Coconut-stuffed parcels with cloves

Name: Coconut-stuffed parcels with cloves
Yield: Makes 12
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 50 g/2 oz raw cashew nuts, chopped; 50 g/2 oz seedless raisins; 75 ml/3fl oz/5 tbsp hot milk; 50 g/2 oz/⅔ cup desiccated (dry unsweetened shredded) coconut; 40 g/1 ½ oz/3 tbsp ghee or butter; 12 whole cloves; sunflower oil, for deep-frying; 125 ml/4fl oz//2 cup cold water; 225 g/8 oz/2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting; 175 g/6 oz/scant 1 cup granulated (white) sugar; 5 cardamom pods, bruised; 300 ml/10fl oz/1¼ cups water; 2.5 ml/½ tsp ground nutmeg; 5 ml/1 tsp ground cardamom

Preparation info

Makes
12

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Complete Indian Regional Cookbook

By Mridula Baljekar

Published 2017

About

The people of central India love desserts and sweetmeats. Lavang Lata is a pretty parcel of cardamom-scented coconut wrapped in a simple, home-made pastry with a whole clove to hold the parcel together. These delicious morsels are ideal with a cup of tea or after dinner with coffee instead of a dessert.

Ingredients

For the pastry

225 g/8 oz/2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting

Asia
India
Central India
Dessert
Vegetarian

Method

First make the pastry. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and rub in the ghee or butter. Mix until the flour looks crumbly and has the texture of breadcrumbs.
Gradually add the water to the flour mixture and stir with a spoon until a soft dough is formed.