This is the sort of dish I'd order off a menu time and time again and rarely make. I have no idea why and needed to watch the first of the new MKR to remind myself to just bloody make it!
Fish
What I always do with fish is fillet it the day before and pop it in the fridge overnight, skin side up so that it dries out. I give it around 30 hours I guess. Then take it out, smear it with a teeny bit of oil, sprinkle with salt and grill it under the grill on tin foil. Fail safe way to get lovely crispy skin, no smell of fish in the kitchen from spattered oils as the skin is so dry AND super easy for a dinner party.
I do all proteins this way (well not the grilling but the drying in the fridge part).
Broth
I did the broth very simply with lemon grass, coriander root and stem (whatever you have as extra), fresh ginger, a little pineapple juice, the seeds and skin of the tomato (I finely diced the skinless flesh for the dish), fish sauce, tamarind paste, chilli, balanced with a touch of sugar. I have an easy way to do this. put the tamarind paste in the pot along with the bashed lemon grass, chilli, tomato....well everything just chuck it all in. Put in the water (for me it was around 300mls but it's just depending on how much you're making) bring to the boil then turn it down to simmer for about 15 minutes.
Then, strain it through a fine strainer into another pot and reduce it for a little bit longer. In fact you can easily skip this step, just keep cooking it a bit longer with everything in it and strain it at the last second but you do have to of course check the balance - sweet sour salty hot.
Okey doke,
Rice
Steam the rice. I used sticky or glutinous rice so that it stays together. It's got a lovely, almost chewy texture. When it's done, form it into cakes. I used a square form I have but whatever or use hands. Wet your hands though, this stuff sticks.
Tomato
Chop the peeled seeded tomato into little dice.
Pineapple
Coat some fresh pineapple rounds in a little icing sugar, salt and lemon salt.
Kale
A new idea of mine and only after Katya coming did I even venture into kale. I had done it in the oven with good success. Lovely and crisp but it loses it's colour. So I put it on a flat plate tossed in a teeny bit of oil and some salt and microwaved it for about 2.5 minutes on high. Then I put it in the oven low, say 100deg for around 10-15 and it crisped up beautifully maintaining it's colour.
Other stuff
Finely slice kaffir lime leaf, red chilli (or roasted whole dried which is so indescribably yum when it's cooked first in a little oil). Leaf off coriander. Chop the flesh of tomatoes. Warm plates (quite important to buy time with the dishing up because of the components).
Cook the rice cakes on baking paper, lightly oiled. I dusted them with black pepper because I like the taste of it with chilli. They will brown up nicely and crisp. Keep warm.
Grill the fish along with the pineapple. The pineapple took longer. I'd do the pineapple first as it has far more water content.
Dishing up
The rice cake, the pineapple, the fish, scatter the tomato and corriander. Top with the finely sliced kaffir lime leaf and chilli, a little crispy kale. (Serve the extra kale at the table so that it stays crisp).
At the table
Pour the broth. Not for show, just so the rice doesn't lose it's texture.
Very very yum.
