Black Forest Cake OR Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, quite an impressive and elegant name, right ? :) The literal translation of the same, as per Wiki, is "Black Forest cherry cake" and it is a popular dessert in Germany and throughout the world, generally known as Black Forest Cake or Black Forest Gateau. It is a layered sponge cake with two complementary flavours of chocolate and cherry, frosted with whipped cream and flavored by Kirschwasser Or Kirsch, a cherry liquor which is one of the main ingredients.

While pondering on my options to bake a cake to celebrate a special occasion in my life, the idea of Black Forest Cake struck my mind and got glued like anything. I wanted an authentic recipe and my first impulse was to contact my aunt in Germany, who is a Deutsche lady but rewinding the telephone conversations we have had in the past, I thought it is better not to get into an adventure, to get a recipe even before all that baking escapades to follow. Whenever I call my uncle and if she picks up the phone, we greet each other saying “Hello” and “how re you?” and after that we both start giggling and laughing, wondering what to say next, as she is not at all comfortable in English and I cant speak her language too. During my childhood, my father taught me to greet her saying, “Guten Morgen ”, on one of her visits to our place and I still remember her straight-face when I uttered that word. Now I understand that my accent was too weird for her to understand what I said was a German word or not!!!! :) :) After that incident, I never ventured out to impress her with my multilingual proficiency!!

Being a product of Google generation, my next option was to depend on the World Wide Web and I did hit the jackpot itself!! I came across Simply Anne’s , with lots of her sweet celebrations and Anne had a post on her family favourite Black Forest Cake. Since she had not given the recipe in the post and I could not find those books she mentioned, in our library as well, I mailed her requesting the recipe and the next morning when I woke up, I had a mail from Anne with the recipe!!! I was extremely excited and when I approached her again with few doubts, she mailed me the scanned copy of the recipe from that particular book!! I admire and appreciate Anne’s responsiveness and her generous nature. Anne is an exceptionally talented baker and you will be surprised to learn that she is self-trained in cake decorating, if you check out her beautiful creations.

I am sure some of you will have the same doubts I had, when you go through the ingredient list for the sponge cake layers, which yields two 9-inch cakes. The answer is, as per the book, “Light airy sponge cake layers obtain their height from vigorously beaten eggs, which form a network of bubbles that rise in the heat of the oven. “and it is absolutely right! I used two 8-inch cake pans and my cakes had enough height. Here goes the recipe and I have tried to give maximum details as per the original recipe from the book, hoping it will help you enjoy this cake as much as we enjoyed :)

Ingredients:-

For Chocolate cake layers (makes two 9-inch cake layers):

• ¾ cup (3 oz or 90g) cake flour (Not all-purpose Flour)
  
• ¼ cup ( ¾ oz /20g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
• ½ tsp instant coffee powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 6 large eggs separated at room temperature
• 1 cup (8 oz/ 250 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence/extract

For Cherry Syrup:

• ¼ cup (2 fl oz/60ml) water
• ¼ cup (2 oz/60 g) granulated sugar
• 2tbsp Kirsch OR Kirschwasser
• ½ lb (250g) Bing cherries or any fresh sweet cherries, pitted and halved and some for garnishing.

For Filling and frosting:

• 2 ½ cups (20 fl oz/625ml) heavy (double) cream
• 3tbsp Confectioners Sugar
• 1tbsp Kirsch OR Kirschwasser

Directions:

• For the cake: With rack in the middle, preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by lining the bottoms with parchment paper, butter the paper and grease the sides and sprinkle lightly with flour.
• Combine cake flour, cocoa powder, coffee powder and salt; sift the dry ingredients. This process help to combine the ingredients better and aerates the flour.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine egg yolks and ½ cup of the granulated sugar and beat on medium –high speed for about 3 minutes or until thickened, pale yellow and when the beater is lifted, the batter should fall back on itself like a ribbon. Stop the mixer occasionally and scrape down the bowl sides. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
• In another large mixing bowl, add the egg whites and beat on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating for about 2-3 minutes, until the whites look shiny and smooth and form soft peaks. Turn the mixer on medium speed and beat in the remaining ½ cup sugar at a rate about 2 tbsp every seconds. After the sugar has been incorporated, beat the whites for 1 minute longer and when you stop the mixer and lift the whip, the peaks will be firm and straight or will be looking like stiff peaks. Note: It is important that the egg whites are beaten in a clean and dry bowl without any trace of grease/fat/water; otherwise the whites will not expand to its full volume.
• Add one-third of the egg whites on the top of the yolk mixture and using a rubber spatula, fold the mixtures together very gently, (Do not beat) until no white streaks are visible. This first addition will light the batter. Add the remaining egg whites to the mixture and fold them again until egg whites are thoroughly combined.
• Next, fold in the flour mixture in 4 additions. Sprinkle about one-fourth of the flour mixture over the egg mixture and then using a spatula, fold in the flour mixture, until no streaks of cocoa powder are visible. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture. The batter towards the end will be light and foamy. Note: Sprinkling the flour makes the folding easier and this step takes a bit of patience and time. The dry ingredients are added in small quantities to prevent their weight from deflating the egg mixture.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly and bake the cake undisturbed for 18 minutes. If the cake looks set and the surface is slightly browned, touch the tops gently. If they feel firm, insert a skewer or toothpick and if it comes out clean then the cake is done or if it comes out wet or with crumbs clinging to it, bake for another 2-5 minutes until the skewer comes out clean. Note: The baking time varies from oven to oven, and also depends on the pan size and positioning in the oven. The thumb rule is to bake until the skewer or toothpick comes out clean.
• Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes and later invert them onto a wire rack and let it cool completely for about 45 minutes. The cake layers will shrink lightly as they cool. The cakes are now ready to be filled and frosted.
• To Make the Cherry syrup: In a small saucepan, stir together water and granulated sugar over low heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot. Stir in 2 tbsp Kirsch. Remove from the stove top and add pitted and halved cherries to the syrup and let it sit for about 30 minutes. At this stage, sieve the cherry mixture and separate the cherries and let the syrup cool.
• For Filling and frosting: Combine heavy cream, confectioners sugar and 1 tbsp Kirsch in a stainless steel or glass bowl and beat on medium-high speed, until it forms soft peaks.
• Assembling the cake: Cake should be completely cool before applying the frosting. When ready to assemble, brush 3 tbsp Cherry syrup onto the top of each cake layer and spread about 1 ½ cups whipped cream evenly over the first cake layer and arrange the cherries (the ones saved from the syrup) in an even layer over the whipped cream and press gently to level the filling. Now place the second cake layer and frost the entire cake, sides and tops, with the remaining whipped cream. Note: To be on the safer side, I applied a very thin layer in the beginning to lock in all the crumbs and immediately after that final frosting was applied. If still few crumbs are visible, use a toothpick to remove those crumbs. Decorate the top with chocolate shaving and fresh cherries. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.
  

