1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1 cup unbleached white flour - plus extra, for dusting
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp ground cardamom seeds
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup softened clarified butter - (ghee)
1 1/2 cup grated carrots - firmly packed
2 tbsp chopped pistachios
2 tbsp chopped blanched almonds
2 tbsp raisins
1 edible silver foil (opt.)
Directions
"A characteristic sweet of southern India is carrot halvah, a rich,
sweet reduction of carrots and spices that is almost fudgelike in
consistency. This cake falls somewhere between this traditional treat
and the popular American carrot cake. It has a dense texture and the
unexpected flavor of cardamom, yet doesn't require the tedious
cooking and stirring of a halvah.
"Special Indian dishes are often decorated with silver foil -- a
microscopic thin sheet of edible, flavorless real silver, available in
Indian groceries. We have cut edible foil into decorative shapes -- a
tedious business that must be done in a completely draftless room --
but more manageable solid toppings are customary.
"Serve this nontraditional ending to your Indian meal with coffee
that has been brewed with a few cardamom seeds."
Rub a round cake pan that is 9 inches in diameter and 1-1/2 inches in
height with the vegetable oil and then dust it very lightly with
flour. Preheat the oven to
350 F.
Sift 1 cup flour with the baking soda and salt.
Beat the eggs well in a large bowl. Add the cardamom, sugar, and
clarified butter. Keep beating until all the ingredients are
thoroughly mixed.
Add the sifted flour mixture to the ingredients in the large bowl and
fold it in gently with a spatula. Add the carrots, pistachios,
almonds, and raisins. Fold them in gently as well.
Turn the cake batter into the oiled and floured cake pan and bake for
35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes
out clean and the top is golden red. Decorate top with edible silver
foil.
* Source: World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking - by Madhur Jaffrey *
Published in: The Herb Companion - February/March 1993 * Typed for
you by Karen Mintzias
Servings: 6 servings
Carrot Cake With An Indian Flavor Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Asian; Cake; Dessert; Indian
The History of Recipes
Recipes as an idea can be observed way back into the far past, certainly as far back into history as the early Egyptians, and potentially, even further back. Interesting though that is, generally, these ancient recipes were just basic pictorial recipes for preparing food.
In an interesting twist, the oldest recipe found, according to food historians are a few stone tablets in Sumerian which recount the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who tried it feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. Moving our culinary historical trip onwards, there are two interesting books which were published in the 14th Century - a book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another titled `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are somewhat misleading tho`, they have no connection with the indian curry that is familiar to us all today, but instead accounts of the types of meals prepared by the cooks of the nobility of that period. Later on, in the 15th century, the Crusaders brought back many foods and herbs from the Middle-East, including coriander, basil and rosemary. These new foods and tastes was responsible for an explosion in books on cookery, many of which are now in private cookery archives. Over the succeeding few centuries, the powerful families of Europe competed with each other to serve the most extravagent meals, and as a result the best cooks and their recipes could command a high salary. However, it was during the 19th century that fine cooking and recipe collections rose to prominence. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, devoted much of their lives to collecting, verifying, and publishing recipes to allow everyone to enjoy them. When we get to the 20th century, recipe publications were in high demand, mostly as a result of increased literacy, people having more spare time and having more money to spend. The TV revolution brought us cooking programs and the demand for the accompanying recipe books. And that pretty much brings us to the present day and the invention of the internet, allowing us all to access massive numbers of recipes such as those found on the site you are now reading. |
We hope you enjoy this Carrot Cake With An Indian Flavor recipe.
