Indian
Gluten freeGoan chana dal doce
Chana dal and coconut fudge
Doce de grão: fudge-like Goan Christmas sweet of chana dal and fresh coconut, cooked down with sugar and ghee
Doce de grão is one of the oldest sweets on the Goan Christmas kuswar platter, made in Catholic homes from Margao to Mapusa in the weeks before Christmas and also for weddings. Chana dal is boiled and ground with fresh coconut, then cooked with sugar in a wide pan, stirred constantly for the best part of an hour, until it turns into a thick, glossy dough that leaves the sides of the pan. Spread on a plate, cut into diamonds or pressed into small moulds, it is dense, fudgy and nutty, with a soft coconut flavour. Some families add a little ghee at the end for shine, and that makes it vegetarian rather than vegan. The usual mistake is taking it off the heat too soon: it stays sticky and never sets. Push a spoon through the middle; it is ready when the line holds and the mixture rolls into a ball. Chef's tip: grind the coconut and dal together while the dal is warm and without water; a wet paste takes twice as long to cook down.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Serves
- 20
- Per serving
- 200 kcal
Ingredients
- 9 oz chana dalsoaked 2 hours
- 3 ¼ cups water
- 9 oz fresh coconutfinely grated
- 14 oz sugar
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp ground green cardamom
- 1 pinch salt
Tick what you have; the rest goes in the basket.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain 9 oz chana dal and simmer it in 3 ¼ cups water over a medium heat for 25–30 minutes (or 3 whistles in a pressure cooker) until soft but not mushy. Drain very well.
30 minStep 2: While still warm, grind the dal and 9 oz fresh coconut together to a smooth, thick paste without adding water.
5 minStep 3: Put the paste and 14 oz sugar in a wide, heavy pan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar melts; the mixture will loosen first.
5 minStep 4: Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom constantly, for 30–35 minutes until it thickens into a dough that leaves the sides of the pan and rolls into a soft ball when cooled on a plate.
35 minStep 5: Stir in 2 tbsp ghee, 1 tsp ground green cardamom and 1 pinch salt and cook for 2 minutes more until glossy.
2 minStep 6: Spread on a greased plate or tray about 1.5 cm thick, smooth the top and cut into diamonds while warm. Cool completely, then store in an airtight tin for up to 10 days.
KrazyBadal
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Perfect for:Christmas