It is human nature to feel stronger, complete and united when we are among other fellow natives celebrating a festival. Even with busy schedule and hectic life style, we tend to come together and celebrate traditional festivals collectively. The Bengali New Year or the celebration of Nobo Borsho, celebrated April 14 each year, is one of such festivals where Bengalis forget their differences and come together. Bengalis arrange traditional fairs, known as Boishakhi Mela, in almost all major cities around the world.
In addition to going to the multiple Boishakhi Mela in the area, we arrange a yearly “Panta Utshob” potluck at home every year. Panta-Ilish is the traditional meal associated with celebrating nobo borsho hence the name – panta utshob(panta festival). This year would be the 7th year we’ll be hosting, so it has become a happy tradition among our friends to look forward to getting the invite and off course the gathering, fun, laughter and food.
Another item our friends look forward to for the panta utshob is coconut laddu, also called narikel naru, prepared by yours truly. They seem to never get bored with it and no matter how much I make, I never end up with leftovers. That tells something, doesn’t it? Can you imagine how good these soft, snowy coconut naru taste like? Pristine white, slightly sticky, cardamom and cinnamon flavored snowy, delicious coconut balls. Delish!
As much as I would love to prepare the laddu/naru with freshly grated coconut, I just don’t have the time to go through processing a coconut. So far, none of my friends or family members complained (on the contrary, they rave about the naru). With all the compliments I always get for these laddus, I am not in a rush to take the hassle to break and grate a fresh coconut yet to prepare these. The age old recipe gets a new spin in my humble kitchen that takes less than 20 minutes to prepare.
Coconut laddu/naru is my go to traditional sweet if I need to whip something in less than 20 minutes. It is quick and easy to make, tastes heavenly and never fails to impress any of my friends and family. Added bonus, the laddus only take 5 ingredients and can be frozen. Hard to beat, right? I know. Feel free to add nuts, raisins if you like. I usually keep the traditional version without any additional ingredients. At my family, we always preferred the soft naru/laddu. However, there’s another version where the coconut is cooked until the sugar crystalizes making the naru hard as it cools. Additional sugar is needed for the harder nary. If you are freezing the laddus, just thaw them in the refrigerator and they’ll be ready to consume.
“Mishti Mukh” meaning sweetening your mouth for good luck or for a happy news is a ritual in Bangladesh. Pohela Boishakh, the first day of the Bengali calendar is a new beginning and a very appropriate time for “Mishti-Mukh“.
- 2½ cups desiccated coconut (unsweetened)
- 3 green cardamom
- 2-3 cinnamon sticks, each about 1 inch long
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup condensed milk
- Mix all ingredients in a pan.
- Turn on stove and cook in low medium heat, stirring constantly until sticky and a mass pulls away from the pan.
- Let cool a little. Once the mixture is warm to handle, make about an inch diameter balls.
Add nuts, raisins if you like. I usually keep the traditional version without any additional ingredients.
At my family, we always preferred the soft naru/laddu. However, there’s another version where the coconut is cooked until the sugar crystallizes making the naru hard as it cools. Additional sugar is needed for the harder naru.
রেসিপি : নারিকেলের নাড়ু
উপকরন :
২ ১/২ কাপ নারিকেল (চিনি ছাড়া শুষ্ক গুড়া নারিকেল বা কুড়ানো নারিকেল)
৩টি সবুজ/ছোট এলাচ
২-৩টি দারুচিনি, প্রতিটি প্রায় ১ ইঞ্চি লম্বা
১ কাপ দুধ
১ কাপ কন্ডেনস্ড মিল্ক
প্রস্তত প্রণালী:
১. একটি প্যানে সব উপকরণ দিয়ে ভালভাবে মেশান।
২. চুলা চালু করুন এবং নিম্ন মাঝারি তাপে নাড়তে থাকুন। নারিকেল চটচটে হয়ে দলা বেঁধে আসলে চুলা বন্ধ করে দিন।
৩. মিশ্রণ ঠান্ডা হলে একটি ইঞ্চি বলের আকারে নাড়ু তৈরী করুন।
প্রয়োজনিও কিছু টিপস্ এর জনে্য দয়াকরে আটির্কেল অথবা ইংরেজি রেসিপির নোট সেকশন টা একটু দেখে নেবেন।
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Looks like some tasty treats!
Thank you!
They look so pretty. Thanks for sharing this!
Thank you for your kind words Alex. Glad to see you here.
I can’t believe I have never had coconut luddu! these look divine!
No kidding? I highly recommend these laddus to everyone. Thanks for stopping by.
delicious presentation looks wonderful
Thank you for the kind words.
It is an incredible recipe, when I saw the pics I thought “great but it will take a lot to make”. I was wrong! I’m amazed by how easy this recipe is, I’m going to to try it out very very soon.
You won’t regret if you try Daniela. The recipe steps are simple yet results in an amazing dessert.
So beautiful! I am so happy it is only 20 minutes to make and you can even freeze them. How perfect is that! I love how delicate they look with the coconut and all pure white.
Thank you, Bam. So glad you like them. Coconut laddu is my all time favorite dessert. Thank you for stopping by.
I love coconut ladoos and aren’t they so easy to prepare when time is a constraint?
Absolutely. These are my favorite last minute dessert. The best part is, everyone loves them.
I love coconut! Never had this, before, so I’ve definitely missed out. Looks wonderful — I need to make this! Thanks so much.
I hope you get to try this sometimes, John. Easy to make yet delicious. Thank you for stopping by.
Yum! And so simple also!
The best things in life are the simplest ones. Thanks Anh.
Anything with coconut has my approval. Won’t live without it 😀
I love everything coconut as well. Thank you, Kiran.
Such a nice treat Lail…like the condensed milk and the cardamon…delicious!
Hope you are having a great week 😀
Thank you, Juliana. Have a great Friday.
I’m not surprised that you never have any left over – they look divine!
Thank you for your kind words, Stephanie.
These sound delicious, Lail! It’s really interesting to read about all these wonderful Bengali treats. I’m definitely learning things here! 🙂
I am so glad to hear that, Helen. Thank you so much for your encouragement and support. Have a wonderful week.
These are the most beautiful narkel naru I have ever seen. Mine never turn out that pristine white color. I always have trouble with the mixture sticking to my hands when I make the balls. Do you have any tips for keeping that from happening?
Hi Andrea! Thank you for your kind words. The coconut mixture would be sticky if there is too much sugar or condensed milk added. Try adding a little desiccated coconut to the mix. Another tip would be to add some ghee or butter on your palm when making the balls. Hope this helps next time you make narkel naru.
Thank you for stopping by. Hope to see you around soon again.
they look lovely!
Thank you!
Wow! This looks like such a simple and delicious recipe! I can’t wait to try it 🙂
Coconut laddu is truly a simple and delicious dessert. I hope you give it a try. I think you’ll love it.
Would love to try these!
Pls tell me if cardamom nd cinnamon need to be powdered before adding or to be added as it is.
Hi Priyanka – I use whole spices and take them out while shaping the laddus. Hope this helps.