Bring India with this platter of Christmas fare from Kerala and Goa to your dining table. Try out these homemade delights, without preservatives and artificial flavouring – Parvathy Menon

Kokad (From Goa)

(24 servings)

Ingredients

 1 coconut, ground dry
 300 gm rava semolina
 650 gm sugar
 2 tbsp ghee
 1 tbsp butter
 10 cardamoms, ground
 ¾ cup water

Preparation guide

 Pour the water in a large saucepan, add the sugar and stir. When the sugar water begins to boil, add the ground coconut and mix well.
 In another pan, roast the rava semolina on a slow fire.
 Add the rava to the coconut mixture and stir over medium flame. Add pinch of salt.
 When the mixture thickens, add ghee and butter.
 Continue to stir for about 45 minutes. Keep stirring the mixture so it doesn’t stick to the saucepan.
 When the mixture is thick, sprinkle cardamom powder and continue to stir.
 Apply butter or ghee to spread the Kokad mixture.
 Flatten with a rolling pin while it’s hot.
 Cut into diamond-shape pieces and it’s ready.

Health benefits. Coconut is rich in protein, several minerals, Vitamin B, and especially in manganese, which promotes bone health and metabolism. Also in copper and iron, which help form red blood cells, as well as in selenium, a vital antioxidant.