New Orleans Calas

By JimMac

While the beignet may
be the pastry superstar of New Orleans, the lesser-known "cala" is also an intrinsic part of the Crescent City's gastronomic heritage. And Poppy Tooker, a teaching chef at New Orleans Cooking Experience and head of the Lousiana Slow Foods Convivium, is on a mission to save these simple, scrumptious fritters from extinction.
"The cala is a fried rice cake—like a beignet, but better," Tooker says. These toothsome little morsels can be like sweet fried bites of rice pudding or snacks studded with savory goodies. But because they were a home-cooked dish made from leftovers, rather than a specialty served in cafes, calas never achieved the fame of beignets. And, by the mid-twentieth century, the once-prevalent fritters had all but disappeared from kitchens.
But Tooker ensures that students at the New Orleans Cooking Experience become acquainted with this delicacy. "I once served some to an elderly gentleman, and his eyes filled with tears. He told me, 'These taste just like the calas my mother made when I was a boy,'" she says. "His reaction illustrated to me that our taste memory is one of the strongest of human senses. No matter what language we speak or race or religion we are, the pleasures of the table are the thing that ties us all together."
Calas, derived from African culture, played an interesting role in the city's history. "According the French law of Code Noir, slaves who offered their masters enough money to buy their freedom could not be refused," Tooker says. In the early 1800s, African American women earned cash by hawking calas on city streets. A cry of "bels calas, bels calas, tout chauds" (beautiful fritters, beautiful fritters, very hot) enticed customers.

Ingredients

• 1 1 cup 1 cup cooked rice, cold or room temperature
• 6 6 6 tablespoons flour
• 2 2 teaspoons 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 3 tablespoons 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 2 eggs 2 eggs
• vegetable oil or canola oil, for frying
• confectioners' sugar, for garnish

Preparation

Step 1

In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients except oil.

In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, heat about 2 inches of oil to 365°. Using two tablespoons, shape mounds of batter, and carefully slip a few at a time into the oil. Brown on one side, then turn and brown other side. Remove calas from oil, drain on paper towels, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, and serve at once.