This is a very sweet confectionery. It is not easy to make because it requires almost constant stirring so that the sugar does not burn. But it is worth all the trouble in the tasting. DO NOT substitute caster sugar for the granulated sugar.
1 coconut, dark skin removed and flesh grated (650g to 800g)
1 kg white granulated sugar
120 ml evaporated milk
1 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
red or green food colouring
Cover a 12” by 8” tray with foil with a slight overhang for easy lifting out of candy. Grease the foil and 1 metal spoon (to pat down candy in the tray when its hot).
Use a wooden spoon to stir. It would be wise to use a good non-stick pan.
Put the butter into the pan to melt and coat the base of the pan. Then combine all the other ingredients together except the food colouring. Mix well. Heat pan on a medium low flame and stir ingredients often. In a few minutes, the sugar will start to melt and the coconut mixture will become syrupy. Increase heat to medium-high but must stir very frequently to avoid burning.
DO NOT LEAVE THIS CANDY MIXTURE UNATTENDED. KEEP STIRRING!
Candy mixture will start to thicken after 15 minutes or so of continuous stirring. (if you use a non-stick pan, you earn bonus points of being able to rest for 10 second intervals between stirrings. If not...don't stop stirring even if your arm feels like its going to drop off!) Reduce the heat to low again. Add food colouring. As the candy continues to thicken, you will notice the candy fluffying and slightly following the spoon when being stirred. (3 minutes more). Quickly transfer to the greased tray and pat down with greased spoon. Do this quickly because the candy will begin to harden upon cooling. Leave to cool and harden.
Cut into small squares.Cool completely before storing in jars. If keeping longer than a week, keep in the refrigerator.
Note: Some people have asked me why the candy they made did not harden. This has all to do with the quantity of coconut to the quantity of sugar. The sugar will have to dissolve into a syrupy state and completely coat the coconut. Then it will have to be cooked further until thickened. Upon cooling, the sugar in the coconut candy will harden. The butter and milk not only gives it taste but also prevents it from being too hard and brittle.
You can make cocoa coconut candy by blending 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the milk (warmed).