To Make the Chocolate Shavings: In a microwave, place your favourite chocolate bar (without nuts) and warm for 15 seconds and check if the edges of chocolate give slightly to gentle fingertip pressure and if not, warm for another 10-15 seconds until it reaches the right stage mentioned earlier. If chocolate bar is at the room temperature, it will take only 15-20 seconds. Now place a parchment paper on the counter and holding the chocolate in one hand, using a vegetable peeler, pull the peeler gently and firmly. Repeat the process until you get the required amount of shavings. If the chocolate firms again as you work, you can reheat the chocolate bar again in the microwave. You can make the chocolate shavings in advance and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

To Make the Chocolate Leaves: You can decorate your cake anyway you want. I wanted to have some chocolate leaves. The best method to make chocolate leaves is to melt some chocolate in the microwave and brush the melted chocolate on to any non-toxic leaves (without any traces of water), leave them on a parchment/wax paper and refrigerate until chocolate harden. Peel away the leaves gently and one side of the leaf will have all the impressions of the fresh leaf, including the veins. Rose leaves and ficus leaves are said to be non toxic. Since I don’t have a rose plant, I tried with my bonsai ficus leaf and the result was quite impressive but since I was not sure of the non toxic aspect of the bonsai variety and also did not want to use up all those leaves, I resorted to another easier method for which I melted the chocolate ( I used chocolate chips and melted at 30 seconds intervals until it reached the creamy consistency) and poured it into a plastic bag, pushed it into a corner and snipped off the edge a bit and squeezed out, on to a parchment paper, to make leaves. You can follow a free –hand method or draw your desired shape first and then spread the chocolate. Refrigerate until firm and ready to decorate. You can make this in advance and refrigerate in an airtight container.

I suggest the first method, if you can find non-toxic leaves, as that gives a natural look to the leaves which will come in various sizes and impressions.


Verdict: This recipe is a keeper for sure and a new addition to my baking repertoire. I will be making this again, during the cherry seasons for sure. The two complementary flavours of chocolate and cherry, marrying the refined Kirsch flavoured whipped cream with the mild and delicate cocoa flavour emanating from the Dutch-process cocoa powder, used in chocolate cake layers, gives a light, airy and delightful taste to the cake, tempting you to go for one more slice. It does not have an overwhelming flavour of Kirsch as well. I could never stop with one slice! The sponge cake has a nice homemade texture which is not overly moist and sweet, unlike the box cakes. It is to be noted that the texture of the cake mainly depends on the way it is beaten. I used a hand mixer and still it yielded a good texture but I am sure, if a stand mixer is used, then it must be real spongy and not at all an effort to beat to get the stiff peaks from the egg whites. The only challenge I faced was, one of the cakes got stuck to the parchment paper and had to separate it, which has never happened to me and I still don’t know the reason. I recommend this recipe and it is definitely worth taking all the effort.

Well, most of us know that there has been a deluge of an award tag in the food blog world and some of my blogger buddies were kind and thoughtful enough to send few of the titles in my way. It is a nice feeling when you get recognition and appreciation from the fellow bloggers and I sincerely thank Cynthia, Sunita, Mallugirl, Sandeepa, Archana, Sia, Pravs and Mathew for this nice gesture. I also thank all my fellow bloggers and readers for encouraging and supporting me and helping me maintain the same energy in all my posts. It would not have been possible with your appreciation and encouraging words. And for all those ghost readers out there, “Thank You” for coming back to my site and trying out the recipes :)


I assume most of the food bloggers have been awarded with these titles, let me pass this to two of my favourite bloggers who really makes me think, trough their posts.

• Mathew of Spark, a born satirist makes everyone laugh and think at the same time, with his brilliant sense of humor. His humorous take on everyday life situations is absolutely impressive. Some of his touching and insightful posts, revealing certain simple universal truths, make the reader probe into his/her own responsibilities.
• Nanditha of Miles to go before I sleep, a talented dancer and truth seeker dresses up her each and every posts with stories and incidents which has a spiritual aspect and in-depth meaning, making the reader think how the simple pleasures of life are to be enjoyed and stresses the importance of living in the moment.

