Sesame Seed and Palm Sugar Balls
Ingredients
2 cups sesame seeds
500 g/1 lb palm sugar (jaggery)
generous pinch of salt
Directions
Using a mortar and pestle, pound the sesame a little at a time until
the seeds are crushed and oily. As each batch is done, turn it into a
bowl. Grate the palm sugar and add to the crushed sesame with the salt.
Mix well with hands. The heat of the hands and vigorous kneading
slightly melts the palm sugar, and after a while the mixture will hold
together. Make balls the size of a large marble. Wrap in rectangular
pieces of wax or greaseproof paper fringed at the ends. Twist the paper
on either side of the balls so each looks like a miniature Christmas
cracker. Serve at the end of a curry meal, or as a between-meals treat.
Recipe excerpted from Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon (Periplus Editions, 1998)