TOFU TARTARE

If you know you know.

This recipe evolved over three or four years before making it onto the restaurant menu when Henry Sugar opened in 2016.

It was illegitimately conceived 15 years ago when I ate a dish in Japan at an Izakaya on the top floor of a slightly seedy multi floored building in the middle of Tokyo.. While the exact details of the dish are a bit hazy I remember the harmony of the combination of flavors clearly.. 

I remember the avocado, shiso, some acid that may have been yuzu as well as some silken tofu.

Here is the magic sauce that ties it all together.

• 60 yuzu 

• 120 soy 

• 38 sesame oil 

• 8 Dijon

• Xanthan about 0.4 

Mix all ingredients except xanthan.

Blend with a stick blender and dump in the gum while it’s going. Blend well for about 1 minute. It should be a similar consistency to loose tomato sauce.

Next you want to dice:

• 100 g of dry tofu

• 200 g firm tofu

• 200 soft tofu

 And combine with

• 2 T finely diced spring onion

• 2 T finely diced fresh shiso leaves

• 200 diced avocado not overly ripe

• Dress with the sauce, season if desired

Serve on crackers, rice puffs, prawn crackers or even with crostini

We once did it on bruschetta with miso butter which turned up the naughty a few notches.

ARROZ CON LECHE

This refreshing summer Spanish version of rice pudding is both light and super delicious.

I learnt it from a friend I worked with in Spain from the Basque country.  I've since played around with it doing a vegan version with coconut milk. As long as you have a similar fat content you can pretty much do any milk. 

So if you wanted to use oat, I’d finish it with some vegan butter, or coconut fat.

Original recipe

750 milk

250 cream

80 grams long grain white rice

1 cinnamon stick

Peel of 1 lemon

Cook on low for about 40 minutes until the rice is a bit overcooked

Then add

100 - 125 grams of sugar depending on your taste

 Option to add 40 grams of butter at the end if you want a bit more rich and naughty

Cool in the fridge

A recent vegan version I made

1000 coconut milk about 18% fat

80 grams jasmine  rice

7 kaffir lime leaves

Cook on low for about 40 minutes until the rice is a bit overcooked

Add 100 grams of sugar and a spoon of coconut fat at the end

Cool in the fridge.

I served it with mango, but it would also work with lychees or most fruit that goes with coconut. Think tropical vibes, or even raspberries or poached rhubarb would be killer too!

If I was serving this in the restaurant I’d think about adding more textures. Toasted coconut or freeze dried coconut, maybe even a rich coconut ice cream with a bit of finger lime.