Essence of Life - Food

DIAMOND BISCUIT / KALA KALA SWEET

      Kala Kala is a traditional Indian Christmas snack prepared to be given as goodies. It is prepared in different ways in different regions around India. It has quite a number of versions, cut/shaped to whims and fancies, as well as it has different names too, Kala Kala/Kal Kal/Kul Kul, Shakarpara/Shankarpali, Maida Biscuit as it is prepared basically with All-Purpose Flour. But I have always known and called it as Diamond Biscuit/ Square Biscuit.
     Though called by names... it is a wonderful tiny byte of snack which will treat your tastebuds with its mild sweetness and crunchy texture. Traditionally Diamond Biscuits are prepared with Coconut Milk and Eggs are added to the recipe. But I have prepared it with Cows Milk and do not add Egg in my recipe. I have always liked the ones they sell at Coimbatore Nellai Lala Sweet, which had a mild Cardamom Flavour in it.
     My Dad makes this Diamond Biscuit in a different way, slightly bigger in size with a slit at the centre. He adds eggs to the recipe, it was one anticipated snack during my childhood days because my Dad prepares this Diamond Biscuit only when he was free. He had learnt it during his teenage days where he had worked in his Uncles Bakery in Kotagiri. I can never forget the day a nasty Stray Cat broke the whole snack bottle. Literally, it was not the bottle the Cat had broken, it broke my heart and I was almost at the brim of tears to see those wonderful Diamond Biscuits lying in midst of those broken glass shreds. What my Dad did to that stray cat is another story. Since then we named this Snack as POOCHA(Cat) Biscuit. Lovely childhood memories flocking through my mind.

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Cuisine : Indian
Recipe Type : Snacks
Difficulty : Medium
Author : SM

Preparation Time - 30-45 Minutes
Cooking Time - 30 -45 Minutes

INGREDIENTS :

All-Purpose Flour - 2 Cups
Milk - 1/2 Cups
Sugar - 1/2 Cups
Butter/Ghee - 4 Tbpsn
Cardamom - 3-4 Pods(Optional)
Baking Soda - 1/4 Tspn
Salt - 1/2 Tspn

For Deep Frying :

Oil

METHOD :

Warm-up the Milk and keep it aside.
Sieve All-Purpose Flour along with Salt once, and keep it aside.
In a bowl, Cream the Butter, Sugar and Baking Soda together by using a fork or a wooden spatula until the ingredients are just combined.
Add the All-Purpose Flour and mix with your hand until the ingredients are well combined.
Initially, pour in a little warm Milk and knead the dough.
Knead the dough by adding little milk at a time.
The dough should be slightly stiffer.
Divide the Dough into 6 Balls and keep them aside.
Dust the Dough Balls with some All-Purpose Flour and roll it out into a flat, thick circle.
Cut the circle into tiny Diamonds/Squares with a Knife/ Spiral Cutter.
Transfer the Cut Diamonds/Squares to a plate dusted with All-Purpose Flour.
Follow the suit for rest of the dough balls.

For Deep Frying :

Heat Oil in a Deep Pan or a Wok.
Once the Oil is really hot reduce the flame to Medium.
Gently drop the Cut Diamonds/Squares into the Oil.
Fry the Diamond Biscuits on a Low Medium Flame until it turns into Golden Colour.
The Sugar in the Dough can Caramelize the snack if fried on a high flame.
Once done, Remove the fried Diamond Biscuits with slotted spoons from the oil.
Drain them on Paper towels
Once cooled down, store them in airtight containers.
Stays good for a week to 10 Days.

NOTES :

If using Cardamoms, grind them into a fine powder along with some Sugar.
Can add Coconut Milk instead of Cows Milk, Coconut milk gives an authentic flavour to the snack.
Can use Ghee/Butter for the recipe. Both work equally well.
Don’t roll it too thin. Roll it as you do it for chapati, but slightly thicker.
Can use a Knife/Spiral Cutter/Pizza/Pie Cutter for the purpose.
Cut the flat circles into any desired shape. Also can shape them like shells or into any desired shape and colour(By adding food colouring) according to your preference.
Fry the Diamond Biscuits on a Low-Medium Flame until it turns into Golden Colour.
The Sugar in the Dough can Caramelize the snack if fried on a high flame.

