Cassava and fennel cake
4 eggs
1 cup coconut milk
500gm raw cassava root, peeled
Pinch of salt
150ml maple syrup or honey
2 tablespoons of ghee or coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon fennel seeds (saumf)
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. In a mixing bowl, grate raw cassava and mix in remaining ingredients
3. Line a square baking tin of 40x20cm with greaseproof paper and pour the dough on top. Lastly sprinkle the fennel seeds
4. Bake for 40 minutes or until the cake starts to look golden.
Crispy taro pancakes
This recipe uses smoked salmon and sour cream, but it tastes just as delicious with a tomato chutney or tropical fruit jam and cream
1 cup freshly shredded/grated taro
1 teaspoon normal flour
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons oil, for frying
sour cream, to serve
Smoked salmon, to serve
Sliced green onions, to serve
Chilli sauce, to taste
1. Toss the shredded taro with the flour and season generously with salt and pepper.
2. In a frying pan, heat up 2 tablespoons of oil until hot and shimmery. Drop the taro mixture by the tablespoon and flatten. Cook over medium to medium-high heat until edges are crisp and golden, about 1 1/2 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until golden, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels.
3. Continue pancaking until taro mixture is done. Top pancakes with sour cream, smoked salmon, slice green onions, and chilli sauce.
4. Serve immediately.
Chilled dalo cheesecake
Crust
140 grams sweet biscuit (use your favourite store-bought or homemade biscuits)
70 grams unsalted butter
Filling
500 grams cream cheese
120 grams castor/superfine sugar
2 1/2 eggs
150 ml whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cup mashed dalo, peeled, steamed, pureed
Topping
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon coconut milk
1. For base: Finely grind the biscuit into a powder. Pour warm butter over biscuit. Toss well to coat mixture with butter. Press firmly into an even layer on the bottom of pan. Refrigerate/freeze for at least half an hour.
2. For filling: Beat cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until just incorporated. Gradually add cream, alternate it with mashed dalo and lastly, add salt. Be careful not to over mix because we want as little air as possible to prevent cracking.
3. Bake at 150 degrees Celsius for 60-75 minutes or until the edge of filling is set and centre is slightly wobbly. Cool on rack for 5 minutes.
4. Using hand, whisk together (very gently to prevent air bubbles) sour cream, sugar, and coconut milk in a bowl, then spread on top of cheesecake and bake 5 minutes at 150 degrees Celsius.
5. Cool cheesecake completely in pan on rack, about 1-2 hours.
6. Cover and chill until cold, for at least 4 hours.
Kumala mocha pudding
1 cup packed cooked mashed sweet potatoes
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not drinking chocolate!)
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract/essence
1. Roast sweet potatoes on a baking tray at 180 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes to an hour. Depending on the size, the time will vary.
2. Let sweet potatoes cool and peel the skins. Mash completely with a fork and then measure 1½ cups packed and levelled off. Add to a food blender or mash with through a sieve. Process until smooth.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and puree until well-combined and smooth
4. Transfer to smaller bowls and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before serving.
Orange chocolate
kumala pudding
1½ cups packed cooked mashed sweet potatoes
½ cup coconut milk
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (not drinking chocolate!)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
½ tablespoon cinnamon powder
½ teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract/essence
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon honey
Roast sweet potatoes on a baking tray at 180 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes to an hour. Depending on the size, the time will vary.
Let sweet potatoes cool and peel the skins. Mash completely with a fork and then measure 1½ cups packed and levelled off. Add to a food blender or mash with through a sieve. Process until smooth.
Add the remaining ingredients and process for a couple of minutes until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides well and process once more. Taste and adjust if needed.
Transfer to smaller bowls and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before serving.
Gingerbread
kava cookies
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup molasses
2 egg yolks
3 cups sifted normal flour
1 cup Taki Mai instant kava powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground ginger powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth. Stir in molasses and egg yolks. Combine the flour, kava powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg; blend into the molasses mixture until smooth. Cover, and chill for at least one hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased baking paper.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven, until firm. Remove from baking paper to cool on wire racks. Decorate when cool.
4. Only eat at night for a relaxing sleep!
