A Recipe from Heaven

This recipe takes me back to X'Mases past, when I was five or six, a slightly chubby kid in messy braids, denim jumpers, and red framed glasses which I hated but had no choice but to wear. One of my favorite christmas rituals was the exchange of Christmas goodies with our equally enthusiastic neighbours. We called them 'Kuswar' - a collective term for a variety of Christmas sweets prepared and exhanged among Goan and Mangalorean catholics all over. If I close my eyes and reminisce long enough, I can still get a faint whiff of the heavenly scents emanating from my mother's kitchen as she rushed to prepare her share of the christmas fare a few hours before the midnight mass- her delicious plum cake filled with plums, dates and nuts, those light-as-cloud cardamom flavored Nankhatais and last, but not the least, my favorite Milk Toffees (those caramel colored, cashew enriched squares of goodness), while I stuffed my face with store bought Marzipan. Usually, this (originally Sri-Lankan) recipe takes about 30-35 minutes to make and requires careful vigilance, as it involves the preparation of a sugar syrup, before adding the other ingredients. Waiting too long could cause the sugar syrup to over-crystallize, giving the toffee a brittle texture which would be hard to shape into squares- not what we are going for. 

However the recipe I use does not require as much vigilance and takes less than half the time to make. And what's more, you can make it in your microwave and it tastes just as good, perhaps better since the texture is softer and caramel-ier..;)...I actually needed just 8 and a half minutes to make it but the times may vary depending on your Microwave Power..

So here goes:

Ingredients:

I can condensed milk (not the fat-free variety please, that does not work and tastes...blecch)

2 Tablespoons of butter (Some recipes recommend using a whole stick of butter-I would rather you not, it just takes longer to set and gets too buttery tasting) 

3-4 cardamom pods crushed to extract the seeds (Optional, I personally prefer the cardamom flavor)

Cahew nuts or Almonds (Chopped or powdered, I like them chopped for that definite crunch)

1 cup sugar (350 g)

2-3 teaspoons brown sugar or cocoa powder  (This is completely optional, I just like my toffees to get that darker color, just to add to the decadence!)

Method:

In a Microwave safe bowl, mix the can of condensed milk, butter, sugar and cardamom seeds thoroughly to form a thick mixture. If you add the cocoa powder or brown sugar, the mixture will get this yummy looking marbelly brown tint which is awesome as well :). Place a lid on the bowl to prevent splattering, put it in the microwave and set the timer for 2 and a half minutes. You need to microwave it for short periods of time to ensure that the mixture does not boil over. 

Take the bowl out carefully, using oven mitts if you have them (It will be hot I promise) and stir the mixture. Put it back in the microwave for another two and a half minutes, and take it out again to stir. At this point, the mixture will be smelling and looking delicious but resist the urge to taste it if you don't want to scald the insides of your mouth (I've been there too many times, thanks to my impatience!)..Put the mixture back in for the third time and for 2 minutes and 30 seconds again. 

After the third spin in the microwave, you will notice that the mixture has almost reached the brown color seen in the picture above. It will also be very hot. Stir it carefully, add the slivered or powdered nuts now, cover it and put it back into the microwave, but for not more than 1 minute. Anything more and the mixture will get burnt. You really don't want that, unless you like the taste of burnt caramel. My advice would be to microwave it for 30 seconds first and if the mixture does not look like its sputtering/over boiling, put it in for another 30 seconds more so it finally gets that perfect brown toffee color. I don't think you need more time than that, but trust your intuition on this. If you want it a little darker, you could try for 30 seconds more, but do so at your own risk. As you stir the mixture, it should appear sticky and semi-solid, almost like a thick paste. If the texture still appears fluid like against your spoon, heat it for 30 seconds more. Either way, it will solidify as it cools down. Transfer the mixture to a buttered tray, cover it with a foil, and leave it undisturbed for atleast 10 minutes.

So to summarize: 3 spins in the microwave for 2 and a half minutes each, making sure to stir all three times,  fourth spin for not more than one minute, before which you add the chopped nuts. Then, set aside for about 10 minutes to cool. 

At this point the mixture has probably hardened to a delicious looking caramely mass and you can cut it into pretty little squares/diamonds with which you can impress your friends. Or if you are like me and don't feel the need to share, you can give in to your inner fat girl and just scoop it off the tray with a spoon (or a shovel) and indulge in its nutty-caramely goodness. It tastes delicious either way! :)

If you have the patience of a saint and don't mind toiling over your stove, you can follow this recipe:
http://www.infolanka.com/recipes/mess4/286.html...I personally prefer the shortcut!

Happy Early Christmas! ;)