Also Known As:

Hard caramelized Candy. Home-Made Candy. Coconut Candy. India’s own hard-candy. Childhood treats – Kamarkat, Kamarkattu. Old Fashioned Candy. Country Style Candies. Olden days Candies from 70′s & 80′s.

During my childhood, late 80′s & early 90′s…all those children’s treats were evolving ( candies, chocolates and biscuits). So, I never had a chance to taste this old-fashioned candy as a kid! But, I remembered everyone around me kept raving about it, all of the time!

Later, when I was doing my research in the University, I expressed about my ‘unfulfilled wish’ to my good friend, Sugumar. The very next day, he surprised me with these treats. How sweet of him. In deed, it was too good to hold on.

I want to dedicate this post to all the adult-kids out there, please feel free to share your experience with me. We are never too old for childhood memories.

• Extra fine grated coconut – 1 cup
• Jaggery 1/2 cups (brown sugar)
• Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp
• Ginger powder, a pinch
• Ghee 2 tsp

Method:

1. In a kettle, add 1/2 cup of water and boil it. To this add jaggery, add cardamom and ginger powder.
2. Wait until they dissolve and comes to boiling stage. Now filter it for any impurities. Then reboil it to a strong syrup. It must be very sticky.
3. Meanwhile…in a heavy bottomed, preferably bronze vessel. Heat few spoons of ghee.Add coconut to it. Fry for couple of minutes, until coconut turn reddish brown.
4. Now, add this coconut to the jaggery syrup and continue cooking for a brief period. Once it consolidates, remove from heat.
5. Grease your palms with ghee and while they are still hot…make small candy sized balls out of it.

6. Note:-  It was terribly hot to touch, so I left them in the fridge for a lil-bit of time. And it caramelized super-quick!!!

7. Spread these candies on a plate/sheet. Allow them to cool to room temperature. Store them as such in an air-tight container.Or wrap each candy with individual plastic sheet or butter sheet. Twist the butter-sheet’s end…just like a store bought candy wraps. Then store in an air-tight container.