Pan-fried paneer and mushrooms with kaffir-lime, garlic and chilli sauce

	Bear with me here: this one has a lot of steps to juggle, and requires a touch of advance prep., but each step is actually quite simple. I'd recommend getting your mise-en-place done before you start cooking. Once you're ready to go, the whole thing comes together in less than 20 minutes.

This recipe is inspired by a scallop recipe from Chef Kevin Lim, however I wanted to adapt it something more vegetarian-friendly. I'd originally planned to make this with pan-fried tofu, but mistakenly grabbed paneer instead. Turns out to have been a happy accident.

Recipe

6 large dried shitake mushrooms
2 tsp oil
70-80g paneer, cut into 6 thick slices (ideally similar width to the mushrooms)
2 heads of choi sum (or other leafy green)
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
handful kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
1-2 tsp Chinese chilli bean paste (depending on how hot you like it)
1-2 tsp Thai sweet chilli sauce
1 tsp corn floor / corn starch, mixed to a paste with a spoonful of cold water

Advance prep:
Place the mushrooms in a small dish and poor over 1 cup boiling water. Leave 3 hours to soak.

Method:
Drain the mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid. Cut off the tough stems, leaving the caps intact.

In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 tsp oil. Add 1 tsp garlic and the mushrooms. Saute for a minute or two, then add a splash of about a half cup of the soaking liquid and simmer 15 minutes, adding a little more liquid if it dries out completely.

While the mushrooms are cooking, heat a small frypan and add 1 tsp oil. Place the paneer slices in a single layer in the pan and fry until golden on both sides, 2-3 minutes per side.

While the paneer browns, blanch the choi sum and keep warm.

Finally prepare the sauce. In yet another second small pan (sorry about the amount of washing up), heat the remaining 1/2 tsp oil and add the remaining garlic along with the ginger and lime leaves. Saute a minute, then add the chilli bean paste, sweet chilli sauce, and about half a cup of the remaining mushroom liquid. Bring to the boil, and simmer 1 minute. Then add the corn starch and mix well until thick and glossy.

Pour some sauce onto each plate, and place the choi sum on top of the sauce. Layer the mushrooms and paneer slices on top.

Serves: 2
Preparation and cooking time: 20 minutes + 3 hours soaking