Friday, June 19, 2020

Paneer fried rice

I don't quite consider myself a huge fan of Indian-Chinese food. Yet, it should be noted that this blended-culinary rubric belongs to a fantastically addictive class of it's own. Insomuch it dominates the Indian meal scene, and comes with a sustaining popularity that comfort food often brings.

Indo- Chinese cuisine is a one -of -a -kind South Asian phenomenon, combining Chinese flavors within a traditional Indian blueprint. It's Chinese cooking remodeled to cater to Indian tastebuds. It was a way early Chinese immigrants localized their food in a newfound mainland. Over the centuries, the evolving hybrid cuisine took on a life of its own, not only in India, but on many trails of the map an Indian calls home. It is, on most counts, the desi's favorite "foreign" food. 

Most dishes are labeled "chili" and more often than not, meals begin with sweet corn soup. No doubt, it's supremely satisfying and iconic in the niche of fusion plating. Categories of "Manchurian"( not really a known word) regularly feature on chalkboard signs of roadside stalls, in itemized lists of tiffin joints and covering large sections of fine dining menus. Suffice to say, Indo-Chinese outplaces the idea of traditional Chinese in that part of the world.

As I've mentioned before, paneer is perfect in such settingsIntentionally seasoning Indian cheese with significant spice and throwing it into umami scented rice represent this best-of-both-worlds ' concept. Moreover, paneer is hearty enough to hold strong in a bed of sauce-based basmati, but complies significantly for ingredients to amp its curdled soul.

A photo of the paneer fried rice I'd made to feed something short of half battalion of my adult kiddo's friends, ushered in a flood of Instagram messaging, all requests on "how do I make this?", followed by head scratching emojis, things I am so not accustomed to receiving

That's the effect of an on-glance of this dish. 

Take a long gaze to get what I'm  saying.

The authenticity of the Chinese part hangs precisely on the condiments infused in the rice. By all means, you can swap/add any sauce/flavoring ingredient that you'd like to eat. It may not level up to a reliable balance and can't possibly guarantee the second/ third/fourth serving outcome.

If you feel a lack of it being Chinese-ey enough, remember you can always use chopsticks.

And if you err the other way, say namaste.

Ingredients:

  • 4 tbsp oil
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 ½ cups paneer, when cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 1 tsp cayenne or Indian red chili powder
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • ¼ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp ginger powder
  • 1 tbsp Sriracha
  • salt 
  • 1 tbsp chopped garlic 
  • 2 tsp chopped ginger
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
  • 5 scallions, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper(any color) diced
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 5 cups cooked basmati rice
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce or more to taste
  • 3 tsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp hot Schezwan sauce
  • 2- 3 tsp toasted sesame oil
Directions:
  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Coat paneer with cayenne, coriander, cumin, pepper garlic, ginger, Sriracha, salt
  • Lay out in a single layer onto baking sheet smeared with 2 tablespoons oil. Finish tops with a coating of the cooking spray.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes, checking in between to see if tops are brown. Once browned, take out of oven. Set aside.
  • Heat remaining oil and butter in a large sauté pan over medium high heat.
  • Add garlic, ginger, chopped whites of scallions and fry till golden,
  • Add carrots. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, until carrots are soft.
  • Stir in bell pepper and peas and heat for a minute.
  • Add rice and stir.
  • Pour in the sauces and sesame oil, coat rice evenly. 
  • Add salt and pepper if needed.
  • Turn off heat.
  • Crumble a few pieces of paneer and mix it in with the rice. Top with the rest of the paneer cubes.
  • Sprinkle with the chopped scallion greens.
This recipe would benefit greatly if you used homemade paneer. In case you missed it, my step by step instructional is right here.
Guess what? You can bake paneer in the air fryer- same amount of oil and spices, at 400° F for 15 minutes or until charred. It might help to turn pieces over at the half interval.

Myself and Rocky. Whenever I need a hand, he offers me his paw. 

2016: Cheesecake
2014: Ghee
2012: Kozhukatta
******
Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing!—
    came into being without Him.
What came into existence was Life,
    and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
    the darkness couldn’t put it out.

