Bole Comadree, or Portuguese Cocoanut Pudding

Ingredients

• 2 whole coconuts Coconut (whole, fresh) (You will extract approximately 1 cup of coconut milk from these, and use all the grated flesh (scrapings) in the pudding. To open: pierce the eyes with a skewer, drain the water, then crack the shell with a hammer. Pry out the white flesh and grate it finely using a box grater or food processor.)
• 0.25 seer (approximately 230 g / 1 cup) Sugar (A quarter-seer is a traditional Indian unit of weight roughly equivalent to 230 g. Use white granulated sugar.)
• 0.25 seer (approximately 230 g / 1 cup) Fine rice flour (Sújí / semolina) (The original recipe equates rice flour with Sújí (semolina). Use fine rice flour or fine semolina — whichever you have. Do not substitute coarse semolina.)
• 8 yolks Egg yolks (From 8 large eggs. Separate carefully, keeping only the yolks. Discard or reserve the whites for another use.)
• 0.25 seer (approximately 230 g / 1 cup, grated or crumbled) Jaggery (Jágree / molasses) (Jaggery is an unrefined cane sugar with a deep caramel-molasses flavour. Find it at Indian grocery stores. Grate or chop into small pieces before use. If unavailable, dark molasses sugar is the closest substitute, but the original calls specifically for Jágree.)
• 1 teaspoon (a few grains, to taste) Anise seed (Sounf / fennel seed) (The original calls for 'some grains.' Use a small pinch to 1 teaspoon of whole anise seeds. Anise seed (Pimpinella anisum) has a liquorice-like flavour. Sounf in Hindi most often refers to fennel seed, which is very similar — either works here.)
• 1 tablespoon (enough to coat the dish) Butter (for greasing the dish) (Softened butter is easiest to spread. Use unsalted butter.)

Instructions

1. 1Preheat your oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan / 350 °F / Gas Mark 4). Get out a medium baking or pudding dish (roughly 20–23 cm / 8–9 inch round or equivalent). Set it aside — you will butter it later. Also set out a large mixing bowl, a small saucepan, a grater, and a fine sieve or cheesecloth for extracting coconut milk.
2. 2Take your 2 whole fresh coconuts. Using a skewer or screwdriver, pierce the 3 dark 'eyes' on the top of each coconut and drain out the coconut water (you can drink this — it is not used in the recipe). Place each coconut on a hard surface and crack the shell firmly with a hammer, rotating it as you go, until it splits. Pry the white coconut flesh away from the shell using a butter knife or spoon. Grate all of the coconut flesh finely using a box grater or food processor — you should have a large pile of fresh coconut scrapings. Set the scrapings aside. To extract the coconut milk: place approximately one quarter of the grated coconut into a fine sieve or a piece of cheesecloth set over a bowl. Press firmly with the back of a spoon, or squeeze the cheesecloth tightly, to press out the liquid. Add 2–3 tablespoons of warm water if needed to help release the milk. Continue pressing until you have collected approximately 1 cupful (240 ml) of coconut milk. Set the milk aside. The remaining grated coconut (scrapings from both coconuts) will be used in the pudding.
3. 3Place the quarter-seer (approximately 230 g / 1 cup) of sugar into a small saucepan. Add the 1 cupful of coconut milk you extracted in the previous step. Stir together over medium heat. Bring gently to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved — this takes about 3–5 minutes. You are making a simple, lightly sweetened coconut syrup, not a thick caramel. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly for a few minutes before the next step.
4. 4With the coconut-sugar syrup still warm (not boiling), add the quarter-seer (approximately 230 g / 1 cup) of fine rice flour (or fine semolina). Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon or whisk until fully combined and there are no lumps. The mixture will thicken into a soft, paste-like batter. Set aside in the saucepan for now.
5. 5In a separate medium frying pan, combine the 8 egg yolks, all of the grated coconut scrapings from both coconuts, the quarter-seer (approximately 230 g / 1 cup) of crumbled or grated jaggery, and the small pinch of anise seeds. Place the pan over low-medium heat. Stir and cook the mixture gently, as you would when scrambling eggs — keep it moving with a wooden spoon or spatula to prevent sticking or burning. Cook for approximately 5–7 minutes, until the jaggery has melted into the coconut and egg mixture and everything is well combined and fragrant. The mixture should look glossy, golden, and slightly reduced. Remove from the heat. Tip: keep the heat low — you want to gently cook and combine the ingredients, not scramble the eggs into hard pieces. If the eggs look like they are setting too quickly, reduce the heat immediately.
6. 6Pour the fried coconut-egg-jaggery mixture (from step 5) into the saucepan containing the rice flour and coconut-sugar mixture (from step 4). Stir everything together thoroughly using a wooden spoon or spatula until completely combined into one uniform batter. Make sure there are no streaks of either mixture remaining. The final batter should be moist, thick, and fragrant.
7. 7Take your baking dish and grease it generously on the base and all sides with softened butter. Use your fingertips or a pastry brush to spread the butter evenly into every corner — this prevents the pudding from sticking. Pour the combined batter into the buttered dish and spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon or spatula.
8. 8Place the dish in the preheated oven at 180 °C (160 °C fan / 350 °F / Gas Mark 4). Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the pudding feels set when you gently shake the dish — it should not wobble in the centre. A skewer inserted into the middle should come out mostly clean with just a few moist crumbs. If the top is browning too quickly, loosely cover with a piece of foil. Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing or serving. The pudding can be served warm or at room temperature.