SUGAR PALM APPE

 FEELING ACCOMPLISHED AT THIS TIME!

That's how I feel when I deliver a recipe the way I wanted it to! You remember last week I prepared a sugar palm cake for you? I did not require the entire amount of the sugar palm / toddy palm extract! Cristine kept a bowlful in the freezer! Then I got busy attending our guest & forgot all about it! Our guest, Gargi enjoys Pithe-Puli, I regret now forgetting to make her some "taal er malpoa"! She however loved the SUGAR PALM FRUIT CAKE I made, she did not even have the cup cakes she got for us from the Twelve Cup Cakes! Now that she went off, I remember I have to do something with the sugar palm extract, Janmashtami is approaching & you may need such a recipe! Actually, in the present day, no one can eat much, I did serve her / them the BAKED ROSHOGOLLA WITH MANGO & AAM SANDESH! They enjoyed the roshogolla dish more because the sandesh had too less sugar! Also, they were mostly out, meeting friends & enjoying family time, ate outside mostly! In all these merrymaking, one bad thing happened, our electric kettle stopped working! Though I bought it for 20$, I thought it would serve us at least 1-2 years but it spoilt within a year! I would go to the mall today to buy one! The one's I bought for 60-70$, worked for 5-6 years!

YESTERDAY NIGHT, I MADE SOME MISSI ROTI!

The missi roti could go to the blog but it is Janmashtami approaching! I personally prefer our handmade breads to be thin & small! That helps us digest the food well! We prefer these kind of breads with yogurt & pickle alone but we had two eggs & three potato pieces in a curry left with us! I thought let us finish it off instead of letting it get more of stale! Whenever, I cook & eat a handmade bread, it reminds me of the son, he loves to eat those! Whenever mumma & babai were taking food for him last October, he would grab the parathas at first, have them while glued into his computer screen!

Mumma knows he has to learn to be independent but the mother in her cannot stop worrying! I wish he gets vocal enough & discuss with us every details of his life! I do not get what is the problem in that until he gets married or starts living with a partner! I do not know why he does not think it necessary to talk to us about his friends, I want all of their phone numbers! I think, in the past three years, everyday I repeat the same words over voice mails & messages, no one at this home listens to me! The Filipino does, she has to! It is not right to compare the kids, but the Neogy family's son listens! This again depends upon the genes! Kaushik Neogy had been an obedient son, Tamal Saharay & Karuna Saharay are extreme rebels, likewise the son & the grandson! At least, he pleases mumma getting fair grades, hence, I am not angry at him! I would want to believe he is respectful to the outsiders & elders as he had been three years back!

WHAT IS THIS SUGAR PALM APPE?

Sugar Palm / Toddy Palm / Taal Fruit is a must have among us in this season! We have it as a fruit when it is raw! When ripe, the pulp is extracted to make various snacks & desserts! This extraction of the puree is too tedious a process, the family veterans  used a specified colander, that was triangular with heavy wooden border! These days, I see people use any steel strainer or even plastic! Cristine dislikes doing it but does it when ma'am asks her too! She loves having the fritters like we do! Today morning, I felt I must use the Sugar Palm puree to make a vegan & gluten-free snack! That means I cannot use semolina or refined flour! That is a challenge if I want malpoa or luchi! There comes the Appe Pan at your rescue, that uses way less oil! The time taken from the thought, execution & clicks was hardly an hour, that too counting the standing time of 30-35 minutes! Whilst doing this easy make, vegan & gluten-free snacks; SUGAR PALM APPE; there plays the songs of GHARONDA, all of the songs are a favourite, the movie too; in those days who did not like the melodious voice of Bhupinder? Also, in our times Bengalis were mad about the magical voice of Runa Laila! About missi roti, when it comes to the blog, it should come in a better avatar!

INGREDIENTS :

SUGAR PALM EXTRACT : 2 COFFEE MUG

SHREDDED COCONUT : 100 GM

RICE FLOUR : 1 COFFEE MUG

SUGAR : 5-6 TBSP

GREEN CARDAMOM POWDER : 1 TSP

SALT : 1/4 TSP

OIL : 1/4 TSP FOR EACH PIECE

PROCEDURE :

Above is how the Sugar Palm Puree has to be extracted! If I am not too wrong, the mother would bury those seeds in the soil & dig out after months, break & what was inside is edible! May be she did with the raw ones!

I mixed together the rice flour & the sugar palm extract! Cristine did the tedious job of extracting the puree! 

I added the sugar, shredded coconut & the green cardamom powder & beaten it well! 

If the batter feels a bit too tight, we will add 1/4th coffee mug of water! We would keep the batter at rest for some 30 minutes!

We will heat the appe pan on the gas top! In each cavity, we would add 1/4 tsp of oil, spread well with a brush!

We would pour a spoonful of batter in each cavity & let cook one side at low heat for 3-4 minutes, then turn over & cook for another 3-4 minutes!

Once done, we would take down & have immediately if we want them crisp! Later on they do not remain crisp, but tasty enough!

I wanted them vegan & gluten-free, else adding a bit of semolina & using ghee instead of oil gives better tasted ones!