Chef Wise

Now I do not know if I am qualified to do this recipe. When you consider that it takes years to become a sushi chef and about three or more years to learn how to cook the rice, you kind of get the feeling that I am doing it some massive injustice. But having said that I will carry on any way.   You will need, 255g/9oz sushi rice 55ml/2floz mirin 5 sheets nori sushi sheets 1 cucumber cut into 5 long pieces 5 spring onions 5tsp wasabi paste  light soy sauce Japanese pickled ginger Now it is all about the rice and that is the main part of this dish. Everything must be really fresh now you can use salmon and tuna but you need really fresh fish. In this recipe I am just using vegetables but get the freshest best vegetables you can get. First rinse the rice in cold water working it with your fingers , then wash it off and repeat for about four or five times. What you are looking for is the water to be clear and all that starch washed away, or as ...

Jollof rice is found throughout West Africa. Depending on who makes it be very hot and spicy or not, but it always full of tomato. I have read that it was the historic relative of jambalaya. Serve with fried chicken and a green salad and it makes a change from just rice. You will need 1tbsp olive or vegetable oil 2 large onions, sliced 2 x 400g/14oz cans plum tomatoes 1 red pepper 4tbsp tomato purée ¼tsp cayenne pepper 1tsp curry powder 1tsp garlic puree 1tsp ginger puree 1 bay leaf Fresh thyme 1 chicken stock cube 550ml/19floz of water 225g/8oz long-grain rice Salt and freshly ground black pepper It is a bit like cooking any rice dish like this start by heating the oil in a large pan. Then add the onions and cook until translucent. Now rinse your rice to get rid of any excess starch and add that to the pot, let it cook in the oil for a moment or two. Then add the cayenne pepper, curry powder, garlic puree, ginger puree, bay leaf and thyme. Let t...

Now to cook this you have to take a little time and respect the cooking of the rice. The one thing that we do not do in this country is respect the ingredients that we are cooking. Rice just throw it in some water and boil it up that will do. Then wounded later why it is not like we expected it to be like. Well follow the few simple steps and you should have the perfect aromatic pilaf rice at the very end. You will need. 250g/8oz Basmati rice 4tbsp ghee or vegetable oil 8 cloves 6 cardamom pods Two 4cm/2in cinnamon sticks 2 medium-sized onions 2 medium-sized tomatoes 570ml/ 1pt chicken stock A good pinch of salt Start by washing your rice, now this removes all the starch from the outside of the rice. Wash it to or three time and change the water every times, just leave it in cold water for about 30 minutes first. Then rinse it threw a few times you will see the water just go white with the starch from the first soak. Drain the water off and just le...

Now this you would think is easy to make but it does take a little time and practice.  what you are looking for is a rice that has a sweet sour note but not over powering .  And that you can form in a ball or roll in dried sea weed. Like most things in Japanese cooking it is simple and at the same time if you want to get it right take time and practice. Also you will need a pan with a tight fitting lid , you do not want any of the steam to escape. You will need 150g/5½oz sushi rice, rinsed thoroughly and drained 225ml/8fl oz water pinch salt 25g/1oz sugar 50ml/2fl oz rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp dashi- concentrated or powdered fish stock Now if you can not get sushi rice from most good supermarkets but if you can not get hold of any then use a short grain white rice. The first thing that you have to do is rinse the rice. Put the rice in to cold water and and stir it round with your hand . Then drain the cold water off and s...

Here are my two recipes for the two kinds of rice that you normally get from the takeaway. The thing about stir fried rice is that you can put almost any thing in it. Also rice roughly doubles in weight when you cook it so for 227g/8oz cooked rice you will need 123g/ 4oz raw rice. The real thing that I recommend that you do is cook your rice and then fry your rice do not use rice that has sat a round for a few days, it is never a good idea. For the egg-fried rice you will need 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 tsp sesame oil 2 tbsp vegetable oil 200g/7oz pre-cooked rice, chilled Salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 spring onions, finely sliced Some chopped coriander leaves Take your eggs and whisk them in a bowl with the sesame oil. Now heat your wok with the until the oil is hot then add the cooked rice. Start to heat the rice threw in the oil for about 2 or 3 minutes. Now add your egg oil mix and keep stirring for about another 2 or 3 minutes so the ...

