TASTES OF THE AMERICAS
Poke Inari Cups
TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN POKE - CUTS OF RAW FISH 'COOKED' BY ITS SEASONING AND SERVED AS A SNACK - IS SIMILAR TO PERUVIAN CEVICHE OR ITALIAN CARPACCIO. TODAY, YOU'LL FIND POKE IS HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY SWEET-SOUR ASIAN FLAVOURS.
SUSHI RICE
250 g/1½ cups sushi rice
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons mirin
PRAWN/SHRIMP POKE
500 g/1 lb. 2 oz. very fresh raw prawns/shrimp, peeled
freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons yuzu
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 red onion, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons shoyu
1 teaspoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon crumbed nori seaweed
TO SERVE
12 inari pouches (also called inari pockets or wraps)
2 tablespoons tobiko (fish roe)
2 tablespoons nori seaweed
3 tablespoons bean curd
3 spring onions/scallions, finely sliced
Sriracha chilli sauce
3 small chillies/chiles, finely diced
Serves 4
First prepare the sushi rice. Rinse the rice at least three times in cold water. Place in a medium-sized pan with 500 ml/2 cups water and bring to a boil. After the water reaches boiling point, reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover with a lid. The rice should absorb all the water and be tender after 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the salt, sugar, rice vinegar and mirin in a bowl.
Tip the rice out of the pan onto a baking sheet and spread out so that it cools quickly. You can aid the cooling process by fanning the rice. While fanning, gently pour over the vinegar mixture and combine by running through the rice with a fork. Set aside until ready to serve.
To make the prawn/shrimp poke, place the raw peeled prawns/shrimp in a bowl with the lime juice and yuzu. Marinate for 30-60 minutes.
Toast the coriander seeds in a dry frying pan/skillet, stirring to ensure they do not burn, then grind using a pestle and mortar. Add to the marinade with the red onion for a final 15 minutes of marinating. Just before serving, add the shoyu, chia seeds and nori seaweed.
To serve, take an inari pouch and shape into a top-loadable cup. Put a little sushi rice in the bottom, fill with the prawn/shrimp poke. Add tobiko, nori and a small amount of bean curd, and top with spring onions/scallions. Repeat to make 11 more cups. Pour a little poke marinade into each cup to moisten.
Have Sriracha, finely diced chillies/chiles and more marinade on the side for seasoning to taste.
Mackerel Ceviche with Fresh Rolls
WIDELY CLAIMED TO HAVE ITS ORIGINS IN PERU, CEVICHE IS SOMETHING OF A NATIONAL DISH THAT IS ENJOYED ALONG ALL THE COASTAL REGIONS OF LATIN AMERICA AND, IN RECENT DECADES IT HAS GAINED POPULARITY THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE WORLD. THIS RECIPE DOESN'T REQUIRE ANY COOKING AS SUCH - THE FISH IS 'COOKED' BY ITS ACIDIC MARINADE - SO IT'S IDEAL FOR ALFRESCO DINING.
FISH
1 lemongrass stalk, finely chopped
freshly squeezed juice of 1½ limes and grated zest of 1 lime
4 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons sugar
½ shallot, finely chopped
½ Bird's Eye chilli/chile
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 large mackerel fillets (about 200 g/7 oz.)
GARNISHES
beansprouts
sawtooth, finely chopped (optional) or Thai sweet basil
fresh mint
crushed roasted salted peanuts
Bird's Eye chillies/chiles, seeded and sliced
DIPPING SAUCE
¼ pineapple, peeled
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 Bird's Eye chillies/chiles, seeded and sliced
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
FILLING
100 g/3½ oz. thin rice vermicelli
a pinch of salt
a dash of vinegar
4-6 rice paper/edible wafer paper sheets, about 16 cm/6 inches
shiso/perilla leaves (optional)
cockscomb mint (optional)
fresh mint
coriander/cilantro
Makes 4-6
For the fish, combine all the ingredients, except the mackerel, in a bowl. With a sharp knife, cut the mackerel on the diagonal, against the grain, into thin slices. Marinate in the bowl for 10-15 minutes, turning the slices gently halfway through.
Next, prepare the garnishes. Blanch the beansprouts in a saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute.
When the fish is ready (it should be 'cooked' on the outside and raw on the inside). Sprinkle with the sawtooth, mint, peanuts and chillies/chiles.
