Kanole

Diwali is the most important and widely celebrated festival in the Hindu Calender. Preparations for Diwali start almost a month ahead. Different foods are prepared specially for this time. Some are sweet, some are savoury. “Kanole (कानोले ), Laddoo (लाडू ), Chakli (चकली ), Shankarpali (शंकरपाळी ), Anarse (अनारसे ), Chivda (चिवडा )” usually are made at home. Nowadays these are also available in stores. Nothing is better than home-made. This holds true especially for Kanole.

Of these sweets “Kanole” is considered not only special for this festival but is also auspicious.
Making these is a labour of love and skill. They have to be light and the shell has to separate out in layers.
In the old days they used to say that if you dropped a silver rupee ( in the olden days there used to be a rupee made of actual silver) in a “dabba” (steel container) filled with Kanole…you should be able to hear the rupee ring as it hits the bottom. For the younger generation, what it means is that the kanole are so delicate that the rupee literally cuts through them unimpeded as it hits the bottom.

Here’s the recipe for this delicious treat.



Kanole.

1 vaati = ¾ cup= 200cc (approx)

Ingredients:
For Dough

Semolina - fine (Rava - रवा) 3/4 cup , (1 vaati - वाटी, about 200cc volume)

Milk and water mixed about 100 cc (1/2 vaati)
Ghee 4-6 tbs

For "Saaran" ( cannot come up with English equivalent)
Ghee
Cornflour

For Filling
Dried shredded powdered coconut - 1 vaati
Sugar- Fine powdered, sifted.
2 tbs White Poppy seeds
¼ tsp Cardamom powder
¼ tsp Nutmeg powder
Chapati (whole wheat) flour 2 tbs
Ghee

Procedure:
For filling
In a little ghee saute the chapati ( wheat)flour till the colour changes to a pinkish hue. Do not brown. As it cooks it gives off a very pleasant aroma.
In a pan roast the coconut till golden brown. Set aside.
Roast the poppy seeds. Again , they should be a little pinkish. Not brown. Watch carefully.
In a grinder dry grind the coconut and poppy seeds. (after cooling and each separately). Set aside.
Combine poppy seeds, coconut, add the sauteed wheat flour. Add equal quantity of sugar (or according to taste). It is OK to make it a little extra sweet since the sweetness reduces a bit after frying. Add nutmeg and cardamom powder.
Can store in an airtight container.

For the dough
Make a dough with the Semolina, and the milk and water. Can add a pinch of salt to taste. (If you cannot find fine semolina, grind the semolina finer before using it). Cover with a moist kitchen cloth and set this aside for 4-6 hours.
Rub this dough with ghee..generously. For the next step you need a strong base and something heavy like a stone pestle ( Varvanta - paata - Traditionally an implement made of stone ).
On the base keep the dough and pound it with the pestle. If it tears, add more ghee, roll it into a ball and pound flat. Keep doing this till the dough is soft and pliable. Takes about 30 minutes or so. Roll it back into a ball and keep aside under a moist kitchen cloth.

For the Saran
On large plate spread 2 tbs or so of ghee solids. With your fingers flattened to the plate rub it on the plate while spreading it from one end of the plate to another. Keep doing this till the ghee feels smooth and you cannot feel the grainy texture. This incorporates air in to the ghee and its texture changes. To this softened ghee ( looks like softened butter), slowly add cornflour little by little till you get a soft paste. (Consistency of sour cream).
Keep aside under a moist kitchen towel.

Now comes the tricky part. I suggest you have a nice cup of tea, put your feet up before embarking on the next phase.

Take the dough and divide it into 4 parts . Roll each part out to about 0.25 cm thick. With your finger push the dough down to make little troughs in the dough( not holes) close together.
Spread enough ‘saran’ to fill these dents and a thin layer over the dough. Now lift up one side and start rolling it to make a tight roll. Use cornflour so that your hands and the dough don't stick to the base / board. With your hands slowly roll this “roll” on the board lengthening it as you do so. Don't roll it back and forth. Go in one direction only. It should stretch out to almost double its length. Do this with the remaining dough as well.
Now twist off about an inch of the roll (do not cut). Hold both the ends of the little piece and with a twisting motion press it to form a little flattened piece of dough.



Keep doing this. Make sure you keep all the dough covered with a moist cloth at all times.
Once you are done with this step get together a few things.

A rolling pin, a base to roll on. A Ravioli or pastry cutter..’Katni’ . A bowl with equal parts of water and milk ( about ¼ - ½ the bowl.) for sealing the rim of the Kanole.. Cornflour and moist towels.
Roll out each small piece of dough. to form a circle. Roll from the center to the edges, not back and forth. Place the edge of your palm along one semicircle as a guide, place about a tsp or so of the filling on this circle.

Moisten the rim with the water/milk mixture (lightly) and fold over the bottom edge and close it to form a crescent shaped form. Press the edges together firmly with your finger tips pointing away from the center.


With the pastry cutter cut out the excess edge.





This is what a filled “kanola” looks like.
Keep doing this for all the dough. Again...make sure that you place all these under a moist cloth till you are ready to fry them.

In a deep “kadai” or saucepan, heat up ghee ( be generous- if you are counting calories, this is not the dish for you). The vessel has to be deep so that the Kanole do not touch the bottom.
Once the oil is heated fry each one separately or at the most 2 at a time ( requires patience. if you overcrowd it the temperature drops and they don't cook as well). Flip once. They are done when the layers start to separate.

If the filling leaks out in to the ghee strain the ghee and use it . If you leave it in the ghee it will discolour the rest of the “Kanole”. Don’t be lazy about this step. This will yield about 18- 20 medium sized Kanole.

Place the fried Kanole on a sieve and let drain. Once cool, enjoy!!

I usually make the filling a day before. The next morning I knead the dough and keep aside. In the 4- 6 hours it is kept aside, I make the saran and get the rest of the stuff ready. You can add saffron to the dough when you pound it to give it a little colour. I don’t add artificial food colouring for different colours as I don’t believe in it.

Total time: about 8 hours + (counts the time the dough rests. The + depends on how many you make and the time it takes to fry them.)

After all this is over, it is nearly time for dinner. At our house it has always been Chinese take-out. Don’t know how that came about but the kids loved the combination.