Kamarkat / Jaggery Chew Candy

I have never tasted Kamarkat before. When my mom and dad used to say about their school days petty shops experience about this particular south indian candy.. I always wanted to taste it. But dint find this anywhere.

I googled for the recipe and found it in chithra's food book. I was shocked to see there was no peanuts used. I thought its similar to peanut candy, but it was just coconut and jaggery. So I made my mind to try it for sure. I always worry about the consistency of the jaggery syrup, my mum in law use to help me all these days. But she is not in town, so I thought this is the time to learn it. But to my surprise it was so easy not at all difficult. So to all the beginners like me, break your fear and freak out.

Ingredients:

·         Grated coconut – 1 cup

·         Jaggery – 3 cups

·         Water – ¼ cup

·         Cardomon – 2 pods

·         Ghee – 1 tsp

·         Rice flour – to coat to prevent sticking.

1:3 is the ratio for the coconut and jaggery, be it any cup.

Method:

Roast the grated coconut in ghee, till nice aroma spreads around. Keep it aside.

Now put the jaggery in the kadai, and add water till it covers the jaggery. Heat the kadai till the jaggery melts. Filter the syrup for any impurities.

Add the seeds from the cardamom pods. Now heat the jaggery syrup in high flame with occasional stirring.

When it starts thickening, reduce to medium heat with constant stirring. You have to heat it till it reaches hard ball consistency. To measure it, you have to drop little syrup in the water, the syrup should not dissolve in water, whereas you should be able to make that in to little ball, and when you drop it, you should get ‘tang’ sound.

At this stage add the coconut and keep stirring in low heat. Switch off when the mixture leaves the sides of the kadai.

Do not try to touch it at this stage. Let it cool down for a while.  Grease your hands with little oil and and then make it round balls. Coat it with rice flour to prevent sticking with each other.

Heat the kadai in low flame if you have difficulty in taking it out.

How to eat it :

For first time eaters, do not ever try to bite it, you will end up breaking your teeth. Pop a kamarkat into your mouth, keep it on the side of your mouth, let the juice slowly come out and flavor your taste buds. You can chew it occasionally tossing from one side to another. Yumm J. Happy tasting.