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Calas

Source of Recipe

From "Tom Fitzmorris's New Orleans Food" by Tom Fitzmorris


Recipe Introduction

"In a time prior to the emergence of my consciousness, horse-drawn carts plying the streets of New Orleans sold these wonderful, aromatic rice cakes. They were so popular in the early part of the last century that one of my oldest aunts was nicknamed Cala. They have never been widely available in restaurants; the Old Coffee Pot on St. Peter Street has kept their memory alive almost single-handedly. Calas make a great breakfast or snack. Here's a recipe derived from one that a radio listener, who thinks it came from his grandmother, sent me."

List of Ingredients

◦  1 package active dry yeast
◦  1½ cups cooked, cooled rice, preferably short-grain
◦  3 eggs, beaten
◦  1¼ cups rice flour
◦  ½ cup light brown sugar
◦  ½ tsp salt
◦  1 tsp cinnamon
◦  ⅛ tsp nutmeg
◦  Vegetable oil, for frying
◦  Confectioners' sugar or maple or cane syrup


Recipe

The night before you plan to make these, dissolve the yeast into ¼ cup of warm water. Mix with the rice in a bowl. Cover and let stand in a warm place overnight.

The next morning, blend the eggs, rice flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the rice-yeast mixture. Add just enough water, a little at a time, to incorporate all of the dry ingredients (you may not need any).

Pour oil to a depth of 1 inch in a large, deep skillet and heat the oil to 375° F.

Working in batches, use a spoon to scoop the rice mixture into Ping-Pong-size balls. Drop them into the hot oil and fry until darkish brown, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Serve hot, sprinkled with confectioners' sugar. You can also serve calas with syrup.


Makes 2 or 3 dozen