Fresh grated coconut cooked with nolen gur (date palm jaggery) and cardamom until thick, then shaped into small balls — the most made festival sweet of Bengal for Lakshmi Puja, Bhai Phota and every autumn festival. Simple to make but impossible to stop eating.
1 cup nolen gur (date palm jaggery — the liquid or semi-solid dark winter variety; available November to February; substitute with regular jaggery or dark brown sugar)
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp ghee for greasing palms
Method
Combine coconut and nolen gur: Place fresh grated coconut and grated or liquid nolen gur in a wide, heavy pan. If using solid jaggery, grate finely first.
Cook on medium-low heat: Heat on medium-low, stirring continuously as the jaggery begins to melt into the coconut.
Cook until the mixture thickens: Cook stirring continuously for 12 to 15 minutes. The mixture will go through stages — first very wet and loose, then progressively drier as the jaggery moisture evaporates. Keep stirring without stopping.
Test the consistency: The mixture is ready when it comes away from the pan sides cleanly when stirred and forms a ball when you press a small amount. If you press a piece between fingers, it should hold its shape and not be wet.
Add cardamom: Add cardamom powder. Stir.
Remove from heat: Take off the heat. The mixture will continue to firm up as it cools.
Work quickly while warm: Let cool for just 2 to 3 minutes — until you can handle the mixture without burning but it is still warm and pliable. Grease your palms with a tiny amount of ghee.
Shape into balls: Take a tablespoon-sized amount of the mixture. Roll firmly between greased palms into a smooth, tight ball about 3 cm in diameter. Apply even pressure from all sides.
Place on a greased plate: Place each shaped naru on a plate. Continue shaping all the mixture rapidly — as it cools it hardens and becomes impossible to shape.
Cool completely and serve: Let the narkel naru cool at room temperature for 20 minutes until firm. Serve as a festival sweet offering.
Note: Narkel Naru (narkel = coconut, naru = ball sweet in Bengali) is the most universally made festival sweet of Bengal — every Bengali household makes naru for Lakshmi Puja (the autumn full moon festival), Bhai Phota (brother-sister festival) and Kartik Puja. The nolen gur version made in winter has a distinctive date-palm fragrance that the jaggery or sugar versions cannot replicate. Making naru is one of the first kitchen skills taught to Bengali children.