Author: David Knight

• Prep all ingredients and cool the sushi rice to room temperature.
• Place nori smooth-side-down on a sushi mat. Press about 1 cup sushi rice evenly over the nori, leaving a 1-inch border at the top.
• Arrange fillings in horizontal lines over the rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
• Roll tightly with the sushi mat, wet the exposed nori edge, and finish sealing the roll. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
• Cut each roll into about 8 pieces with a very sharp knife.
• Drizzle with spicy mayo and/or sesame seeds and serve immediately with soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi.

• Heat frying oil in a wide saucepan or wok to about 1 cm depth.
• Mix the batter ingredients. Add chicken pieces and coat well.
• Fry chicken in batches for 1-2 minutes until lightly colored. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
• For the sauce, heat vegetable oil in a wok or kadhai. Fry the white spring onion briefly, then add green chilli, garlic, and ginger.
• Add green pepper and red onion and saute 1-2 minutes until beginning to soften.
• Stir in chilli garlic sauce and kecap manis. Add water, bring to a boil, and simmer 1 minute.
• Add the corn-flour slurry, season to taste, and simmer about 2 minutes until thickened.
• When ready to serve, add fried chicken to the sauce and coat evenly. Simmer 1 minute and garnish with green spring onion.

• Marinate chicken overnight with yogurt, salt, lemon or lime, and red chilli powder.
• Slice onions thinly lengthwise and fry in oil until brown and crisp. Drain and reserve.
• In the remaining oil, bloom cloves, cardamom, bay leaf, star anise, black cardamom, mace, shah jeera, cumin seed, and cinnamon.
• Add tomatoes, chillies, and ginger-garlic paste. Stir in garam masala, then add the marinated chicken and biryani masala.
• Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the chicken is tender; the source suggests about 1 hour.
• Rinse and soak basmati rice. Partially cook it in boiling water.
• Layer chicken and gravy with the semi-cooked rice in a tray, garnishing layers with mint and fried onion.
• Soak saffron in warm milk and drizzle over the top.
• Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes.

Rice

• Wash rice and soak in water for 40-45 minutes.
• Heat 10-12 cups water in a large pot. Tie the whole spices in a cloth bundle.
• Add the spice bundle, ginger-garlic paste, green chilli paste, kewra essence, and salt; bring to a boil.
• Drain soaked rice and add to the boiling water. Cook until about 80% done.

Chicken

• Mix chicken with shahi jeera, ghee, ginger paste, garlic paste, garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, turmeric, salt, vegetable oil, green chilli, and lemon juice. Marinate 10-12 hours.
• Mix curd, mint, coriander, and fried onion into the marinated chicken.

Assembly

• Transfer chicken and marinade to a heavy-bottomed pan.
• Spread the 80%-cooked rice evenly over the chicken.
• Sprinkle milk, saffron milk, fried onion, and ghee over the rice.
• Cover tightly and cook over very low heat for 35-40 minutes.
• Remove lid, mix gently, and serve hot.

Chicken Satay

• Combine the satay marinade ingredients and coat the sliced chicken thoroughly. Marinate before threading the chicken onto skewers.
• Cook the skewered chicken over high heat until browned and cooked through, turning as needed.

Peanut Sauce

• Combine the peanut sauce ingredients and stir until smooth. Adjust the heat and consistency to taste.
• Serve the cooked chicken satay with the peanut sauce.

• Heat milk to 95-97°F. Add the thermophilic culture and LH100 culture and ripen 30 minutes.
• Add 5 ml single-strength liquid rennet, mixing with an up-and-down motion, and allow a firm curd to develop in about 25 minutes.
• Cut curd into roughly 3/8- to 1/2-inch pieces and slowly stir 15-20 minutes until firmer.
• Heat curds to 106°F over 20 minutes and hold while stirring slowly for 15 minutes. Over the next 10 minutes raise to 118°F; the source notes up to 123°F may be useful in cool weather or with high-fat milk.
• Let curds settle another 20 minutes, stirring lightly every 3-5 minutes to prevent matting.
• Remove whey to curd level and transfer curds to a draining pan, keeping them separate for Asiago’s somewhat open texture.
• Transfer to a cloth-lined cheese mold, fold cloth over, and add follower. Press 12 lb for 30 minutes; flip and press 25 lb for 2 hours; flip, rewrap, and press 25 lb another 2 hours.
• Remove weight and keep the cheese in the mold overnight at 75-85°F. Hold it overnight again on the second day without salting.
• On the third morning, brine in saturated brine at 3 hours per pound of cheese.
• Age 30-40 days at 54-58°F and 85-87% humidity, wiping surface mold with saturated brine as needed.

