Mortar & Pestle
I
n credible flavours, inspiring ingredients and simple techniques – learn how to master the mortar and pestle with these delicious recipes
Mortar & Pestle published by Ryland Peters & Small (£9.99) Photography © Ryland Peters & Small
HOT & SOUR FISH SOUP This soup from Laos combines sweet, sour, and salty all in one colourful bowl, and as you simmer the stock, it becomes increasingly fragrant. If you want to turn up the heat, add a few dashes of sriracha sauce. 200 g cellophane noodles 6 kaffir lime leaves, torn 1 large red chilli, roughly chopped 1-inch/2.5-cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped 1 lemon grass stalk, trimmed and roughly chopped 2 garlic cloves 2 1.5 litres chicken stock 2 shallots, finely chopped 500 g fish steaks or fillets, such as striped bass or bream 50 g spinach, torn 4 tablespoons roasted sun-blush tomatoes, chopped freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime 2 tablespoons fish sauce a few dashes of sriracha (optional) a bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
GARLIC CHILI SHRIMP This is such an easy yet showstopping dish to serve for a casual supper—just set the large cast-iron pan in the middle of the table and eat the juicy shrimp/ prawns with your hands, mopping up the juices with crusty rustic bread. You can use any type of shrimp/prawn that has the head and shell intact; simply increase the cooking time slightly for larger ones. 900 g shrimp/prawns, heads on 1 whole head of garlic 1 tablespoon hot chilli flakes 60 ml olive oil
Mortar & Pestle
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
8
sea salt and cracked black pepper good crusty bread, to serve
RETIREMENT
today
SERVES 4–6 Place the shrimp/prawns in a large bowl and set aside. Break the garlic head into cloves, peel, and place in the mortar along with the hot chilli flakes and olive oil. Crush with the pestle until the garlic is broken into small chunks. Pour the garlic mixture over the shrimp/prawns and sprinkle with the oregano leaves. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Set aside for 5 minutes. Heat the grill/barbecue to medium–high. Place a large cast-iron pan on the grill and heat until just smoking. Place the shrimp/prawns and all the juices in the hot pan and cook for 6–8 minutes, turning every few minutes until they are cooked through. Cook a little longer if the shrimp/prawns are larger. Serve alongside a basket of crusty bread.
SERVES 4 Soak the noodles in a bowl of hot water for 10 minutes until softened. Drain well, shake dry, and set aside. Put the lime leaves, chilli, ginger, lemon grass, and garlic in a mortar and pestle and pound together until fragrant—it should still be quite bitty. Transfer this paste to a saucepan set over a medium heat and pour over the stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 20 minutes until really aromatic. Add the shallots to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes, then carefully add the fish fillets to the pan and cook gently for 4–5 minutes until cooked through. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the spinach, sun- blush tomatoes, lime juice, fish sauce, sriracha, if using, and coriander. Cover with a lid and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to develop. Divide the noodles between bowls and carefully spoon the fish on top. Pour over the soup and serve at once.
