Kashata

Ingredients

Coconut version

• 400 gfreshly grated coconut
• or 300 g desiccated coconut
• 300 gsugar
• 2 teaspoonsground cardamom
• a pinch of salt
• 50 mlwater

Peanut version

• 400 groasted peanuts, skinned
• 300 gsugar
• 2 teaspoonsground cardamom
• a pinch of salt
• 50 mlwater

Sometimes added

• 1 teaspoonground cinnamon
• a pinch of grated nutmeg
• a little butter

To serve

• kahawa chungu, bitter coffee
• or tea

Directions

1. Discard any nuts that are shrivelled or discoloured. Discard any that smell musty or taste bitter. It is cooked until it darkens. Keep children well away from the pan. Have cold water nearby in case of a splash. Toast it lightly in a dry pan first. Roast raw peanuts in a dry pan. Stir them constantly for about twelve minutes.
2. Rub the skins off in a clean cloth. Let them cool down completely afterwards. Chop them roughly or leave them whole. Making the caramel takes attention. Put the sugar and water in a heavy pan.
3. Warm it until the sugar dissolves. Then stop stirring it entirely. Let it boil steadily and watch it. Take it to a medium amber colour. It should smell nutty rather than burnt.
4. Take the pan off the heat at amber. Everything must be ready before you start. Take the pan off the heat entirely. Tip the coconut or nuts in at once.
5. Add the cardamom and the salt. Stir the whole lot hard and fast. Coat everything in the caramel. The caramel stiffens within a minute. Grease a shallow tray very well first. Tip the hot mixture into the tray. Press it out flat with a greased spoon. Aim for about one centimetre thick.
6. Let it cool for about five minutes. Cut through with a greased knife. Hot kashata does not hold a cut at all. Warm and firm is the right moment. Score it and let it finish cooling. Let it cool right down in the tray. Give it at least a full hour to set.
7. Break it along the scored lines. Set the pieces out in a serving bowl. Serve kahawa chungu alongside. It keeps two weeks in a sealed tin. Keep the tin somewhere cool and dry.

Technique

• Kashata is made with coconut or with peanut using the same sugar caramel method, the coconut version chewier and softer and the peanut version harder and more brittle; both are cut into diamonds and sold on the same corners.
• The Swahili coast traded across the Indian Ocean for centuries, bringing cardamom and cloves along those routes to a place already growing coconut and cane sugar, and the sweet sits exactly at that meeting point.
• Kashata is eaten with kahawa chungu, the bitter unsweetened coffee, so the sweetness comes from the sweet rather than from sugar in the cup; vendors sell them together.

Substitutions

• Desiccated coconut works in place of fresh, toasted lightly in a dry pan first.
• Roasted skinned peanuts make the other traditional version.

Variations

• Coconut and peanut versions are both standard and equally common.
• Some makers add cinnamon or nutmeg alongside the cardamom.
• A little butter is stirred in by some for a softer set.

History

Coconut or peanut brittle set in a caramel of sugar; the name and the sweet belong to the Swahili coast trade towns.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kashata?

Kashata is a dessert from Tanzania: coconut or peanut brittle-like squares scented with cardamom. Coconut or peanut brittle set in a caramel of sugar; the name and the sweet belong to the Swahili coast trade towns.

How long does Kashata take to make?

Kashata takes 15 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 30 pieces. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Kashata?

Yes, within limits. Desiccated coconut works in place of fresh, toasted lightly in a dry pan first. Roasted skinned peanuts make the other traditional version.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kashata?

Warm it until the sugar dissolves. Then stop stirring it entirely. Let it boil steadily and watch it. Take it to a medium amber colour. It should smell nutty rather than burnt.