Love Letter.... Madakku San.... Mutta Kuzhalappam.... Thera Ada.... Coconut Crêpe

One Dish, Many Names : Love Letter / Mutta Kuzhalappam... in Ernakulam, Madakku San.... in Kottayam, Pola... in Thrissur, Tehra-ada... in Kasargod & Coconut Crêpe... in English. Hmmm... Isn't that a long enough list of names for this simple and easy-to-make tea time munchie? Ever wondered why this four o’clock snack had this many names to it credit. Hah??? might be people found it so in their favorite list that they gave it a name and made it their own :) Well whatever reason it would hold for the long list of names, the Love Letter (my favorite name) and chai still reigns my heart... On a cold monsoon evening, sitting down for a hot cup of tea & mutta kuzhalappam ummm there is nothing like it. Further more this recipe can be whipped up with unlimited variations of fillings. My favorite variation, however, is the one which uses jaggery to make a sweet sticky filling.

You'll Need:

For The Crêpe:

All Purpose Flour(Maida).... 2 cup

Milk... 1/2 cup

Water... 1/2 cup

Egg... 1 large

Butter, melted... 2 tbsp

Salt... a pinch

For The Filling:
Grated Coconut... 1/2 cup

Jaggery*, melted... 1/2 cup

Cardamom Powder... 1/2 tsp

Cashew Nuts... 6-7 pieces

Raisins... 1 tbsp

Salt... a pinch

Here Is How:

For The Filling : Heat ghee in a saucepan. Roast cashew, raisins, grated coconut and add the melted jaggery, stir continuously. On medium low heat, make it into a thick sticky filling. Remove from heat and stir in the cardamom powder. Keep it aside.

For The Crêpe :

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine and make a dosa like batter. If seems too thick, thin it out with a little more milk or water. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.

2. Heat a lightly oiled non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Pour the batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly & form a thin round crepe.

3. Cook the crepe until the bottom is light golden. Loosen the side with a spatula and flip the sides and cook the other side and remove from heat. Lay them out flat so they can cool.

4. Once the crepes are cool enough to handle, scoop out about 1 tbsp of the prepared filling into the center of each crepe and roll it into a pipe. Mutta Kuzhalappam ready!!!

*Jaggery : This dark, coarse, and unrefined sugar is made from the sap of the coconut palm tree. It has a sweet flavor and usually comes in the form of a solid cake with crumbly texture.