Nanditha & Mathew, I truly enjoy your posts and looking forward to many in the future :)

UPDATE: Based on some of the responses I received, let me make a small note here. Kirsch OR Kirschwasser is generally available in liquor stores and might be hard to find in supermarkets here in US; take the help of a liquor store assistant and check for Kirschwasser, flavored brandy with natural cherry flavour. If Kirsch is not at all available, use rum or brandy in lesser quantity as they do not have a refined taste and smell like Kirsch. If the target group consists of children, you may consider avoiding them too. Instead of that make the syrup (1/4 cup water+ 1/4 cup sugar) and when it is cold, add 1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla extract (depending on the taste you want), just before assembling the cake.

As for the cherries, if fresh ones are not in season or unavailable, two options are there, 1) go for dried cherries which will be quite plump when soaked in the moistening syrup for 30 minutes. 2) Use the glace cherries , but don't go for the pie filling which will be extremely sweet and will spoil the taste of the cake. But you can never beat the taste of a Black Forest cake made using Kirsch and fresh cherries when you make so much of variations.

As for the Dutch Process Cocoa- powder, either stick to the brand I have given in the link or use a good quality product for the sole reason that if you use any not-so good products, it will spoil the cake. Dutch process cocoa- powders are light and mild and not bitter unlike the regular cocoa-powders. For instance, Hershey's dutch process cocoa- powder may not be suited for this recipe as it is too bitter.

Thank you !
Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

Happy Onam !

We Wish you all a very Happy Onam ! Enjoy the festivities.

UPDATE : For Sadya recipes check out SADYA VIBHAVANGAL - Learn to make the traditional Kerala Feast- An Artist’s Edible Palette !

Luv
Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

Kanji & Payar – Our Comfort Food…! A traditional favourite of many Keralites.

Memory Disk 1:

Quite a vague memory of my grand father’s house…..night time……dull light comes from a petromax lantern….a wooden dining table …..my grandpa sitting on a wooden bench and having Kanji/rice gruel with ‘an organic spoon’ made of plavila/jackfruit tree leaf…..and I am sitting , on the other side, insisting my aunt that I want one of those spoons too……

Memory Disk 2:
Sometime in my early teens…..our family is heading back home after our annual vacation to some place…all of us exhausted and just waiting to reach home and take a shower, my mother asks, “ Is kanji (rice gruel) and uppumanga chammanthi (brined mango chutney) ok for dinner?”. “yes…”, “yes…”, “.I am fine with that too”…all of us travel back with the hope of digging into our comfort food.

Memory Disk 3:
One of those hostel days in Chennai……..Just before reaching the Chennai central railway station, to catch the train to Kerala, Yours truly calls up her mother, to make sure that someone will be there at the destination to pick her up…her mother picks up the phone and after collecting all the information, she throws the very important question,”….so…what do you want for breakfast tomorrow….? Shall I make Appam and Stew or you want puttu and kadala ? “. “ I don’t want all that…..could you pls make some kanji and payar? “, a very affirmative answer from the other side!

Memory Disk 4:
A newly married couple …….girl gets back home quite late from work…completely exhausted….…..makes some fresh sweet-lime juice ……throws herself in a chair, grabs the remote control and switches on the TV…………picks up the phone and calls her husband, “ hey….what time you will reach home..? I am too tired …….want something very light for supper…what do you prefer? “ Husband says….” How about Kanji & payar ?” …A sigh of relief from the girl!

Memory Disk 5:
After 2 years stay in US of A, dying to reach home and meet the family and enjoy mom’s food, Yours truly calls up her home and gives all the flight information and arrival time…..and just before winding up the call, her parents ask, “ so that means you will be here in the morning…so what do you want for breakfast? “ Answer comes quickly,“…hmm…I will be happy to clean up my system with some Kanji & payar, after eating all that lousy flight food “, an answer that is not so welcome to her parents who are eagerly waiting to show all their love and compassion, in the form of food, when they meet their daughter after all those years.

-THE END-

Should I say anything more to show how much Kanji & payar mean to me and my family ?:) Kanji is a rice gruel, a comfort food for many Keralites. As macaroni and cheese is to Americans or Risotto to Italians , so is Kanji and Payar to a Keralite. A light breakfast or a light supper……Though Kanji & payar ( Stir fry with cooked green grams) is the most popular and traditional combo, Kanji can be served with a variety of chutneys, pappadam (Indian wafers) , pickles etc.

Now anyone interested to know why I thought of blogging this? When Mallugirl of Malabar Spices announced her Summer Express Cooking Event, she wanted to know what I was planning to contribute. Honestly speaking I had no plans to participate as I could not think of any interesting dishes to whip up in 30 minutes, I responded with an impish smile saying, “Kanji & Payar is the only thing I can cook in 30 minutes and do you really want me to blog that? “, thinking that I can escape from this and enjoy the round-up happily. But she was quite persistent and gave me a green signal. And there was one more innocent looking silent character from here, who did everything she could to pour oil to the flame!!! And they wanted my ‘stories’ too!!! And today I found myself, cajoling my husband for accompanying me to an Indian store in downtown, driving 16 miles up and down to buy the traditional Kerala rice used for preparing kanji and here I am making you all travel down my memory lane ! You blame those two girls from here & here :)

Pre-requisites for Express cooking Kanji & Payar :

• 2 pressure cookers + 1 shallow pan
  OR
• 1 pressure cooker and 1 rice cooker + 1 shallow pan
  OR
• 1 pressure cooker and A microwave + 1 shallow pan
  

Time Frame :30 mins

0-15 mins:

• Wash rice and keep it in pressure cooker.
• Wash Cherupayar/green grams and keep it in pressure cooker
• Peel off small onions and garlic and make a coarse paste.

