vegetarian – H's Site https://heathern.com Living Life Fully And Beautifully Tue, 01 May 2018 02:18:30 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.4 228097048 Experimenting w/Miso Roasted Paneer…from Scratch https://heathern.com/food/experimenting-w-miso-roasted-paneer-from-scratch/ https://heathern.com/food/experimenting-w-miso-roasted-paneer-from-scratch/#respond Sun, 29 Apr 2018 20:03:40 +0000 http://heathern.com/?p=123 Read More]]> Recently, I experimented with a family recipe that called for the use of raw milk, leaving me with leftover milk that I needed to figure out how to use fast so it would not go to waste.

Paneer has always been an obsession of mine. I have on prior occasions tried to make it from scratch but have never seemed to get it quite right. Determined to make use of my milk and do better, I decided to give it another shot.

Now, what to pair with my paneer? I looked up several traditional recipes, but feeling a bit daunted by the sheer amount of ingredients required for the paneer tikka marinade, I ultimately decided I wanted to do something a bit different.

Knowing that paneer is basically the tofu of cheese, I realized it would take on pretty much anything I flavored with it. So for this recipe I decided to try a miso marinade, paired with basmati rice and roasted onions.

Before You Start

In this recipe I aimed to make everything from scratch. Because of the time required to let the paneer settle and then marinate, it easily became an all day affair. When planning your meal, you may want to make the paneer the day before and let it marinate over night. Or, you can skip some of the steps, for example, by buying store bought paneer.

The Recipe

Yield: About 2 servings

WHAT YOU WILL NEED
Ingredients
  • For the Paneer
    • 2 qts milk (I used raw) — NOT UHT (ultra high temp pasteurized)
    • 2-3 tbsp lemon juice (or vinegar or yogurt)
  • For the Miso Marinade
    • 1/3 cup miso paste (light or dark, I tried both)
    • 1/4 cup mirin rice wine
    • 3 tbsp alcohol (e.g. sake, wine, whiskey – your choice!)
  • For the Rice
    • 3/4 cup basmati rice
    • 3/4 cup water
    • 1 tbsp butter
  •  Accompaniments
    • 1 red onion
    • Olive oil
    • Salt & Pepper
Other Things
  • Very large pot for heating the milk
  • Medium pot for the rice
  • Small bowls for mixing ingredients
  • Measuring spoons
  • Mixing spoons
  • Cheesecloth
  • Foil, preferably non-stick
  • Baking sheet
  • Chef’s knife
  • Cutting board
  • (Optional) container for speeding up the marinating process (such as this one)
Ready to go!
Instructions
Steps 1-7: Paneer

(1) Heat 2 qts of milk on medium until boiling.

You know how they say a watched pot never boils? I can confirm that this is absolutely true. I turned by back for one second and the milk boiled over!! Take my misfortunate as a warning!

This should take around 8-10 minutes.

Don’t take your eye off the milk

 

(2) As soon as the milk reaches boiling, turn the heat down to low.

 

(3) Curdle the milk by adding about 2 tbsp lemon juice.

This will cause the whey to separate from the curds. It should happen rather quickly – within 1 to 2 minutes. If the separation does not happen quickly add a bit more lemon juice until it starts. I ended up adding about 3 tbsp in total.

Note – you CANNOT use ultra high temperature pasteurized (UHT) milk as you will not be able to separate the whey from the curds. Pasteurized or raw milk are both okay.

 

(4) Strain the milk through a cheesecloth to separate whey from the curds. Rinse with water to remove any lemon residue.

If desired, you can save the whey for other recipes, but it isn’t required for this one!

(5) Hang the cheese for ~5-10 minutes to let the whey gently separate from the curds.

(6) Place a heavy object on the cheese to allow the paneer to firm up. Place in the fridge for about 1 hour.

(7) After 1 hour, remove the paneer from the fridge and cut into large slices.

 

Steps 8-11: Marinade

(8) When the paneer is ready, you’re ready to make the marinade. Combine 1/3 cup miso paste, 1/4 cup mirin rice wine, and 3 tbsp alcohol into a mixing bowl.

For this experiment I decided to try my recipe with both light and dark miso. It is up to you what you prefer. Light will be a bit sweeter than the dark.

(9) Cover the paneer fully with the marinade.

(10) (Optional) Put the paneer in a marinating container.

This can help speed up the process, but is not strictly required.

(11) Let the paneer marinate in the refrigerator for several hours.

I left mine in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Steps 12-16: Roasted Paneer in the Oven

(12) Once the paneer is done marinating, you’re ready to roast. Start by preheating the oven to 400 F.

(13) Slice the red onion into large slices.

I chose to pair my paneer with red onion, but you can certainly try any veggie that you prefer.

To properly slice the onion, first cut off one end and peel the outside. Then cut in half and place each half flat side down, leaving the root intact to help keep the onion together.Make vertical slices, then finish by cutting off the root.

(14) Prepare a baking sheet with foil, preferably non-stick.

(15) Toss the onions in olive oil with a bit of salt and pepper and spread around the pan.

(16) Add the marinated paneer to the pan and place in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until well roasted and browned.

Steps 17-19: Rice

(17) Combine 3/4 cup basmati rice, 3/4 cup water, and 1 tbsp butter into a pot and bring to a boil.

(18) As soon as the pot comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and leave for around 15 minutes or until rice has fully absorbed the water.

(19) Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

FINAL PRODUCT

Combine roasted onions, paneer, and rice on a plate and enjoy!

