After a full week of paneer recipes, I felt it was appropriate to compose a poem to the ubiquitous paneer. I'm not a poet, as is self evident, so no sarcastic comments on my poetry writing skills :)
Ode to Paneer
(copywrited, trademarked, etc. - Don't try to steal my poem!
Paneer..savory or sweet
You're always a treat
A vegetarian's muse you are
As versatile you are
Tofu or paneer
I'll always choose paneer
Thank you, thank you so much for the applause. It took a lot of hard work to come up with this rhyme!
Now to my final Blogging Marathon paneer recipe, I am doing a variation of a Trini classic. The most popular street food on the Caribbean island of Trinidad is Doubles. A double is basically a chickpea sandwich. A curry is made with chickpeas, called channa and is eaten between two pieces of fried bread, called bara. For some interesting info on the history of the the Doubles invention, see
here. Condiments like tamarind or mango chutney and hot sauce is usually added. I have added crumbled paneer to the curried channa to made a Paneer-Channa Double. Enjoy!
I haven't done a travel post in a while, so this is a combo food-travel post. For a little on Trinidad, Trinidad is one of the most diverse islands in the Caribbean, with large populations of Indian, Chinese, African and Syrian/Lebanese. If you don't know where to go on your next vacation, consider the diversity that is Trinidad. I had the opportunity to visit Trinidad a few years ago and with the diversity of its people, its cuisine is just as diverse.
Here (in the photo below) is one of the most popular places on the island, Richard's Bake and Shark stand. The line is always long, where the place next door that sells the same thing is always empty, so you know Richard's is the best. Fried Shark in between fried bread and the largest selection of condiments available anywhere - everything from ketchup, hot sauce and 3 different types of chutney to fresh vegetables and the ubiquitous kuchela (served on everything in Trinidad). Kuchela is basically a green mango pickle.
Located on beautiful Maracas beach, even though I did not bring my bathing suit on the day we went, I couldn't resist wading in the cool waters, on a hot day.
An 85-foot Hanuman - I believe it is the largest in the world!
and the Temple by the Sea represents the Indian heritage, present on Trinidad.
Paneer is not something really eaten in the Caribbean. I can't say it's even available. I have been to many islands (Aruba, Curacao, Barbados, Jamaica, Dominica, St. Lucia) and I have never encountered paneer. Unless you are a pandit, the quantity of vegetarians (even amongst the religious Hindu population) are very small. People will fast prior to weddings and pujas or other religious events, but otherwise, most are meat eaters (at least chicken and fish).
A Channa-Paneer double is something you would NEVER see in Trinidad, but I can make it in New York!
Indian curries in the Caribbean are made differently, than those from India. Indian curries generally roast the whole spices. They are then ground and added to the already cooked dal or vegetables. Caribbeans generally purchase store bought curry powder and this is how the spices are added. Each island has their own brand and is a slightly different mix of spices. The ones from the French Caribbean have more sweet spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom. The English speaking Caribbean curry powders usually include more cumin and coriander. Here in NY, I usually buy the
Chief brand because it is easily accessible.
Doubles Recipe
Channa and Paneer Curry
1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight (or you can use canned)
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon roasted jeera powder (cumin)
2 tablespoons curry powder
salt, to taste
3 ounces paneer, grated
1 teaspoon oil
Heat oil. Add onion and sweat onions and garlic, until they are soft. Add curry powder and jeera and fry for another 1-2 minutes. Add channa and water, to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until peas are tender, adding more water, if necessary. Add paneer and salt to taste. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Bara
(since I had never made this before, I had to look up a recipe. This is the one recipe I have ever researched, that no matter where I looked the recipe was exactly the same, with no variation. I am giving credit here to every Caribbean website and cookbook for this bara recipe)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon roasted jeera (cumin) powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon yeast
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup water plus 2/3 cup water
Combine flour, turmeric, jeera and salt in a bowl.
In a smaller bowl, combine yeast, sugar and 1/3 cup warm water and let rest for 10 minutes.
Add yeast mixture to flour mixture. Add additional water until a dough is formed, approximately 2/3 cup water. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 1 1/2 hours.
Heat enough oil in a pan to deep fry the bara.
Before I continue, this was another first for me, but I got better as it progressed, so don't let the unusual shapes scare you away. Think of it as a challenge and I am sure with a little practice, we will all get better.
Here in this photo, from left to right, you can see the first one I attempted and how they got better as I went along. They should be slightly puffy in texture, but not as thick and puffy as the 1st one was.
Take a tablespoon of the dough and flatten to a round, about 4-5" in diameter in your hand. You will need to wet your hands so that the dough does not stick to your hands.
Slide the dough in the hot oil and fry on both sides, until golden brown.
To make the bara, select two that are roughly the same size and place some channa curry on one.
Add kuchela, mango chutney and a little hot sauce.
Cover with another bara.
Serve and enjoy your double!
Thank you Valli, for hosting another Blogging Marathon and challenging me to try some new techniques. I've had a fun week!
