Schnitzel with Vegan Saag Paneer and Appams
- Prep Time: 5 hours and 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
Golden crisp schnitzels served on top of creamy, curried spinach with tofu chunks and tomato salsa. They are served with fermented rice pancakes.
Ingredients
Appams
1½ C (375 ml / 260 g) basmati rice
½ C (125 ml / 30 g) desiccated coconut
½ C (125 ml / 80 g) semolina flour
1 tsp (5 ml) sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) instant yeast
pinch salt
Saag Paneer
1 (200 g) large onion, chopped
1 Tbsp (15 ml) ginger, finely grated
3 (12 g) garlic cloves
¼ C (60 ml) sambal oelek
2 Tbsp (30 ml) ground cumin
2 Tbsp (30 ml) garam masala
2 Tbsp (30 ml) ground turmeric
2 tsp (10 ml) sugar
6 C (300 g) spinach, chopped
3 Tbsp (45 ml) sunflower oil
400 g firm tofu, cubed
2 Tbsp (30 ml) cake flour
¼ C (60 ml) vegetable stock
½ C (125 ml) coconut milk
1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
¼ C (60 ml) basil leaves, chopped + extra to serve
salt and pepper
Salsa
2 (160 g) medium tomatoes, finely chopped
2 (50 g) spring onions, finely chopped
½ C (125 ml) fresh coriander
1 tsp (5 ml) lemon juice
salt and pepper
To Serve
4 (2 x 200 g) Meat-alternative Crumbed Schnitzels, cooked according to the packet instructions
Instructions
Appams
Cover the raw basmati rice with water and soak for 1 hour. Drain the rice and reserve 1 ¼ C (310 ml) of the soaking liquid. Blend the rice with the reserved soaking liquid and coconut until fine.
Combine the semolina flour with ½ C (125 ml) water in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until thick, 5 minutes.
Dissolve the sugar in 2 tsp (10 ml) tepid water. Stir in the yeast and set aside for 5 minutes. Combine the pureéd rice mixture, the cooked semolina and yeast mixture.
Whisk until smooth and cover with a damp cloth. Set aside to ferment, 4 hours. Stir in the salt and add a splash of water to thin the mixture out to a pancake batter consistency if necessary.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Lightly grease the pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Add a ladleful of the batter and swirl the pan to coat. Cook for 30 sec- 1 min until golden. Flip the pancake over and cook on the other side for 30 seconds. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Saag Paneer
Combine the onion, ginger, garlic, sambal oelek, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, sugar and spinach in a food processor and pulse until fine.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
Dust the tofu in the cake flour and fry the tofu until golden, 6-8 minutes. Remove the tofu with a slotted spoon.
Add the onion mixture to the hot pan and fry for 5 minutes. Add the stock and coconut milk and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and basil and season to taste. Scatter the fried tofu on top.
Salsa
Combine all of the ingredients and season to taste.
To Serve
Spoon the saag into serving dishes and top each portion off with a Meat-alternative Schnitzel and some salsa. Add more basil, if desired, and serve with the appams on the side.
Notes
TIP: Appams are made from fermented rice, but these pancakes can easily be replaced with ready-made rotis, naan bread or basmati rice, if preferred.