16-30 mins:

• Set the table and clean up the kitchen counter and relax until the steam is fully out from the cooker.
• Heat the pan and stir-fry cherupayar/green grams.

Kanji- Rice Gruel (Serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rose-matta rice/Kuthari
• 5-6 cups water

Directions:

• Wash the rice thoroughly in water. Along with 5-6 cups of water, cook rice in a pressure cooker or rice cooker, in medium heat, until it’s cooked well and soft enough. Generally, I wait for 4-6 whistles from the cooker. (Note: Rice can be prepared in microwave too. Rice varieties like boiled ponni rice and sona masoori rice take only 25 minutes in microwave. Rose-matta rice might take more time; since I have never tried cooking this in microwave, I am unable to give you the right cooking time.)

Cherupayar Mezhukkupuratti – Stir-fry with cooked green grams.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup cherupayar/green grams
• 2 ¼ cups water
• 4 green chillies slit opened lengthwise
• 7-9 red pearl small onions/shallots
• 3 cloves of small garlic
• 2 dried red chillies
• 1 ½ to 1 ¾ tsp red chilly flakes
• 1 small sprig of curry leaves
• 1tbsp oil, preferably coconut oil
• Salt to taste

Directions:

• Wash the cherupayar/green grams in water and drain the water fully. Heat the pressure cooker and very mildly roast the cherupayar/green grams until they are dry and warm to touch. Add 2 ¼ cups water, green chillies and salt to taste and cook in the pressure cooker and wait for about 5-6 whistles in medium heat.
• Using a mortar and pestle set, crush the small onions and garlic and make a coarse paste. If you dont have a mortar-pestle set, keep all the ingredients on the chopping board and crush with a rolling pin.
  
• Heat oil in a shallow pan and when it’s hot enough, reduce the flame to low and add 2 dried red chillies and sauté for 4-5 seconds and add the coarse paste of small onion and garlic. When it turns transparent, add red chilly flakes and blend thoroughly with the onion and garlic and sauté for a minute. Now, add the cooked cherupayar/ green grams ( there will not be much water left in the cooker except 1-2 tbsp, which can be poured to the pan along with the green grams/cherupayar) and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Do a taste test here and adjust salt and just a minute before turning off the heat, add the curry leaves for a tempting aroma. Serve with Kanji; sprinkle some salt on top of Kanji :)
  
  Note: There is a jet fast way of cooking this dish, which is by replacing big onion for small onions and saute the onions until transparent; add chilly powder and cook for 1-2 minutes; add cooked cherupayar/green grams and curry leaves.
  

For a very informative post on Kanji and Payar, Click Here.

This is also my contribution to Jihva for Ingredients (JFI) at Neivedyam.

Related Posts:

Luv
Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

Hand Picked Collection of Authentic Indian Crafts!!

Click on the icon to go to the online craft village

Like good food, there are few other things that can make me go “slluuurrrp..., wish I could have that”! And one of those things is craft...especially traditional Indian Crafts. Sometimes I really miss not being able to visit those seasonal craft exhibitions, inside rows of colourful stalls where artisans from several rural parts of the country, would have set up a feast, for craft lovers like me.

So when a friend of mine, Kaira, said she had opened an online craft village, it felt like a dream-come-true! Kaira, an ardent craft lover, has set up a website to display her hand-picked collection of crafts from across India and tells craft tales that she picked up from books and her interaction with artisans. What I liked most about her site is the personal touch, that leaves you feeling that you visited your friend's cosy neighbourhood store. One could pick from the beautiful pieces that are available or make a custom order. And you can get it delivered at your door step or courier a gift to a dear one for his/her birthday/wedding/house-warming...Kaira guarantees the authenticity of every item on her store since she has personally chosen each piece.

I enjoyed reading the brief notes given for each craft and finding out how they are made. It's fascinating to know how some of them originated centuries ago and are still practiced. The site has a limited collection at present, but Kaira seems to have just got started...I am sure she will have lot more 'crafty stuff' coming up, to quench the appetite of craft-lovers like me! Oh, by the way, if you want to check out her website, go to www.just-craft.com.

Luv
Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

Chemmeen Vada – Kerala Style Prawn Fritters

Location: A small town in Kerala
Characters: Yours truly and her aunt
Almanac: Late 80’s

Scene: A young girl……in her favourite topaz blue frock, printed with cute little heart shapes in white, with laces around the neck, tied with a pretty little bow on the back, sitting casually on the kitchen counter, indulging herself in a casual conversation with her aunt who is also in a very light mood…..smiling and talking to the little girl while she pounds a handful of prawns with a mortar and pestle set…and mixes some spices…..fires up a small “cheena-chatti” ( a mini Chinese wok).....pours some oil….then she goes out in a haste and comes back with a fresh plantain leaf cut from the backyard……washes the leaf in a hurry…..and takes some mixture, makes a ball….flattens them on the plantain leaf….slides each of ‘em into the hot oil…..she keeps the fried ones aside on a plate…..our little girl, still talking incessantly, sitting on the counter, kicking her legs in the air carelessly, picks up the fried ones and nibbles 'em, still entertaining her aunt with all her stories ……..this frying and talking and nibbling continue…..and after almost 10-15 minutes aunt notices an empty plate on the side and hiding her astonishment, she tells the little girl, “Honey…..keep 1-2 for your uncle as well!” Girl realizes her mistake and in embarrassment she replies,” ohhh….I am so sorreee…..I forgot that completely…….and this tasted so yummmmmmmm ….I have never had such a tasty snack " :)

