Crafting the Perfect Coconut Jam: A Homemade Delight for Lunar New Year Celebrations

Ingredients

– Coconut flesh: 1 kg

– White sugar

– 50ml fresh milk (unsweetened) and vanilla

Note: For making coconut fiber or coconut balls, choose a semi-ripe coconut. This type of coconut is neither too young nor too old, with the right balance of hardness and flexibility, making it ideal for shredding or shaping.

Tools

– Bowls, knife, fork, spoon, cutting board, etc.

– Strainer, grater, etc.

– Wide-bottomed pan

Traditional coconut candy ingredients

How to Make Traditional Coconut Candy

Step 1: Grate the coconut

Remove the brown outer layer of the coconut flesh. Grate the coconut in a circular motion around the flesh to create thin, unbroken strands.

Grating coconut flesh

Step 2: Clean the coconut

After grating, immediately place the coconut in a bowl of water and squeeze gently to remove excess oil. Repeat this process 2-3 times. Boil a pot of water with 1 teaspoon of salt, blanch the grated coconut for 1 minute, then rinse thoroughly and drain.

Cleaning coconut flesh

Step 3: Marinate coconut with sugar

Place the cleaned coconut in a deep bowl. Mix with a ratio of 1kg coconut to 500g sugar. Gently toss to avoid breaking the strands. Let it marinate for 4-6 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to ensure even sugar absorption.

Step 4: Simmer the coconut

Heat a wide-bottomed pan over medium heat, add the marinated coconut, and simmer on low heat. Stir continuously to prevent burning and ensure even cooking.

When the mixture thickens, add 50ml of fresh milk and a pinch of vanilla. Continue simmering on very low heat for 30-45 minutes until the coconut is dry and coated with a white layer. Turn off the heat but keep stirring until cooled before removing from the pan.

Simmering coconut

Spread the coconut out to cool in a well-ventilated area with indirect sunlight to maintain its texture and color.

How to Make Multicolored Coconut Candy (Five Colors)

A platter of multicolored coconut candy adds vibrancy and beauty to your Tet holiday treats. The process is simpler than you might think.

Multicolored coconut candy

Ingredients

– 1 kg coconut, 1 kg white sugar

– 1 bunch of pandan leaves or green tea powder (green)

– 3 fresh beets (red)

– 2 carrots or 3 oranges (orange)

– 1 purple cabbage or 200g purple yam leaves (purple)

– 150g fresh turmeric (yellow)

Instructions for Making Multicolored Coconut Candy

Step 1: Prepare the coconut

Grate the coconut, then rinse multiple times to remove oil. Blanch in boiling water, rinse again, and drain thoroughly.

Preparing coconut

Step 2: Create the colors

– Green: Blend pandan leaves with water, strain to extract the juice. Alternatively, dissolve green tea powder in 10ml water.

– Red: Peel and blend beets, then strain to extract the juice.

– Orange: Extract juice from oranges or blend carrots to extract the juice.

– Purple: Boil purple yam leaves in water, strain to extract the purple liquid. Alternatively, blend purple cabbage and strain.

– Yellow: Peel and blend fresh turmeric, then strain to extract the juice.

Creating colors for coconut candy

Step 3: Marinate the coconut with colors

Divide the coconut into 5 equal parts. Mix each part with sugar and the corresponding color juice. Let it marinate for 4-6 hours or overnight.

Marinating coconut with colors

Step 4: Simmer the coconut

Simmer each colored coconut separately in a wide pan over low heat until dry and coated with a colored layer. Stir continuously to prevent burning.

Simmering multicolored coconut candy

Note: Simmer each color separately to avoid mixing.

Above are simple ways to make coconut candy at home. Try these methods to create a beautiful and delicious treat for the upcoming Tet holiday.

Wishing you success!

Life Hacks

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