Goan prawn cake

This Goan dish, apa de camarao, has a great, and unusual taste combination - a hot, savoury and slightly sweet filling of prawn, baked inside a coconut cake. Very Portuguese, and very Goan.

prepare: 30

cook: 1 25

stand: 4

total time: 5 55

difficulty: moderate

yield: 6 servings

calories: 364 kcal

diet: gluten free

cuisine: goan, Indian

equipment

sieve

ingredients

for the batter

7 g dried bakers yeast
1 tsp jaggery
1 tbsp water - lukewarm
1½ cups rice flour
2 tbsp jaggery
1 tsp salt
1 cup coconut - grated
½ cup water - lukewarm
4 eggs - at room temperature

for the prawn filling

6 dried Kashmiri chillies
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic - peeled
50 g ginger - peeled
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 red onions - finely sliced
1 stick cassia
5 black peppercorns
4 cloves
½ tsp cumin seeds
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 red onions - finely sliced
½ tsp salt
2 tomatoes - finely chopped
2½ tsp jaggery
300 g prawns - peeled and deveined

instructions

to make the batter

Activate the dried yeast by placing it in a small bowl with one teaspoon of jaggery and lukewarm water. Stir well and set aside whilst preparing the batter. The mixture will froth during this time.
Using a large and deep bowl, sieve the rice flour, two teaspoons of jaggery and one teaspoon of salt. Add the grated coconut and mix well.
Add half a cup of lukewarm water and beat well into a smooth batter.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until well combined and they have a frothy texture. They should be light golden in colour, and forming peaks as they are beaten.
Add the beaten eggs to the batter and mix well.
Add yeast mixture to batter and mix well. Cover bowl, and leave in a warm, dry place for around four hours to allow batter to rise. It should double in size.

to make the prawn filling

Soak chillies in red wine vinegar and three tablespoons of water for 30 minutes
Grind the garlic and ginger to a fine paste, adding a little water if required.
Grind the soaked chillies with the cinnamon, peppercorns, cloves and cumin seeds to a fine paste with the soaking liquid.
Heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan. When hot, add the onions and fry for around five minutes or until golden.
Add the spice paste and salt to the pan and stir over low heat for 30 seconds.
Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for three minutes or until the raw smell of garlic has disappeared. Stir frequently whilst cooking.
Add the tomatoes and cook, covered for 15 minutes, or until they have completely broken down. Stir and mash the tomato pieces down every minute.
Stir in the jaggery and cook for two minutes, stirring continuously. The sauce should be quite thick.
Add the prawns and cook for about three minutes, or until they have just turned to curl and change colour. Stir gently and frequently. It is important to not overcook the prawns as they will be baked into the cake and will cook further. Once cooked, remove from the heat and allow to cool.

to make the cake

Preheat oven to 150 °C
Lightly grease a 22cm cake tin.
Pour half the batter into the cake tin. Bake for ten minutes to make the top surface of this bottom half of the cake firm enough to support the filling.
Remove from oven, and working quickly, spread the prawn filling evenly over the bottom layer, leaving an unfilled edge of ½ cm. Top with the remaining batter and return to the oven.
Bake for 45 minutes until cake is golden brown. A skewer or toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean.
Allow to cool and remove from cake tin.
Serve whilst warm, but not hot.

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