Dodol
Goan dark fudge: rice flour cooked low and slow with palm jaggery and coconut milk until thick, dark and glossy. Set into squares and eaten by the slab. A Christmas-sweet tradition.
Overview
A batter is made from rice flour, coconut milk and palm jaggery and stirred slowly over a low heat for over an hour. The mixture darkens and thickens through three distinct stages: pale and thin, golden and porridge-like, then deep mahogany and glossy with ghee separating at the edges. Knowing when to pull the pot is the only difficulty. Poured into a tray, cooled, and cut into squares; the texture sits between fudge and a firm jelly.
Ingredients
- 200 g rice flour (fine, not coarse)
- 400 ml coconut milk (full-fat)
- 300 ml coconut cream (or 100 ml extra coconut milk + 4 tablespoons ghee)
- 300 g palm jaggery (gur; broken into small pieces) (or dark soft brown sugar)
- 200 ml water (for dissolving the jaggery)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons ghee (plus extra for greasing)
- 30 g cashews (chopped, optional)
Method
Stage 1 - Dissolve the jaggery
- Place the palm jaggery in a small saucepan with the water.
- Warm over medium heat, stirring, until the jaggery has fully dissolved.
- Pass through a fine sieve to remove any solids.
Stage 2 - Make the batter
- In a large bowl, whisk the rice flour with the coconut milk until completely smooth.
- Add the coconut cream, jaggery syrup, salt, cardamom and nutmeg.
- Whisk until smooth and uniform.
Stage 3 - The long cook
- Tip the batter into a heavy-bottomed pan (the larger the surface area, the faster it cooks down).
- Place over medium-low heat.
- Stir continuously with a wooden spoon (this is genuinely continuous; the pot demands attention).
- For the first 20-25 minutes, the mixture is pale and thin. It will thicken slowly.
- After 30-40 minutes, it will reach a porridge consistency, the colour deepening to mid-caramel.
- Keep stirring. Add 1 tablespoon of ghee at this point; the mixture will absorb it.
Stage 4 - The final stage
- After 50-60 minutes total, the mixture will start to thicken dramatically and pull away from the sides of the pan.
- The colour will deepen to a glossy mahogany.
- Ghee will start to separate from the dough at the edges (this is the signal the dodol is done).
- Stir in the second tablespoon of ghee and the chopped cashews (if using).
- Cook for 2-3 more minutes.
Stage 5 - Set
- Grease a 20 cm square tray with ghee.
- Tip the hot dodol into the tray and smooth the top with the back of a greased spoon.
- Cool to room temperature (about 2 hours), then refrigerate for 4 hours to set fully.
Stage 6 - Cut and serve
- Cut into 4 cm squares with a greased knife.
- Serve at room temperature.
Notes
- Don't stop stirring: Dodol scorches the moment you turn your back. The slow, patient stir is the whole technique.
- The ghee separation is the sign: When small puddles of ghee start to appear at the edges of the dough, the dodol is finished. Stopping earlier gives a soft, sticky result; continuing gives a hard, dry one.
- Palm jaggery vs brown sugar: Palm jaggery gives the deep, faintly smoky caramel that makes dodol distinct. Brown sugar works but the flavour is one-dimensional.
Storage
- Refrigerate up to 3 weeks in an airtight container.
- Freezes well for 3 months; defrost in the fridge.
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