Goan Pinaca (also known as pinagre or pinag)

Pinaca is the quintessential Goan Christmas sweet made with simple ingredients like coconut, Goa jaggery and the plump Goan par-boiled red rice.
My dad always had a sweet tooth, but I remember that one of his favorite sweets was pinaca.  I just could not get myself to experience the same joy my dad derived from this plain looking sweet.
This year I decided to make pinaca to celebrate my dad.  This will be our first Christmas without him, and we will all miss him dearly.  Dad loved Christmas, and we had a tradition of spending Christmas Eve at my parent's house with a truly Goan dinner, followed by sweets and coffee, and then an incredibly long wait for midnight when we would distribute and open all the gifts. A tradition that followed through from our own childhood, to grandchildren, and now adult grandchildren with their loves!
I wish I had made this sweet while I had my dad with me so I could see his face light up when I served him his favorite Goan delicacy.
For now I will just remember all the wonderful Christmases we shared and all he did to brighten up our lives.

Ingredients

1 cup of Goa rice (brown rice or rice flour will do if you do not have Goa rice)
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 level teaspoon ground cardamon
1/4 cup water
200 gm Goa pyramid jaggery

Method

Roast the rice in small batches on a hot pan.  Shake or stir to make sure it does not burn.  Remove when color starts to change and the rice is gently toasted or browned, not burnt.   Place aside to cool.
Note: If using rice flour, toast till browned (not burned)

 

In a pan, place the jaggery with the water on very low heat and leave till completely melted

In the meantime when the rice is cool grind in a mixer till fine like a powder.  Keep 2 tablespoons aside. 

 Add the cardamon to the rest and mix well.

When the jaggery is fully melted take it off the stove and immediately add the coconut and stir well. 

 Add the rice flour in small amounts and mix well. 

Stir to blend all the ingredients well.

Leave aside to cool .

When the mixture is cool, take a spoonful and form into a small log.  Continue till all the mixture is used up.

Take each log and lightly roll in the rice flour kept aside.  Re-shape and leave to set.

Approximate nutritional value per piece (based on 30 pieces)
calories 38.6/ total fat 1.9 g/ total carbohydrates 5.5 g/ total protein 0.3 g