With any kind of poultry, this works quite well and once more is a fast and easy to cook dish that you can just nock together in a few moments. This is a great for using up leftover turkey chicken or goose. Ingredients 3 tbsp olive oil 1 large onion   2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 litre/1¾ pints chicken stock 400g/14½oz risotto rice 2 tbsp butter 250g/9oz mushrooms 500g leftover meat Some mixed fresh herbs sage, rosemary, parsley, tarragon, chives 4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan salt and freshly ground black pepper Take your onion and peeled and finely chop it.  Then in a large heavy-based pan over a medium heat, heat your oil and gently cook the onion.  Now crush the garlic and add that to the pan along with the rice and let it cook so that it becomes slightly translucent. Meanwhile, In another pan have your stock gentle simmer. Now to be honest I do not know if it really makes that much of a difference if you stock is hot or not , ...

A rice pudding should be baked in the oven to cook the rice and I do finish my in the oven or under the grill but I make my pudding in a pan. I have always found this a better, quicker and easier to wash up afterwards method. People will say what about the skin that is the best bit well this way you will get something better than the skin. For my way rice pudding you will need 450ml/16floz full-fat milk 450ml/16floz double cream ½ vanilla pod or a few drop of vanilla essence 150g/5oz pudding rice 75g/3oz caster sugar Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste 25g/1oz butter Some Demerara sugar A splash of water First, do not think rice pudding think risotto. Add a splash of water to a large sauce pan and the sugar and butter let them melt together. You do not want the sugar to caramelise so do this on a low heat. Then add the rice so that every thing gets a good coating of sugar. Now add your milk, nutmeg and your vanilla, if you are using a vanilla pod just split it and throw ...

This hearty paella recipe from the northeast of Spain uses rabbit and chicken so I am told. However, you can make it with almost any thing as long as you follow the rules, a bit like risotto in Italy. Start by cooking the rice add the ingredient add the stock and let it all cook together , do not over cook the rice and use the best fresh ingredients you can get. Now I am sure that there is a lot of people who will disagree with the way I am going to tell you haw to cook this but this is what I do. For this paella you will need, 125ml/4fl oz olive oil 200g/7oz rabbit meat, cut into bite-sized pieces 250g/9oz chicken breast fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces Salt black pepper to taste 1 large onion, peeled and chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 165g/5¾oz runner beans, trimmed and sliced 2 ripe tomatoes, skin and seeds removed, chopped 1 level tsp sweet paprika 1.9 litres/3¼ pints hot chicken stock salt and freshly ground black pepper 700ml/1.25 pints Spanish pae...

This rice breakfast dish is a very nice thing to have not just for breakfast but also at any time of the day. It's like a risotto but with all the comforting things for breakfast as well. It is a strange blend of break fast and curry, now the two top British dishes that we like to eat. 1 tbsp olive oil 50g/2oz butter 1 onion, finely chopped 350g/11oz Arborio rice 750ml/1 pints warm chicken stock 1 heaped tsp curry powder 150g/5oz smoked haddock fillets 2 free-range eggs, chopped fresh coriander leaves 3 slices of Black pudding 2 slices of smoked streaky bacon nutmeg and fresh ground black pepper Take a pan and heat the oil and the butter in it. Add the chopped onions and allow them to soften. Now as it cook take the rice and start to cook that , letting the butter and oil soak in to the rice but do not let it brown or burn . Place a pan of water on the on the stove and start to heat it up ready for you to poach the eggs. Place the bacon on a try and put it un...

To make a risotto is one of the easiest things in the world. They say that a classic Italian dish is take a simple dish and then remove two of the ingredients. In this case for you basic risotto you have that perfect case in point. But that being said most of the time when I have ever had a risotto it has not been right, over cooked and stodgy, so to start with we will just cook the basic risotto. You will need to start with 450g/1½pts of good chicken stock 85g/3oz butter 1 medium onion 1 garlic clove 1tdsp olive oil 450g/1ld Arborio rice Salt and fresh ground black pepper And this is all you need for the very basic risotto, nothing more and nothing less. But when I say nothing more you need the best home made chicken stock. Made from chicken bones with onions, celery and carrots boiled away so that when it is cold it goes like a rich jelly. Warm you stock so it is hot, do not boil as you will just end up with out any stock left. Now take a pan that has a large flat base. The better th...