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SAKKARE ACCHU

makes about 12-15 small figurines
(depending upon the size of the mould)

Servings: 12 pieces
Ingredients
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tbsp milk I used 1% milk
  • 1/2 lemon~ optional
Other:
  • Traditional Wooden moulds
  • soft cotton cloth with a high thread count
  • firm rubber bands
Instructions
  1. Wash and soak the wooden moulds in water for a few hours or overnight.
  2. Add water to sugar in a heavy bottomed saucepan and let soak or dissolve for a few hours.
  3. Just before embarking on the Sakkare Acchu making, pat dry the moulds with a cloth, assemble and secure tightly with firm and preferably broad width rubber bands.
  4. Spread the soft cotton cloth over another saucepan to ready it for straining the sugar solution. Bring the sugar solution to a gentle boil over medium heat and add 1 tbsp milk. Let it boil for a minute or so, until the milk solids float to the top appearing as scum. Strain it over the soft cotton cloth readied earlier. You'll see the milk solids are trapped on the cloth leaving a mildly cloudy sugar solution behind.
  5. Pour the filtered sugar solution to the first saucepan and bring it to a boil again over medium heat. Add the remaining 1 tbsp milk and repeat the straining process as above. This twice filtered cloudy sugar solution is the starting point for the sakkare acchu. And since sakkare acchu is better made in small batches (easier to find the right consistency without burning), divide this sugar solution into two parts.
  6. Keep a shallow bowl of water next to the stove to check for the desired sugar consistency (if you are a beginner).
  7. Bring half the sugar solution in the saucepan to a gentle bubble (not boil) over low heat. Take the saucepan off the stove and stir well with a ladle in a beating manner, about 5-6 times. Return to the stove and repeat this process for up to ten times. Do not increase the heat at any given point. If you are a beginner, after each time, drip a sugar droplet into the bowl of water to check for the consistency required. In the beginning, as soon as you drop, it will dissolve immediately; as we near the required consistency, the sugar drop stays put in the same place and can be rolled into a soft ball. This is the cue.
  8. By this time, you will also notice that the sugar solution is beginning to thicken and appear creamy and you can see a plethora of tiny bubbles.
  9. You can say the desired consistency is reached when, as you beat the sugar solution off the stove for almost the 8th, 9th or 10th time, the beating itself is very quiet and you just hear the liquid moving very smoothly as if the sugary liquid is insulating the ladle from the saucepan bottom. Beating removes air bubbles if any.
  10. Optionally, now add a few drops of lemon juice before pouring out the syrup to add a hint of lemony flavor to it.
  11. Beating it again a couple of times, ladle out this liquid swiftly into the secured moulds until the liquid covers the top, starting with a mould with the smallest opening. This is because, the sugar syrup can thicken in a matter or 4-5 seconds and be difficult to pour.
  12. Let the moulds sit aside to solidify for about 20 mins before opening.
  13. Repeat with the remaining half sugar solution.
  14. To remove the acchu, use a sharp knife to trim the extras on the mould. Do not waste the extras or spilled pieces, just include them into your next batch.
  15. Remove the rubber bands and gently loosen the moulds. Remove the sakkare acchu  when still slightly wet, gently pressing at the top where it was poured into. It is normal for the acchu to appear glazed or wet with a runny sugary liquid below the moulds.
  16. Arrange them on a clean dry plate and let dry for an hour or two until completely dried. Store in a dry airtight container.
Notes

These stay well for up to a month. Do not refrigerate.

Alternatively, you could use candy/chocolate moulds in place of the wooden moulds.  I'd prefer wooden moulds any day as I'd rather not deal with worrying about the effects of hot syrups ending up in plastic/silicone.

Color of Sakkare Acchu depends on the sugar. Raw/cane/brown sugar will result in pale brown color.

Let the wooden moulds dry completely before storing away or they get moldy.

Now that you know what it takes to make these beauties, if someone gives you a homemade acchu and it is not up to your taste buds, do not discard them. Instead, use them up in coffee /tea