How to make Glow-in-the-Dark Jamaica Cassava Toto

Toto, a fairly easy-to-cook Jamaican traditional dessert, is a favorite of Jamaican at home and abroad.

Like Ackee and Saltfish, Toto has its origins in slavery, albeit it has a more to do with hunger and finding a way to feed that empty hole in your stomach.

The slaves realized that they could combine coconut, molasses and flour to make Totos. They then used a method of baking the Totos by placing hot coals on top of the pan covering the Totos on a metal sheet with even more hot coals below the metal sheet.

 

This was basically a clever oven based on coals and was described using the Jamaican term “fiyah a tap an fiyah a battam” and “hell a tap an hell a battam”.

But did you know that you can make you're Toto from Cassava? Even better, you can make them glow in the dark. Well, here's the modern update which I've decided to cal glow-in-the-dark Jamaica Cassava Toto.

It's about time the traditional dish that's fed generations of Jamaica around Christmas Time as well as at Easter be upgraded so that you can sneak downstairs and eat them under the glow of UV Light.

First, to get started you'll need the following ingredients:

1.      2 cups wheat flour

2.      1 cup cassava flour

3.      1/4 tsp salt

4.      3 tsp baking powder

5.      1 tsp nutmeg

6.      2 tsp mixed spice

7.      1 cup coconut milk

8.      1 cup Schweppes Tonic Water

9.      1 beaten egg

10.  1/2 cup melted margarine

11.  1 T vanilla

12.  1 1/2 cups coconut, grated

To make the glow-in-the-dark Jamaican Cassava Toto, you'll definately need an oven, as these are modern times. Also some mixing bowls and some wooden spoons to keep thing as authentic as possible!

Then follow the simple instruction below:

1.      Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

2.      Combine the flours, baking powder, spices and salt.

3.      Set aside. In another bowl, mix the sugar, the coconut milk and the Schweppes Tonic Water

4.      Add the beaten egg, vanilla, melted margarine and grated coconut to the mixture.

5.      Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture and stir lightly.

6.      Pour the resulting batter into a greased pan and bake for 30 to 35 minute

Expert tip: you'll known if they're done when you can insert a tester into the glow-in-the-Dark Jamaica Cassava Toto and it comes back clean. At this point you may even test for the glow-in-the-Dark property by using a UV light to see the Totos glow in the dark.

Best served on Christmas Day as well as a treat for Easter as well along with your Glow-in-the-dark Easter Bun as described in my blog article entitled “How to make Glow-in-the-Dark Jamaican Easter Bun”

Look out for more recipes that glow-in-the-Dark thanks to Schweppes Tonic Water!