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Chaku
Molasses toffee with nuts
चाकु (chaku): chewy Newari molasses toffee cooked with ghee and studded with nuts, sesame and coconut
The towns of the Kathmandu Valley smell of hot molasses in early January, as Newar confectioners in Bhaktapur, Thimi and Patan boil sugarcane syrup down into chaku, a dark, glossy toffee that is pulled until it turns light and chewy and then mixed with ghee, cashews, coconut and sesame. On Ghyo Chaku Sanlhu, the Newar name for Maghe Sankranti, it is eaten with ghee and boiled yams to warm the body, and pieces are wrapped and sent to married daughters. At home it is easiest to start from good jaggery. Pulling it off the heat too early is the classic failure, leaving a runny mess that will never set. Chef's tip: once it reaches the hard-ball stage, let the toffee cool on a greased tray just until you can handle it, then stretch and fold it with greased hands for a few minutes until it turns from dark brown to golden and chewy.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb dark jaggery (or sugarcane molasses blocks)grated
- ½ cup water
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 1 ¾ oz cashew nutsroughly chopped
- 1 oz dried coconutthinly sliced or grated
- 2 tbsp white sesame seedstoasted
- 1 /2 tsp ground cardamom
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Melt 1 ⅛ lb dark jaggery (or sugarcane molasses blocks) with ½ cup water in a heavy pan over a low heat, stirring, until dissolved. Strain through a sieve to remove any grit and return to the pan.
5 minStep 2: Boil over a medium heat, stirring often, for 18–20 minutes until very thick and a drop in cold water sets into a hard ball (about 250°F).
20 minStep 3: Stir in two-thirds of 2 tbsp ghee, then take off the heat.
2 minStep 4: Pour onto a tray greased with the remaining 1 tbsp ghee and leave for 3–5 minutes until just cool enough to touch. Be careful: the toffee holds heat.
5 minStep 5: With greased hands, stretch and fold the toffee repeatedly for 4–5 minutes until it lightens in colour and becomes chewy.
5 minStep 6: Knead in 1 ¾ oz cashew nuts, 1 oz dried coconut, 2 tbsp white sesame seeds and 1 /2 tsp ground cardamom, then press into a flat slab 1.5 cm thick.
2 minStep 7: Cut into pieces while still slightly warm and store wrapped in baking paper in an airtight tin for up to 1 month.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 220 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chaku take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of dark jaggery (or sugarcane molasses blocks)?
- Dark brown or muscovado sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
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