Banana and Coconut Nougat

Nouga koko ek bannann, or coconut nougat with banana, is a soft coconut candy made with freshly grated mature coconut and flavored with vanilla and nutmeg. It's deliciously sweet and nutty, and it was a childhood favorite of theirs. Nouga is derived from the French word 'nougat,' which refers to a type of confection made with sugar or honey, roasted nuts, beaten egg whites, and occasionally chopped candied fruit. The texture of nougat is chewy. The coconut nougat with banana is quite similar to the traditional definition, except that it has no egg white and is created using coconuts rather than other nuts.

If you live outside of the tropics, it is uncommon to find unhusked coconut; nevertheless, husked coconuts are now available at most Asian markets and big grocery stores. When purchasing a coconut, you should pay careful attention to the following: A coconut should be hefty in the palm of your hand. Shake the nut to hear the sound of the coconut water swishing. It is old if there is little or no water in the nut. Check for cracks in the nut. If the coconut is moist or damp, the shell is most likely cracked and the coconut water is leaking.

Ingredients

• 250 g fresh finely grated coconut, 250 g brown sugar, 4 ripe sour banana – bannann mil ( or 2 ripe Cavendish Banana), 1 vanilla bean pod ( or 1 tsp vanilla essence), ¼ tsp grated nutmeg

Instructions

• Slit the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds, keep
• Meanwhile peel and mash the bananas in a bowl. Keep
• Place the sugar into a large pot set over medium heat. Leave the sugar alone until you see it begin to melt.
• Using a heavy duty wooden spoon or heat-safe rubber spatula, scrape the sugar from the edge of the pan to the middle. You’re doing this for a couple of reasons — first, you want to keep the melted sugar from browning too fast and burning. Second, you’re moving the unmelted sugar to the hotter spots on the pan to begin melting.
• You may experience some clumping of unmelted and melted sugar. Don’t worry, keep cooking the sugar over low heat and those clumps will melt right out.
• Once the sugar begins to caramelize, add bananas and mix
• Add coconut and mix well. The sugar will solidify after adding the banana and coconut, but don’t worry, the sugar will re-melt.
• Keep cooking the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar re-melts. Cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Add the scraped vanilla seeds and grated nutmeg and stir well
• Remove from heat and transfer the nougat onto a plate. Smoothen the surface. Do not press on the nougat. This is a soft nougat and will not harden upon cooling.
• Allow to cool and serve.