Author: PatagoniaLlami

If you want a real-deal rice cake for January—one that squishes and smooshes rather than squawks and squeals—look no further than the sticky rice cake from Burma: Rivers of Flavor by Naomi Duguid.

(The Burmese name for the cake is htamanei, and Duguid calls it “Deep Forest Monklets’ Sticky Rice Cake.” And yes, a “monklet” [!!!] refers to a young monk.)

Made from Thai sticky rice boiled with chopped ginger, sesame seeds, peanuts, and sugar that’s then pressed into a pan and topped with fried coconut, it’s dense and sticky and moldable (and also gluten-free! and vegan! and no-bake! holy cow!). —Sarah Jampel

Directions

1. For the cake:
2. Make the fried coconut strips. Put the frozen coconut on a plate to thaw, then squeeze out any excess water and pat dry.
3. Heat about 1/4 inch of oil in a wok or a small heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the thawed coconut and fry, stirring constantly to prevent burning, until golden brown in places. Lift out with a slotted spoon or tongs, allowing any excess oil to dry, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
4. Rinse the rice in cold water, drain, and place in a small pot with a tight fitting lid. Add ginger, peanuts, sugar, sesame seeds, salt, and water and stir to mix well.
5. If using a pot, bring to a boil over high heat, then cover tightly, reduce heat to low, and cook for 30 minutes, until the rice is tender.
6. Let the cooked rice stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
7. Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking pan or 8-inch pie plate. Transfer the rice mixture to the pan, mixing and blending it gently to distribute the flavorings. Smooth the top gently, gently press in the fried coconut strips, and let stand for 30 minutes, until firm.
8. Cut into squares or wedges and serve with a drizzle of condensed coconut milk. It keeps, covered, for 3 days. Do not refrigerate—it toughens the rice.

1. For the condensed coconut milk:
2. Add the coconut milk and sugar to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and bring the mixture to a boil.
3. Once boiling, reduce it to a gentle simmer and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes until it thickens.
4. Stir every 10 to 15 minutes so a film does not develop on top. You want the mixture to reduce by about half and be slightly thick, keeping in mind that it will thicken a lot more once it’s in the fridge.

Years ago, my friend Sara traveled to rural India. She contacted me with photos and a plea. I had to learn how to make Bhagsu cake, a dessert from the mountain village where she stayed, so that she would never have to go without it.

After some research, I discovered that Bhagsu cake was a spinoff of an English dessert called millionaire’s shortbread. Each candy-bar shaped piece consisted of three layers; shortbread, caramel and chocolate. All well and good, but it begs for an exotic twist.

My version gives it that. The layers are; five spice shortbread, Earl Grey caramel, and bergamot infused chocolate. The top is flecked with bits of candied bergamot peel, to look like gold nuggets. Because that is what millionaire’s eat, right?

Bergamot, the citrus fruit used to flavor Earl Grey tea, is only in season this month. And it is still not easy to find. But don’t stress. It could be omitted from this recipe with no damage.

This recipe has the added benefit of being dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan. And unforgettably tasty. —Anitalectric

Directions

1. Earl Grey Five Spice Millionaire’s Shortbread
2. To make Earl Grey caramel:

   Bring the coconut milk to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in tea leaves. Cover and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Whisk and then strain out leaves, being sure to press out all possible liquid (the last drops will have the most flavor). Reserve milk.

3. Over low heat, simmer 3/4 cup of the tea infused coconut milk with the sugar, agave and salt until it reaches 234°F (soft ball stage). Add the remaining milk and heat to 248°F (hard ball stage). Please note, this will take at least an hour. You do not have to monitor it constantly, but you do have to stir once in a while to prevent burning. Use this time to make the shortbread (see recipe below).
4. Remove caramel from heat and pour over shortbread. Spread into an even layer. Chill to set.
5. If using bergamot, remove peel and cut into 1cm thick strips. Add, along with juice, to small pan with 1 cup sugar. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until peels are candied and syrup is thickened. Remove peels and place, submerged, in another cup of sugar. Reserve syrup in a heatproof bowl.
6. Place syrup over double boiler and melt chocolate and coconut oil into it. (If you are not using bergamot, omit syrup from this step). Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and a pinch of salt.
7. Pour chocolate mixture over caramel in pan and spread into even layer. While it is cooling, remove some bergamot peels from sugar and chop fine. Sprinkle over top of chocolate.
8. Chill completely and cut into 16 bars. Store them chilled in a tightly sealed container.