- The End -

This is one of the many childhood yarns associated with yours truly, in our family circles……an anecdote that excites everyone while narrating whenever there is a family get-together over food, with a prawn dish in particular…….my aunt still affectionately recollects this episode whenever I meet her……she did not fail to share the story with CJJ, the day she got to entertain him with her tasty preparations… this was a double appetizer for him…….and after all these years, even when I was on my vacation last year, when I was enjoying my full piece of Karimeen Porichathathu, fried pearl spots, she went on to dig up the old thread again!!!!! :) And I do enjoy all those teasing…some of my childhood memories that’s still evergreen in my mind……..and for more than a month, this childhood episode was hitting the shores of my mind with waves of nostalgia, and I saw myself finally cooking up this delicacy! :-) This time I had no competition as uncle was not there and CJJ, not being a prawn lover, I got to eat the maximum and had to share only 2-3 with him :D

Ingredients:

• ½ lb (Approx. ¼ kg) prawns or shrimp peeled, deveined and washed thoroughly.
• 4-5 small red pearl onions/shallots
• ½ to ¾ tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 7-9 fresh green chillies
• A small sprig of curry leaves coarsely chopped
• ¼ tsp of turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying

Directions:

• Using a small jar of the food processor or blender, make a coarse paste of the small onions, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves. To this, add the cleaned prawns or shrimp and run the processor until everything combines well, forming a coarse paste and add turmeric powder and salt to taste. Do not make them too smooth as you do for chutney or other condiments.
• Make around 10-12 small balls with this mixture and flatten them into a round shape; For flattening, keep the ball of mixture onto your left palm and press it with your right palm. You can do this either on a plastic wrap sheet or a plantain leaf as well, whichever is convenient.
• Heat oil in a small saucepan, deep fry each of them, in low-medium heat, until it is cooked or reaches brown colour. Serve warm with a hot cup of tea/chai.

Mistakes made and tricks learnt:
I added only 7 green chillies which did not provide me the required heat, so I ended up adding ½ tsp red chilly powder, which compromised the visual appeal, resulting in a slightly black colour, according to my mother. So it is better to go with green chillies alone. From the photographs, my mother felt that my base mixture of small onion, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves were not a coarse paste exactly, which was true to an extent :D Yes, she is a perfectionist in cooking! So, make sure that you follow both the tips to make your Chemmeen Vada/Prawn Fritters, appealing not only to your palate but also to your eyes :)

Verdict: A ‘must try’ for prawn lovers! The ones in pictures were the last two ‘saved’ with great difficulty, for the sheer act of photographing this dish, to blog!!

Luv
Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

TODDY SHOP SPECIAL: Virtual glimpse into a Toddy Shop & Kappa Puzhukku (Mashed Tapioca) & Meen (Fish) Curry with a Kuttanadan touch !

Warning: Busy browsers and visitors may scroll wayyyy down to read the recipes! :)

In my last post, I shared with you all the unusual and unlikely thing I have done in the name of blogging was to check-out a couple of cookbooks on one of my visits to the library here; for those who are in the habit of collecting cook books, this might not seem strange at all, but in my case, that was quite an extra-ordinary, one time, non –recurring incident. But let me ask you, have you done any “adventurous” things in the name of blogging? I DID ! I sent my brother–in-law, R, on a mission to shoot some pictures of Kerala’s Kallu Shappu/Toddy Shop and while capturing those quintessential white boards with letters painted in black, he got interrogated by a couple of locals thinking that he is a representative from some higher authorities, and on a duty to find out some irregularities in the functioning of that particular Kallu Shappu/Toddy Shop !!!!! Can you imagine my embarrassment in front of my in-laws and relatives, had he been “pampered” (euphemism for beaten-up) by those locals??? I was lucky and so was my BIL :) Here’s some pictures of Toddy Shop, my BIL took for me :)



If anyone is wondering why I am talking about toddy shops and what exactly is toddy, let me clear it up for you; As Scotch Whiskey is to Scotland, Toddy/ Kallu is Kerala’s very own “organic” alcoholic beverage; a sap collected, through an indigenous technique, from incising the flower clusters of a coconut tree and then fermented to produce the liquor. When we used to visit my father’s house for a vacation, I remember the tapper, Gopalakrishnan Chettan, coming on his bi-cycle, wearing only a Thorthu Mundu, a thin cotton towel, and a Chettu Kathi, a rectangular knife/blade, inserted to the belt around his wait……After sharing a light moment with my grandfather who used to sit in the Verandah, our tapper used to head towards the coconut trees assigned particularly for tapping….for us kids, the distinction between a regular coconut tree and the ones assigned for tapping, was mainly from the 10-15 dried half coconut husks tied to the trunk of tree, to form a natural ladder, enabling the tapper to climb the tree effortlessly on a daily basis…….After climbing up to the top part of trunk, he emptied the sap collected in Mann-kudam, a clay pot, to another container made off a dried bottle guard skin, and gingerly hung it on his belt …..Sometimes, we used to see him tapping with an animal bone, in the shape of a mallet, producing a very rhythmic,”tak, tak…tak.. tak..tak…..” sound, preparing the tree to produce sap. And the best part was when my father and uncles approached him to have a taste of the fresh toddy as it was quite sweet and though the tapper was supposed to take the sap directly to the toddy shop, he used to make some extra pocket money by selling it to my uncle, who had to share it with my aunts, not for drinking ofcourse, but to make Kallappam, a pancake made of rice flour fermented with a very small amount of toddy, and it used to taste yummy. The fresh toddy tastes sweet immediately after collecting but once fermented it tastes sour and hence Madhura –Kallu /Sweet toddy is very much sought after and there are some who prefer sour ones as well.

