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Jessica Chastain's tempura rolls
Ingredients
Pickled shallots:
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- Kosher salt
- White wine vinegar
- 6 shallots
Edamame dip:
- 2 jalapeño chillies
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 shallot
- 250 grams edamame beans
- Vegetable oil
- Rice wine vinegar
Dipping sauce:
- 1/2 teaspoon mushroom seasoning
- 20 grams sugar
- 35 milliliters tamari
- Rice wine vinegar
Rice rolls:
- 2-3 heritage carrots
- 2 Lebanese cucumbers or 1 cucumber
- 1 bunch of fresh chervil (30 grams)
- 1/2 a bunch of fresh tarragon (15 grams)
- 1 large handful of red grapes
- 1 large handful of radishes
- 1 romaine lettuce
- Optional: 12 shiso leaves
- 30 grams micro herbs (pea shoots, purple radish, wasabi mustard)
- 30 grams mixed beansprouts (mung, adzuki, chickpea, lentil)
- 12 rice paper wrappers
Cauliflower tempura:
- 2 cauliflowers (800 grams)
- 400 grams gluten-free self-raising flour
- 2 litres of vegetable oil, for deep frying
Directions
- For the pickled shallots, toast the peppercorns, cinnamon, star anise and coriander seeds in a dry frying pan on a medium heat until fragrant. Add one teaspoon of salt, 350 milliliters of water and 120 milliliters of vinegar, and bring to a boil.
- Peel and finely slice the shallots into rings and place in a heatproof bowl. Using a sieve, strain over the pickling liquid, then leave to cool and let the flavours mingle (see tip).
- For the edamame dip, prick the jalapeños with a sharp knife and place them directly over a gas hob, turning with tongs until blistered all over. Leave to cool a little before scraping off the black stuff with a knife, then halve and deseed.
- Peel the garlic and shallot, roughly slice the shallot and place in a food processor with the edamame, chillies, 40 milliliters of oil and two tablespoons of vinegar. Blitz until super-smooth, adding a splash of water to loosen, if needed. Have a taste and adjust with more vinegar, sea salt and black pepper. Scrape into a bowl, cover and set aside.
- For the dipping sauce, combine all the ingredients in a bowl with 240 milliliters each of vinegar and water and one teaspoon of fine salt. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- For the rice rolls, start by prepping the veg. Scrub the carrots, then shave into long ribbons along with the cucumber. Pick the chervil and tarragon, finely slice the grapes and the radishes. Separate the lettuce leaves, wash and dry, then arrange everything, including the micro herbs and beansprouts, on a large platter ready for your guests to assemble. Don’t forget you will need to soak the rice paper in water for about 40 seconds before making up your rolls.
- For the tempura, break the cauliflower into large florets. Whisk the flour with 600 milliliters cold water until you have a smooth batter.
- Half-fill a large sturdy pan with about two litres of oil (or use a deepfat fryer) and place on a medium to high heat. Use a thermometer to get it to 180°C, or test with a cube of bread – if it floats and turns golden, you’ll be about right. If the oil starts to smoke at any point, reduce the heat a little.
- Dip the cauliflower in the batter and fry for about five minutes, or until golden and crisp – you will need to do this in batches. Remove with a slotted spoon to kitchen paper and season. Get everyone seated and let your guests make up their own rolls with a bit of everything while you get on with frying the next batch.
Tips: Store any leftover shallots and their pickling liquid in a jar in the fridge for adding to salads, cheese toasties and more. You know it makes sense!
