Batter Cakes of Indian Meal
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Gradually mix 1 quart of boiling water with 1 quart of Indian meal.
Add ¼ teaspoon salt and let the mixture cool until nearly cold.
Stir in a little yeast and form the mixture into cakes.
For improved flavor, add the yolk of 1 egg to the batter.
Fry
Fry the cakes over a clear, hot fire for 5 to 6 minutes each.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Indian meal
- Forms the body of the cakes, setting as it cooks and absorbs the boiling water.
- Yeast
- Produces gas that gives the batter some lift and an airy, open texture.
- Egg yolk
- Adds richness and fat, improving flavor and helping the cakes brown and hold together.
The step that matters
Let the batter cool until nearly cold before adding the yeast. Yeast is killed or weakened by very hot liquid, so the batter must be cool enough before the yeast goes in. Adding yeast too early can leave the cakes flat.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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