Monkfish-Free Rice
A 'monkfish' rice made with aubergine wrapped in nori for a taste of the sea
INGREDIENTS
For the Rice:
- 200 g Rice
- 500 g Cooked white beans
- 4 Ripe tomatoes
- 1 Medium onion
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 0.25 sheet Nori
- 1 piece Kombu
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 300 ml Water
- 4 tbsp Parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp Coriander, chopped
- Turmeric, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Salt, to taste
- Piri-piri powder, to taste
For the 'Monkfish':
- 2 Small aubergines
- 1.5 sheets Nori
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 3 tbsp Soy sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Rice:
- 1 Sauté the chopped onion with the bay leaves in the olive oil until golden.
- 2 Add the chopped garlic and parsley and cook for a few minutes.
- 3 Add the tomatoes, cut into quarters, and cook for about 30 minutes, until very soft.
- 4 Take out the bay leaves and blend the mixture with a hand blender into a smooth sauce.
- 5 Put the bay leaves back in the pan and add the rice, the nori and the kombu.
- 6 Season with salt, black pepper, turmeric and piri-piri, stirring well to bring the flavours together.
- 7 Add the water and cook, stirring now and then and adjusting the amount of water if needed.
- 8 When the rice is almost cooked, add the drained beans and the chopped coriander.
- 9 Taste and adjust the seasoning, cooking until the rice has the texture you want.
For the 'Monkfish':
- 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- 2 Peel the aubergines and cut them into quarters lengthways.
- 3 Score the inside of each piece in a shallow diamond pattern.
- 4 Brush with olive oil and place cut side down in a roasting tin.
- 5 Roast for 15-20 minutes, until the aubergines are soft.
- 6 Cut the nori sheets into equal rectangles to cover the top of each piece of aubergine.
- 7 Mix the soy sauce with the chopped garlic and the olive oil in a bowl.
- 8 Take the aubergines out of the oven, brush with the sauce and cover each with a strip of nori.
- 9 Brush again over the nori and all around the aubergine.
- 10 Return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes, until the nori is lightly toasted.
- 11 Serve the rice nice and creamy with the aubergines on top.
- 12 Sprinkle with chopped coriander before serving.
