Lemon grass ginger and Parmesan risotto cake with spinach and sweet potato coconut curry, flat bread and coconut chutney – by Peter Gordon

 

INGREDIENTS

(serves six)

 

For the risotto cake
1 knob ginger brunoise
1 sliced stem of lemon grass (core only)
1 diced red onion
1 diced carrot
2 crushed garlic cloves
60ml sesame oil
200g arborio rice
About 700ml hot vegetable stock
Salt
100g grated Parmesan
Ready-cooked polenta (for dusting)
Vegetable oil

 

For the curry
3 crushed garlic cloves
1 large pinch ginger julienne
1 large pinch galangal julienne
4 shredded lime leaves
1 sliced stem of lemon grass
1 diced red chilli
1 chopped bunch coriander with roots
50ml vegetable oil
400ml vegetable stock (see Peter Gordon's recipe for Vegetable Broth)
400ml coconut cream
Salt

 

For the chutney
1 small coconut (cracked and roasted 20 minutes)
1 diced green chilli - not too hot
1 "thumb" of grated ginger
Half a bunch of chopped coriander
200ml thick yoghurt
Salt
70g spinach per portion, oiled and seasoned
30g slice sweet potato per portion, peeled and generously seasoned
200g freshly proved dough per portion

 

METHOD

 

Fry the ginger, lemon grass, onion, carrot and garlic in sesame oil until golden. Add the rice and coat well with oil. Add a third of the stock and boil gently till absorbed by rice. Add more stock and repeat.

 

Add a third quantity of stock and simmer until the rice is cooked. Season. Stir in the grated Parmesan and set aside to cool.

 

Form six "cakes" from the mixture. Lightly coat with polenta. Put in an oiled roasting tin and bake till golden in a hot oven, turning after about five minutes.

 

To make the curry, fry the garlic, ginger, galangal, lime leaves, lemon grass, chilli and coriander in oil, add the stock and cream, season and simmer 30 minutes. Blend.

 

To make the chutney, take the coconut flesh from the shell and process in a food blender. Combine with the other ingredients.

 

Roast sweet potato in a pan brushed with water to prevent burning.

 

To make flat bread, take a 200g of freshly proved bread dough, flatten it like a pancake and fry it both sides in a lightly oiled pan.

 

To assemble the dish, put the risotto cake in the middle of the plate with spinach and sweet potato by it. Spoon chutney on top and the curry around it. Arrange a wedge of bread to one side.

 

Peter Gordon