Christmas/ Wedding Sweets Special

Neureos (fried pastry shells with sweet filling)

Ingredients : For the dough : 1/2 kg refined flour 2 tbsp melted ghee 1 ghee For the filling : 250 gm semolina 100 gm sugar powdered 50 gm raisins 3 tsp poppyseeds 50 gm cashewnuts 100 gm grated coconut 2 tbsp ghee Preparation : Makes a dough with the maida, egg, ghee and salt to taste, along with water, and keep aside. Filling: lightly roast the coconut with the ghee, but don't let it brown. Then lightly roast the semolina. Let the mix cool down, and then add the sugar. Roll the dough into rounds. Put the filling on one half of the circle, moisten the edges all around and fold. Deep fry in oil till golden brown.

Kulkuls (crisp sugar-coated curls)

Ingredients : milk of 1 coconut 2 eggs 1/2 kg flour 1 teaspoon salt Preparation : Knead the flour and eggs, coconut milk and salt into a ball of dough. Cover with a damp cloth and leave for a time. Then roll out the dough and cut into strips and then into small squares. Form into kulkuls by rolling the squares into curls off the back of a fork (they can also be shaped into twists) Deep fry the kulkuls. The next day make a thich sugar syrup (for a kilo of kulkuls, use 1/4 Kilo sugar) Throw in the kulkuls, stir until well coated and dry. Remove and store in an airtight container.

Bebinca (rich, layered pudding)

Ingredients : 1 kg castor sugar 3 cups coconut milk (extract of 2 coconuts) 20 egg yolks 100 gm flour 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg 2 tsp cardamom essence 1 cup clarified butter (ghee) Preparation : Mix the castor sugar with the coconut milk till dissolved. Beat egg yolks till creamy, and add to the coconut milk and mix the flour in it thoroughly, without any lumps. Add this to the mixture of coconut milk, sugar and eggs, along with the nutmeg and cardamom. Take a deep pan, about 6 inch in diameter and put a tablespoon of clarified butter in it. Put it under a grill ( medium heat ). Take it out of the grill and pour enough butter into the pan to cover the bottom about 1/2 inch in thickness. Put under the grill for about 2 minutes and let it cook till it is deep brown in colour. Remove from grill, put a dessert spoonful of clarified butter over the cooked layer, following it with enough batter to cover the first layer, about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat this process till all the batter and clarified butter has been used up in the same way. The batter must always be in the same proportion. The last layer has to be the clarified butter. When cool, turn out onto a dish, keeping the first layer face down. Decorate the last layer with a few slivers of toasted almonds if desired. To serve, cut into thin slices serves 25

Dodol (rice halwa)

Ingredients : 750 gm raw Goa rice 10 large coconuts 2 1/2 kg coconut jaggery 2 tbsp sugar salt to taste 200gm cashew nuts, chopped Preparation : Grind the rice or powder it and blend it with a little water or coconut juice and keep aside. Grate and grind the coconuts coarsely. Extract about one and half litres of thick coconut juice and around 8 litres thin juice. Keep the thin coconut juice on the fire, preferably in a large copper vessel, and bring to the boil stirring continuously. Add the rice mixture , a little at a time, continuing stirring. Let it boil for around 2 hours. Add coconut jaggery and sugar and salt and continue stirring. When the mixture begins to thicken, add the thick coconut juice. The Dodol will start leaving the sides of the pan stainless steel container. Decorate with chopped cashew nuts. Serve sliced.