3-4-5 KopraPak (Coconut Burfee)

(From http://rasaswad.blogspot.com/)
It's time to move again..and to clean up the freezer. I had quite a bit of frozen coconut to use up, and so I decided to make Koprapak. I usually make it with condensed milk, but this time I needed a dry version that will travel and stay well. So, I asked mom for her recipe..it came out well, except at one point it stuck on the bottom, giving it slight color (mom's is nice and white)..and it was a tad too sweet..and I first thought it was because my tolerance for sweetness in Indian sweets has gone down..but then I kept thinking about it, and then realized...the sugar in the US is finer, hence if we measure it by volume, you get more of it. Next time, I will reduce the sugar slightly...too bad it messes up the nice 3-4-5 measurement!

It's really simple - 3 parts milk, 4 parts sugar and 5 parts coconut. Mix together (leave aside half part sugar) and heat slowly till it leaves the sides of the pan and most of the liquid evaporates. Add cardamom and saffron. Add the remaining half part sugar right at the end and stir vigorously (If using Indian sugar, grind it..US sugar works fine as is). This helps the re-crystallization process. Now transfer to a greased plate. Cool, and make pieces. this recipe actually gives a nice, dry pieces (Chosla as we call in Gujarati). Enjoy!!