Recipes for sunnier times: Yotam Ottolenghi’s satay chicken and nasi goreng - MW

Ivisited Bali in November last year to join the Writers and Readers Festival in Ubud, set to deal with the first bombing in Bali in 2002 and now the 17th year. Seeing a world: The time we can travel back is a long way off, I know, but I can find a way to create a sense of connection in these distant days. Cooking food in remote places is the job I can offer, and even if you can get all the ingredients right now, get rid of these Balinese scents and bring them out inside. happier time.

Nasi goreng (pictured above)
Nasi goreng was second in CNN's survey of the 50 best foods in the world, which I was a little surprised, but also totally received: who doesn't like good fried rice? My variation uses brown rice, but you can save time by using leftover cooked rice. This makes a little more sambal than you need, but it stays in the fridge for up to a week, ready to be eaten over rice or noodles, or next to fish and meat.

Prepare 20 minutes
Cook for 1 hour
Serve 2

250g of short grain brown rice
135ml of sunflower oil
5 fresh makrut leaves, or the skin of 1 lemon leaf or 5 bay leaves
2 tbsp of soy sauce
2 large eggs
6 onions, finely chopped
1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve

For models
4 red peppers (or less, to taste), discarded and seeded
1 plum tomato, chopped
10g fresh turmeric, peeled and finely chopped, or ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp of maple syrup
2 tsp of green pepper, crushed
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
10g fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
20ml lemon juice
Salt

Put rice in a large pot with 500ml of water, simmer, lower heat, cover and cook for 30 minutes, then drain.

Meanwhile, put the sambal ingredients in a small bowl of a food processor with a teaspoon and a half of salt and smooth blitz.

Heat 90ml of oil in a large saucepan over high heat, then add lemon leaves and half sambal, and sauté for three minutes, until very fragrant (careful: it may spit). Add cooked rice, soy sauce and two other tablespoons of oil, and fry for 10 minutes, until the rice is coated and begins to cook. Stir three quarters of the onion, then scoop the rice into two medium bowls and use the back of the spoon to compress.

Clean the pan, add the remaining tablespoons of oil and set on high heat. Once very hot, break the egg and fry hard until the crisp whites around the edges and the yolks are still flowing, then transfer to the plate.

Take out a bowl of rice into two plates, the top is an egg and spread evenly on the rest of the scallions. Serve with sambal wedge and fresh lime left to squeeze.

Chicken Satay and sambal

The bright colors and rich taste of Balinese food is what makes it stand out, but it's a simple satay chicken at a food market that stole the show for me. I tried to repeat the flavor here. This is a great sharing dish: just arrange everything on a large platter and let your guests build their own parcels.

Prepare 20 minutes
Marinate 1 hour +
Cook for 1 hour
Server 4

For chicken
4 chicken feet
2 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp of maple syrup
3 tbsp olive oil
3 lemons - 1½ juice, to have 1½ tbsp, the rest cut into wedges, to serve
2 lettuce gemstones, split leaves
Large cucumbers, cut into 4cm long batons
Salt

For satay sauce
90g peanut butter crunchy
2 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp of maple syrup
2 red, finely chopped peppers (peeled and seeded if you prefer less heat)
1 small clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
4 makrut lime leaves, discarded stems and chopped leaves, or peel of 1 lemon, or 4 bay leaves
1 tbsp of lemon juice

For models
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped (remove skins and seeds if you prefer less heat)
1 lemongrass, outer layer papilla away, finely chopped
Teaspoons of sugar
1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice

Place chicken feet in a large bowl with soy sauce, maple syrup, two tablespoons of oil, lemon juice and a half teaspoon of salt, then set aside to marinate for an hour, or in the fridge over night.

Preheat the oven to 210C (fan 190C) / WEB 425F / gas 7. Insert the contents of the chicken bowl into a large oven tray lined with oiled paper, arrange the skin of the chicken skin and pat the skin dry. Pour over remaining scoop of oil, then roast for 40-45 minutes, until juice drips and skin is crispy.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat all the ingredients of satay sauce with one tablespoon and half water, until smooth, and in a second bowl mix all sambal ingredients with half a spoon salt coffee.

Transfer chicken and all liquid from tray to large dish. Arrange salads, cucumbers, sambal, lemon wedges and bowls of satay sauce next door, and serve.

Black rice pudding with papaya and ginger syrup


This pudding will definitely make an impact at the dinner table, but in reality couldn't be easier to combine together. Be sure to plan ahead by soaking the rice first. You can prepare rice, syrup and coconut flakes the day before, leaving you with a simple assembly job right before you want to serve it. If you can find papaya, trade it for mangoes - it works just as well.

Prepare 20 minutes
Cook for 1 hour 10 minutes
Server 4

400g of black venus rice or Thai black rice, soaked in water for 1-4 hours
3 tbsp maple syrup
Sea salt
1 medium papaya, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes of 2cm, or 2 ripe mangoes
2 lemons - finely ground peel, to get 1 teaspoon and juice, to get 3 tablespoons
160g of full-fat coconut milk
Sea salt

For the syrup
100ml maple syrup
10g fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla powder, or vanilla extract
2 stars anise, crushed
4 strips of smoothed lemon zest

Add coconut flakes
60g coconut flakes
2 tbsp of maple syrup

Preheat oven to 180C (fan 160C) / 350F / gas 4. Put all syrup ingredients in a small saucepan at medium high heat, bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and let steep at least one hour or overnight.

Drain and wash rice, then put in a medium-sized pot with 1.2 liters of water, maple syrup and a pinch of good salt. Bring to a boil, then turn on medium heat and cook for 35 - 40 minutes, stirring each time, until cooked through and thickened congee. Let it cool completely (or cool if you're going ahead).

Mix coconut flakes with maple syrup and spread out an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper. Bake for 13 minutes, mixing once halfway, until golden and crispy, then remove and sprinkle generously with salt.


Mix papaya (or mango) with lemon juice. Divide cold black rice between four bowls and top with a mixture of coconut milk, papaya and lemon juice, stress syrup, coconut flakes and lemon zest, and serve.

MW