Channa Doss or Doce is a Goan sweet that requires very few ingredients but lot of patience and tremendous amount of stirring. Its fairly easy to make and the end result is one of the simplist sweets that still ends up getting consumed too soon.
Prior to starting let we warn you that its a tough one, family support is a boon when it comes to stirring. Enjoy this Christmas this with some Chonache Doss.
Chana Doss Ingredients:
1 Cup Bengal Gram Dal
1 and a half cup scraped coconut
1 Cup Sugar
6 Pods of Cardamoms (Elaichi)
Ghee
Pinch of Salt
Measure of the first three ingredients should be the same
Procedure:
Soak and Cook the Gram dal, then Grind the Gram and Coconut.
Once thats done, add 2 tablespoon of ghee to the vessel and heat it up. 
Add the ground channa dal and coconut first and start mixing them.
Once its mixed properly add sugar.
Blend the ingredients.
Now the stirring starts to mix all the three ingredients properly into a thick lump.
After stirring for a few minutes it turns slightly brown. Keep stirring.
When the mix begins to thicken add a pinch of salt to it. 
Continue to blend, and you will notice the difference in the mix. 
If it gets difficult to stir, it means you are doing a good job and your Doss will turn out to be perfect.
That also means you have to eep stirring. Add crushed elaichi to the mixture and stir again. 
The mixture collects together, so 2 tablespoons of ghee makes it a bit easier to stir. 
Keep the Doss mixture on the flame for a while, and don’t forget to stir it regularly. 
After 25-30 minutes, stirring would become extremely difficult as the mixture solidifies. Stir some more and then its time to remove the doss off the fire. 
Flatten the mixture with a spatula on a greased plate. 
You can use your hands as well to spread the mixture across the plate evenly. 
Smoothen the edges. 
Use a fork to make some design on the edges. 
This is how Doss would look. 
Wait for it to cool down.
Cut diamond shape pieces and Channa Doss is ready. 
Sometimes the Doss takes longer to harden and get the right whitish colour, so you can leave it overnight to dry and then serve. The above doss could have been on the fire for ten more minutes before taking off.
your photographic explanation is just like watching a video..
Hello Clyde,
I tried the Chana Doss yesterday, and although the taste is perfect, it just won't harden. infact I put it back on the fire for a good half hour more, but it still won't harden as much as it should. Any idea why ? From my experience of sweet making, it could be the ghee, perhaps 2 tbsps was too much, I cannot add any more sugar, as it would be too sweet. can you please advise..
thanks,
Connie
Hi CLyde,
I have a couple of questions about the recipe. Your recipe calls for 1.5 cups of coconut yet later you say that the first three ingredients should be the same (1 cup). Which is it? 1 cup of 1.5 cups?
The first step in the recipe says "Soak and Cook the Gram dal, then Grind the Gram and Coconut." Yet, later you say,"Add the ground channa dal and coconut first and start mixing them." So should we be grinding the coconut with the gram dhal in the beginning or should we add the coconut after the gram dhal has been ground?
Thanks,
Dan
welcome!
Thank you so much for the recipe. Chana Doss was my Dad's favourite & always wanted to make it someday…
Tried it yday and it was just the way we used to eat it…Thank you so much
@ merel
its dalda ghee
please dont use or promote dalda or any hydrogenated vegetable oils. very bad for heath!.
i noticed that the ghee is milk white…do u use pure ghee or vanaspati?? if ghee, then which brand?
Merel
@ Russel
No goan sweet as far as i know can be made in a microwave, they require hours of stirring on a low fire and your attention to come out right!
Im glad we are part of your home!
Hi Clyde,
Thanks for entering our home for the last 2 years with your great recipies. My question is can doss be cooked in the microwave as well?
when u stir the Doss a lot, it tends to harden and you cannot cut into shape as it crumples. the perfect Doss should be smooth and even.
Another thing, this is not a goan sweet but a Portuguese sweet.
Deu Borem Zaun
Ralph D'Souza
Vancouver Canada
Thanks this website is awesome! I am definitely going to try the recipes starting with Channa Doss … will give you feedback soon.
@ Zita
thank you for your good wishes 🙂 Hope you have a lovely year ahead
@ Yes the dal has to be to soaked and cooked prior to grinding sorry I just added that part in the main post
@ Ezilda, thanks for the tip 🙂 am glad we could be of help…
Thank you so much it was of great help and then I rmembered my mother,s secret ingredient that made it tsatier……..ground cashews in rose water
Ezilda B. Desousa USA
Wondering if you need to soak the bengal gram dal.
Hi
Thanks so much for the recipe,Only wanted to know should the dal be cooked before grinding.And should coconut be 1 cup,
Waiting for ur reply.Want to try it out for christmas.Also could u plz post the recipe for kokada kulkuls and neuories if u have them.Would appreciate if u could post them even without the fotos. Want to make them this christmas.
Thanks and God bless.
Thk u soooooooo much for the recipe. I remember i had asked for it sometime back. Have a wonderful Christmas & God bless
Your website brought memories of my mum (no more with us since 28 years- May her soul rest in peace. Amen.) She used to make two types of Channa doss. One she use to make soft one which she use take it out on plate and would design it will the curve of the spoon all semi circles on the plate and would cut only to offer. Second one was hard one which she would take out on wooden board and roll it and when cooled use to cut diamond shapes and store it. I can recollect the memories of the hard work which use to go in making it. Thank your mum for all her hard work.
How long will Chana Dos be in edible condition once a pack of it has been opened ?
What are the characteristics of it if it has got spoilt ?
Thanks.
it will smell mouldy and will have white or green/blue specks or like cobweb appearance. if the dosh is hard, it will stay fresh in the fridge for a month or two. if it is soft dosh, keep it in the fridge and eat within 2 weeks.
Hi Clyde,
Being a big fan of u n it site. Have learnt many things.
Just a quick check if you can help me with recipe of baath the goan cake, coconut doss, perad etc.
Would appreciate your early response as Christmas is around the corner.
Thanks
goans in canada are making bebinca in the microwave . i wonder how.
to spread the dosh, use a rolling pin. if one does not have a smooth/clean surface, use baking sheets/butter paper under and over the mixture and then spread it out with a rolling pin.
it will smell mouldy and will have white or green/blue specks or like cobweb appearance. if the dosh is hard, it will stay fresh in the fridge for a month or two. if it is soft dosh, keep it in the fridge and eat within 2 weeks.