For the dipping sauce, blitz all the ingredients together in a blender.
Finally, for the filling, put the rice vermicelli, a pinch of salt and a dash of vinegar in a bowl or pan of boiling water, cover and let cook for 5-10 minutes, until soft. Drain and rinse with hot water.
Pour some warm water into a tray deep and large enough to submerge the rice paper/edible wafer paper sheets.
Dip a rice paper/edible wafer paper sheet in the water, put on a plate, fill with the fish, beansprouts and remaining filling ingredients and serve with the dipping sauce.
Dry-rubbed Pulled Pork
PULLED PORK IS A STAPLE OF SOUTHERN COOKING AND MAKES FOR A MEAN LUNCH WHEN SERVED WITH LASHINGS OF BBQ SAUCE IN A CRUSTY ROLL. YOU'LL NEED TO START THE DAY BEFORE SERVING TO ENSURE AMPLE TIME FOR THE DRY RUB TO DO ITS WORK.
1 pork rack, about 5 or 6 bones (about 1.5 kg/3½ lbs.)
2 tablespoons sea salt
2 tablespoons dark soft/packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons brandy
Chunky BBQ Sauce, to serve (see below)
CHUNKY BBQ SAUCE
50 g/3½ tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons tomato purée/paste
2 tablespoons soft/packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
a pinch of chipotle powder
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon English/hot mustard powder
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
a pinch each of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Serves 4
Remove the fat along the top of the pork rack using a sharp knife, and set it aside. Mix the salt, sugar, paprika and cayenne pepper in a bowl and rub most of this mixture over the joint - be sure to get in-between the trimmed bones. Place the layer of fat back on top of the rack, then rub the remaining seasoning mixture over it. Wrap the joint in clingfilm/plastic wrap and leave in the fridge overnight or for at least 3 hours.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
Unwrap the joint and put it in an ovenproof dish. Drizzle the brandy over the top. Roast in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, so the outside begins to brown. Reduce the oven temperature down to 120°C (250°F) Gas ½. Remove the dish from the oven and transfer the joint onto some foil. Wrap the foil over the joint, enclosing the meat, then return it to the dish. Pour in water around the edge so that it's about 2-cm/¾-inch high. Return to the oven and cook for an additional 3 hours.
Meanwhile, make the Chunky BBQ Sauce. Melt the butter in a frying pan/skillet over medium heat, add the onion and fry until soft and browned. Add the tomato purée/paste, sugar, paprika and chipotle powder, and stir well. Add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder and vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. When it bubbles, pour in 150 ml/? cup water, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Let it boil, uncovered, for 10 minutes, until the mixture reduces and thickens. Remove from the heat and let cool, then whizz it in a food processor.
Next, remove the pork from the oven. Open the foil and test the meat - put a fork into the side of the joint and twist; if the meat is still solid and doesn't shred at all, it needs longer in the oven. If so, return it to the oven and check again after 30 minutes. When it's ready, the joint won't fall apart at the sides, but you should be able to turn the fork and see the pork meat start to shred.
At this stage, turn the oven back up to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6. Undo the foil and remove the layer of fat from the top of the joint, then, with the foil still open, return it to the hot oven for 20 minutes, until the top is crisp. Remove from the oven, slice the joint between the bones and serve it as chops, or strip the meat off the bone, pull/shred it, then serve in a crusty bread roll with the Chunky BBQ Sauce.
EGg ROLlS
THERE IS SOMETHING SO SATISFYING ABOUT AN EGG ROLL. MAYBE IT'S THE CRUNCH; MAYBE IT'S SOMETHING ABOUT HOW PORK AND CABBAGE COME TOGETHER WHEN HUGGED IN BETWEEN EGG ROLL WRAPPERS AND DEEP FRIED. WHATEVER IT IS, THIS CHINESE-INFLUENCED COMBO - THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN CREATED BY THE FIRST CHINESE SETTLERS IN NEW YORK - IS DELICIOUS!
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
450 g/1 lb. pork shoulder
2 tablespoons plain/all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water
120 g/2 cups cabbage, shredded
1 medium carrot, shredded
8 x 18-cm/7-inch square egg roll wrappers
1 litre/quart peanut oil, for frying
2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)
SWEET & SOUR SAUCE
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon water
3½ tablespoons...
