Narkol Naroo aar Nimki... Coconut Balls & Fried Dough... Bengali Style

Narkol Naroo aar Nimki... Coconut Balls & Fried Dough... this is a very popular combo that is served in most Bengali households when guests come to visit to convey Bijoya greetings after Durga Puja. Every year, right after Durga Puja my Ma would get batches of narkol naroo and nimki ready. After marriage, I have seen my mother-in-law do the same. Nowadays I am all about small portion size. That way I can eat and not feel guilty. The recipe for the narkol naroo yields about 8 naroos and I got little more than a cupful of nimki. 

For the Nimki I needed:

• 1/2 C maida (all purpose flour)
• 1/4 C water (or a little more)
• Oil - enough to deep fry and 1 tsp for the dough
• 1tsp kalo jeera (balck cumin seeds/shahi jeera)
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1tsp fenugreek crushed

• 
  

I made the dough by mixing all of the above and rolled it out. Using a pairing knife I cut it into 1/2 inch strips and then cut the strips again to make diamond shaped strips. Heated oil (I used sunflower oil) and deep frid the diamond strips till those turned golden brown. Drained the excess oil using a paper towel before serving. These pair very well with a cup of tea. My Ma did not add paprika or fenugreek seeds to her nimkis.

For the narkol naroo I needed:

• Coconut, about 1.5 cups, shredded (store bought)
• 1.5 cups whole milk
• 1.5tbs sugar
• 4 pods of cardamom
• 1 tsp ghee or oil

Added the cardamom (lightly crushed) to the hot oil ( I had run out of ghee). To it, added the shredded coconut that I had pulsed a few times in the mixer. Added the sugar to it and stirred continuously till the coconut-sugar mixture turned a light brown color. Added the milk and cooked till it became a sticky gooey mixture and shaped them into round balls while still warm.

Rub some oil into your hands and the mixture will stick less to your hands.  Also, you can vary the amount of sugar if you want less or more sweet.