BROWN RICE & QUINOA WITH AVOCADO TOFU SAUCE / WITH PANFRIED FISH OR SOFT-BOILED EGGS OR EGGPLANT
SERVES 4 / PREPARATION 20 MINUTES PLUS SOAKING / COOKING 30 MINUTES
Variations of warm rice salads like this make a frequent appearance on the menu at our house, along with a citrusbased dressing (sometimes I use grapefruit or limes in place of the lemon). Our favourite local brand of quinoa, Kiwi Quinoa, is often added to the rice; it takes the same time to cook and adds a little extra protein. Vary the greens depending on what you have to hand or what is available. If using fish, select a firm-fleshed one such as kingfish, trevally or hāpuku. I also like to use oily fish here, such as mackerel and kahawai.
½ cup brown basmati rice
¼ cup quinoa, rinsed (I used Kiwi Quinoa) grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons caster sugar or maple syrup 1 teaspoon soy sauce
600g mixed green vegetables such as asparagus, broccoflower, broccoli, broccolini, green beans, edamame, sugar snaps, leafy greens furikake to sprinkle (I used Pacific Harvest’s citrus,
seaweed and sesame), (optional) rhubarb & carrot kimchi (see pg 88), (optional)
AVOCADO TOFU SAUCE 100g silken tofu ½ avocado
1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon white miso 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Soak the brown rice in cold water for at least 30 minutes before using. Drain and put into a pan with the quinoa, a pinch of salt and 1¼ cups water. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to steam for 5 minutes before fluffing up with a fork.
While the rice is cooking, make a dressing of the lemon zest and juice, rice vinegar, sugar and soy sauce. Once you have fluffed up the rice, add half the dressing to it, stir well and set aside.
Cut the green vegetables into 5cm lengths. Heat a frying pan, add a drizzle of oil and fry for a few minutes until tender, adding a splash of water to the pan to slightly steam if necessary (alternatively, blanch the greens). Combine with the rice.
To make the avocado tofu sauce, combine all the ingredients with a stick blender or small food processor. Season to taste.
Serve the warm rice salad with fish, eggs or eggplant. Sprinkle with furikake if using, and add a dollop of avocado tofu sauce on the side and some kimchi if you wish.
FOR THE FISH
400g firm-fleshed fish, cut into pieces (I used kingfish)
Heat a pan, add a drizzle of oil and fry the fish for a few minutes on each side. Brush with the remaining dressing to glaze.
FOR THE SOFT-BOILED EGGS (VEGETARIAN) 1-2 eggs per serve
Make sure the eggs are at room temperature. Gently lower into a pan of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes until soft-boiled. Drain and put into cold water for 1-2 minutes. Peel and halve; place on top of rice salad in each bowl. Drizzle with the remaining dressing.
FOR THE EGGPLANT (VEGAN) 1 eggplant, cut into slices
Fry the eggplant slices until browned and tender, add the remaining dressing to the pan and stir to coat. Serve with the rice salad.
SERVES 4 / PREPARATION 15 MINUTES PLUS RESTING / COOKING 30 MINUTES
The vegan version of this dish replaces the caraway dressing with caraway cashew cream.
FARINATA
1 cup chickpea flour
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil plus extra for frying 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional) 1 teaspoon salt
2 spring onions, chopped
CHARRED SALAD
1 radicchio, cut into wedges, or ¼ red or
green cabbage, leaves roughly torn
1 packet baby cucumbers, or 1 telegraph,
cut into 7cm rounds
1 bunch baby radishes roasted bay leaf oil (see page 88) to serve (optional)
CARAWAY YOGHURT DRESSING
1 teaspoon caraway seeds, toasted
2 cloves garlic handful of dill (or other soft herbs such as mint) 1 cup thick Greek yoghurt
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
Make the farinata by whisking together the chickpea flour, chilli flakes, olive oil, nutritional yeast, if using, and salt with 1 cup water. Leave in the fridge overnight or for (Continued... )
at least 30 minutes at room temperature. The mixture may thicken overnight, so you might need to thin it slightly with extra water; it should be the consistency of lightly thickened cream. Preheat the oven (or a hooded barbecue) to 200°C.
In a cast-iron or heavy ovenproof frying pan, heat a drizzle of oil and add around ⅓ of the mix. Swirl it around and cook for 2-3 minutes, until beginning to set on the base. Add ⅓ of the spring onions and put into the oven for 10 minutes or until crisp. Remove with a spatula and cut into wedges. Repeat with the remaining mix.
To char the vegetables, brush them all with a little oil and cook over a medium heat on a barbecue (or roast in a 200°C oven) until tender and lightly blackened, turning often. If the radish came with leaves, you might like to grill or roast these lightly too.
Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and season to taste. To serve, smear or dollop some of the caraway yoghurt dressing on a plate and top with the vegetables. Drizzle with bay leaf oil, if using, and serve with the farinata alongside.
FOR THE BEEF
400-500g beef (I used sirloin but tri-tip, rump or other steak cuts work well)
Season the beef with salt and grill until done to your liking. Rest, slice and serve with the salad.
FOR THE CARAWAY CASHEW CREAM (VEGAN)
1 cup raw cashews, soaked in cold water overnight or in boiling water for 15 minutes
Drain the cashews and blend with ½ cup water until smooth, adding the caraway seeds, garlic and dill as per the yoghurt dressing recipe.