Pinagr (or pinaac/pinaca) is one of many traditional Goan sweets made with three ingredients that shout "Goa!". Parboiled rice, fresh coconut and palm jaggery— just these three items, with a little preparation, are mixed together to give you a delicacy that is filled with their goodness and richness of flavour. Moreover, this isn't a technique-sensitive recipe, is fairly easy and is flexible in terms of measurements allowing you to control its sweetness and moistness as per your choice.
The parboiled rice is a staple variety, mostly enjoyed in the good ole healthy 'kanji', and it gives the Pinagr its earthy flavor (we've used a variety called Red Rice, which is somewhat similar, but honestly, nothing beats the original). The freshly grated coconut gives it just the right balance in its luxurious taste and moistness. The deep colour is attained from the palm jaggery, which is produced by boiling the sap attained from the palm tree. The jaggery not only contributes to the sweetness, but also the lingering taste, owing to its mollases-like flavour. We substituted part of the palm jaggery with cane sugar (yellow jaggery) to achieve a deep brown colour rather than black.
Pinagr is commonly shaped into a dome-shaped cake on a plate with the help of a clean and fresh jackfruit leaf, and then allowed to sit undisturbed for an hour or more to firm up. Considering the usual trending patterns of recipes, we could also call this a 'No-Bake Coconut-Cake' (haha!). And yes, it can also be formed into individual portions as rolls.
The recipe that follows, can make about 24 rolls (individual portions). For the sake of the video and photographs, we used half of the prepared mixture for the cake and half for the rolls.
Ingredients:
1 & 1/2 cups or 380 grams Parboiled Goan rice (Red Rice as substitute)
2 cups or 200 grams of freshly grated coconut
1/2 cup or 120 grams of palm jaggery
1/2 cup or 120 grams of cane sugar (yellow jaggery)
1 tablespoon of powdered/fine grain sugar (optional)
Method:
Clean
the rice grains using a kitchen towel. The rice must be dry.
Dry
roast the grains on a medium to high flame and keep stirring
frequently to avoid burning them. They will start to puff and pop as
they cook.
This
may take about 8-10 minutes. Turn off the heat when well-roasted and
set aside to cool. Transfer it onto a plate to cool faster.
Once
cooled, grind the rice grains into a fine powder and set aside.
Grind
the grated coconut to ensure evenness throughout, eliminating any
large bits, if present. It must not be very fine; slight coarseness
will provide a better texture to the Pinagr.
In
a large, heavy-bottom vessel, heat the jaggery and sugar (optional)
and let them melt and mix. Turn off the heat when done.
To
this melted mix, add the coconut and combine well.
Then,
stir in the powdered rice in batches and mix till it's
well-incorporated.
For the cake:
Spoon the mixture onto a plate upon which you choose to prepare the cake. Press down and shape the mixture using a spatula/greased butter paper. Leave it undisturbed for about an hour to acquire firmness.
For the rolls:
With a clean hand, pick some of the mixture and shape it into a basic roll between the fingers and the palm. Roll this over a flat greased plate/surface to shape into cylinders and tap the ends for neat flat sides.
Tips:
Roast the rice well to rid it of its rawness; try munching on a few grains; they should be light, crisp and cooked.
Though the ratios can be increased/decreased, do remember that too much rice can lead to a dry and hard mixture.
If you are using desiccated coconut, it will have to be soaked prior to its use.
A mixture of Palm jaggery and cane sugar ascribes a more appealing colour to the Pinagr.
The Pinagr can stored at room temperature for 3-4 days and thereafter will need refrigeration.
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