Saturday, June 14, 2014

035 - Lazy Kaassoufflé (Dutch Deep Fried Breaded Cheese!)

Netherlands. The one country we, Indonesians, have a lot of history with. Any of you been there before? The Dutch has a lot of tasty food. During my recent visit there, I was finally reunited again with my favorite Dutch snack food, the infamous Kaassouffle.

Little is known who actually invented Kaassouffle. But legend has it, it is inspired by Dutch people who have been to Indonesia and tried Indonesian Gorengan (Literal meaning: Fried Things). But making authentic Indonesian Gorengan is rather hard in Dutch. They don’t have rice noodle to make the Risol, or Tofu to make Tahu Isi. 

So they improvise. 

What with? Cheese of course! Dutch got tons of it, so why not wrap it in thin dough, bread it, and deep fry?

My version is a rather easy approach to the dish. This is what I call Lazy Kaassouffle.



For 2 Servings, you will need:
4 Slices of white bread.
4 Slices of Strong Cheese. Dutch goes with Gouda. But again, as always, cheap Cheddar will work fine too. Keep in mind, flavor will be rather mild.
2 Eggs for coating
1 Eggs for sealing the stuffing
300 Grams of Breadcrumbs. Dutch uses Panko-like breadcrumbs but with smaller size.
Enough oil for frying.

Ready? Here We Go!

Step 1 – Cut off all the crust from the bread. If your bread isn't square already, cut it into squares. Get a rolling pin, or if you don’t have one, get a round drinking glass and use it as a makeshift rolling pin. Do this on all of the bread.

Off with the first
Off with the second
Off with the crusts!
Now this people, is a 'Rolling Pin'
"Keep rollin' rollin' rollin" - Fred Durst
Ooow, it's flat and tiny
Let's flatten it even more!
Flat and limp, gotta love it!

Step 2 – Get a piece of the bread, then unwrap your cheese, and place it on the center of the bread. Crack an egg, whisk it, and brush it to the edges of the bread to create a glue before sealing it with another slice of bread. Use a fork, and seal the edges by pressing it. See the picture if you got no idea how to do it.

Empty pockets
First drop
Second drop
Give the edge an egg wash
Seal
Press with a fork!
Sign, sealed, ready for fryer!

Step 3 – Crack your eggs, lightly whip it. Get a separate plate and pour your breadcrumbs. Dredge the bread with the eggs and then the breadcrumbs.

Egg - Breadcrumbs
Dredge with eggs
Coat with breadcrumbs
All wrapped up and ready to go

Step 4 – Heat your oil on high heat. We’re going to flash fry the bastard in just under 2 minutes on each side. Just keep on a lookout on the color. When it’s golden and lovely, it’s ready.

Hot oil, get ready to meet your buddy
First side. 2 minutes or less
Second side after the flip, another 2 minutes
Crunchy and ready


Step 5 – Serve!



Here's a few tips to create a memorable Kaassoufflé;
  1. Use white bread as they tend to be softer than whole wheat.
  2. Ensure the cheese is in room temperature before putting it inside the bread. This will ensure the cheese melt perfectly despite the short period of frying
  3. Watch it, watch it, watch it. Panko burns easily on high heat, so ALWAYS keep an eye on it.
  4. Feeling fancy? mix the breadcrumbs with herbs such as parsley or dill, add a touch of Paprika. Hmmm mmm!
  5. Strong cheese like Gouda or Edam will give you more authentic taste. But it doesn't come cheap. That's why i substitute with Cheddar

Kaassouffle is every bit of love you will need for the day! Trust me, make one, and get hooked for life!


Peace


xx

9 comments:

  1. I'm going to try it! Great one!

    BTW, what camera do you use?

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  2. Wow !! I love it very nice dish i must try this one.. Thank you :) private chef in austin

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    Replies
    1. thank you! It is a very easy and tasty dish to whip up at home! :)

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  3. Loved the lazy idea and pics too...Thanks!

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  4. I've made it a couple of weeks ago, but unfortunately it didn't look as good :(

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  5. Great idea for that bread my wife keeps buying and no one eats - and since it's deep fried, nothing can go wrong (taste wise) right ?

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  6. little side note from someone from the netherlands : try putting in some pieces of ham or bacon . one of the lesser know but (for me) tastier ones are the ham and cheese versions

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