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Kokad
Coconut, jaggery and semolina squares
Kokad: Goan Christmas coconut, jaggery and semolina squares
Kokad is one of the sweets in the Goan Christmas kuswar, the tray of homemade sweets Catholic families swap with neighbours in the days around 25 December. Freshly grated coconut is cooked with jaggery, semolina and ghee until it pulls together into a dark, fudgy mass, then pressed into a tray, scored into diamonds and topped with cashews. It is chewy, caramel-sweet and fragrant with cardamom. Chef's tip: roast the semolina in ghee first, until it smells nutty, as raw semolina makes kokad pasty.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 20
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp ghee
- 3 ½ oz fine semolina
- 14 oz freshly grated coconutor frozen grated coconut
- 10 ½ oz jaggerygrated
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 pinch salt
- ⅔ oz cashew nutshalved
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Grease a 20 cm square tray with a little of 1 tbsp ghee.
Step 2: In a heavy pan, roast 3 ½ oz fine semolina in the rest of 3 tbsp ghee over a low heat for 6–8 minutes, until it smells nutty and turns pale gold. Tip it out.
8 minStep 3: In the same pan, cook 14 oz freshly grated coconut, 10 ½ oz jaggery and ¾ cup milk over a medium heat, stirring, until the jaggery melts and the mixture bubbles.
10 minStep 4: Add the semolina, 1 tsp ground cardamom and 1 pinch salt and keep stirring over a low heat for 30–40 minutes. It darkens and thickens and is ready when it leaves the sides of the pan in one mass and a little rolled between wet fingers forms a ball. A common mistake is stopping too soon, which leaves the squares sticky.
35 minStep 5: Press into the tray, smooth the top, press ⅔ oz cashew nuts into it and score into diamonds while warm.
Step 6: Cool completely, then cut along the lines. Store in a tin for up to 10 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kokad take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 20 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
- What can I use instead of jaggery?
- Dark brown or muscovado sugar, same amount.
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Perfect for:Christmas