Narkeler Tokti/Coconut Fugde

Wish you all A Happy Pooja from our family to yours. Bengali's biggest festival Durga pooja is just a few days away that usually falls on Autumn during the month of either late September or early to mid October. Goddess Durga symbolizes divine forces(positive energy) against the negative forces of evil. 

The ritual is observed for ten days but last four days especially in West Bengal, other places of India and abroad Durga pooja is celebrated in a grand way. Ma Durga and her four children, Laxmi, Shraswati, Kartik and Ganesh are worshipped on Mahasaptami, Mahastomi, Mahanabomi and Mahadoshomi days. Devotees dress up with nice clothes and go to the pooja pandel to worship and pray offering special treats with gaiety and devotion. 

Durga pooja also known as Sharodshav enjoyed by all regardless of their faith. Durga poojo means pandel hopping with new cloths, get together with friends, visiting relatives, fire works, unlimited fun and last but not least lots of home made sweets and savory confections. 

Coconut confections with sugar(Chinir Narkol Naru) and jaggery (Gurer Narkol Naru) are traditional offerings to Ma Durga. Narkeler Tokti/Coconut Fugde is also known as Narkel Sandesh  and different shapes of mold are used to imprint design. It's quite similar to Chinir Narkol naru/Coconut Confection. My Ma used freshly grated coconut, sugar, milk and ground cardamon. She would grind grated coconut with shilnora (rough hand grinding stone)till smooth then cook with sugar on low flame stirring continuously until all liquids dried out without making the mixture brown. She added little milk at the end of the cooking to make it more white and freshly ground cardamom for flavor. I just modified this recipe little bit. I used coconut milk and blanched almond meal and made it in the microwave.

It's a recipe in a hurry. No need to grate fresh coconut which is quite a daunting task. Grab a frozen grated coconut packet from Asian or Indian grocery store. Mix with other ingredients and cook in a safe glass bowl in the microwave in few minutes intervals, stirring in between for a while. It's quite easy to make. Cooking time depends on how powerful microwave is.

Ingredients~
1 1lb. pack frozen grated coconut, thawed
2 tbsp. blanched almond meal
1 cup bone char-free sugar 
1/2 cup coconut milk or coconut cream
2-3 freshly ground cardamon pods, finely ground
1 bay leaf 
Some raisins for garnishing

Equipment~   
1 microwave safe glass bowl
1 wooden spatula
7 inch  greased round or square plate

Method~
Blend coconut to a smooth texture for 2-3 minutes. Transfer it to a microwavable bowl. Add in sugar and bay leaf. Mix it well. Microwave the coconut mixture for about 25 minutes on full power in 5 minutes intervals, stirring in between. When watery mixture becomes very thick add in coconut milk  and microwave 10 more minutes in 2 minutes intervals, stirring in between. Make sure it doesn't burn. Try to make a firm round ball to check if it is done. Add in almond meal and ground cardamon and mix well. Pour mixture on a plate and press evenly. Let it cool and set for a while and cut into any desired shape. Place a raisin in the middle of each shapes. Store in the refrigerator for its freshness up to a week.

Note~ Desiccated coconut can be used. Mix with enough water or coconut milk to make it just moist before it goes in the microwave or else it will burn. 
 

Try these coconut confections.
 http://earthycooking.blogspot.com/2014/09/sweetened-coconut-confection.html
 http://earthycooking.blogspot.com/2016/10/gurer-narkol-naru-coconut-confection.html

Add caption

Happy Cooking!