Kashata is a traditional East African sweet sold in markets and on almost every street corner all the way from Somalia to Tanzania. It is rather like a Bounty bar without the chocolate!
We usually serve kashata with strong black coffee spiced with ginger.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups desiccated coconut or fresh grated coconut (about two small coconuts)
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup water (for making the syrup)
- ½ cup water (for soaking desiccated coconut)
- ½ tsp. ground cardamom
- Pinch of saffron to add colour
Instructions
- Grate the coconut and keep aside. If using desiccated coconut, mix with ½ cup water and keep aside.
- Mix the sugar with ¾ cup of water and cook for about 4 minutes on low heat. Stir occasionally and make sure the sugar doesn’t burn!
- Add cardamom and saffron, and the grated or desiccated coconut (the water should be almost all absorbed. If not, add left over water to the sugar syrup).
- Cook on a low heat, stirring until well mixed.
- Pour on a greased plate. Flatten with a buttered knife and cut into the desired shapes before the sweet firms up. Alternatively, you can shape the mixture into balls once it is slightly cool.
- Garnish with pistachio if you wish. Store in an airtight container.
INFO
Author : Abderazzaq Noor
Recipe by : Shukri