John 1:3-5 (The Message)

Thursday, June 4, 2020

Vanilla cake with rasgulla filling

With the innumerable cake stories told here, and throngs, in cue, waiting to be published, whipping up a cake on impulse, is quite genuinely, a piece of cake for me (yes, I'm having fun, please)).

Furthermore, if you're like me and give in to the fact that every day of life warrants a cause for such treats, you can never really hold back from delivering. In addition, when your eyes and ears are open to diverse methods, modes, and means on how you can achieve this goal, with evenly matched fortitude and fervor, nirvana takes on a whole new meaning.

Cake and rasgulla should definitely be an essential part of fusion food conversation. It's an intriguing combination of two potent forces in dessert culture, one of world renown, the other making its way to it from the Indian subcontinent. The one does not exalt itself over the other. As a young taster explained, "there could not be a more necessary pairing."

Three ingredients is all it takes to create fancy mithai from soured milk, and save you one less grocery commitment.

Insert Tisa's master tip here: make the rasgullas at least a day in advance of cake baking. It solves major stress issues stemming from way too many tasks and no time to do them, despite the fact that these days you have all the time in the world. 

For assembly purposes, any complementing flavor of cake would do. The idea of a fluffy, yellow cake saturated with the juice of the gulla is highly appealing to me. Moreover, subtle, vanilla scented layers responsibly housing gobs of moist confection to enliven its crumb is unbeatably epic. 

Mind you, this is not a rasgulla flavored cake See it as the grandest calling for cake, in gateau- ish frame, with a bevy of paneer meat gutting it's soul.

Subsequently, it takes well to a spritz of syrup and rum and serves substantially tasty as a leftover staple.

Let it speak to you...as one that guts your soul could only and invariably do. 

 Ingredients:
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • ¾ tbsp baking powder
  • ½ cup salted butter
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup plain yoghurt 
  • ¼ cup water
  • about 15-20 rasgullas, separated from syrup
  • ½ cup rasgulla syrup
  • 2 tsp rum
  • 1 batch vanilla frosting

  • Directions:
  • Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter and flour two 8" round cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter and flour parchment.
  • Whisk flour and baking powder in a large bowl. 
  • In a stand mixer, on medium- high speed,  beat, butter, oil and sugar until light and fluffy.
  • Reduce mixer speed, add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla.
  • In a large measuring cup, whisk together yoghurt and water until combined.
  • Beat the flour mixture into the batter, alternating with the yoghurt mixture, in three batches, beginning and ending with flour.
  • Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until lightly golden on top and toothpick inserted in centers come out clean.
  • Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn cakes out onto racks to cool completely.
  • In the meantime, cut about 7 rasgullas into halves or thirds.
  • Stir together syrup and rum. Lightly drizzle the syrup mixture over the tops of both cakes.
  • Allow the syrup to fully seep through before spooning on more.
  • Frost the top of one cake with buttercream. Place 6-8 halved rasgullas on top of the frosted cake. Top with the second cake.
  • Fully frost sides of stacked cake. Decorate as desired. Garnish with remaining rasgullas.
Vanilla buttercream: 
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
  • 3-5 cups confectioner's powdered sugar, sifted (depending on stiffness and consistency)
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 3-4 tbsp heavy cream
Vanilla buttercream:
Directions:
  • Place butter in a bowl. Beat on high until softened and pale in color.
  • On lowest speed, gradually add your powdered sugar, until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter.
  • Increase to medium speed again and add vanilla extract.
  • Pour in cream, one tablespoon at a time until frosting reaches desired consistency.
 Notes~
I do not add the cardamom when I make the rasgullas for this purpose, because I don't like its flavor in cake.

There are a variety of cakes that would work in this dessert on dessert scheme. Look here, here, here, here, and here. Or just click on the recipe index tab on my home page and scroll through the "Cakes, Cupcakes, Cake Pops" section.
Roses, using Wilton 2d. The recipe for the the cashew praline( crushed and glass) right here.

******


"Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? 

At the highest point along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand" Proverbs 8:1-2

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