Preparation:
This recipe is from Gujarat, a state of desert and semi-desert which runs along India's upper west coast. If there is haute cuisine for vegetarians, it can be found here. The region's traditional dishes are an amazing combination of flavours and textures, all based on sound nutritional principles, with delicious surprises like this version of a sponge roll; the outside is sweetened coconut and the inside is pistachios. Serve slices of the roll with fresh lychees for a traditional finish to an Indian meal.
To make the filling: put the pistachios into the container of a clean coffee grinder. Grind to a coarse powder. Put the ground pistachios, sugar, poppy seeds and milk into a bowl. Mix to a paste. Put aside.
To make the coconut casing: put the sugar into a small heavy-bottomed pan. Add 4 tablespoons of water. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cook over a medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes until the syrup forms a single thread when a little is dropped from a spoon into a cup of cold water. Remove from the heat. Add the coconut and cardamom. Mix well. Add the condensed milk. Stir to mix.
Lay a 23 cm piece of cling film on your work surface. While the coconut paste is still warm, roll it into a thick 9 inch sausage. Put the coconut sausage horizontally on to the centre piece of cling film and flatten it to form a rectangle about 9 cm wide.
Roll the pistachio paste into a separate sausage of the same length. Put the rolled pistachio sausage on the coconut rectangle, slightly below the centre, a little closer to your end. With the aid of the cling film, fold the coconut paste over the pistachio paste. Press down on the cling film to firm up the roll. Now continue rolling, being careful to keep the cling film on the outside of the roll, until you have a slim "Swiss Roll". Press down evenly on the cling film to get a neat roll. Let the roll cool and harden a bit. Remove the cling film and cut crossways into 1 cm thick slices.
Tips
Cardamom is the vanilla of India, used in most desserts and sweetmeats. If you can't find whole pods, substitute powdered ground seeds which are more readily available. Only white poppy seeds are used in India, usually to thicken sauces.
Look for unsweetened desiccated coconut in health food stor |
