Kesar Kopra Paak

Ganpati Bappa is here, and He is guarding and protecting our houses! These 10 days are so much fun, with lights, candles, sweet smell of incense and fresh flowers, bright and warm decorations. This festival is celebrated to make us social. Yes, by learning and making so many delicious sweets and distributing sweets in form of Prashad to our neighbors, friends, and family, we get close to our community. It is also fun to have friends over to sing songs in praise of Lord. While I write all this, I am definitely missing my days in India.

With 10 days of this festival, and sweets/prasad offered 2 times a day, many of you might be in search of quick and easy recipes. And that what Kopra Paak is. It is a traditional gujarati sweet made of fresh or dessicated coconut and is sure to please your God and your guests. Paak is a sweetmeat cooked in sugar syrup. In this case, coconut is cooked with milk and sugar. Saffron/kesar is optional.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. ghee

2+1/2 cup fresh coconut

1 cup milk

3/4 cup sugar

Pinch of saffron/kesar

1 tsp. cardamom powder

In a pan, heat ghee and roast coconut for 3-4 minutes.
Add milk and saffron, and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add sugar to the mixture. Mix in well and let coconut cook into sugar syrup.
Stir till the moisture evaporates and forms a lump.
Meanwhile, grease a thali or plate and keep it ready.
When the mixture is ready to pour, add cardamom powder. Mix well.
Pour mixture in a greased plate and lightly spread it out.
Sprinkle some cardamom powder on top.
Let the mixture cool slightly and then divide into pieces.
Serve when it had cooled.

Note: If using dry/dessicated coconut: Heat 1/2 cup sugar and1/4 cup of milk. Bring it to boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Add saffron if needed. Add 1 cup dessicated coconut. Mix well. As it starts to thicken, add cardamom powder. Pour into greased plate. Slightly cool and cut into pieces. Serve when cooled. Enjoy!!

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

In a pan, heat ghee and roast coconut for 3-4 minutes.

Add milk and saffron, and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.