This is my take on a delicious childhood dessert that my guru’s wife used to make. In Bengal, narkel means coconut and naru means a ball-shaped sweet (laddoo in Hindi). Though this can be made with white sugar, it’s amazing with unrefined sugar because of the lovely earthy caramel tastes that it adds. I tried it both with traditional Indian jaggery and with panela, the Latin version of jaggery, and I have to say I almost preferred it with panela. Use any unrefined sugar you can find.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 18 balls |
Ingredients
- One 13.5-ounce can coconut milk, such as Aroy-D or Chaokoh brands (any thick coconut milk is fine, just no light coconut milk)
- 1/2 cup firmly packed jaggery, panela or other unrefined sugar (see Cook’s Note)
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds, crushed
- 2 cups desiccated unsweetened, shredded coconut shavings
- Pinch of fine salt
Instructions
- Combine the coconut milk, sugar and cardamom in a medium heavy-bottomed pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has reduced and thickened, about 15 minutes.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of the coconut and a pinch of salt and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the coconut completely absorbs the liquid, and the mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the pot, about 10 minutes.
- Lower the heat to medium and continue cooking until the mixture resembles a stiff dough, about 7 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to another bowl to cool. Refrigerate uncovered until completely cool and thickened, about 30 minutes. For quick cooling, place the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice water, making sure that the ice water doesn’t reach more than three-quarters of the way up the outside of the smaller bowl. Stir the mixture occasionally to expedite the cooling process.
- Once the mixture is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the cardamom seeds, then roll the mixture into 3/4-ounce balls (about 1-inch wide; about 18 total). Roll each ball between the palms of your hands until smooth and even.
- Put the remaining 1/2 cup coconut in a small wide bowl. Roll the balls around in the coconut until evenly coated. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 18 servings |
| Calories | 120 |
| Total Fat | 11 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 1 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 16 mg |
Reviews
Big hit! Everyone loved these! Will make them again!
Don’t waste the time or ingredients! This was lackluster to say the least. Even my coconut loving friends were not a fan!