Delicately infused with edible camphor and cardamom, Chandrapuli is a crescent-shaped dessert that’s a staple of Bengali festivities. It’s no secret that Bengalis have an affinity for sweets – a love that has inspired a wide variety of wonderfully creative and quintessentially Bengali desserts. No Bengali meal is truly complete until a mishti (sweet) is served. Chandrapuli, made with coconut, chhena (cottage cheese), mawa (khoya), milk, and either sugar or jaggery, is a prime example of this tradition.
The name ‘Chandra‘ means moon, and ‘puli‘ refers to a traditional pithe, a type of Bengali sweet—hence the half-moon shape of this dessert. This version, known as ‘Gurer Chandrapuli,’ uses jaggery and is delicately flavoured with edible camphor and cardamom.
Gurer Chandrapuli
Ingredients
- Chhena (cottage cheese) from 1½L full-fat cow’s milk: ½ cup
- Freshly grated coconut: ½ cup
- Unsweetened mawa (khoya): ¼ cup
- Jaggery: ⅓ cup
- Cardamom powder: ½ tsp
- Soaked raisins, for garnish
- Pistachios, for garnish
- Ghee, for greasing the mould
- A pinch of edible camphor
Method:
- Prepare the chhena using full-fat milk and lemon juice. Wash with water to remove any sourness, then squeeze out the excess water.
- Blend the chhena, freshly grated coconut, and jaggery with 2 tablespoons of milk in a mixer jar until smooth.
- Transfer the mixture to a pan, add mawa, cardamom powder, and a pinch of camphor. Stir continuously and cook until the mixture thickens into a cohesive paak (mixture).
- Grease a mould with ghee and place raisins as decoration. Shape the mixture into a crescent (half-moon) shape, and sprinkle pistachios on top.
- Your Narkel er Tokti or Chandrapuli is ready to enjoy!
Watch this recipe here – Gurer Chandrapuli
Mrs. Sweety Bose is a postgraduate in Biotechnology and a passionate entrepreneur. She is an accomplished content creator, food stylist, and recipe developer, specializing in easy and healthy recipes. With a keen interest in urban farming, Mrs. Bose also grows her own fresh, organic fruits and vegetables in her terrace garden. She brings her expertise and enthusiasm for food and sustainable living into every aspect of her work, creating inspiring content that combines creativity with wellness.
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