TONY STAPLES: The Arora Hotel offers one smoking hot dish
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.
We’ve got a new smoker in the kitchen here at the Grill and, like all boys with a new toy, I’ve been experimenting with it, smoking a range of fresh ingredients to see what works best.
The obvious choices have been fish and meat, but when we decided to put kedgeree on the menu, I used the smoker for the rice.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAdding uncooked rice to the smoker for about eight hours gives an amazing flavour to the final dish. Although usually eaten for breakfast or brunch, kedgeree is one of those dishes that can hold its own any time of day.
If you didn’t find a smoker in your Christmas stocking, then make this recipe using smoked cod from your fishmonger or supermarket.
We have dressed this kedgeree up for our dinner menu, serving it with soft boiled quails eggs, pea puree and Arancini – little balls of the same curried, smoked risotto rice, which has been allowed to cool, then dipped in egg and breadcrumbs and deep fried.
“And, of course, it’s topped with fresh cod fillets that have been smoked in our new kitchen gadget. Now, I wonder what else I can smoke...”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdTo book a table at the Grill restaurant in Arora Hotel, phone 01293 530000. Follow us on Twitter or ‘like’ us on Facebook.
Visit www.gatwick.arorahotels.com.
Kedgeree
Serves 2
180-200g fillet of smoked cod
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
100g butter
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp curry powder
3cms of peeled fresh ginger, grated
1 litre chicken stock
500ml milk
half a bunch of fresh coriander washed and chopped
75g butter
half an onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
200g risotto rice
Soft boiled eggs to garnish
Method
In a deep frying pan, melt the butter and gently sweat the diced onion and three garlic cloves.
Stir in the cumin and curry powder and fry for a minute.
Add the grated ginger, milk, chicken stock and coriander.
Blitz in a blender and return to the pan. Add the fish and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove the fish and keep the liquid on a low heat.
In another pan, melt 75g butter and add the half chopped onion and two cloves of crushed garlic. Cook for a few minutes to soften, but not colour.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdStir in the rice and cook for a few minutes. Add the warm curried liquid a little at a time, stirring until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is just soft to bite – ‘al dente’. This takes about 15-20 minutes.
Either flake the fish into the risotto or put the fillet back into the frying pan to heat through and serve on top, garnished with halved soft boiled hens or quails eggs.
Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.
Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be among the first to know what’s going on.
1 Make our website your homepage
2 Like our Facebook page
3 Follow us on Twitter
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad4 Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
Be part of it.