Tavsali (Steamed Cucumber Cake)

Tavsali/Steamed Cucumber Cake

Tavsali is a popular steamed cucumber (taushe) cake from the kitchens of Goa and coastal Karnataka. I first heard about this dish from my sis-in-law who is a Goan and then from another friend as well who is a Mangalorean. They were all praises for this healthy and mildly sweet dish with the subtle flavours of cucumber.

I absolutely love the combination of coconut and jaggery and the idea of trying out a steamed cucumber cake with his combination was no less interesting. So here is how I prepared it:

Recipe for Tavsali (Steamed cucumber cake)

1 cup - grated cucumber

1/2 cup - freshly grated coconut

3/4th cup - fine rava (semolina)

3/4th cup - grated jaggery or jaggery powder

8-10 whole cashews crushed lightly

1/2 tsp - cardamom powder

A pinch of salt

Ghee for greasing and for serving

Preparation:

Roast the rava till it changes colour and allow it to cool. Meanwhile, mix the grated jaggery with the grated cucumber and allow it to dissolve in the mixture.

Once the rava cools, add it to the above coconut-jaggery mixture and mix well. Add a pinch of salt and mix well.

Allow the rava to absorb the liquid from the mixture by setting it aside for 30 minutes. Mix the mixture well with a spoon at intervals. To this, add the cardamom powder and cashews and mix it well one final time.

Check the sweetness of the tavsali/cake by tasting the mixture now. You can add a little more jaggery if you want your tavsali to be sweeter.

Steaming it:

I used the dhokla stand to steam it. You can use any such vessel where the depth is at least an inch (1/3rd of our finger approximately).

Grease the plate with ghee and pour the above mixture in it. If there is any liquid in the above mixture, add that as well to the plate.Tap it well or use a spatula to make the surface even. Steam it for a good 25-30 minutes or till the tip of a knife inserted in the tavsali comes out clean.

Allow the tavsali to cool a bit and cut into squares of your choice.

Serve it hot with a drizzle of ghee or you can also roast in with little ghee on either sides before serving.

Note: I added dessicated coconut to my tavsali as finding good fresh coconut is difficult in Seoul. In this case, if the mixture becomes too dry after the rava soaks up the liquid, one can add 2-3 tsps of coconut water/water/milk to the above mixture to achieve the desired consistency.

Enjoy :)