Tofu Panna Cotta

Ingredients

300g silken tofu
10g or 1 envelope powdered gelatin
3 tbsp hot water
½ cup caster sugar
1 cup soy milk

Method

1. Whisk the powdered gelatine and hot water together in a small bowl. Set aside the gelatine for 5 minutes to bloom.
2. Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the silken tofu, sugar and soy milk. Blend on high until smooth.
3. Transfer the tofu mixture to a small saucepan. Bring the tofu to a simmer while stirring constantly, but not to a boil, just until the mixture begins to bubble, then add gelatine. Whisk mixture until gelatine has completely dissolved then remove saucepan from the heat.
4. Pour the tofu mixture through a strainer when adding into moulds, to remove any lumps.
5. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until set.
6. To unmould the panna cotta, briefly dip the bot­tom of each mould in a bowl of hot water. Invert the panna cotta onto a dessert plate and care­fully lift off the mould (shake gen­tly if necessary).

Notes & Tips

You can also spray moulds with a little oil prior to transferring the tofu mixture to help the panna cotta come out easily when ready to unmould

If you are having difficulty removing the panna cotta from its mould, run a thin knife around the inside edge of the mould to loosen the panna cotta.

Ginger Indian Restaurant

The first time I went to Ginger Indian Restaurant was actually on 3rd July 2011 because I had a "Love It Up" discount voucher. Here was what was being offered: a 3 course meal (entrée, main & dessert) plus x2 side dishes, x2 glasses of wine for two people all for just $49, normally $110. Pretty good deal eh? I just had to check this place out.



Ginger Indian Restaurant is located on 94 Wigram Street Harris Park. Having never dined in Harris Park before, one of the first things I notice when driving down Wigram Street is how many houses have been converted to become Indian restaurants, Indian sweet shops or Indian convenience/grocery stores.

Ginger restaurant is one of these restaurants that is located inside a heritage house which enhances the warm, cosy and inviting atmosphere. What struck me initially about this place was how attentive the service was and how polite the staff were. From the time I made a dinner reservation over the phone to when I was dining inside the restaurant, staff were very friendly, courteous and accommodating.

Food is also delicious and meal prices are reasonable. There is a good selection of choices and food arrives well spaced apart. Overall a very pleasant dining experience. In fact, hubby and I enjoyed it so much the first time we went back a second time without a voucher. Here's what we ate, second time around...

Garlic Prawn entrée $12.90

The waiter asked how spicy we would like our entree so we opted for medium heat which was quite hot for us. When our entrée arrived we noticed that two of the prawns weren't cooked through which was disappointing but since it was seafood I let it go. Had it been chicken though I probably would've brought it to their attention.

For mains hubby didn't feel like eating anything too spicy and I wanted to eat a vegetarian dish so we ended up ordering the navratan korma- which had lots of different vegetables. The waiter explained that there were 9 vegetables in the dish, though I could only visually see 6?

Chicken Tikka was the other main that we ordered. We asked for mild knowing that if we had asked for medium it would've blown our heads off. Can't imagine what their hot curries taste like! 

Instead of ordering rice we decided to have naan with our curries. I was really excited to see garlic and cheese naan (combined) on the menu so decided to opt for that. Normally I would have one or the other but this restaurant offered both!

We were sufficiently full after our entree and mains so we decided to bypass dessert. But since I had a mango lassi as a drink during dinner, I didn't feel like I missed out on a sweet treat :)

Mango Lassi $4.00

Now, I can't really remember what I ordered the first time I dined at Ginger Restaurant (using the discount voucher) but I thought I'd still post the photos on my blog. Well, everything must've been good or I wouldn't have returned a second time around!
One thing I do remember though is that hubby and I were so full we had to lift our stomachs off the floor of the restaurant and drag ourselves back to the car!

Entrée 1

 Entrée 2

Mains

Dessert: Gulab Jamun $7.00

Would've preferred if they served the gulab jamun with a scoop of vanilla ice cream since I like the contrast of 'hot' and 'cold' but since hubby had ordered the mango kulfi it was all good.

Dessert: Mango Kulfi $6.00

Mango Kulfi was delicious, but it was a little bit too frozen. We had to wait for it to melt a bit before we could eat  it and I remember just wanting to just get right into it!

Mango Pancake

Makes 8


Part 1- Pancake Batter


Ingredients

70g     Cake flour
10g     Corn flour
40g     Caster sugar
250g   Milk
15g     Butter
2         Egg yolks
Red and yellow food colouring


Method


1. Combine cake flour and corn flour in a bowl.
2. Add in half quantity of milk needed bit by bit as you incorporate it into the flour with a whisk. Keep whisking until a smooth batter is obtained. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar with the remaining milk.
4. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and whisk to combine. Continue to gradually add the egg mixture until all the flour is incorporated and a thin batter forms.
5. Add in melted butter, food colouring if desired and mix till well combined.
6. Sieve mixture into a bowl.
7. Cover with cling wrap and allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. After resting, the batter should be the consistency of thin cream
8. Heat a non-stick 20cm frying/crepe pan with medium high heat.
9. Once the pan is throughly heated, reduce heat to medium low. Brush with a little melted butter or oil
10. Pour 1/4 cup pancake batter thinly onto the frying pan.
11. Once the pancake starts to "bubble" and the top surface of the pancake starts to firm up, remove immediately from heat. There's no need to fry the other side of the pancake.
12. Place pancake on a clean flat plate. Repeat process with remaining batter, greasing pan between each batch.
13. While stacking pancakes, make sure you separate each layer with greaseproof paper to make sure they don't stick together. Allow pancakes to cool prior to adding the filling.

Part II: Filling 

½ cup  Double cream

2         Ripe mangoes

Peel the mangoes with a sharp knife, then cut the flesh of the mangoes lengthwise


Part III: Assembling

1. Place smooth side of the pancake facing downwards.
2. Then top the pancake with some cream followed by mango slices.
3. Fold pancake edges in then roll it up
4. Place the pancake seam side down on the plate so it doesn't open. 
5. Chill in the fridge for at least half an hour prior to serving.

Fried Rice

This fried rice recipe is quick and easy and probably a lot healthier than your local Chinese takeaway!

Recipe adapted from Fresh Living Magazine, September 2004 issue, page 6

Ingredients

1 cup cooked long grain white rice
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
100g diced bacon
1 cup frozen pea, carrot & corn mix
2 shallots, trimmed, finely sliced
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Method

1. Using a whisk, lightly beat eggs in a small bowl. Heat oil in non-stick wok or large frying pan over medium heat. Add eggs. Swirl over base to form an omelette. Cook 2 minutes. Turn over. Cook until set. Transfer to a chopping board. Set aside to cool slightly then cut into small pieces.
2. Add bacon to wok. Cook 4 minutes until light golden. Add frozen vegetable mix and shallots. Stir fry 2-3 minutes then add rice. Cook, stirring, 2-3 minutes. Add egg and soy sauce. Stir until heated through. Serve immediately.