Kamarkat

Kamarkat is a quick and easy snack to make. You just need 4 ingredients. I usually avoid sweets that contain coconut but I am partial to Kamarkat. Some Kamarkats are really hard and tough to bite. I like my kamarkats soft and chewy and this recipe yields just that – soft, chewy sticky sweet kamarkats. I think these’ll make great car snacks for kids. Chewing on these Kamarkats will keep their little mouths busy and you can enjoy some peace while driving.

Kamarkat always evokes fond childhood memories for everybody. Those were great times when we’d chew on these sweet, golden thingies for ages. There were also these candied mango strips which we’d buy at the road-side potti kadai (small shop) and these were like the “naturo” bars that sell now. The mango strips that we ate were un-branded. They were kept in those big glass jars that are synonymous with potti kadais. These little potti kadais were a child’s paradise – they had all kinds of sweets - kamarkat, butter biscuits, groundnut chikkis, all in those see-through glass jars. Every street corner would have a potti kadai. Candy heaven was always just a few steps away. Compare that with those huge, garish, ridiculously expensive lollipops available in that candy store (don’t remember what it was called) that’s invariably there in every mall. I bought one of those for my daughter and all of us together couldn’t finish even a quarter of it. We had to throw it away. Nothing like old times!

I was sceptical about my kids, if they’d like Kamarkats but they ate one each and pronounced it good. So a dabba of kamarkat goes straight to the car. I am sending this recipe to Srivalli's Blogging Marathon for the theme - "Sweet Treats for Kids".

Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 10-15 mins
Makes: 25-30 gooseberry sized balls

Ingredients

Jaggery – 250 gm
Water – 1/2 cup
Coconut – 1 grated
Ghee – 1-1/2 tbsp

Method

1.      In a kadai/skillet, heat jaggery and water together. When the jaggery has blended well and starts bubbling, filter the mixture to remove the impurities.

2.      Wipe the kadai clean with a kitchen towel and return the mixture back to the kadai/skillet. Let the jaggery cook and thicken. Test doneness by rolling a tiny drop of the mixture between your fingers to make a ball. If the ball holds its shape without sticking and is like hardened caramel then it is done. Now add the grated coconut and mix well. Cook on medium low till it attains a halwa consistency and leaves the sides of the skillet. Now drizzle half a tablespoon of ghee around the edges of the skillet and mix well. Switch off.

3.      Transfer the mixture to a greased plate (use the other 1 tbsp ghee). When the mixture is still warm, make small gooseberry sized rounds and place on the plate.

4.      Serve warm or at room temperature. Once cooled, store in an air-tight container. 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#29