Huni Hakuru ( Baked Sweet Coconut Pastries)

Reposting this recipe because I found out the fried version of this recipe is called another name so I  made these again and baked them because it is either baked or steamed and not fried. Will be posting about the fried ones once I find out the story behind it.

Huni Hakuru is this sweet pastry which is eaten as a tea-time snack. The filling is made of gabulhi huni ( the meat found inside a slightly young coconut, but not as young as the ones you drink) cooked with sugar, pandan and cardamon. Once it's well cooked and sticky, it is cooled and placed in a dough and shaped like a curry puff. Traditionally it is either steamed or baked. I am not a fan of the steamed version so I baked it.
Gabulhi is the slightly mature coconut, not the coconut you use for cooking or the one that is used for drinking which has a more tender flesh.

Recipe : Huni Hakuru

Makes about 12

2 cups gabulhi huni
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 pandan
1/2 cup water
1" stick cinnamon
6-8 cardamon
1 tbsp rose water

For the dough
1 cup flour
1/2 cup grated coconut
pinch of salt
a little water

Place the gabulhi huni and half the sugar into a small food processor and process to break any large pieces. Remove to a saucepan along with the remaining sugar, a knotted pandan leaf, cardamon and cinnamon.

 Place over a medium flame and cook stirring continuously till the sugar dissolves and the mixture dries up and goes thick and sticky.  Add the rose water, cook for 1 minute and remove to a bowl and cool.

Prepare the dough by sifting flour into a large bowl, add a pinch of salt, and grated coconut and then add water a little at a time, till the mixture forms a smooth dough. Divide into small balls.

Roll each ball thinly and place some filling in the middle, brush some water around the edges, fold the dough and press the edges with a fork. If you have a curry puff maker you can use that instead. Make sure you seal the edges and don't overfill. 
Repeat with the rest of the dough.

To bake these, I lined a baking sheet with baking paper and placed the prepared pastries on top. Then place in a hot oven (preheated oven, at 180- 200 degrees C) and bake for 20 to 25 minutes,  until the outside is nicely cream-coloured or lightly golden.