Modernization seems to have influenced the look and the ambiance of today’s Kallu Shappu/Toddy Shops of Kerala. My father and my uncles recollect the pictures of some thatched huts with small rooms furnished with simple wooden tables and benches and Kallu/Toddy was served in small Mann-paathram, a clay pot by Shappu-in-charge who generally has a big tummy……it is a place synonymous with simplicity…..simple rural people enjoying a heady evening with some lip-smacking food and when the intoxication reaches its zenith, people start singing some Naadan-paatukal (country-songs, if translated literally) or some start reciting poetry itself…..an atmosphere of friendship and simplicity……but if I ask CJJ or my brother, or any of my boy friends of my age, they do not talk of such thatched huts anymore….they talk about some brick and mortar shops, situated on some lakeshore where the Have’s and Have-Nots share the ground equally. Take a look at the lakeshore kallu Shappu/toddy Shop, CJJ and my brother visited last time we went home…..also check out the range of the vehicles !


But one thing that my father’s generation and the current generation agree unanimously is the exclusive taste of the food served in Kallu Shappu/Toddy Shop……there are many locals and tourists who visit the toddy shops, just to buy a parcel of the food. The menu ranges from the classic combo, Kappa and Meen curry (mashed tapioca & fish curry), crab curry, kakka erachi (Mussels fry), Karimeen Porichathu (Fried pearl spots) , Boiled Yam etc….When CJJ and my brother visited this lakeshore toddy shop, they brought home some Shappu delicacies like Meen curry (Fish Curry), crab curry and a bottle of toddy, for me to taste…..Those dishes were hot and spicy and at the same time delectable too ; toddy tasted sweet in the beginning and I managed to have ¼ cup or so but when I tasted the same in the evening, after fermentation, the sourness of the drink elicited strange expressions on my face which is not there even in the Navarasas !!! I think, it is more of an acquired taste! Nonetheless, I do recommend all those visiting Kerala to have a taste of the Toddy Shop delicacies and depending on the tolerance of your taste-buds, enjoy the local drink for a local flavour :) The only worst part is that women are not very much entertained in these Toddy Shops as this is predominantly a hangout area for the men and if at all the feminism in you forces you to go inside, be ready to receive stares from many inside! So the best option is to send the guy in your group :)

Here are some pictures from the Lakeshore toddy-shop. Toddy is the white drink in the bottle.


Tired of reading the long story ?? :) Lets go to recipes now …hmmm….I see many taking a deep breath there :P As I already wrote, Kappa Puzhukku, semi-mashed Tapioca/Yucca root seasoned with ground coconut mixture & Meen Curry, Curried Fish are Toddy shop specialties and they are a match made in heaven for sure. I learnt this fish curry recipe, a Kuttanadan preparation, from CJJ’s grandma. I have already blogged two of her very popular and tasty recipes, Pepper Fish Fry and Chicken Roast.


Kappa Puzhukku (Semi-Mashed Tapioca/Yucca root seasoned with ground coconut mixture)

Ingredients:

• 2 medium size Kappa/Tapioca washed, peeled and chopped into small cubes ( Click here for a pictorial on how to clean Kappa/Tapioca)
• ½ to ¾ cup grated coconut
• 4 small green chilies finely chopped
• 1 small red pearl onion/shallots finely chopped
• ¼ tsp + ¼ tsp tsp turmeric
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Oil, preferably coconut oil
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 3-4 dry red chilies
• 1 sprig curry leaves

Directions:

• Wash the cubed pieces thoroughly in cold water; fill a large saucepan with water enough to cover the Kappa/Tapioca and bring to a boil. When it boils, drain the water and fill the pan again with cold water (just enough to get cooked) and add salt and turmeric and cook until the kappa/tapioca is soft, when pierced with a fork/knife.
• Meanwhile, prepare the ground coconut mixture. Crush and blend the grated coconut well with finely chopped small onion, green chilies, turmeric powder and a tinge of salt (do not add more salt here as you have already added while boiling the root veggie), using your hands OR a mortar-pestle set OR put all the ingredients in a small food processor and pulse 1-2 times.
• When the Kappa/Tapioca is soft and water is evaporated well, add the grated coconut mixture to this and combine thoroughly, breaking the Kappa/Tapioca cubes with a wooden spatula, to get a semi-mashed Kappa/Yucca and cook for not more than 2 minutes. Do a taste-test here and adjust the salt. In another pan, heat oil and when steaming hot, splutter mustard seeds, dry chilies and curry leaves and pour everything to the semi-mashed Kappa/Yucca and stir well to combine. Serve with Fish curry. (Recipe Follows)

A picture of Kudam Puli / Gamboge

Fish Curry with a Kuttanadan Touch

Ingredients:

• 5-7 slices of cleaned fish (Seer fish, King Fish, Spanish Mackerel, Tilapia)
• 6-7 small red pearl onions/shallots, thinly sliced
• 4 small green chilies slit opened lengthwise
• 4 whole, medium size, garlic cloves
• 1 small piece of ginger (approx.1 tbsp ), julienned
• 2 -3 sprig curry leaves
• ½ tsp fenugreek/uluva powdered
• 2-3 small pieces of Kudam-puli (Gamboge)
• 2 ½ tsp red chilly powder * (Adjust according to your tolerance level)
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 2tbsp Oil, preferably coconut oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 + ¼ cup water

