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Creole calas
Sweet rice fritters once sold on New Orleans streets
Calas are little fritters of cooked rice, egg and nutmeg that were once sold hot in the early mornings of the French Quarter by free and enslaved Black women calling 'Belle cala, tout chaud!'. Many saved the earnings to buy their freedom. Today they appear at Creole brunches and on Mardi Gras mornings, dusted with sugar or drizzled with cane syrup. Chef's tip: use cold, day-old rice, which holds the batter together; fresh warm rice makes the fritters fall apart.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mash half the 10 ½ oz cold cooked long-grain rice lightly with a fork in a bowl, then mix in the rest with the 2 eggs, 1 ¾ oz sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract and ¼ tsp salt.
4 minStep 2: Stir in the 3 ⅛ oz plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder and ½ tsp grated nutmeg to a thick batter that holds on a spoon.
2 minStep 3: Heat the 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a deep, heavy pan to 350°F. Drop in heaped tablespoons, 5 at a time.
10 minStep 4: Fry for 3–4 minutes, turning, until deep golden all over and cooked through when one is broken open. A common mistake is frying too hot, so they brown before the centre sets.
15 minStep 5: Drain on kitchen paper and dust with 3 tbsp icing sugar while hot.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does creole calas take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of cold cooked long-grain rice?
- Any cooked rice, cold (day-old rice fries best).
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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