• Heat milk slowly to 86°F. Dilute calcium chloride in 1/4 cup water and mix in.
• Sprinkle mesophilic culture over the milk, rest 2 minutes, mix in, and ripen 30 minutes.
• Dilute rennet in 1/4 cup non-chlorinated water, mix in for 1 minute, and set 40 minutes. Heat 3 gallons water separately to 130°F for washing the curds.
• Cut curd into 1/2-inch cubes and gently stir 15 minutes, then settle.
• Remove one-third of the whey. Add hot water while gently stirring so the curds reach 98-102°F in 15 minutes; continue stirring 30 minutes.
• Warm a cloth-lined mold with whey, fill with curds, cover curds with 1-2 inches whey, add follower and 3 lb weight, and press 15 minutes.
• Remove from whey and press 6 lb for 30 minutes; flip and press 8 lb for 30 minutes; flip and press 13 lb for 30 minutes; flip again and press 13 lb for 8 hours.
• Brine 6-8 hours in saturated brine, salting the exposed surface with 2 tsp salt and flipping/salting again at 4 hours. Air-dry 3-7 days.
• Wax if desired and age at 56-64°F with 80-85% humidity for 2-6 months.

• Heat milk slowly to 86°F. If using calcium chloride, dilute 1/2 tsp in 1/4 cup water and mix in.
• Sprinkle C101 culture over the milk, rest 2 minutes, mix in, and ripen 45-60 minutes. For raw milk, the source recommends half the culture amount.
• Dilute rennet in 1/4 cup non-chlorinated water, mix in for 1 minute, and set 45 minutes.
• Cut curd into roughly 1/4- to 3/4-inch pieces. Gently stir while heating to 102°F over 30 minutes, then hold at 102°F and stir another 30 minutes. Settle 20-30 minutes.
• Drain curds into a cloth-lined colander. Keep warm in a pot set in 95-100°F water. Turn the curd mass every 15 minutes for 2 hours; after 1 hour cut it in half and stack the halves.
• Mill the curd into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces. Over 30 minutes, add cheese salt equal to 2% of curd weight in three additions, allowing it to dissolve between additions.
• Transfer to a cloth-lined mold. Press 10 lb for 15 minutes; flip and press 12 lb for 30 minutes; flip and press 20 lb for 1 hour; then 50 lb for 4 hours and 50 lb for 24 hours.
• Dry 1-3 days, then wax or cloth-bandage. Age at 55°F and about 85% humidity for 3-9 months, turning daily for 8-12 weeks and then twice weekly.

• Heat milk slowly to 86°F. Separately heat cream to 100°F and add it to the milk.
• Dilute calcium chloride in 1/4 cup water and mix into the milk and cream.
• At 86°F, sprinkle C21 culture, Penicillium candidum, and Geotrichum candidum over the surface. Rest 2 minutes, mix in, and ripen 60 minutes.
• Dilute rennet in 1/4 cup non-chlorinated water, mix in for 1 minute, and set 90 minutes.
• Cut curds into 1-inch cubes, rest 5 minutes, break into uniform 1-inch pieces with a ladle, rest 5 minutes, then stir gently 10 minutes while maintaining about 86°F.
• Settle the curds, remove whey, transfer to a butter-muslin-lined colander, and drain 30 minutes.
• Transfer curd into 4 small soft-cheese molds on a draining mat. Drain 24 hours at 70-74°F, unmolding and flipping three times beginning 4-6 hours after molding.
• Salt in two stages: divide 1 tsp salt among the tops and sides, remold 6-8 hours; then divide another 1 tsp among bottoms and sides and remold about 12 hours.
• Unmold and dry 4-12 hours at 58-65°F and 65-75% humidity. For a bloomy rind, age at 52-58°F and 90-95% humidity for up to about 6 weeks; the cheese may also be eaten fresh after a few days.

Dough

• Mix all dough ingredients until evenly moist with no dry pockets. Cover tightly and let rise at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Pour 2 tablespoons oil into each of two 10- to 12-inch cast-iron skillets and swirl to coat. Divide dough in half and gently form each piece into a loose ball by repeatedly pulling and tucking the sides underneath.
• Place each dough ball smooth-side down in the oil, flip to coat, and gently flatten with your palm. Cover each skillet tightly with plastic wrap and leave undisturbed at room temperature for 2 hours.

Bake

• Preheat oven as high as it will go, preferably 550°F. Remove plastic wrap. If needed, gently pull dough to the skillet edges and release any large trapped air bubbles.
• Spread half the sauce over each pizza all the way to the edges. Divide mozzarella and pepperoni evenly between pizzas. Add half the basil now if using.
• Bake 12 to 20 minutes, until the bottom is crisp and deep brown and the top is bubbly and golden to deep golden brown.
• Slide pizzas onto a cutting board. Scatter with remaining basil if using. Rest 5 minutes, slice into wedges, then rest another 3 minutes before serving.