I don’t have a big sweet tooth and it’s been well established that I don’t really enjoy chocolate so unfortunately you won’t find too many dessert recipes on this site. However, everyone once in a while I’ll either get into the mood or remember a dish from my childhood and get swept up in nostalgia and then insist on re creating it. This is how the Kopra Pak recipe came about and now as I write this blogpost I’m stuck with two trays of this pink pak and I find myself struggling to eat more. Judging by the unanimous grunts and nods of approval around my dining table, I know this Kopra Pak turned out excellent and is well worth taking up much needed space in my refrigerator.
What Is Kopra or Khopra Pak
It is a beloved Indian sweet or mithai made from coconut ( Kopra or Khopra means coconut in Gujarati ). There are several names for similar sweets so some will call this a coconut barfi but I believe it’s a common Gujarati sweet which the Parsi community has readily adopted and tweaked it slightly ( in some recipes ) to make it their own. It is made with either fresh grated coconut or even desiccated dried coconut. If you enjoy the flavour of coconut then this is the ideal dessert for you.
As I’ve mentioned in my video this is not a traditional Parsi recipe that the community has developed over the years or one that is uniquely theirs. Like most recipes and a big chunk of the cuisine, it is inspired, borrowed and made to feel like ours much like a caramel custard or ravo. It’s a popular recipe and many grannies will make this for their grandkids and it’s a recipe I think of fondly even though I don’t cook it often.
Recipe
Ingredients
2 Cups fresh grated coconut ( make sure there is no brown bits of husk in it )
100 grams of cream
100 grams of sugar ( 200 grams if you want it sweeter )
2 Teaspoon of Ghee
½ teaspoon Cardamom powder
200 ml Milk
3 -4 drops of red food colour
Few sliced almonds for garnish
Method
In a nonstick pan add the ghee followed by the grated coconut and keep stirring for a couple of minutes for the coconut to roast slightly. Do this on a low flame so it doesn’t burn.
Add the milk followed by sugar and cardamom powder and keep stirring and cooking. In this recipe I’ve used only 100 grams of sugar as I don’t enjoy my desserts too sweet. Most folks need an intense sweetness so I’d recommend then increasing the quantity of sugar to 200 or even 300 grams. This recipe requires a bit of patience because you just keep cooking till the liquid evaporates as much as possible.
After about 10 minutes or so, add the cooking cream and keep stirring. You need to keep cooking till the mixture starts to thicken and the liquid evaporates. Add the drops of food colour (this is entirely optional but most Parsi’s make their Kopra Pak this reddish pinkish colour) and continue stirring till it all mixes well and you get a pink mixture. Please don’t add too many drops of colour or it will be too intense. A few drops go a long way.
In the video you’ll notice I’ve made a mistake by adding too much liquid and was impatient and took it off the stove too quickly. Keep cooking till as much of the liquid evaporates and in case you feel you’ve added too much milk then you can balance it out by adding more grated coconut and keep cooking till it all combines.
Grease a dish of your choice or a tray lined with parchment paper (also greased) and empty the cooked mixture into it and press it down firmly as shown in the video. Garnish it with sliced almonds (you can use pista or cashews or any nuts you like) to give it a little presentation. Let this cool completely till room temperature and then pop it into the fridge to set a bit.
Once it sets it will harden into a firm shape and you can cut it into pieces to serve.
Can I Store Kopra Pak ?
The beauty of Indian mithais and sweets is that they can all be easily stored for days. Kopra pak can be stored in your refrigerator for up to 10 days without anything happening. You can eat it cold or at room temperature.
Similar Parsi Recipes
These are a few Parsi recipes that are popular on my YouTube channel and blog incase you’d like to make something along with the Kopra Pak.