Steamed Fish with sticky sauce and crunchy garnishes

This is a 'test the limits' recipe. It's about discovering the cool things you can do with your thermomix, like making crunchy garlic garnishes as well as steaming your fish and your rice all at once.

There are a lot of sections to this recipe, but they are all simple and you can just cut down the time by preparing the garnishes on the stove top while the steaming is happening. Just be aware - you need to soak your sticky rice for 6 hours before cooking. (just factor that one in :)

INGREDIENTS:

Fish and Sticky Rice

2+fillet firm white-fleshed fish,e.g. barra, up to six pieces
2+banana leaves ,for steaming and serving
2+cups of sticky rice, (SOAKED FOR 6 HOURS)
pinch salt and pepper for seasoning fish

Crunchy Garnishes

80g vegetable oil
2 clove garlic,finely sliced
handful thai basil leaves,washed and dried
few coriander leaves,washed and dried
1/3MC of Fried Asian Shallots
1/3MC of sesame seeds

Sticky Sauce

5cm piece of ginger,peeled and halved
2long red chillies,halved, deseeded optional
100g palm sugar,roughly shredded
60g lime juice
60g fish sauce
2 tablespoon tamarind paste (40g)

Preparation

Rice Cover the rice with water generously and leave to soak at least 6 hours

 

Crunchy Garnishes

Toast sesame seeds for 5 minutes, Varoma Temperature, reverse speed 1. Tip out and wipe TM bowl. 

Pour oil in TM bowl and set to 14 minutes, varoma temp, reverse speed 1

After 2 minutes, drop the garlic in and allow to fry

When there is 4 minutes to go, drop in the thai basil leaves.

When finished, pour onto a piece of paper towel over a small bowl.

Add the ginger, take the reverse button off ans chop 4 seconds speed 7, add chilli to the TM bowl chop for 3 seconds speed 7

Pour back 20g of the reserved oil and sauté for 3 minutes varoma temp speed 1

Weigh in the sugar, fish sauce, lime juice and tamarind paste and cook for 6 minutes, varoma speed 2.

Tip into a small jug or bowl and wash out the TM bowl

The remaining oil is a beautiful seasoned basil and garlic oil for stir fries.

NOTE: If you don't mind using the stove top and want to save time - you can prepare the garnishes in a pan while the fish and rice are steaming. Simply fine slice the garlic, chiffonade the chilli and grate the ginger.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok over high heat. Add garlic and cook until golden (don't burn it or it will be bitter). Transfer to paper towel. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil and fry the basil until crispy and reserve on baking paper. Tip out all but 1 tablespoon of oil and add the ginger and chilli and stir fry for 1 minute. Then add the sugar, lime juice, tamarind and fish sauce (you may need extra tamarind, lime juice and fish sauce if cooking in a pan) and cook until syrupy. Transfer to a jug.

 

Fish and Sticky Rice

Season the Fish with a little of the reserved oil, salt and pepper and a little of the sticky sauce, sprinkle with half the toasted sesame seeds and wrap in the banana leaves.

Rinse out the rice, and put in the bottom tier of the Varoma, shaping into a donut to allow the steam to pass through well.

Put 1000g of water into TM bowl, set to 28 minutes, varoma speed 2

Place fish in the top layer of the Varoma, and place all levels on top of the TM.

Stir the rice 1-2 times in the cooking time.

To serve – place cooked fish on banana leaves, pour a small amount of sauce on top and sprinkle with the crunchy garlic, basil leaves, remaining sesame seeds, shallots and fresh coriander.