill it with some water (enough to cover the chopped papaya pieces) and let it boil.  Once it starts boiling, add chopped papaya pieces and let them boil for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes, remove the pan from stove and leave the papaya pieces in the boiled water for another 5 minutes.  

• Remove the blanched papaya pieces from water to a colander to dry up.

• Put another pan on the stove and add 2 cups of water and 2 ½ cup of sugar in it.  Let the sugar completely dissolve.  Then add the blanched papaya and stir well.  Keep cooking the papaya pieces in the sugar syrup till the syrup gets one thread consistency.  Also check if the papaya pieces cooked well.  Remove the pan and keep aside.  Let it cool down a bit then add vanilla syrup and mix well.  Leave for 10 minutes. 
• Divide the cooked papaya pieces in three portions alongwith sugar syrup. Take one bowl and add few drops of yellow food color in it then add first portion of cooked papaya pieces and sugar syrup.  Mix well.  Set aside.  

• Take another bowl and add red food color in it and second portion of papaya sugar syrup mixture.  Mix well.  

• Leave the third part without adding any color.  This way we would get tricolor tutty frutty.  As I had only two colors I used this method to make three colors.  Cover all the three bowl with lid and keep aside for overnight. 

• After 10-12 hours, take a big plate and put a big sieve on it upside down.  Take out the sugar coated red colored papaya pieces from the bowl and put it on the sieve.  Spread it on the half part of the sieve.  

• On the another half part of the sieve, put the yellow colored papaya pieces and spread them carefully so that both the colored pieces do not get mixed up. 

• Put another sieve on the plate and repeat the process with the colorless papaya pieces. The excess sugar syrup would drain out on the plate through the sieve.  Leave the papaya pieces without covering in the air for 10-12 hours or till they become dry. 

• Tutty fruity is ready to be used. 

• Shift them to an airtight container and store in the fridge.