Doce de grão

Doce de grão is a Goan sweet made by cooking pulses, coconut, and sugar into a thick mixture and cutting it into pieces. The pale diamonds are packed with the mild flavor of the pulses and the aroma of coconut.

Cooking down pulses and coconut

In one example from a Goan home cook, chana dal is soaked, boiled until soft, and made into a paste. The white flesh of the coconut is also ground, combined with sugar, and set over low heat in a heavy-bottomed pot. The mixture is stirred for a long time, and when it begins to come away from the sides of the pot, ghee and cardamom are added. It is spread on a board, smoothed flat, and cut into squares or diamonds.

The pulse paste forms the core of the mixture, and the coconut adds aroma and fat. Taking the pot off the heat slightly earlier or later can give either a soft finish or a firmer one.

A household method: a couple stirring together and smoothing the surface with a leaf

In one household, the husband stirs the mixture once it becomes heavy while the wife holds the pot steady. The finished mixture is spread on a greased board, and the surface is smoothed with a rolling pin or a jackfruit leaf. Once cooled, it is firm on the outside and soft inside, with the fragrance of cardamom.

A sweet that announces a wedding

In Portuguese, doce means something sweet, and grão means grain. In Goa, it is prepared for occasions such as weddings and Christmas. There is also a custom in which, before a wedding, family members and neighbors gather to make the sweets, which are then sent from the bride’s home to the groom’s home and handed out to relatives and neighbors to announce the marriage. A custom called vojem, in which doce, bananas, and other items are given to relatives and villagers who helped with the wedding celebrations, has also been described. Some of the sweets sent from the bride’s side may later be returned to the bride’s home.

Using pulses as a sweet filling links it to the fried sweet boorelu, but doce de grão is made by cooking the pulses down in a pot and then cutting the mixture as it is.

Glossary