Directions:

• Before starting the preparation and chopping the onions and chilies, soak the Kudam-Puli/Gamboge in ¼ cup water, especially if it’s a store-bought one. The home made ones are generally soft and moist and can add directly to the curry after washing in some cold water. Make 1-2 slits on the fish to absorb the flavours. You will not see that in my picture as I forgot to make slits on mine :D
• Heat oil, preferably in a ‘curry-chatti’, an earthenware from Kerala or a cooking pan; when the oil is medium hot, throw in curry leaves, snipped off of its stem, and smear the entire ‘curry chatti’ with oil and curry leaves, so as to coat the cooking ware fully with the combined flavour and aroma of the oil and curry leaves; DO NOT skip this step. Next, add the thinly sliced small onions, ginger, green chilies and whole garlic (Do not chop garlic; make 1-2 small slits on ‘em to absorb the flavours) sauté until transparent, in low flame. Add turmeric powder and red chilly powder and combine well and let it cook for 1-2 minutes or until the raw smell goes, in low flame itself. At this stage add powdered fenugreek and coat well with the other ingredients and then pour soaked kudam-puli, along with its water plus one more cup, or just enough to cover all the fish pieces and add salt and bring to boil, in medium heat. When it is boiling check the sourness and adjust by adding/removing one or two pieces of Kudam-puli/Gamboge.
• Place fish pieces to this and cover with a lid and allow it to cook in medium heat; open the lid once in a while and let the steam out and swirl the cooking vessel; avoid stirring as you may end up breaking the fish pieces. Once the fish is cooked, lower the flame and cook for another 5 mts without the lid, until the gravy thickens a bit. Just 1-2 minutes before turning off the stove, take some oil in your palm and crush some curry leaves with oil and add it to the Fish curry, which accentuates the aroma, flavour and ‘the look’ of the dish. Turn off the stove and let it cool.
• You may serve this dish after 30-40 mts, nevertheless, for best results, keep the cookware covered in the room temperature atleast for 4-5 hours, for all the flavours to set in and penetrate into the fish.

Note: In many of the households in central Kerala, this type of fish curry is prepared the previous night and kept overnight at room temperature, allowing it to set in all the flavours and spices, to serve for lunch. Fish curry prepared in ‘curry-chatti’ has an incomparable taste that the stainless steel or non-stick pan cannot achieve. Please do not substitute small onions with big onion as it definitely alters the taste and a generous use of curry leaves is suggested for a fresh and wonderful aroma. Also the taste will not be the same if kudam-puli/Gamboge is replaced with the tamarind used in Sambar and Rasam. Do not throw away the whole garlic in the curry as they turn succulent and taste awesome with all the flavours soaked in. Beginners (to this particular dish) need to be cautious with the use of fenugreek powder and Kudam-puli /Gamboge, until one gets a hang of the right proportion. *The Red colour: The red chilly powder I get from the Indian store is hot and at the same time, gives a fiery red colour too. But not all the brands produce the same colour; in which case, you may also add a bit of Kashmiri Chilly powder/ Paprika/ Piriyan Mulaku Powder. I am not in a position to note the exact amount to be used, as I do not use them at all.

I have already blogged Fish Curry-Central Kerala Style, which is prepared in Coconut milk. For different style of Tapioca/Kappa preparation, click on Kappa Biryani- A Thattukada Specialty.

Also known as Meen Mulakittathu, Meen Vattichathu, Red Fish curry, this fish curry is made without coconut milk and it’s actually poetry in red chilly powder and Kudam-Puli/Gamboge infused with the intense and unique flavour of coconut oil and the wonderful aroma of curry leaves. This goes to Jihva for Ingredients (JFI) at Saffron Trail.

THANKS for reading such a long post :)

Luv
Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

Mast Va Khiar with Khoubis Arabi

Yogurt Cucumber Salad with Pita Bread

Middle-Eastern food…..mouthwatering pastries…..live Arabic music…..belly dancing performances and Dabke dancers…….cultural and religious artifacts and cooking demonstrations…….a bit of cultural exposure, that sums up pretty much how we started our last weekend! We have been looking forward to our annual Middle-Eastern Festival and this time, I carried my camera too, thinking that I will capture some sights and share the flavour virtually with you all but the moment we reached there, I saw myself transforming into a personification of gluttony, walking around with two legs and hands and a single mouth, raiding the food stalls with inexplicable greed and gluttony! Based on my previous experiences, this time I knew exactly what to gobble up…we started our Mezas (Appetizers) with Baked Kibbee (beef and wheat mix layered with meat, onions and pine nuts), Meat Fatayer (yeast dough pie stuffed with meat, Grape leaves stuffed with beef and rice and Falafel (chick-pea and fava bean patties) with Hummous (Chickpea dip with tahini, lemon juice and garlic). Though we had the option to try out the vegetarian Mezas, we were more keen on trying out Shawarma (marinated grilled chicken), Beef Gyros and our favourite Kafta (lamb and beef mixed with parsley and spices). After stuffing ourselves with so much of food, I could not leave the place without having a bite of my favourite dessert, Galaktoburiko (custard phyllo pastry). The thought that this festival is an annual affair and I will get to enjoy all this food only next year, made me go for one more piece of the same dessert :) We also bought some Baklawa (layers of phyllo dough filled with crushed pistachios), Bird Nest (something similar to baklawa but in a different shape) and Burma (shredded wheat filled with pistachios) to munch on later. Watching the dabke dancers stomping and jumping and kicking their feet in rhythm …….. belly dancers shimming the shoulders and shaking the hip to the music in the air and the jiggling of coins from their hip belt……devouring the succulent main dishes and lip smacking sweet treats, it was definitely an evening worth all the wait :)