 

The Verdict

Wow, this was really really delicious. The paneer took on the flavors of the miso beautifully. I enjoyed both marinades, especially the lighter miso which had a nice slightly sweet flavor that paired well with the cheese. Yum!

 

What do you think?

Have you tried this recipe? Have you experimented with other variations? Let me know in comments!

 

Helpful Links

Thanks to the following blogs that offered inspiration for this dish.

https://myfoodstory.com/tandoori-paneer-tikka-oven-recipe/

https://indianhealthyrecipes.com/how-to-make-paneer-cubes-at-home/

https://skillet.lifehacker.com/make-this-simple-miso-marinade-for-all-of-your-meaty-ne-1796723345

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Ostkaka: Understanding My Swedish Heritage Via Food https://heathern.com/food/ostkaka-understanding-my-swedish-heritage-through-food/ https://heathern.com/food/ostkaka-understanding-my-swedish-heritage-through-food/#respond Wed, 18 Apr 2018 02:41:55 +0000 http://heathern.com/?p=64 Read More]]> Some Context:

Ostkaka is a Swedish cheesecake (pronounced oost-a-kah-kah by my dad). It has become somewhat of a legend to me.

I have heard my dad talk so many times about enjoying his mother’s cooking. In particular, ostkaka, was a favorite that my grandmother made on the family farm. Sadly my grandmother passed shortly before I was born so I never got to try it firsthand.

One of the main ingredients in my grandmother’s recipe is raw milk. This is somewhat hard to get – in fact, only 13 states allow raw milk to be sold in retail stores, and my home state is not one of them. According to my dad, he has tried many times to remake this ostkaka recipe but has never quite succeeded due to the difficulty of obtaining raw milk.

But recently, I moved to California where raw milk can be more easily obtained. Coinciding with this, my mom happened upon a handwritten recipe from Grandma herself that she gifted to me on my recent birthday:

I am my grandmother’s namesake, so I have always felt a particular fondness for her even though we never met. Many times people will remark how we have similar interests and personalities which only deepens my fondness. So I suddenly became obsessed with the idea of trying out this recipe – written in my grandmother’s own handwriting, using ingredients true and authentic to her recipe.

On to the ostkaka.

The Recipe

In writing is a transcription of her recipe with my additional comments and suggestions below.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED
Ingredients
  • 4 qts raw milk (fresh and unpasteurized if available) – if not, bottled
  • 2 junket (rennet) tablets
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 cups cream
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • (If desired) berry compote/jam to accompany
Other Things
  • Very large pot for heating the milk
  • Medium sized and small sized bowl for mixing ingredients
  • Measuring spoons
  • Pyrex type baking dish – about 8in x 11in
  • Mixing spoons
  • Thermometer for measuring the temperature of the milk
  • Cheesecloth or fine strainer
  • Whisk for beating the eggs
Ready to go!
Instructions
All steps

(1) Dissolve 2 junket tablets in small amount (about 2 tbsp) of water.

I found junket tablets to be the hardest to find. After checking Whole Foods, Target, Safeway, and Walmart, I finally ordered them from Amazon here.

(2) Combine 1/2 cup flour and 1 cup of the raw milk, or about enough to make a paste, saving the rest of the raw milk for the next step.

(3) Heat the rest of the milk (4 qts minus the cup from step 2) on the stove to lukewarm, or about 98-102 F.

A thermometer will be useful to make sure you get the milk to the right temperature.

(4) Add flour/paste mixture to the lukewarm milk and stir until well combined.

(5) Add dissolved junket tables to the lukewarm milk and stir until well combined.

(6) Let milk stand for 1 hr.

Grandma didn’t say how long to do this, but after some research I found that about ~ 1 hr should do the trick.

As shown in the photo below, the liquid (whey) should easily separate from the solid curds.

(7) When the milk has about 10 minutes left to stand, preheat the oven to 350 F.

(8) Strain the milk through a cheesecloth (or fine strainer). This should separate the whey (liquid) from the curds (solid).

(9) Beat 3 eggs with a whisk until “well beaten”.

Again Grandma doesn’t say, but after some googling I decided that well beaten meant the yolk/whites would be well combined with a bit of frothiness.

(10) Combine the curds (step #8), beaten eggs (step #9), 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt into a mixing bowl.

(11) Mix until well combined.

I was guessing again with well combined and opted for a slightly chunky texture. Also, I was too tired from mixing to combine it any further! 🙂

(12) Pour mixture (step #11) into baking dish.

(13) Bake at 350 F for about 1 hour, or until top looks slightly golden brown.

(14) Enjoy! A side of jam goes well :). Keep in refrigerator until fully eaten!

Verdict

I have to say that I have always appreciated the Swedish taste – not too sweet, and not too salty, and this ostkaka does not disappoint.

SO GOOD.

I first tried it hot, straight off the stove, with a bit of boysenberry jam. Lingonberries might be a bit more authentic but the boysenberry purchased from my local farmer’s market was divine.

Later I tried again after cooling in the fridge all night and the ostkaka had a much nicer texture – more firm/chunky than custard but less so than a typical American cheesecake.

Thanks, Grandma, for leaving behind such a wonderful recipe to try.

What do you think?

Have you tried this recipe? Have you tried making your own family dishes? Let me know in comments!

HELPFUL LINKS

Thanks to the following blogs for helping me figure out the techniques required for this dish:

http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/pg/50-Ostakaka.html

https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-beat-eggs-3050527

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