Naral Vadi/Narali Pak
( An Indian sweet made from freshly grated coconut )
I shared the mango coconut barfi recipe some weeks ago. This recipe is similar to that except for the use of mangoes. Coconut barfi/Naralachi vadi/Naralipak is a Maharashtrian sweet, which is generally made on Narali Poornima or Raksha Bandhan day.
‘Narali’ refers to ‘coconut and ‘Poornima’ to a full moon day. Narali Poornima is celebrated on a full moon day in the Shravan month of the Hindu calendar. This festival marks the end of the monsoon season. Thus, the fishermen offer coconut(abundantly available in coastal regions) to the sea and begin their offshore work. So it is a tradition to make sweets using coconut on this day. Naralachi vadi is one such lovely recipe.
There are two ways of making this recipe. I will share both recipes here. ONLY if you are using freshly grated coconut, you can follow method 1. If you are using refrigerated /store-bought grated coconut follow method 2.
Ingredients
For METHOD 1-
3 cups coconut freshly grated
2.25 cup sugar (roughly 3/4 the quantity of coconut used)
2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
1/2 tsp cardamom powder(elaichi powder)
1 tbsp milk powder (optional)
For METHOD 2 -
3 cups coconut freshly grated/store-bought/refrigerated grated coconut.
2.25 cup sugar (roughly 3/4 the quantity of coconut used)
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
1/2 tsp cardamom powder(elaichi powder).
Method
METHOD 1-
Add grated coconut to a pan, and add sugar to it. Mix well and set aside for 30 minutes. The mixture will release water.
Start heating this mixture on a low flame. Add ghee from the top, and mix well.
Keep heating the mixture, while stirring continuously on a medium flame.
After 10-12 minutes, the mixture starts to thicken. Keep stirring it.
Lower the flame, and cook the mixture till it starts leaving the pan, and starts holding shape.
Add cardamom powder, and milk powder, and mix well.
Spread baking paper on the tray or grease a tray with clarified butter (ghee).
Immediately pour the hot mixture over the tray. Spread it evenly by pressing it from the top using a bowl(katori/vati) or spatula.
Using a knife, cut the mixture vertically and horizontally, to make vadis of the desired shape. Do this while the mixture is still hot.
Cool the mixture in the tray itself. After about an hour, carefully remove the vadis from the tray.
METHOD 2-
Take grated coconut in a pan. Add sugar, and milk to it. Mix well.
Start heating the pan on medium heat. Add ghee on top, from all sides, and mix well.
Keep heating the mixture on a medium flame, stirring continuously for 10-12 minutes.
Lower the flame and cook the mixture till it thickens(5-7 minutes). Keep stirring so that the mixture won’t stick to the pan.
Turn off the heat when the mixture starts to hold shape and gets a dough-like consistency.
Add cardamom powder, and mix well.
Spread baking paper on the tray or grease a tray with clarified butter (ghee).
Immediately pour the hot mixture over the tray. Spread it evenly by pressing it from the top using a bowl(katori/vati) or spatula.
Using a knife, cut the mixture vertically and horizontally, to make vadis of the desired shape. Do this while the mixture is still hot.
Cool the mixture in the tray itself. After about an hour, carefully remove the vadis from the tray.
NARAL VADI IS READY TO SERVE!
Notes -
Cut the vadis while the mixture is still hot. If the mixture cools down, it becomes difficult to make perfect vadis. You can add chopped nuts to it if you like before cutting the vadis.
Method 1 works well only if you are using freshly grated coconut. If you are using store-bought/refrigerated grated coconut please follow Method 2. This is because refrigerated/store-bought coconut is a little dry compared to freshly grated coconut, and so we have to add milk in order to make it moist.
In Method 1, adding a little milk powder at the end makes it easy to make the vadis and gives the vadis a nice white color. You can skip this step if you don’t have milk powder.
In Method 2, if the mixture becomes dry while cooking, add a little more milk.
Add the cardamom powder at the very end. If you add it while cooking, it loses its taste. You can skip adding this too.
If you don’t have a tray, use any deep plate to make vadis.
You can cut the vadis into rectangular, square, or diamond shape, according to your preference.
You can add 2-3 tbsp of fresh cream while cooking the coconut mixture to enhance the flavor.
Coconut Barfi/Naralipak/Naral Vadi
Ingredients
- 3 cups coconut freshly grated
- 2.25 cup sugar (roughly 3/4 the quantity of coconut used)
- 2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder(elaichi powder)
- 1 tbsp milk powder (optional)
- 3 cups coconut freshly grated/store-bought/refrigerated grated coconut.
- 2.25 cup sugar (roughly 3/4 the quantity of coconut used)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder(elaichi powder).
Method
- Add grated coconut to a pan, and add sugar to it. Mix well and set aside for 30 minutes. The mixture will release water.
- Start heating this mixture on a low flame. Add ghee from the top, and mix well.
- Keep heating the mixture, while stirring continuously on a medium flame.
- After 10-12 minutes, the mixture starts to thicken. Keep stirring it.
- Lower the flame, and cook the mixture till it starts leaving the pan, and starts holding shape.
- Add cardamom powder, and milk powder, and mix well.
- Spread baking paper on the tray or grease a tray with clarified butter (ghee).
- Immediately pour the hot mixture over the tray. Spread it evenly by pressing it from the top using a bowl(katori/vati) or spatula.
- Using a knife, cut the mixture vertically and horizontally, to make vadis of the desired shape. Do this while the mixture is still hot.
- Cool the mixture in the tray itself. After about an hour, carefully remove the vadis from the tray.
- Take grated coconut in a pan. Add sugar, and milk to it. Mix well.
- Start heating the pan on medium heat. Add ghee on top, from all sides, and mix well.
- Keep heating the mixture on a medium flame, stirring continuously for 10-12 minutes.
- Lower the flame and cook the mixture till it thickens(5-7 minutes). Keep stirring so that the mixture won’t stick to the pan.
- Turn off the heat when the mixture starts to hold shape and gets a dough-like consistency.
- Add cardamom powder, and mix well.
- Spread baking paper on the tray or grease a tray with clarified butter (ghee).
- Immediately pour the hot mixture over the tray. Spread it evenly by pressing it from the top using a bowl(katori/vati) or spatula.
- Using a knife, cut the mixture vertically and horizontally, to make vadis of the desired shape. Do this while the mixture is still hot.
- Cool the mixture in the tray itself. After about an hour, carefully remove the vadis from the tray.
Notes
- Cut the vadis while the mixture is still hot. If the mixture cools down, it becomes difficult to make perfect vadis. You can add chopped nuts to it if you like before cutting the vadis.
- Method 1 works well only if you are using freshly grated coconut. If you are using store-bought/refrigerated grated coconut please follow Method 2. This is because refrigerated/store-bought coconut is a little dry compared to freshly grated coconut, and so we have to add milk in order to make it moist.
- In Method 1, adding a little milk powder at the end makes it easy to make the vadis and gives the vadis a nice white color. You can skip this step if you don’t have milk powder.
- In Method 2, if the mixture becomes dry while cooking, add a little more milk.
- Add the cardamom powder at the very end. If you add it while cooking, it loses its taste. You can skip adding this too.
- If you don’t have a tray, use any deep plate to make vadis.
- You can cut the vadis into rectangular, square, or diamond shape, according to your preference.
- You can add 2-3 tbsp of fresh cream while cooking the coconut mixture to enhance the flavor.
