NARKOL TAKTI

Today it is Kojagari Lakshmi Pujo in many Bengali homes. I also keep a special prayer on this day in my own small way ever since I moved abroad. These are the rituals, customs we have grown up watching. The smell of dhoop-dhuno[incense], camphor mixed jaggery n coconut been cooked, of freshly cut fruits, of "bhog er khichuri", of chandan / sandalwood smeared flowers..... all taken together.... it was a heavenly atmosphere. All these memories are still afresh on my mind. I try to follow them as much as possible though not with the same expertise as did the family veterans. For today, narkol naru is a must. I remember a variety of it was made; "naru, takti, chacher sandesh." Chach are designer blocks / moulds in which we place the cooked sticky jaggery and coconut mixture / dough and carefully take them out. On my next visit to India I need to buy some otherwise will steal my mom's which are about 40 years old. Today I made some Narkol Takti. They are just another variant of naru, made a bit more stickier & harder, we cook the mixture more to get this consistency. Now let us prepare the Narkoler Takti / Coconut Bars which requires only few ingredients and a bit of patience.

INGREDIENTS :

Coconut [shredded] : 250-300 gm 
Jaggery : 150gm
Camphor Tablet : 1 powdered [I used 1/2 tsp cardamom powder]
Water : 2 tbsp

A tablespoon of ghee adds to the flavour but I skipped to keep it vegan.

METHOD :

Place a wok on the gas top. Add the water and jaggery to it. Let the jaggery melt at minimal heat.

Add the shredded coconut, fold in well. Keep stirring continuously, the coconut would releasewater.

We have to let it cook till the water dries up and it reaches a sticky consistency. We cook it some extra time as we are preparing takti and not naru.

Transfer the cooked content on a baking sheet or butter paper. Press from the sides to give it a square shape, also press lightly the top. 

Let it cool a bit, Cut into your desired shape when it is still warm, I got squares. Cristine has shaped and cut them.

They will be a bit harder and chewy than naru; the coconut-jaggery balls. We can keep them for 3-4 days stored in air tight containers. I refrigerate but that makes them drier.