Small balls of fresh grated coconut bound with fragrant palm sugar (nolen gur), lightly spiced with cardamom. Sweet, melt-in-the-mouth, with no complicated cooking — the sweetness placed on the altar before being shared.

Why this dish? In Bengal, coconut narus are among the sweets offered to the goddess during domestic pujas and then distributed as prasad. On the home altar (murti) that followed Ananda Moyi, these little golden balls were typical of the simple, pure offerings women prepared while singing.

You see these little golden balls, baba? The mothers' hands would roll them while singing the Lord's name, and we would first place them before the murti, never tasting them before Him. We would grate the fresh coconut, melt it gently in palm gur until it held together, and a pinch of cardamom for fragrance. This body would take only one bite, but the joy of offering it was boundless.

How it was made : Nolen gur, harvested in winter by tapping date palm trees in Bengal, gives the narus their incomparable caramel fragrance. In its absence, unrefined cane sugar was used. The narus kept for several days, making them a travel sweet and a gift of sharing.

The contemporary twist : Roll half the narus in toasted coconut flakes and present them on a banana leaf: an end-of-meal petit four that travels very well in a box.

Sources : Chitrita Banerji, Bengali Cooking: Seasons and Festivals

Anandamayi Ma · Charactorium