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Showing posts with label coconut. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coconut. Show all posts

The Uncarved Block Waffle
Aka The "Andrew Needs Adult Supervision in the Kitchen Waffle"

Finally, The Uncarved Block Waffle! It's not an easy waffle to make, but for the official waffle of The Uncarved Block, why should it be? It is fluffy inside, crispy outside, and sweet with a multi-layered flavor. It is a profound waffle. (Not at all modest, am I?)

Wet Ingredients:
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 13.5oz can of coconut milk (As with so many products, Chaokoh has downsized their coconut milk instead of increasing the price.)
  • 2 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tsp Tahitian vanilla
  • 1/8 cup Malibu coconut rum
  • 1 cup fresh, ripe sweet mango, medium dice
  • 1 cup cooked white rice (preferably Jasmin)

Dry Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup rice flour (NOT glutenous rice flower)
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp sugar (heaping)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • pinch salt

Method:
Preheat waffle iron (the first step in all waffle recipes, doesn't this go without saying?)

Whisk the egg, coconut milk, vanilla, butter and rum together in one bowl (note: the butter should be melted but not hot). Then gently add the mango and rice. Sift together the dry ingredients in another bowl, making sure they are thoroughly combined. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring until fully combined into a thin batter, but without beating up the mango too badly. Note that there aren't many glutens present, so you don't have to worry too much about overworking the batter.


The last instruction in most waffle recipes is "Make waffles according to waffle iron manufacturer's instructions," or some such. However, for this recipe do NOT necessarily follow the the manufacturer's instructions.

I recently got a fancy schmancy new waffle iron that purports to tell you when your waffle is ready (the Chef's Choice M840.)  I don't know how it decides when the waffle is done. Perhaps it thinks it is done when the heating element returns to a certain temp after being cooled by the batter? Maybe it is just a timer? I don't know. But, in any case, this is a very moist dough and the mango and rice are full of water. The Chef's Choice instructions say that you should not watch for the steaming to slow or stop as with old fashioned waffle irons, but rather to open the iron and remove the waffle when the buzzer sounds regardless of steam. With this recipe, if you follow those instructions, you get a waffle that comes out beautifully crisp, but 10 seconds later it is a soggy noodle.

My best results come from setting the M840 at #4 (out of 5) darkness, and letting it go through two whole cycles before removing the waffle. Also, placing the waffles on a cold plate causes instant condensation and sogginess. Resting them first on paper towels cured this problem.  If you have an "old fashioned" waffle iron that requires you to pay attention, wait for the steam to dissipate as usual but be prepared for it to take a relatively long time.




Serve with fresh fruit (preferably more mango,) or powdered sugar, or both. Maple syrup is definitely not recommended.

Notes:
  • The rice must be cooked, but need not be freshly cooked. Last night's left overs are fine.
  • This can result in a very thick batter depending on a lot of factors like weather, water content of the flour and the rice, etc. Add water to thin the batter down as needed.
  • If your waffle iron has a temperature adjustment, you may find better results at a lower temperature than usual (and longer time) to allow the center of the waffle to cook thoroughly.
  • I like Tahitian vanilla for this recipe. It has a sweet cherry-like tone that I find goes nicely with coconut. If you don't have Tahitian, Madagascar will do.
  • Don't use glutinous rice flour, it is just too gloppy.


In January of 2000 my friends Mike, Richard, Heather, and I visited Wat Suthep, the magnificent temple atop Mt. (Doi) Suthep outside Chang Mai, Thailand. There is a long, steep stairway leading up to the Temple with golden sea dragons on each side acting as banisters. It had taken some time for us to get to the Wat, so we were all anxious to get going on the long climb up the staircase. But just as we were about to begin our ascent, a food vendor at the base of the stairs shouted out, "Waffle!"

“No, thank you,” we replied.

"Waffle! You want waffle?" She asked again.

"Mai ow. Mai ow, khrap,” (No. No thank you, in Thai.)

"Banana inside!" She added, undeterred.

“Oh my God,” we all said to each other in unison, “banana inside.”

So of course, we stopped for waffles. As with virtually all street food in Thailand, they were spectacular.

Several months ago, I got on a pancake and waffle kick for a while. I began searchingfor different kinds of pancakes and waffles to make for breakfast. Eventually I thought, "Hmmmmmm, Thai waffles… with banana inside!" I searched around in the books I own and online, but didn't find a recipe for Thai waffles with bananas inside. I did, however, find a recipe for Thai coconut waffles with pandan extract that are delicious.

Pandan extract is a flavoring that is extracted from the leaves of the pandanus tree (pandanus utilis), though frequently it is artificially made. You should be able to find pandan extract at any Asian market, or it is available at ImportFoods.com. Pandan leaves give a really nice mild coconut-like flavor to things, and in sufficient concentration turn foods slightly green. Pandan extract is made with prodigious quantities of green food coloring turning everything it touches bright, vivid green. These waffles are no exception. Kids go crazy for them. A while back my friends David and Eva were visiting with their children. David and Eva had bought a box of Lucky Charms for the kids to eat for breakfast. I made these coconut pandan waffles, but the kids had had their hearts set on Lucky Charms, so they didn't want any. They didn't want any, that is, until they saw them. Their bowls of Lucky Charms turned soggy as they devoured plate after plate of waffles.

The recipe originates from Viet World Kitchen, to whom I am indebted. However, I have made many of edits to their version, including doubling the quantities. My rendition of this recipe follows. It makes 4 waffles on my Black and Decker 4-square waffle iron.

Ingredients:
2 Cups all-purpose flour [see note 1]
¼ Cup sugar
3 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs, separated [or whole if you are feeling lazy – see Note 2]
1 13.5oz can coconut milk [see Note 3]
3/4 Cup water [see Note 3]
4 Tbs. unsalted, melted butter
2 tsp. pandan (la dua)

Method:
Preheat waffle iron

In one bowl sift together the flour, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder.

Separately combine the egg yolk (or whole eggs), coconut milk, butter, and pandan extract.

Stir and fold the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, using a rubber spatula. The resulting batter will look lumpy. Expect the batter to be thick. Avoid over-working the batter, which will toughen the glutens in the flour, making the waffles tough.

[See Note 2 below] Separately beat the egg whites until they hold peaks but don’t become dry. Gently fold into the batter.

Cook on your waffle iron as per the manufacturers instructions.


Note 1: I sometimes use 1 cup AP flour and 1 cup pastry flour for more tender waffles.

Note 2: Separating the eggs, beating the whites, and then folding them in makes a lighter, fluffier waffle; however, it is a pain in the ass, especially early in the morning, and especially when you are hungry. The result will be almost as good if you just use whole eggs above.

Note 3: The original recipe calls for 2 cups of coconut milk (16oz). Where I live in California, USA, coconut milk comes in two sizes of cans. For me, the most convenient size is 13.5 oz. To make 2 cups of liquid, I would add 2.5oz of water. However, I have found that the resulting batter is just too thick. So, I have taken to adding 6 oz. (3/4 cup) of water along with one 13.5oz can of coconut milk.

These waffles don’t have banana inside, but they are delicious with banana on top. I am told that they freeze well, but I’ve never managed to retain enough of them to try that :-) .