Preparation Time : 30 minutes + 3-4 hours for soaking the rice .
Cooking Time : 25 -30 minutes
Serving : 10 members
Description
Rainbow kinnathappam . With an over dosage of my savoury posts this last few weeks , made up my mind to post a sweet dish today . Kinnathappam is a steamed sweet snack made by the tamil speaking Muslims of the nagar kovil , thenga pattanam , kanyakumari , marthandam region in Tamil Nadu . Every house hold has this dish as a staple in these regions . Flavoured with coconut milk , this snack is light and delicate . Usually made as it is in white colour . I came across a Malaysian recipe on the net named Kuih Lapis which looked similar to the kinnathappam but was so colourfully layered . Kuih Lapis is a popular steamed snack in Malaysia and Singapore and it literally means layer cake in Malay. Went through the recipe which demanded for pandan leaves and tapioca flour to be used but my pantry didn’t have these two ingredients . Wanting to give this dish a try , came up with a sweet recipe idea of making the kinnathappam colourful with a twist to the dish . Was nervous not knowing if it would work out as it looked very different from the traditional kinnatappam but in a good way and tasted awesome . The colour added gave a whole new dimension to the humble sweet dish . So my quest of making Kuih lapis was done , cooking with traditional methods with a staple that I cook at home always but styled to look contemporary and of international standards .
Ingredients
Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Rice ( pacharisi / the rice we use to make appams ) | 2 cups |
| Coconut milk | 3 1/2 cups |
| Eggs | 3 |
| Salt | a pinch |
| Sugar | 1 1/2 cups ( if you have a good sweet tooth 2 cups will be apt ) |
| Food colour of your choice | few drops |
| Coconut oil or ghee | 2 tablespoons to grease |
| Green Cardamom pods | 5 |
Method
- Soak the rice in water for 3-4 hours . Strain the rice and grind in coconut milk to a very smooth paste . Add the eggs , salt , sugar and cardamom pods . Grind again to get a well blended smooth ,loose , watery , running consistency batter .
- Then strain mixture through a sieve to ensure it is free from lumps.Divide mixture in two equal portions and add desire colouring into one portion, keeping one portion white. (You can use more colours if you prefer to have more colourful layers)
- Grease a 7 inch square or round cake pan and place in steaming pot for few minutes over high heat.( I used my idli steamer )
Pour about 100-125ml of white liquid into the heated pan and steam at high heat for about 4 minutes or until batter is cooked. - Then add 100-125ml of pink liquid onto it and steam for another 4 minutes. (reduce liquid for thinner layers)
Repeat the procedure, alternating white and pink liquid until all the batter is used up. Remember to stir the batter every time before pouring out the liquid to steam each time. - Add a little more rose pink colour to the last layer to make it a deeper shade of pink.
- Leave the rainbow kinnathappam to cool completely after steamed and invert the cake pan to knock out the kinnathappam .
- Grease knife with little oil before cutting. You may also brush a little oil on the surface to get a glossy finish . Serve at room temperature , warm or cold .
Notes
- Store the cut pieces in a foil paper in the refrigerator for a day or two .
- Steam it again to be served fresh or just dip it in cold water and microwave for 30- 40 seconds to be served warm .