TAPIOCA MURUKKU/MARAVALLI KIZHANGU MURUKKU

   Tapioca has a close relationship with any Malayalee. Tapioca is one staple food at home and it has a never-ending link to our family. Years back, sometime in 1930's, It is said that my husband's Grandparents lived on just Tapiaco during a flood which they survived (maybe it was the Great Flood of 99(1924) which devastatingly lasted for almost 3 weeks and claimed thousands of lives). Among the gloom and the water, they had escaped to a high region, where they lived without any food and water for nearly a week. Raw Tapiocas was their only available food.
   My parents would always plant a batch of Tapioca in their backyard. Steamed Tapiocas are always a treat at home and it was one teatime snack catered at my grand mother's place. Eating them with Mulagu Chalichathu or Fish Curry is a delicacy. Soft and starchy steamed tapiocas can be used to prepared stir fries, Kappa Ularthiyathu, Kappa Puzhukku, Tapioca Chips, Tapioca Vadais etc.,
     It was then later, while I was browsing through the internet and came across this Tapioca Murukku recipe. Readily I had some steamed Tapiocas & Idiyappam flour in hand too, which made my job much simpler. I immediately made a small batch of Tapioca Murukku. It turned out to be crispy, light and very tasty. Within no time the whole batch vanished. Luckily I had some more Tapiocas at home and I planned up to make another batch of Tapioca Murukku but a little more at this time. If something turns out to be good I would know it right away - it would vanish off soon and my hubby would ask me to make it more frequently. Just a few pieces of Steamed Tapiocas is what we need for the recipe, so save few and try this Tapioca Murukku. Trust me, it is going to turn out be a success.

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Cuisine - Indian
Recipe Type - Snacks
Spice Level - Medium
Difficulty - Medium
Yields - 40-45 Medium sized Murukkus
Author - SM

Preparation Time - 25-30 Minutes
Cooking Time - 30 -45 Minutes

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HOW TO MAKE TAPIOCA MURUKKU/MARAVALLI KIZHANGU MURUKKU

INGREDIENTS :

Rice Flour - 3 Cups
Steamed Tapioca - 3/4 Cup
Butter - 3 Tbspn
Dry Red Chillies - 6-8 Nos.
Ajwain - 1 Tspn
Asafoetida - 1/4 Tspn
Salt - To Taste
Water - 1 Cup(Approximately)
Oil - To Deep Fry

METHOD :

To Boil Tapioca :

With a Sharp knife cut a whole Tapioca root into Four or five pieces.
Slightly make a slit through the Brown- Pink Skin. Once you have done this, the skin would easily peel off.
Cut each piece in half and remove the thick centre root.
Wash it thoroughly.
Then cut it into pieces of the desired size.
Wash it well until the water is clear.
Boil tapioca in water by adding salt and turmeric powder.
Cook until the pieces are soft.
Drain and discard the water.

For Murukku :

Soak Dry Red Chillies in hot water for about 10-15 minutes.
Drain and discard the water used for soaking Dry Chillies or use it to knead the dough.
Measure 3/4 Cup of Steamed Tapiocas and keep it aside.
Grind the Soaked Dry Red Chillies in a blender or a small mixer-grinder jar.
Grind this into a fine paste.
Add steamed Tapiocas and grind it along with Dry Chillies.
There should be no lumps.
Soften the butter and keep it aside.
Mix ground Tapioca & Dry Red Chilli paste along with Rice Flour, Butter, Ajwain, Asafoetida and salt to Taste.
Pour in Water to the above mix, little at a time and knead it into a smooth & soft dough.
The dough should be kneaded without any cracks.

To Fry Murukku :

Heat the oil in a deep pan.
Place some dough into Murukku Mould and press the dough through it.
Make a few swirls onto the reverse surface of a slotted spoon or directly press them into the oil.
Drop the shaped murukkus gently into the hot oil and fry them until it turns golden brown.
Follow the suit for rest of the dough.
Allow them to cool and store them in airtight jars.

NOTES :

The dough should be of a correct consistency. It should not be sticky or too hard and without any cracks.
Do not substitute Butter with Ghee or Margarine.
Butter should be at room temperature before mixing it into the flour.
Butter is one main ingredient for crispy and soft murukkus.
Can substitute rice flour with Idiyappam flour. If using Idiyappam flour, use boiled-hot water while kneading the dough.
Adding dry chillies is totally optional.
Grind the Steamed tapiocas into a fine paste without any lumps.
You can press the Tapioca Murukkus directly into the oil.
If stored properly it stays good for a week to 10 days.

Important: Food Safety

Tapioca naturally produces cyanide*, which is poisonous to humans; however, the cyanide may be removed during processing.
So peel and wash it thoroughly with enough water.
Also, can soak them in water overnight and then discard the water and wash them again before cooking.
Cook Tapioca with enough water to cover them, and then discard the water once it is cooked.
These steps ensure that the little amount of toxin present in it are removed.

*Cyanogenic glycosides present in tapioca, releases hydrogen cyanide during enzymatic hydrolysis by beta-glucosidase. These are transformed within humans and animals after the plant tissue has been macerated.