New Year’s Eve noche buena must have a fruit salad on the dinner table. The most popular fruit salad is the Buko salad. The popularity of fruits during New Year’s Eve celebration is part of the tradition to bring in good luck, fortune and prosperity.

Ingredients
5 large cans of Del Monte Fruit Cocktail (Imported)
Grated Coconut meat from 10 buko (young coconut)
2 cans lychees
1 small bottle nata de coco (green)
1 small bottle nata de coco (red)
1 small bottle kaong (green)
1/4 kilo seedless grapes
3 small china apples , cubed
1/4 kilo seedless grapes
1 can condensed milk
2 packs Nestle Cream
1 can Peaches for topping
Few red or green cherries for topping

Fresh Buko, Nata de coco

Fruit Cocktail, Peaches

Procedure
1. Drain the fruits from the can for at least 2 hours. This is to prevent a soggy fruit salad.

2. When all the juices have been drained, mix all the fruits together in a bowl.

3. Add the condensed milk and cream till well blended.

4. Transfer to serving bowls and top with peaches and cherries.

5. Freeze or Refrigerate properly. (Buko spoils if not refrigerated or frozen. I prefer to freeze the rest of the buko salad if it isn’t eaten within the day.)

View photos of the Making of Buko Salad