Mozzarella In Carrozza

After completing Alsace Lorraine challenge for last month of "The International Food Challenge" (IFC) we are exploring  Campania cuisine of Italy which is hosted by Priya Suresh, a talented blogger . This challenge was introduced by Saraswathy Tharagaram of Saras Yummy Bites and Shobana of Kitchen Secret And Snippets  ,a monthly event to explore the wonders and diversity of international cuisine.

Campania is a highly populated region in the  southern Italy, Located on the Italian Peninsula, with the Mediterranean sea to the west.  There is various regional cuisine in Italy and Campania is one among them.They are best known around the world for its own pizza. I have chosen to try out mozarella in corrozza for the challenge. 

The 'in carrozza' bit means 'in a carriage' and doesn't really explain what this golden-crusted fried mozzarella sandwich is about, just gives an indication that it contains milky cheese .
This classic Italian dish gave rise to fried mozzarella. Bread slices are pressed around mozzarella cheese, floured, dipped in egg, then deep-fried.

There are a few rules with this dish - when it comes to the mozzarella, in Italy, buffalo is preferred. It is a richer cheese and doesn't leech liquid as it cooks which means it won't turn the bread to mush. While you will see a square and triangular versions, round are preferred as this resembles the wheels of a carriage - after all, the dish is called mozzarella in a carriage as well!!

Notes : Being Asian , I felt that the filling  is slightly bland , therefore I have made a bit of changes by adding in the sambal paste.I have lessen on the usage of cheese as well. In the egg batter , adding ¼ tsp  of pounded black pepper would give more taste as well as adding of some chopped fresh herbs like basil .

8 slices white bread, crusts removed

1 pound fresh Mozzarella, thinly sliced

½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

¼ teaspoon salt

4 cups extra-virgin olive oil or any cooking oil

Sambal Paste

40gms dried cleaned anchovies

2 tsp cili boh/chilli paste/ready made chilli paste

1 medium onion

2 garlic

2 slices ginger

1 lemon grass bruised

1 tsp tamarind juice

3 tsp sugar

Salt to taste

 

For the sambal paste:

Pound garlic and ginger until fine paste, then pound the onion coarsely.

Add in cleaned anchovies ,sprinkle some water and pound it coarsely as well.

Mix in the chilli paste to it and keep aside.

Heat a wok with about 2 tbsp oil. Add in the pounded ingredients and sauté  for about 2 mins, then add in sugar and sauté further.Add in lemon grass as well.The colour will turn dark because of the caramelization of the sugar in the paste.Add in tamarind juice and salt to taste.Dish out once it reaches desired consistency . Cool the sambal before using. In case if you have left over sambal, it goes very well as a side dish with rice , sambar,or any dal curries !!
Note: you can omit anchovies and use slices of onions for this sambal to make it a vegetarian . 

For the bread:

Place 4 slices of bread on the counter. Top with the Mozzarella, being careful not to allow the Mozzarella to protrude beyond the edges of the bread (trim as needed). Cover with the 4 remaining slices of bread, making 4 sandwiches in all.( I have lessen of the use of the cheese as filling ).

Spread the flour on a plate. Dip the four edges of each "sandwich" in the flour

Pour 1/2 cup of water into a bowl. Dip the four edges of each sandwich in the water, being careful to moisten only the edges and not the inside of the sandwiches. The purpose of dipping the flour-dipped sandwiches in the water is to form a sort of glue that will prevent the Mozzarella to leak out once it is melted in the hot oil.Arrange the four sandwiches on a platter in a single layer.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the salt. Pour over the sandwiches and set aside for 10 minutes. Delicately flip the sandwiches over and set aside for another 10 minutes. The purpose is to allow the bread to soak in the egg as much as possible.

Heat cooking oil or olive oil in a deep pot until it registers 350°. Deep-fry 1 or 2 sandwiches at a time until golden on both sides, turning once, about 3 minutes per batch. Remove with a slotted spoon to a platter lined with paper towels and blot dry. Cut each of the sandwiches in half and serve hot.

Adapted from : http://www.rusticocooking.com/campania.htm

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Above recipe has been submitted to :
Foodie Friday hosted by A Room With A View For Two
Inspire Me Monday hosted by Create With Joy