Atoll (Attol) is a slowly disappearing Goan sweet recipe. It is gluten-free. Made with rice, yellow channa dal, coconut and cardamom. We grew up eating a lot of homemade evening tea snacks and sweets in Goa. Some of them being Moong Dal Gorchem, Boiled Sweet Potatoes, Moong Dal Chunn, Alle Belle, Xiro, Banana Pancakes, Nankhatais, Baath, Pinaca, Patolios, Doce de Grao, Bolinhas de Coco and a few more.
Many of the Goan recipes are gluten-free, Atoll is one of them. The Goan coconut jaggery plays an important role in many of the Goan sweets. It has a rich dark brown color and is made from coconut sap that is boiled down till hardened to form small triangular blocks. It melts very easily and soften to touch. It has the same amount of calories as regular sugar but has vitamin and minerals. Since it is not refined it’s a great alternative to regular white sugar. You can read more about the differences between the two here.
Please note: For this recipe instead of yellow channa dal I have used split green peas (green pea dal) as it is readily available at the grocery stores in the US. I also had to replace a full freshly grated coconut with frozen grated coconut and coconut milk. And finally if you do not have access to coconut jaggery than you can use regular jaggery or molasses.
Serving Size: 6-8
Ingredients
3/4 cup raw rice (washed and cooked as per instructions)
1/2 cup split green peas or yellow channa dal ( washed and cooked as per instructions)
1/2 cup grated frozen coconut
1 cup of coconut milk
4-5 crushed whole cardamom
1.5 to 2 square of coconut jaggery or 1/3 cup of molasses
Pinch of salt
Directions:
Cook the rice and dal as per instructions, once’s done in a pot add the cooked rice, dal and the remaining ingredients. Keep stirring them together for 10-15 minutes on medium-low heat till the rice thickens like pudding.
Transfer in a 9-inch spring-form pan and let cool and set for at-least 30-60 minutes.
Slice and enjoy with your evening tea or as a dessert. You can refrigerate the rest for a couple of days. Just warm it up in the microwave for couple of seconds before serving.
Variations:
You can make another similar dish called as Orna which is made by soaking the rice overnight and ground into a paste and cooked to a pudding consistency. Then add the remaining ingredients and stir together for another 10 to 12 minutes till it thickens.
I have friends in India, I have tried to learn dal’s and spices they use.. I would like to send them your recipe if you do not mind. It looks wonderful and they use channa Dal.
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Sure you can Mary Ann…Thanks Much 🙂
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Inviting & drooling share Nandini
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Thanks 🙂
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I’ll have to note this recipe. We have gluten intolerant friends.
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Thanks for stopping by my blog! I have browsed through yours now and inhaled the aromas of all the exotic ingredients, some of which I’ve never heard of before. I’ll be back! 🙂
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You are very welcome Meggie. And Thank You for the compliment 🙂
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I love learning about new dishes that I am not familiar with. I learned a lot from your post. Such interesting ingredients! It looks very flavorful.
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I am happy to know that and Thank you Shari 🙂
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Love the look of it Nandini. Simply outstanding!!
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Thank you so much Skd 🙂
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Cardamom is one of my faves, so I am always looking for a way to use it. Add in gluten-free for all the people around me who want it these days, and this is a great recipe!
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Thank You much Sarah 🙂
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Your recipes are so interesting! I can’t wait to try your Rice and Channa Dal Pudding. The idea of rice for dessert has always intrigued me and your ingredients sound so fragrant and festive.
I’m appreciating rice more and more these days. A Japanese friend once told me that if I wanted my rice to be stickier I should use medium grain rice. But lately, I haven’t been able to find it. So I’ve been enjoying jasmine rice instead.
Your grandmother sounds like a person after my own heart. I have a degree in classical piano and hope that as I get older I will be able to continue to play as she did. How God loves for us to keep the gifts he’s given us alive!
RuthAnn Ridley
inspiringcuisine.com
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Thank you so much RuthAnn. I love music and singing. I do admire those who can play an instrument well. Even though I learnt to play the guitar and piano in my younger days, it seems like it has become part of my past. Rice is a great alternative if you want to maintain a gluten-free diet and is very versatile for cooking as it takes on the flavors that are used. Hoping that you will experiment with different rice and enjoy it as much as I do 🙂 Take Care
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This looks totally delicious. I can’t get fresh or frozen grated coconut here. Could I use dried grated coconut? And maybe soak it for a while first? Cheers, Su.
