REDUCED SUGAR NARKOL NARU

This homestyle sweet was majorly done with a sugar free alternative but towards the end there was 1-2 tsp of sugar added, else I find it very difficult to bind them into a shape. The coconut variety we get here are a bit of weird, they do not release much oil. Wasn't it the jaggery or sugar and the oily juice of the coconut together made a perfect "naru".... my narus are softer.... Oh! my God! the eldest of my cousin is Narayan with a pet name Naru.... I so played on the lap of my "Nanu."..... The elder of his two sons now got married and are both working.... so you know our age difference. The mother always says that this guy is a wonderful, honest person who helped her tremendously when she could not manage alone a big family which had my father, a toddler me, pishimoni, nanu, the father's youngest brother, the mother herself during our Asansol days. Because pishimoni and the father's youngest brother had no interest in studies, they were sent back to Assam before leaving Asansol, the mother never wished to leave that place.... ask me why? The Loreto and few other convents were located just the other side of the road. Ahh, the poor mother so wanted her daughter to get "convent" educated. Once in Kolkata, she made me sit for admission test two times in Auxilium Convent and one time in Loreto Sealdah.... in all I failed in spelling test and handwriting. That weakness in English Grammar and Spelling still remains a persisting problem in my life. She tried the brother to get in to Calcutta Boys & St. James but could not. The brother was way better in academics than me but was more interested in getting into wrong associations. Taking control over his life and engaging him in sports activities was a religious duty for us, I still believe. You cannot allow a part of your body get rot, right? 

I could not get "conbhent" educated is right, destiny takes it's own course but I tell my mother always "you see mani, boys make very good friends if you associate with the right ones".... we were at the experimental stage of that "Benglish" school with teachers changing every month! I really feel good for those who made it in life which proves they had matter in them. I stand strong with the rest of us back benchers whose mark sheets got severely affected. I still believe academically sound students can survive through any damn school, for us, a good schooling is a necessity, now that school earned some name I hear. Coming to my eldest cousin,  he had a struggled life. Okay, he could make a political career, from a Pannchayat Head like in the Nabadwip area he managed a meagre job in Kolkata through his parent party. Those who try to prove otherwise have to accept that their party too used their power in jobs and elsewhere, everyone in power does.... the question is to what extent I am using my power. I heard that they did not use their political power with regards to admission in the Calcutta University at the post graduation level.... but all the major, top level posts in that University during their reign were occupied by the party loyals. You will not see my dignified friends speaking rational on their pages. It is obvious that whoever is in power would misuse it.... I admit that now the situation is worser because the present party in power does not have any solidified history of politics..... they are just a flock of "gunda-gardi" loving people, even worser days are approaching towards West Bengal. Big Sister herself may not be too bad but her associates are terribly dishonest. I do not know why I am too unwilling to see politically motivated posts coming in.

Social Media was not solely started for us "computerbotamtepabiplabi".... news on achievements are welcome, food & music very much welcome,  expressing our own view on a social or socio-political issue welcome, poorly made viral posts most of which are hoaxes with wrong informations ..... please excuse me, keep in touch with me in WhatsApp or Messenger.... I mostly use social media handles to promote my blog, to flaunt my sarees often, dresses at times, to practice my hobbies.. thats it. Those who try to associate me wrongly, demean my picture posts writing "oh you look so beautiful"..... remember I will hit you back even if it takes decades, I am a scorpio. I am not all about a face, I know how I look, I am not stuck at sweet sixteen that I would want to look like a Pricilla.... that silly me have already wasted my life but Pricilla perhaps cannot make a perfectly shaped REDUCED SUGAR NARKOL NARU like me, just as I cannot nail many a things in life. Had I have a bit of wisdom in my teens.... I definitely would not have wasted my life brooding over wrong things..... your feelings... your emotions are pure and precious.... it should not be wasted wrongly on them who do not value you and instigate their associates to make a mockery of it. My eldest cousin spent each droplet of his blood & sweat on building his home, bringing up his sons. His wife I hear is an extreme case of cleanliness freak who equally sacrificed for the family living in a two-roomed shabby rented home for decades. Now their elder son is married, both sons are in decent jobs and they finally could build a two-storied, airy, no-fancy home in the interiors of Parnashree, Behala. A primitive, Bengali soul still yearns for a landed property, thats when the wise husband says S, do not be silly.... when we go back we would go for an "assisted living".... a newly developed concept coming up in India; I hear it is a bit different from old age homes. I think I read about it in social media.... if you say so I read news and different stories in social media handles .... this Milaap's page does not let me sleep.

