{"id":8607,"date":"2026-10-27T13:27:28","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T04:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/?post_type=sweetlore&p=8607"},"modified":"2026-10-31T18:51:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T09:51:34","slug":"chandrapuli","status":"publish","type":"sweetlore","link":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/en\/sweetlore\/chandrapuli\/","title":{"rendered":"Chandrapuli"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chandrapuli is a sweet Bengali confection whose shape recalls the moon. One form combines grated coconut with reduced milk, which is pressed into a mould to make a half-moon shape. It is also described as a sweet made around Bijoya Dashami, after the autumn festival. The owner of a long-established sweet shop in Kolkata names chandrapuli, made by combining coconut and koya and pressing a pattern into it, as one of the offerings the shop takes orders for during Durga Puja.<\/p>\n

Packing Coconut and Milk into Moulds<\/h2>\n

Coconut and koya are mixed in a pan, then sugar and cardamom are added and the mixture is cooked over low heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, the mixture is cooled, packed into moulds and shaped. The reduced milk binds the mixture, in which bits of coconut remain, and the mould’s pattern is imprinted on the surface.<\/p>\n

In another household’s method, chhena, made by curdling milk with acid and draining off the liquid, is kneaded with koya and sugar and heated to drive off excess moisture. After it has cooled, coconut and cardamom are mixed in and it is pressed into moulds. One example described in an academic paper adds a small amount of edible camphor, but this ingredient is not required for every chandrapuli.<\/p>\n

\"An
An example of grated coconut. Location unknown. Photo: Nilanjan Sasmal \/ Source<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>. Image as provided by the source; no content changes after retrieval.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"An
An example of khoya, made by reducing milk. Location unknown. Photo: Miansari66, tone-adjusted version by Hohum \/ Source<\/a> \/ PD-self<\/a>. Image as provided by the source; no content changes after retrieval.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Form Wrapped in Rice Flour, and a Sweet Recorded in Poetry<\/h2>\n

The same name refers to a different form in the Barishal region of Bangladesh. There, a rice-flour dough is wrapped around a filling of coconut and concentrated milk, folded into a half-moon, decorated along the edge, and then fried or steamed. Its structure differs from that of the moulded milk sweet, and its shape is closer to wrapped sweets such as dudh puli<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Two
Two examples of rice flour. Location unknown. Photo: FotoosVanRobin \/ Source<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>. Reduced-size version from the source; no content changes after retrieval.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Bengali-language newspaper Anandabazar has introduced a passage from the narrative poem “Manasa Mangal,” dating from around the 17th century. In the scene, a mother reduces milk for her son and makes chandrapuli in a patterned mould. The name and the moulded sweet depicted in the poem connect with today’s tables, but not every detail of the recipes of that time is known.<\/p>\n

Glossary<\/h2>\n

Chhena<\/strong>: Fresh cheese made by curdling milk with acid and draining off the liquid.<\/p>

Koya<\/strong>: The solids left after milk is heated to reduce its moisture. Also called khoa or mawa.<\/p>

Bijoya Dashami<\/strong>: The day that marks the close of Durga Puja.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chandrapuli is a sweet Bengali confection whose shape recalls the moon. One form combines grated coconut with reduced milk, which is pressed into a mould to make a half-moon shape. It is also described as a sweet made around Bijoya Dashami, after the autumn festival.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7797,"menu_order":378,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_parade_sweetlore_meta":{"en":"Chandrapuli","subtitle":"Ingredients and Preparation of Chandrapuli","topics":"Coconut and reduced milk packed into moulds \/ A different form wrapped in rice-flour dough \/ A half-moon sweet made for Bengal's festivals","country":"West Bengal, India","show_toc":true,"ingredients":["spice","cream","coconut"],"texture":[],"occasion":[],"method":[],"season":["autumn"]},"footnotes":""},"sweetlore_category":[159],"class_list":["post-8607","sweetlore","type-sweetlore","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"sweetlore_related_products":null,"sweetlore_related_faqs":null,"sweetlore_related_voices":null,"sweetlore_related_mode":"auto","sweetlore_related_articles":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t