1. Five Spice Shortbread
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 1/4 size sheet pan and parchment paper liner with shortening or oil.
3. Sift together the dry ingredients except for sugar.
4. Beat the coconut oil, sugar and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients until incorporated and mixture is crumbly.
5. Transfer to pan and press into an even layer. Chill in freezer for at least 5 minutes before baking.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until edges are golden but middle is still slightly soft. Remove to a rack to cool.

Directions

1. Begin by placing the chickpeas and baking soda in a medium sauce pan and covering with water by two inches. Bring to a boil and cook for two minutes before turning off the heat and covering the pan. Allow the chickpeas to soak for at least an hour. The chickpeas will double in size as they soak. Add more warm tap water as needed to keep the chickpeas submerged while they soak. After an hour has passed, drain, rinse well, and return the chickpeas to a clean sauce pan, covering with fresh water by three to four inches. Add the bay leaves and simmer over medium heat for approximately one more hour or until tender but not mushy. Drain and set aside.
2. Place the eggplant chunks in a colander set over the kitchen sink or a clean bowl. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt over the eggplant, using your hands to distribute it evenly and massage it in to the eggplant. Allow the eggplant chunks to drain for 30 minutes, pushing on the eggplant lightly to extract any additional liquid as it drains.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and place the oven rack in the middle lower position.
4. In a large, oven-proof frying pan (preferably with steep, straight sides), heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When shimmering, add the onion chunks and bell pepper chunks and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and sauté for another 1 – 2 minutes while stirring frequently. Add the tomatoes and eggplant and continue to sauté for another 10 minutes, stirring the mixture every couple of minutes to distribute the vegetables evenly around the pan.
5. Transfer the pan with the vegetables to the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring the mixture approximately every 15 minutes. By the time 45 minutes has passed the eggplant should have cooked down a good deal, making room in the pan for the chickpeas. Add the drained chickpeas with the bay leaves, stir well, and return the pan to the oven for another 20 – 25 minutes, until the flavors are nicely incorporated. The dish should be moist but not watery. You want a ratatouille-like consistency…a ragu.
6. When finished, remove the bay leaves, season to taste with Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper and serve the roasted vegetables with drizzle of pomegranate molasses and a little chopped fresh parsley over cooked Basmati rice, or with a hunk of French or sourdough bread.

There is something alarming about blue food. A real saturated blue feels artificial, and my mind struggles to connect it to a flavor. I find it amusing to take something as welcoming and familiar as a warm buttermilk biscuit, the kind that would wake me on the occasional Sunday morning, and turn it blue. The longer you let the blueberries soak in the buttermilk, the bluer the biscuits get. Place the bowl in the fridge to keep cold while they soak.

VEGAN OPTION: Replace the butter with dairy-free butter and replace the buttermilk with 2/3 cup (160 ml) of nut or grain milk mixed with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to curdle before adding it to the recipe.

Reprinted with permission from “Black Girl Baking: Wholesome Recipes Inspired by a Soulful Upbringing.” —Jerrelle Guy

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425° F (220° C or gas mark 7), and have a lined baking sheet nearby.
2. In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with the buttermilk and granulated sugar and set aside long enough for the milk to change color and get cold, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. In a large mixing bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Toss in the cubes of butter and flatten them between your fingers, breaking them into the flour just enough until the flour becomes damp and slightly mealy but there are still chunks of chickpea-size butter cubes dispersed throughout the flour. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the blueberries and buttermilk, mixing gently with your hands, compressing just until it comes together into a dough. You may or may not need all the liquid.
4. Using a large ice cream scoop, drop about 1/4-cup (60g) spoonfuls of the batter onto the baking sheet, keeping 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5cm) of space between each biscuit. Brush the tops with more buttermilk, sprinkle with the raw sugar, if you’d like, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until puffed, golden on the outside, and powder blue on the inside.
5. Remove from the oven, and serve warm with more butter.