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Thank You so much Su, It should work by soaking it in a little warm water.
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Thank you. I’m really keen to try this.
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Mouthwatering! Brings back some great memories of vacations in Goa.
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Thank You Much Vinita 🙂
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Always inspiring visiting “your place” – this’s really tempting, looks delicious… 🙂
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Thank You Much 🙂
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Hi Nandini!
ATOLL is a cake little sweet which I had almost forgotten about.. I remember Me late Granny would talk about it. I think She used to prepare it in the house. But I don’t think I ever ate it, if I did eat it I don;t really remember how it tasted like. But all the same, thanks for reminding Us about this SWEET/DESSERT. Atoll is something I guess was made in every Goan household long before all the junk food was available in the shops in Goa.I think We will give it a go soon, just to celebrate Goan ATOLL, which otherwise will go out of fashion. I have already emailed this recipe to all My friends and family in the U.K and also to other parts of the world. It makes Us all feel NOSTALGIC as always. We had an additional holiday in the U.K, as it was bank holiday weekend.
Now You take care
Cheerio!
Stan
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Thank you Mr Stan. It is a dying recipe. Something not found to often now a days in Goa. Looking back I feel that our elders were very wise in their cooking ways as a lot of the food of those times were much healthier and less complicated. And Thank you for sharing my post I appreciate it very much. Regards.
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Very interesting recipe! Looks really good!
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Thank You Much Sabrina 🙂
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Oh my, you’re bringing back so many wonderful memories of the Goan sweets Nandini. When I first visited Goa and my grandmother’s place in Parra, she had made us all these lovely “kunswar”, not sure if that is the right spelling. At the time I didn’t realize that she was using all the different types of dahls. Yum, would love a bite of that right about now. 🙂
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Thank You Loretta so much. It makes me happy to know that my recipes invoke great memories of the past as it the same to me as well 🙂
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It continues to amaze me how versatile dals are as ingredients. Also, do you think Mexican piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar cooked down and shaped into a cone) might substitute for jaggery?
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You are right Darryl dal is used for both savory and sweets recipe. It sure is very versatile. The best part is that it has higher protein content and is gluten-free. Piloncillo is the same as the gloden jaggery we have in Indian cooking and is also made from the first boil of the sugar cane juice.
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Wow! Never had/seen this recipe before. Thanks a lot for sharing!
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You are so welcome Tanushree and Thank You much my dear 🙂
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This look luscious and not like anything I have ever tried. Thanks for the subs too, I’m not sure what jaggery is but I know I can find molasses – Kat
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Thank You Kat so much. You are so kind. They are very similar and are the byproduct of the first cooking of sugar cane/ coconut sap juice that had all the mineral and nutrients which is better then refined sugar. The only thing to be aware of is that they both have a rich dark brown color. Have a great weekend 🙂
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This is such an interesting recipe! Something completely different…So easy to make, it must be delicious!
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Thank You so much Serena. I have been enjoying a slice everyday. You have a great weekend my dear 🙂
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What an amazing recipe. Something I have never come across before. Can’t wait to give it a go
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Thank you so much Carol. I am excited to hear that. Will look forward to your feedback. Have a great weekend 🙂
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I’m flying to USA today on holiday but will give it a try on my return You have a great holiday too
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Looks so pretty 🙂 I’m sure it tastes great too!
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Thank you so much Bec. It sure does taste great 🙂
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Love this !
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Thank you so much Freda 🙂
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It looks really good. The sugar substitute you used sounds very interesting. I’m going to look in my market for it and give it a try. Can one use it anywhere like white sugar?
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Thank you so much Deborah. You sure can use it as a sugar substitute but do keep in mind that it has a rich dark brown color like molasses. So it will work well for a chocolate cake but not for a pound/white cake.
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Wow! What a combo!
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Thank You Lina 🙂
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What a simple recipe, yet so delicious. I have everything I need at home, let me see if I can make it today. Will keep you posted. 🙂
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That is so awesome Aruna. I will look forward to your feedback. Have a great weekend 🙂
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Looks tasty and healthy. Great food!
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Thank You Chris so much 🙂
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Reblogged this on The Militant Negro™.
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Thank You so much Juessepi. That is very kind of you. Have a great weekend 🙂
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Namaste Ms. Nandini
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