Alfandoques Caldas (Stretched Panela Candy)

Recipe category
Country
Region
Source
Gran Libro de la Cocina Colombiana
Preparation time
240 minutes
Number of servings
30
Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients
2 piece(s) dark panelas (unrefined cane sugar blocks)
1 cup(s) water
1/2 cup(s) coarsely grated coconut
Directions
  1. Put the grated coconut in a buttered tray and bake in hot oven until it browns a little.
  2. Cook the broken panelas and water over medium heat until obtaining a thick melado. (The old formula for recognizing the point is this: take out a little melado with a small spoon and let it drip onto cold water, then it should stiffen and break when pressed with the fingers).
  3. Add the coconut and pour into a low buttered pan and let cool a little.
  4. Still hot, but already manageable with hands, gather it and hang it from a wooden fork and start stretching it with hands and arms for several hours until it whitens completely.
  5. Stretch thin and with scissors cut portions like sticks and let dry.
  6. Before cutting them they can be dyed with vegetable colors.