STICKY RICE CAKES WITH RADISH AND PICKLED RHUBARB
Makes around 60
60 ml macadamia oil
20 gm fresh ginger, finely diced
60 gm Swiss brown mushrooms, finely diced
500 gm glutinous rice
650 ml water
75 ml gluten-free soy sauce
¼ teaspoon salt
25 ml Chinese black vinegar
50 ml gluten-free light soy sauce
70 ml gluten-free kecap manis - sweet soy sauce (see below for a recipe if it is hard to find)
Heat 30ml of the macadamia oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened. Add the mushrooms and cook for a further 3 minutes. When the vegetables are soft add the rice and stir for another 3 minutes.
Turn the heat to high and add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil, then cover the pan and bring the heat to a minimum. Cook the rice for 15 minutes, leave to stand for 10 minutes then fluff it up with a fork. It will be caramel-coloured and very sticky.
Line 25cm x 20cm tray with baking paper and spread with the rice. Flatten the surface, cover with plastic or paper and place a weight on top (I used a cookbook, perfect).
Refrigerate until chilled, then upturn the tray onto a board and cut the rice into 2.5cm squares. (For convenience, the rice-cakes can be prepared to this point several days earlier and they freeze well.)
To Serve
2 tablespoons macadamia oil
1-2 small radishes, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons pickled rhubarb
??? rice cakes
Heat the oil in a frying pan until hot. Add the rice cakes, being mindful not to crowd the pan, depending on the number of rice cakes needed, you may have to cook them in batches.
Fry until crisp, turning once. Remove to a serving platter and top with radish slices and pickled rhubarb.
PICKLED RHUBARB
2 golden shallots, finely sliced
1 bunch rhubarb, cut into julienne then into 1cm lengths
50 gm fresh ginger, in fine julienne
300 ml Japanese rice vinegar
200 gm caster sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
Toss shallots, rhubarb and ginger together in a heat proof bowl. Place the vinegar, caster sugar and salt in a small saucepan, allow the sugar to dissolve over a low heat then bring to a simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes then immediately pour over the rhubarb mix. Strain the liquid back into the saucepan and bring to the boil again. Pour over the rhubarb mix and allow to stand, tossing from time to time until cold. Transfer to a non-corrosive container and allow to stand for 4-6 hours unrefrigerated. Store in the fridge.
The Pickled Rhubarb will begin to lose its vibrant colour after a couple of weeks so eat it up quickly or serve it pale pink.
GLUTEN-FREE KECAP MANIS
125 ml water
250 gm palm sugar or dark brown sugar
2 cloves of garlic, pressed with the side of a knife
2 star anise
125 ml tamari or rich gluten-free soy sauce
Heat water and sugar in a saucepan, stirring till sugar dissolves.
Add garlic and star anise, bring to the boil and continue cooking for around 30 minutes to caramelise and reduce the sugar, watching carefully to make sure the bubbling lava doesn’t lift out of the pan, which it will try to do!
When the caramel is thick and syrupy, carefully add the soy sauce. Cook for a further 5 minutes, strain, cool and pour into a sterilised jar. This makes around 300ml of sauce which, refrigerated, keeps well for months.