You see, fragments of my life keep coming in all of my blog posts. I did not plan them at any point in the past few years, they just flow. Way later, I discovered that people around also do so.... this particular idea was not hired.... else I self associate myself willingly with people who feed my quest for knowledge, class, beauty as defined by me. I wholeheartedly support a Nishi's confident self, a Swati's hidden talent in art & craft finally coming out of the trunk, I have so many times rebuked an Indirra Sengupta silently for not getting her art and craft skills out in public. When she told me after school she goes for high tea with friends and her sons stay with their trusted chauffeur, I got upset thinking is she at all using her potential in art & craft which happens to be her special quality? She herself would understand when her boys would leave her on career's call and she would feel lonely..... her bindas self got her kids admitted to the best school in Kolkata considered till date. 

However, this "conbhent" maniac girl happens to be very much Indian in essence ..... her father used to love all kinds of "pithey-puli-naru".... so they were a regular affair at home and was not occasionally made. The grandparent's home always had big tinned containers full of "moya"stored for days, naru in glass jars.... the mother too made it a practice.... their's was not a "so called romantic liaison" per say.... in fact they hardly had any common interest but I have never seen the mother partying outside leaving the daddy fetch his food by himself. He should have learnt to help our mother I definitely admit. Our mother so struggled with her two kids, so after marriage when I saw people sleeping until 12pm while the husband and kid went to office and college making their own breakfast, I wondered as if it is the 8th wonder of the world and realised I cannot stay in this loud and weird atmosphere. Then, this kinds of extreme lazy stuffs went to people and called me a lazy just because my husband earns more than an average, normal Kolkatan.... the bone of contention was that her younger kid did not have that amount of financial security as me.... they never admit that they have zero amount of financial responsibility ..... a situation quite unlike me or us.... that family do not have any idea what amount of strength it takes to bring up your child almost alone, there were nights I shivered and sweated alone with a feverish child, I visited the doctor, called my father-in-law and my mother thereafter. At times, the mother was away to aid her son in Durgapur and her husband cannot even hold a child properly, just one night the father-in-law stayed with me as the son's fever was not getting back to normal.... early morning he was called back because one "adult" in his home had stomach ache. I have many such stories in the kitty and true ones. 

The homes who heard the other side of the story over cups of evening tea and further fuelled conflict in my home as part of their regular dose of entertainment, I have finally learnt to disregard them in spite of their age.... they do not deserve my respect or "roshogolla" anything.... they have enough money to buy both. Why do my son makes it a point to spend alone time with my brother and why I never instigate him to misbehave with his paternal grandparents?.... The answer is their love towards him but my offspring did witness his mother getting abused by the paternal grandmother; who except her very wrong kind of temperament and attitude towards me; is a good human. Oh Pricilla, my Pricilla.... did you ever carry two bags full of rice in your "pelob-kusum" hands? Did you spend sleepless nights each time when your only "security of life" passed through the Gulf of Aden or did you run from this "bazaar to that bazaar" for a "jyanto magur" for the kid and family? Your kinds may have a soft & supple palm that is a poet's dream, they may work very swift on computer keyboards, but I have tougher palms .... try them. 

My only dream as of now is a good future for the son, not only they but I hate making him public until now..... a fear I need to overcome, when I do not know..... let him grow far from the crowd, mumma continues to prepare this homestyle traditional sweet in a new way REDUCED SUGAR NARKOL NARU for him as she is concerned of her family's health. The things used are evaporated cream, shredded coconut, green cardamom powder, sugar. The evaporated cream worked wonder in reducing the cooking time, I could not let it be sugar free because it is sugar or jaggery which helps to get the content sticky. I could not click stepwise pictures because we are not supposed to take pictures or taste the food we are going to offer the Almighty.

INGREDIENTS : 

SHREDDED COCONUT : 2COFFEE MUGS OR 400-500GM

EVAPORATED CREAMER : 1CAN [385ML]

STEVIA POWDER : 100-150GM

SUGAR : 2TBSP

GREEN CARDAMOM POWDER : 1TSP

PROCEDURE : 

Pour the evaporated creamer and stevia powder in a wok. Bring to boil and keep simmering at low heat for 7-8 minutes. During this constantly we need to stir.

Now add the shredded coconut and constantly keep stirring folding in well. 

When the content gets 80% dry, add the sugar and green cardamom powder. Keep stirring further until it gets sticky.

Take down and let it cool. Shape into small, round balls, "naru" when it is still warm.