Producer: Priyanka Das
Two chefs from India – Vaibhav Vishen (L) and Varun Toorkey (R) – are celebrating the festival of lights in New Zealand with a special dish that’s an homage to their Indian heritage and adopted homeland.
Their dish – Goda Masala Paneer Stuffed Kulcha, served with a Kiwifruit Panch Phoron Chutney – doffs a chef’s hat to the flavours of Vishen and Toorkey’s respective childhoods in Kashmir and Mumbai in India, alongside their time in Wellington, New Zealand.
Ingredients for kulcha 1.5 cups plain flour 1 tbsp instant yeast 100 ml milk 100 ml yoghurt 50 ml water Pinch of salt Sugar to taste Ingredients for goda masala paneer 1 litre whole milk 50 ml vinegar 1 tbsp onion, finely chopped 1.5 tbsp goda masala Salt to taste Ingredients for kiwifruit chutney 250 grams of diced kiwifruit 1.5 tsps panch phoran ½ teaspoon of ground red chilli or cayenne pepper 250 grams sugar Chopped coriander, to garnish
Add panch phoran (Bengali five-spice mix made of equal parts toasted cumin, nigella, fenugreek, fennel and mustard seeds) to the oil in a pan. Add 250 gm of diced kiwifruit and red chilli/cayenne. Stir in the sugar.
Turn the heat up a bit and simmer for about 25 mins to let the chutney reduce. Let cool and pop into the fridge. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander. Keep aside.
To make the goda masala (a Maharashtrian toasted and ground spice mix of stone flower lichen, dried red chillies, star anise, caraway seeds, cumin seeds, dried coconut, asafoetida, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, black and green cardamom) paneer, add a bit of oil to pan, and the milk. Heat to 55-60 degrees. Pour and stir in half the vinegar. Once the milk starts to curdle, turn the heat off and add the remaining vinegar and mix it in.
Strain the mixture into a cheesecloth and gently press out the whey best you can. Cover with a weight and rest. Mush up the paneer in a bowl with chopped onion, coriander and the goda masala. Divide the mixture into golf-sized balls.
Combine the kulcha ingredients in a bowl and mix well by hand. As the dough comes together, add a splash of oil to finish kneading. Cover the dough and let it rest.
Flatten each dough ball into a small, thick disc. Stuff the paneer into each of the dough balls, pinch and seal. Roll out each kulcha gently, avoid rolling them out too large, small is good.
Toast the kulchas in a heated pan and brush with ghee to finish. Serve with the kiwifruit chutney.