Did I stir-up your appetite with the listing of all the food I had? :) I have something for you, the classic middle –eastern bread, Khoubis Arabi/Pita Bread and a refreshing and filling Yogurt – Cucumber Salad/Mast Va Khiar, an appetizer that can be scooped up with bread. Both the recipes are taken from “Secrets of Cooking – Armenian/Lebanese/Persian” by Linda Chirinian. I have also tried Hummous Bi Tahini (Chick-pea and sesame seed puree) and Falafel (bean croquettes) from the same book which came out quite well. Sometime back, Sra posed a very simple yet thought provoking question,” what unlikely things have you done for your blog?”. Out of the many interesting comments that popped up, my immediate response was to declare that I had tried out many new dishes which I would not have, if not for blogging, but later it struck me that I did a very “unlikely as well as unusual” thing which was to pick some cookbooks on one of my visits to the library!! Though I just flipped the pages, and enjoyed the beauty of those pictures and returned the books without even reading, that was so unusual of me to do something like that…till then I never knew where the cookbook section was : P This was a one time, non-recurring event as well !


KHOUBIS ARABI- Pita Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour PLUS 3 ½ cups All-purpose flour (Maida)
• A ¼ oz packet of dry yeast OR 1tbsp dry yeast
• 1 ½ cups warm water
• 1tbsp sugar
• ¾ tbsp salt
• 3tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

• Mix yeast with 1 ½ cups warm water and 1 tbsp sugar thoroughly and proof for 10 minutes, till it is foamy on top.
• Making the dough: In a large bowl, add wheat flour, all-purpose flour (maida) and salt and combine well. To this add the yeast mixture and 2 tbsp oil and mix the dry ingredients with the wet ones until liquids are absorbed. At this stage, add the rest of the oil (1 tbsp) and knead well till the dough forms a ball. You may use food processor to knead the dough. Grease your hands with some oil and rub the dough with your palms and place this in a lightly oiled large glass or porcelain bowl and cover with a plastic wrap and set aside for about 2 hours until the dough doubles in quantity.
• Preheat oven to 500F.
• Trick to get perfect pita pockets: After about 2 hours when the dough doubles in quantity, punch down the dough and deflate the air inside and let it rest for 5 minutes and then divide the dough into 6-8 pieces. Taking one piece at a time, flatten and bring the sides folding over towards the center as though you re wrapping a package and seal together all the sides, by gently pressing at the center. Turn the sealed side down and place on a lightly floured surface and cover with flour dusted plastic wrap and again let it rest for 10 minutes. Roll each ball into a flat circle and place on ungreased baking sheets and bake for around 4-5 minutes, until it puffs up and slightly turns golden colored. Cool slightly on racks and store in plastic bag while it is still warm, otherwise bread tends to dry out.

Tricks I learnt: This was my second attempt at making Pita Bread/Khoubis Arabi and it was 100% successful….all my rolled breads puffed up quite well, forming perfect pita pockets; but that was not the case first time when I tried, only 4-5 puffed up well and the rest got over cooked as I waited till it turned golden brown and some did not puff up on time. So, the basic rule here is to wait only till it puffs up well and changes the colour lightly.....don’t wait until it turns fully golden because the bread will not be soft at all; even if it does not puff up, if you see the bread changing its colour, immediately remove from the oven as the bread is cooked well even if it does not puff up, but it will not be as soft as the puffed up ones. Also, you should knead the dough several times and roll evenly to get pita pockets. Another important thing to be noted is that the dough should be moist. Don’t be stingy while adding the oil; 3 tbsp oil is a definite requirement. The oven temperature is also a vital aspect and cooking time varies depending on the oven settings. Though the original recipe calls for 6-8 minutes of cooking, my oven takes only about 5 minutes to do the job. So, it is advisable to start baking one rolled dough at a time, check the accurate baking time for puffing up and once it’s cooled, see if it is cooked enough and once you have an idea about the exact baking time required, you can keep 2-3 at a time and bake. This is as simple/difficult as making home made pizza dough or Naan (Indian bread) at home. Something that you can perfect by practice. Check out Jugalbandi’s whole-wheat pita bread too.


My home grown mint ..



MAST VA KHIAR - Yogurt Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 cups yogurt
• 2 cups thinly diced cucumbers
• ¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves OR 1tbsp dried crushed mint
• ¼ to ½ cup scallions (Green/Spring onions) chopped
• ¼ to ½ cup seedless raisins (preferably dark raisins)
• Salt & white pepper to taste

Directions:

• Pour yogurt in a cheese-cloth or a thin kitchen napkin and place in a colander or a bowl and drain for 1 hour.
• Mix yogurt, cucumbers, mint, salt, pepper and scallions. Stir in raisins just before serving, as it gives out colour if soaked in yogurt for a long time and garnish with diced cucumber or mint leaf or scallions.

You can serve Mast Va Khiar/Yogurt cucumber salad as a dip for pita wedges and for those who like to double dip, serve them in individual cucumber boats to lighten up the atmosphere. To make cucumber boats: Cut the cucumber into desired length and halve them vertically and scoop out the seeds and mushy parts and fill it with the dip.

My second entry to Green Blog Project - Summer 2007 hosted at Letzcook.

Luv
Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.