Chocolate Sticky Buns with Chef Jehangir Mehta at Graffiti

Davaie: Hi. I’m Davaie Cognani and we’re here at Graffiti, one of my favorite East Village treasures. Let’s go behind the burner and meet the chefs where they used Asian influences to inspire their sweet creations. Hi. I’m here with the Chefs of Graffiti, Jehangir Mehta and Andre Vasquez. So guys, what are we making today. Jehangir: Well today, we’re going to steam chocolate buns which will have coffee in them. You need to have a steamer. Basically, we use the rice cooker because I think it’s the best way and the most easy functional way to do that. Davaie: Tell me about this mixture. So this is a mixture of sugar and… Jehangir: It’s just sugar and coffee. And we are using two different types of chocolate. We’re using a milk chocolate and a dark chocolate. I mean, this is a very good dessert because what Andre does, he prepares about ten of them earlier with a wet towel over it to keep the moisture, and then keeps in the refrigerator. So when we need it, we just go and lighten it. It’s very nice for something if you’re having a party at home because it’s something that you can make in advance, not bother with and all you have to do is just steam them when you need them. Davaie: So you want to check the consistency and it would just bounces back that you know it’s kind of ready. Jehangir: Exactly. Now the only thing is that you have to be careful when you pick it up. Also, what you can also do is take this out, but otherwise, just go with a spatula, scoop it right out, it should be perfectly fine. Davaie: So you see that chocolate is kind of melted along the side. Jehangir: Exactly. The chocolate has melted a little bit. Davaie: So, you put sugar on top, take the torch… Jehangir: This way, you’ll get a different texture in the bun too. You’ll get a little bit of that crispiness, you’ll get that little hot platter in the bun. Davaie: So Jehangir, so tell us what you made for us this evening. Jehangir: Well, we have the chocolate steamed bun. Basically, what we did was we put the two different types of chocolates in here, the milk chocolate and the dark chocolate, gratinated it to give it a little different texture. The gratinate will give it a crunchiness that two different types of chocolates will give a different bite to it and very, very soft and moisture filled steamed bun that will give a different complete different texture to this dish. Davaie: And where do you get the steamed buns? Jehangir: We get these from a Chinese provider called SEA. Davaie: And so usually, someone can just go to an Asian food market and find steamed buns? Jehangir: You will find them. Davaie: You know, it really cuts down the prep time. This is a very simple, easy, quick dessert to make because if you start with a steamed bun, you really just have to fill it in a steam and then you are good to go. Jehangir: And then we pair it with our teas. And of course, it’s a little floral. Davaie: What tea is that? Jehangir: It’s called nuldri and it’s like the sister of 2:55 Davaie: I am ready to take a bit. Jehangir: And then spit it out if it is disgusting. Davaie: It’s delicious. You really taste the difference between the two chocolates. It has real chocolate softness. The deepness and the richness of the dark chocolate accompanied with it. What’s fantastic is the crunch on top. That’s like a bit of a kick. Behind the burner members can take advantage of this exclusive opportunity to purchase hand sized copies of Jehangir Mehta’s book mantra. You can also purchase these fine spices and teas on Partistry. Stay tuned behind the burner where we give you tips, tricks and techniques that are lighting the culinary world on fire.