CHANDRAKANTHALU/CHANDRAKANTHA SWEET

As always, a new beginning is always sweet.So here is how I started my new year:With fresh chandrakanthalu.Chandrakanthalu are a traditional sweet made with yellow moong dal,mostly in Coastal Andhra ,and usually for Sankranti which is the Harvest Festival for people in Andhra,falling in mid-January every year."Chandrakanthalu" literally means "rays of the moon", and rightly so:Inside the crispy brown shell,
,you will see a nice,off-white colour to it.So without much ado,here is the recipe:

Ingredients:2 Cups yellow split moong dal(Pesarapappu)

2 Cups sugar

1 Cup fresh(preferable) or dry coconut,shredded/grated

5-6 pods of green cardamom(Elaichi)

Oil,to deep-fry

Method: Soak the dal for 30 mins in water.Drain and grind coarsely,without using much water.

Smear a plate with ghee and keep it aside.

Now put the sugar into a thick bottomed pan and add 1/2 cup water and put on heat.Let the sugar ,melt and form a one string syrup.Add the ground dal into this sugar syrup.Make a powder of the cardamom and keep aside.

Once you add the dal to the sugar syrup,you have to keep stirring so it does not stick to the bottom and burn.Anything in sugar syrup tends to burn quickly.Once the mass thickens and forms a mass around the mixing spoon,add the elaichi powder and coconut along with 2 teaspoons of ghee.Mix well and immediately pour into the prepared tray or plate.Smoothen with a flat spoon and let it cool for 2 mins.Mark into squares with a knife ,wiping the knife every so often.

Let the pieces cool completely.Now Heat oil in a deep pan and deep fry these pieces till golden brown.Care has to be taken while frying because they tend to stick to the bottom of the pan,so keep stirring all the while when frying.Once they start to brown,keep a close eye and take out as soon as they turn a nice golden brown.As they already have sugar,they will tend to burn easily.Drain on paper towels and serve immediately or at least on the same day.They do keep well for at least 4 days but are best eaten immediately.

Yield:About 64 pieces,1 cm thick and 1 inch square.


My Notes:I used dry coconut in this.I have made these numerous times now, and find that even of the soaked dal is ground fine,these turn out fine.So don;t worry if you have ground the dal too fine.Only thing to keep in mind is that the texture should be like a halwa when you take it into the prepared plate.While frying,some pieces may develop cracks over the surface but that does not affect the taste in the least.So,enjoy!These would go perfectly well with a cup of authentic andhra filter coffee, or even Asha's Masala Chai.