Sticky coconut rice cake with turmeric tomatoes

V This recipe is almost completely hands off and requires very little prep. Both rice cake and tomatoes bake in the oven together and don’t need to be stirred or basted. You can make it ahead and reheat in a warm oven. Leftover rice cake slices are great pan-fried the next day, in a little oil, until crispy. You may need to soak the rice overnight – check the packet instructions in advance.

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS Rice cake

400g Thai sticky rice (aka glutinous rice or sweet rice), rinsed and drained

400g tin of full-fat coconut milk (at least 70% coconut extract)

250g water

2 small cloves of garlic, finely grated/crushed 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

2 spring onions, very finely chopped (25g)

1 ½ tsp fine salt

Turmeric tomatoes

400g sweet, ripe cherry tomatoes, such as Datterini

15g fresh ginger, peeled and julienned

15g fresh coriander, stalks and leaves

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

70g olive oil

2tsp maple syrup or honey

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 ¼ tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp fine salt

To serve 2 spring onions, finely sliced

5g fresh coriander

1 lime, cut into wedges

METHOD

l Preheat the oven to 230°C fan/250°C. Line a 23 x 23cm baking tin (or ovenproof dish) with non-stick baking parchment. l Whisk all the rice cake ingredients together, getting rid of any lumps of coconut milk. Pour into the prepared tin and flatten the top. l For the tomatoes, put all the ingredients into an ovenproof dish just big enough for them all to fit snugly in a single layer. l Put both dishes in the oven – the tomatoes on the top shelf and the rice on the bottom shelf (or preferably both on the top shelf, if they’ll fit). Bake for 30 minutes. The tomatoes should be soft and slightly charred, and the rice cooked through and goldenbrown on top. l Remove both dishes from the oven. Cover the tomatoes to keep warm. Leave the rice to rest for 20 minutes. Turn the oven grill to its highest setting. l After 20 minutes, lift the rice cake on to a flat baking tray with the paper.

Tear away any overhanging parchment that could burn under the grill. Grill for approximately 5–8 minutes near the top of the oven, or until the rice is crisp and goldenbrown on top. If you have a blowtorch, use it to crisp up and lightly char the surface a little more. l Cool for 5 minutes before slicing into squares. Serve with the warm tomatoes and garnish with the spring onions, coriander and lime wedges.