Background
I usually make this when I am feeling nostalgic (which is often!). Each time I melt butter to make ghee, I heat butter till it melts and keep it on medium heat till it froths and pops and the sounds die down. I turn the heat off and remove the vessel. When done transferring the liquid fat into another container, all that remains is the milks solids at the bottom. Courtesy the non stick pans we use now, the bottom does not get burnt and the milk solids retain their cream-brown color.
Growing up, my mom would often use the left over milk solids to make “nei kasandu”. I have no clue how to translate it for non-tamilians. Following her example, I make it too. It is yummy, obviously high in sugar and fat but a delicacy for sure 
Stuff you will need:
Left overs after making ghee
Sugar depending on taste
Whole wheat flour about a cup (adjust based on the ghee and sugar)
How to make it?
Set the pan with the milk solids left over from making ghee on the stove on low medium heat till the solids start to melt. Add the whole wheat flour and mix. Stir till the flour is roasted and causes the milk solids to leave the pan and become a brownish mix of ghee and flour. Add sugar and mix. When a heavenly smell emanates from this concoction, turn heat off and remove from stove. Let cool and make into balls.
Eat them each time you pass em
Special Notes
This is a good way to clean the pan used to make ghee as well as make a satisfying treat for those with a sweet tooth. Absolutely not healthy!
July 12th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Never heard this sweet before but am really drooling here. Its an absolute delicious sweet.
July 12th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
looks delicious,..
July 13th, 2008 at 5:23 am
First time to your blog. Amma too makes something similar to this but with ragi flour. Its sure that its nostalgic
Thanks for bringing back golden memories!
July 13th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Even my grandmother used to make this Laksh.
July 14th, 2008 at 12:53 am
Looks yum! I love it too, but i make it with rice flour. I am going to try your version too.
August 1st, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Greetings,
I’m a pro Pastry Chef near Berkeley CA, and I posted the followng on another Indan Cooking forum, and Rezika referred me to this post for the correct answer to my original question, to wit:
[quote=”Chef #905476″](that’s me: Chef Suzy) I have a friend whoo makes 1000 lbs. of traditionally prepared ghee per month in a commercial kitchen, and he’s willing to give me the delicious brown crumbs left over at the bottom of the pot for free.
He lived in India for years, and he even wrote the Wiki entry about ghee, in which he refers to “a sweet mothers make as a treat for their children using the delicious browned crumbs left over from the bottom of the pot when ghee is made…”.
He’s willing to give me all of these delicous crumbs, but he doesn’t know the Indian recipe for the sweet made with the ghee crumbs, nor does he know the Hindi word for “The crumbs from the bottom of the pot when ghee is made”.
Can anyone help me? [/quote]
Hi there,
I think Molly is right when she refers to them as Kasandu. The full name (in Tamil not Hindi though) is Lei Kasandu. I have also heard it referred to as Kasadhu / Kasandhu.
However, according to my friend Yogisha - who’s mother tongue is Hindi - the crumbs at the bottom of the pan are called the “Godaari” and the ghee itself is called “Sahasraveery”
The sweet treat given to kids after making ghee is often referred to by the same name. My friends just call them “sweet balls”. They can be made round like Ladoos (as Molly has shown) or more of an oval shape like you make ras malai. I have heard that some kinds of burfi can be made using the Godaari / Kasandu.
Here is a link with an almost identical recipe, it uses wholewheat flour instead of mung bean though:
http://www.lakshmusings.com/recipes/
It can also be eaten just mixed with sugar to taste. It is often served with roti & dosa too…….
I hope this has helped you a little!
Happy cooking,
Rezika.
* I think that this has become practically an international incident %^). I’ll be meeting with the Ghee Guy tomorrow, when he is starting a new 1000lb batch of ghee (on the full moon), and I should have a huge bag of the delicious crumbs shortly.
I can’t wait to try ths recipe.
August 11th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
I could smell the aroma of nei kasandu,sugar and wheat flour lakshmi. This is heavenly. This is my first visit to your blog and I like all your traditional items like more koozhu, koozhu dosai etc. Will be coming back very often. BTW have added u in my blogroll
August 18th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
@Shriya: Its something we make to clean out the pan. So not really a sweet sweet
Thanks for stopping by. I had fun reading your comment.
@notyet100: Thank you!
@Nirmala: Ragi is a good healthy alternative. Will try it sometime. Thanks for sharing.
@Madhuram: Am sure it is a staple in most homes where ghee is home made.
@Vibaas: Another friend recommended rice and jaggery instead of wheat and sugar
@Chef Suzy: Hope you tried this and it came out well
@Vidhya: Thank you! I am yet to start a list of blogroll friends. Will link you back to mine so I can visit you often.
August 19th, 2008 at 1:00 am
I also do this but nothing will be left for making balls…
August 19th, 2008 at 3:46 am
Dear Lakshmi, I was going thru your your chef blogs and photo gallery…both have come out very very well..the recipe for nei-kasandu is really made me to recall my younger years…yes, it used to be a delicacy then also !! All the best,,ekr