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Neureos
Coconut and jaggery pastries
Neureos (nevrī): Goan Catholic Christmas pastries with coconut, jaggery and cardamom
No Goan Catholic kuswar, the tray of Christmas sweets sent to neighbours, is complete without neureos, little crimped half-moons of crisp pastry stuffed with fresh coconut cooked down with jaggery, cardamom and a few raisins or cashews. Families gather in the week before Christmas to roll, fill and pinch them by the hundred, and they keep well in a tin until New Year. The common mistake is a wet filling: if the coconut mix is still moist when sealed the pastries burst in the oil, so cook it until it leaves the pan and cool it fully. Chef's tip: use a fluted pastry wheel to trim the edge after crimping, which gives the classic frilly finish and a tighter seal.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 9 oz plain flour (maida)
- 1 ⅜ oz gheemelted
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cup milk or wateras needed
For the filling
- 7 oz grated fresh coconut
- 4 oz jaggerygrated
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ⅞ oz cashewschopped
- ⅔ oz raisins
- 1 tbsp white sesame seedstoasted
To fry
- 2 ½ cups neutral oil for deep-frying
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rub 1 ⅜ oz ghee and 1 pinch salt into 9 oz plain flour (maida) until it holds when squeezed. Add ½ cup milk or water a little at a time and knead to a firm, smooth dough. Cover and rest 20 minutes.
25 minStep 2: Cook 7 oz grated fresh coconut with 4 oz jaggery in a heavy pan over medium-low heat, stirring, for 10–12 minutes until the mix is sticky, dry and comes away from the pan.
12 minStep 3: Stir in ½ tsp ground cardamom, ⅞ oz cashews, ⅔ oz raisins and 1 tbsp white sesame seeds and spread on a plate to cool completely.
15 minStep 4: Roll the dough very thin, cut 9 cm circles, put a heaped teaspoon of filling on one half, wet the edge, fold and crimp tightly. Keep shaped neureos under a cloth.
25 minStep 5: Heat 2 ½ cups neutral oil for deep-frying in a deep pan, no more than a third full, to 325°F; a scrap of dough should rise slowly with steady bubbles. Never leave hot oil unattended.
6 minStep 6: Fry 5–6 at a time over medium-low heat for 4–5 minutes, turning, until pale golden and crisp. Drain on paper, cool completely and store airtight for up to 10 days.
20 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does neureos take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 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 plain flour (maida)?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
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