Snacks

Crapes with coconut filling

| Rekha Vengalil
Crapes with coconut filling

You need –
For the crapes
  • All purpose flour – 1 cup
  • Egg – 1
  • Water – 1  cup
  • Sugar – 3 teaspoons
  • Salt – ¼ teaspoon

For the coconut filling
  • Grated coconut – 2 cups
  • Sugar – ½ cup
  • Water – 3 tablespoon
  • Cardamom – 2 nos

How to –
  • To make the filling, bring the sugar and water to boil.
  • Add the grated coconut and till the mixture is dry but still moist and set aside
  • To make the batter, in a mixing bowl beat the egg.
  • Add the flour , sugar, salt and mix.
  • Add the water and make a smooth lump free batter.
  • Heat a flat griddle, grease it with few drops of oil.
  • Pour a ladle of batter and make a thin medium sized crepes
  • Cover and cook for 3 minutes.
  • Uncover and cook for a minute.
  • Place some coconut filling lengthwise in the middle of the crape and fold in the side.

Serve warm.

Espresso slices

| Rekha Vengalil

Made with freshly done espresso! Not often I get to work with our KitchenAid espresso machine (my husband have exclusive rights on it). This time I got a chance, and got the maximum out of it 🙂 and here is the recipe –

                                                                                                         Espresso slices
You need –
  • Butter – 225 grams
  • Caster suger – 175 grams
  • Vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon
  • Eggs – 4
  • Freshly made espresso – 250 ml
  • Ground almonds – 100 grams
  • Chocolate chips – 100 grams
  • All purpose flour – 250 grams
  • Baking powder – 1 teaspoon

For the frosting –

  • Icing sugar – 200 grams
  • Coffee liqueur – 2 tablespoon

How to –
Espresso slices

  • Pre-heat the oven to 350 F or 180 C
  • Line a 16X12 inch Swiss roll tin with parchment paper
  • Beat the butter until light and creamy. Gradually add in the sugar, vanilla extract and the eggs.
  • Stir in about three-quarters of the espresso, ground almonds and chocolate chips.
  • Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold into the mixture.
  • Spread the mixture into the pan and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the tooth pick comes out clean when inserted.

For the icing

  • Mix the icing sugar, remaining espresso and coffee liqueur and spread on the slightly warm cake.

Please note – I have used salted butter.

Kaayada

| Rekha Vengalil
This is one snack I completely fell in love with when we traveled to Mookambika from Thrissur in 2010 by road. I don’t remember correctly if I got to taste this at Beypore or at Thalasherry when we stopped for the famous Sulaimani (Lemon tea of the Malabar region, Kerala) at one of the chayakada (small tea shops in Kerala). We had many such stopovers and completely loved every moment of our trip. Since then I have been thinking of making this delicious snack but somehow never really got my hands on it and today when I did, I ate to my heart’s content and not to forget the Thalasherry biriyani on our way back!! Magical Malabar…warm people and awesome food!!
Food()licious Pictured

To make this you will need

4 Large Plantains ( not too ripe bananas let the skin be greenish)
3  large eggs
5 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon raisins
2 tablespoon Cashew nuts
Clarified butter (Ghee) for frying
3 cardamom crushed
1/4 cup freshly grated coconut

3 tablespoon Rice Flour (Please add more if you need too, to make sure that the consistency is right for making the balls or you could do without this if your mashed banana’s are to mushy)

How to prepare

  •  Steam the plantains with the skin on until soft and cooked.
  •  Once they are completely cooked and soft, mash well until no lumps adding the rice flour as required.
  •  For preparing the filling, combine the eggs and sugar and whisk. It’s fine if the Sugar doesn’t dissolve completely.
  •   Heat a skillet, add ghee. Once heated, add the chopped cashews and fry. When they turn golden color, remove and drain them on a kitchen towel.
  • To the same pan, add the raisins and fry them for a few seconds until they puff up and set them along with the cashews.
  • In the same pan, add the egg – sugar mixture, grated coconut, raisins, cashew nuts and cardamom and scramble until the egg is completely cooked. Once cooked add the crushed cardamom and mix until combined
  • Grease your palms with enough ghee and take the warm mashed bananas and make small balls. Flatten the balls pressing down with your figures to form a disk shape.
  •   Take about 1 tablespoon of the egg filling and place in the middle and seal the edges and rolling it up to form a rugby ball shape and smooth
  •   Fry them on medium heat until all side are browned and drain them on a kitchen towel


A perfect tea time snack. Enjoy!