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BUKO SALAD • A Philippine Christmas Sweet Treat

Three more days and it's Christmas. A lot of you are planning what to prepare for Christmas Eve Dinner. Something delicious, festive and sweet. Let me share with you today a popular Philippine dessert that shines even brighter during this season. Come and join us as we share with you the "Buko Salad".

As early as now people are buying ingredients for Christmas dinner. As Christmas draws nearer more and more people go to the market. Today we will be preparing the Buko Salad ahead of Christmas to give you an idea that you might want to try. It is very easy to prepare and we could make another batch on the eve itself.

Here at this store, they sell almost everything that we need for this recipe. Aside from that they also sell plastic containers and other plastic bags.

This is pre-made gelatin that comes in green and red colors. I haven't seen other colors other than these two. This gives the salad a colorful Christmas theme. Three pieces would cost 10 pesos or $.20 USD.

These are called Sago or tapioca pearls. We will also need this which costs 10 pesos or $.20 USD for one cupful.

To add sweetness one can of condensed milk is enough.

Nata de Coco is a coconut gel made from fermented coconut water. One bottle cost 55 pesos or $1.10 USD.

The main ingredient of the Buko Salad is coconut. Just beside the store is a coconut vendor and I guess they chose a really good spot. They get all the customers buying from the store selling gelatin. They sell fresh coconut for 30 pesos which are around $0.60 USD.

We will need shredded coconut and they do the shredding on the spot after the fresh coconut is cracked open.

We got back home to prepare all the ingredients. Coconut gets spoiled easily and I will teach you a secret on how to make it last longer. This technique was shared by my aunt. The secret is super easy. Boil the coconut with a little water and two spoonfuls of sugar. As soon as it boils you can turn off the heat.

Now we are ready to prepare the Buko Salad.

Slice the gelatin into cubes.

Next, add in the Nata de coco.

Nat de coco is chewy and sweet since it is preserved with heavy syrup. This can also be enjoyed on its own and I could say could be a little addictive.

The Christmas colors are starting to come alive now.

Everything is pretty straightforward. Just dumping in all the ingredients with no particular order. Add the tapioca pearls next.

Then we added the shredded coconut.

As for the condensed milk, you may add only half a can if you don't want it too sweet. For us, one can is just right for this volume.

Finally, we added some heavy cream. You can also add in just half of the carton if you don't want it to have too much liquid. But we always do it this way using the whole carton.

Mix it everything together ready to serve. It is best served chilled so put it in the refrigerator for the best result. This can also be made into a popsicle. Pour into a popsicle container and freeze overnight. The best way for the kids to enjoy.

Now I present to you the Buko Salad. The perfect representation of Christmas. The coconut showcases our culture, tapioca pearls remind us of the Christmas ball on the tree, green and red gelatin are Christmas colors and the sweetness of the milk shows how sweet our holiday is. Cheap, quick, easy to prepare and perfect for the Christmas table for friends and family to enjoy.

I hope you enjoyed our sweet Christmas treat preparation. Just by looking at it, I can almost feel Christmas. Hope to see you again soon and let's make this Holiday the best ever this year.