The Rice Book by Sri Owen

Author:Sri Owen
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781526621641
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2023-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

For 4–6 people

400g short-grain rice, rinsed

4 onions

1 parsley root or ½ parsnip

2 bay leaves

A few black peppercorns, coarsely crushed

About 600g fish fillet, cut into smallish pieces

3 tbsp chopped parsley

2 tbsp chopped dill

1 tsp crushed fennel seeds

2 pinches of saffron strands or ground turmeric

2 tsp pepper

150ml sour cream

2–3 carrots, finely chopped

100ml olive oil

Juice of ½ lemon

Salt and pepper

1.Cover the rice with hot water and soak for 30 minutes.

2.Halve the onions, then reserve one onion half and finely chop the rest. Cut the parsley root or parsnip in half. Bring just under 1 litre of lightly salted water to the boil, then add the bay leaves and peppercorns, along with the onion half and half of the parsley root or parsnip. Add the fish and simmer for 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fish to a heatproof serving dish, leaving the cooking liquid behind.

3.Cover the fish with two-thirds of the chopped onions and grate over the rest of the parsley root or parsnip. Sprinkle with the parsley, dill, fennel seeds and a pinch of the saffron or turmeric, then season with salt and 1 teaspoon of the pepper. Pour over the sour cream and cook very slowly, either on the stovetop or in a steamer, for 10–15 minutes.

4.In another pan, soften the carrots and the remaining chopped onions in the oil over a low heat. Strain the fish bouillon into the pan, bring to the boil and add the drained rice. Let it come back to the boil, then stir in the other pinch of saffron or turmeric and the remaining 1 teaspoon of pepper. Cover and cook over a very low heat for 8–10 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave the rice to rest, still covered, for 5 minutes. Serve the rice, sprinkled with lemon juice, in a bowl, and the fish on its serving dish.

RICE AND SALMON PARCELS

This is a Westernised version of pais ikan, a West Javanese way of cooking fish and spices in a banana-leaf packet. Here, the fish is wrapped in filo pastry, which you can buy fresh or frozen. Like all thin pastries, filo quickly dries and becomes brittle when exposed to the air, so thaw or unpack only what you need. You can make either one big parcel, or smaller individual ones. Whichever you choose, cut the parcel open just before serving to reveal the beautiful colour of the salmon and to release the delicious vapours that have been trapped inside during cooking.

As a contrast to the pink salmon, either green or white vegetables are effective – white ones could include stir-fried beansprouts or thin strips of mooli. I sometimes serve this with a Mild Curry Sauce on the side, but Almond Sauce would be equally good, or indeed no sauce at all, in which case a salad is the best thing to go with it. These parcels are ideal for picnics.

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