Khatkhaten / Mila

Khatkhaten is a simple Goan sweet made from coconut and jaggery. It is also called mila. The jaggery used is chikkigul. Coconut and jaggery is cooked together till jaggery gives caramelised flavour. There are additional ingredients which may include roasted and peeled peanuts, roasted chana dal, roasted sesame seeds and cashew nut pieces. These ingredients one can use as per the choice or one can make it simply with coconut and jaggery. It is flavoured  either with ginger or cardamom.

Khatkhaten reminds me childhood days. Whenever we kids visited grandmother’s place, she would offer this khatkhaten that would be wrapped like a toffee and it would be an excitement for us. The taste and the texture of her khatkhaten would be different. It would be full of nuts and jaggery, less of coconut. I lost my granny long back and so her recipe. Here goes my simple recipe.

Measurement: 1 Cup = 180 ml

Makes: 15

Ingredients

1. Coconut (scrapped) – 2 cups
2. Chikkigul (jaggery) – 1 to 1 1/4cup
3. Ginger (grated) – 1/2 tsp
4. Cashew nut halves – 15
5. Ghee – for greasing the palms

Procedure

• Melt jaggery (don’t add water) in a thick bottomed pan or kadai.
• Add coconut and mix well. Keep stirring. (If you are using peanuts, cashew nuts etc, then combine along with coconut – reduce the quantity of coconut proportionately.)
• After 5 minutes, add ginger. Keep stirring till you get slightly caramelised aroma. (It may take 10 to 15 min)
• Put off the flame and take the pan off the stove top. (If you are using cardamom instead of ginger, then it should be sprinkled at this stage)
• Let the mixture slightly cool, but it should be warm.
• Divide it into 15 balls.
• Grease your palms and flatten the balls by holding them in between your palms.
• Place the cashew nut half on each flattened ball.
• Let them cool. Store them in an air tight container. They will last for min 8 to 10 days.