I love panisse. I love sauce spiked with garlic and ginger. So when I put these two things together, I was thrilled that holycowthisisdelicious happened, which is infinitely better than grosswhydidIjustdothat, which sometimes happens when pairing two seemingly disparate components like this on one plate.
Panisse is just chickpea flour and water that’s been combined into a slurry, heated and whisked over high heat, then cooled until firm. The panisse can then be cut into thin shapes and deep fried, pan fried or baked. I always have a hunk of it in my refrigerator, and eat it for breakfast throughout the week because it’s delicious, cheap and easy, and it’s polenta-like quality allows it to be nicely paired with an endless array of other components and sauces (think garlic aioli, malt vinegar, pesto or tomato sauce).
Although panisse is perfect for breakfast, this preparation is better suited for a light dinner and goes well with rice or noodles and/or broccoli or other greens on the side. The secret to tasty panisse is to cut it so it’s 1/2 inch thick or less—this allows the fluffy mashed potato-like filling to mingle harmoniously with the golden outside, creating the perfect airy and crispy bite.
PANISSE WITH GARLIC-GINGER SAUCE
- Total Time: 1 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
for the chickpea batter
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 1 TB olive oil
- for the sauce
- 1 TB dark sesame oil
- 2-inch piece ginger (about the size of your thumb), minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup mirin or broth
- 1 TB soy sauce
- 1 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1 TB cold water
- 1 TB raw agave syrup
to serve
- chopped scallions, thai chilis and sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat an empty skillet over medium heat while you whisk together your chickpea batter.
To prepare the chickpea batter
- Whisk all of the batter ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Pour the batter into the preheated skillet. Immediately stir the batter with the whisk until thickened, (about 5 minutes), then switch to using a heat-resistant rubber spatula to stir continuously for a few minutes more. Once it starts pulling away cleanly from the pan stir for an additional 1-2 minutes more, then transfer the batter to a greased glass container. Let it slightly cool, then cover it with plastic wrap so it touches the top to create a seal, then place it in the refrigerator to cool for about an hour or so until firm, or up to overnight.
To make the sauce
- Heat the sesame oil in a small saute pan over low heat. Add in the ginger and garlic and allow to soften for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent browning. Add in the mirin or broth, then increase the heat to medium. Add in the soy sauce and allow to come to a small simmer. Add in the cornstarch/water mixture, then stir until thickened. Add in the agave and stir to combine. Turn off the heat but leave it on the burner to keep it warm while you pan fry the panisse.
To pan fry the panisse
- Cut the cooled block in half, then slice each half into 1/2-inch thick pieces. It’s important that the slices are no thicker than that. Preheat an empty skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, then place 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the pan, then carefully add in the panisse slices. Saute each side for about 5 minutes, or until golden but not browned.
- Remove from the heat, then spoon the sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the chopped scallions, thai chilis and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Notes
You can also bake panisse instead of pan frying it. To bake the panisse, lightly oil a baking sheet and bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Flip the pieces over, then bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until slightly golden around the edges.
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
This is my last VeganMoFo post for 2013! It’s been an incredible challenge to bang out 12 posts for this month, which is one more than I did last year, but still considerably less than the 20-post suggestion. However, it’s been great to work throughout the month to create new content at a maniacal speed but, more than anything, to read all of the other amazing content created by the ever-expanding base of other Vegan MoFoers. I’ve discovered so many new blogs and ideas throughout the month, which makes me love the vegan blogging community even more, and so proud to be a part of it!
ayudiah respatih says
This is amazing…! those pictures are so perfect too!
MingusTrane says
How do you prepare this as part of a breakfast meal?
erinwyso says
I make it for breakfast, served with a vegan mayo and roasted garlic, or throw some herbs in like thyme or oregano for a polenta-like dish.
cherrivegan says
Oh wow! So I have a great follow-up. I had some left over pannise and sauce and some eggplant and bok choy so I whipped up this cassarole and my family went crazy! Slice the eggplant, lightly salt on paper towels to remove some of the moisture-about 30 minutes. Meanwhile whip up a little extra garlic ginger sauce. Slice about 6 bok choy stalks (including the green tops) and mince up about 1/4 cup fresh basil. Put a layer of eggplant slices a 9×12 pan and layer with 1/2 each of the bok-choy and basil. Crumble panisse (I had about a half-batch left over). Repeat layers and pour the garlic-ginger sauce on top. Bake in 350 oven for about 35-40 minutes and enjoy
erinwyso says
sounds fab — thanks for sharing!
Sandy Smith says
This looks so amazing! No one asked this question, so I'm wondering why I can't figure it out… but what type of glass container do I use to cool the panisse in? A glass bread pan?
Thanks for all your hard work on the many great recipes during MoFo! I've got to get cooking!
erinwyso says
Thanks Sandy! That would work — I've also poured it into an empty TofuXpress with good results. Anything square+glass will work too!
Leila A. Fortier says
I made this tonight (in the midst of a typhoon no less) and accompanied it with your new coconut soup recipe. These two recipes paired very nicely! I would like to try some more panisse recipes. It seems like a pretty versatile dish. I never would have thought of keeping this on hand for a breakfast item. Good idea! This was a refreshing shift from tofu, and yet–I can also see the ginger garlic sauce working well with pan seared tofu, too! Thank you always:)
erinwyso says
I love that you put these two things together, I wouldn't have thought of that! Panisse is amazing. By itself, not that exciting, but what makes it great is all of the other flavors and components you can combine it with. Thanks as always for trying the recipes out, Leila!
Annette&Bob says
I also thought this sounded yummy and I had all of the ingredients on hand. So, this was my lunch yesterday. I baked the panisse instead of frying it. I loved the sauce, but I thought the panisse was very bland. I feel it should have some sort of herbs or spices in it, but I am not sure what. I had to use a lot of sauce to make sure each bite was covered so it would have some taste. Any suggestions as to what I could do differently to the panisse itself?
erinwyso says
If the panisse tastes bland to you, you can add dried or fresh herbs like rosemary, oregano, sage or basil after it's been heated. Panisse doesn't have an overwhelming dominant taste, but tastes very rich and creamy to me! But this makes it perfect for eating with a wide array of sauces as well.
Anonymous says
I just had one of those wonderful moments when you see a new recipe you want to try and then realize that you have all the ingredients on hand and you can make it right away! So I just finished cooking the panisse and it is in the fridge. I had never heard of panisse before and I am excited to see how it turns our. But while I was stirring I suddenly wondered if I should have added salt to the panisse?
erinwyso says
I'm so happy you tried it out, and I hope you enjoy it once it firms up! If you want to include salt, just sprinkle it over the panisse once it's done cooking and it should be perfect!
greatveganexpectations says
I had never heard of panisse but this totally looks like my kind of recipe. So many chickpea flour-based recipes out at the moment, looks like I will need to get hold of some, stat!
Caitlin says
i have to try this! i love polenta and chickpea flour, so this is a definite win-win in my book.
LittleMonsterx14 says
wow this looks so good!!