Recipe: Ikoyi's plantain, smoked scotch bonnet and raspberry

Recipe from the new Ikoyi cookbook by Jeremy Chan

Ingredients

For the smoked Scotch bonnet oil

• 700g red chillies, pierced
• 75g Scotch bonnet chillies, pierced
• 900g shallots, halved
• Grapeseed oil, for coating
• 100g smoked paprika
• 1.5kg rapeseed oil

For the smoked Scotch bonnet emulsion

• 6g fine salt
• 65g egg yolks
• 8g Dijon mustard
• 30g apple cider vinegar
• 100g House Pickle (see below)

For the raspberry salt

• 600g freeze-dried raspberry powder
• 50g ground cinnamon
• 20g ground cloves
• 100g paprika
• 20g fine salt

For the plantain flour

• 300g coarse white corn grits
• 75g sorghum flour
• 112g tapioca starch
• 37g rice flour
• 8g fine salt
• 3g ground cloves
• 5g paprika
• 3g Cameroon chilli powder

To finish

• 1 ripe yellow plantain
• 50g buttermilk
• 2kg grapeseed oil, for deep-frying
• Fine salt

Method

To make the smoked Scotch bonnet oil

Lightly coat the chillies and shallots in grapeseed oil, then place in an even layer over a very hot grill. Leave them to heavily char, turning once to cook on both sides. Transfer the charred chillies and shallots into a deep gastronorm, cover the container with cling film, then leave to soften for two hours.

Once softened and cooled, finely chop the chillies and shallots, then transfer into a vacuum-seal bag with the smoked paprika and rapeseed oil. Cold-infuse the oil for 48 hours in the fridge before straining through a muslin cloth. Store the oil in an airtight container in the fridge and use within 1 month.

To make the smoked Scotch bonnet emulsion

Blitz the salt, egg yolks, mustard and vinegar in a food processor until a coherent paste forms. Emulsify the egg mixture by slowly adding 375g of the smoked Scotch bonnet chilli oil. Scrape down the sides of the blender, then add half of the house pickle. Continue emulsifying with another 375g of the smoked Scotch bonnet chilli oil, followed by the second half of the house pickle.

Store the emulsion in an airtight container in the fridge and use within 1 week.

To make the raspberry salt

Blend all the ingredients together in a spice grinder to form a fine power. Pass the powder through a fine sieve, then store in an airtight container and use within six months.

To make the plantain flour

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blitz for two minutes. Store the powder in an airtight container and use within 1 month.

To finish

Peel the plantain and slice the tips at a sharp angle. Lay the plantain curved side up and slice into four horizontal portions, each 1cm thick. Trim the plantain portions to 13cm long and carve so that each edge of the plantain is clean.

Brush the plantain slices with the buttermilk and place into the plantain flour. Carefully spread a layer of flour over the exposed side of plantain, making sure not to create clumps with the buttermilk. Remove the plantain slices from the flour and set aside on a piece of greaseproof paper.

Heat the oil to 170°C in a deep pot and fry the plantain slices for four minutes until golden. Season with fine salt, then scatter 5g raspberry salt over each piece. Take out four room-temperature plates and place a plantain slice in the centre of each. To the left of the plantain, make a quenelle of the smoked Scotch bonnet emulsion, then serve.

House Pickle

Makes 4 kg

• 1.1 kg apple cider vinegar
• 2 kg filtered water -900g honey
• 25g black peppercorns
• 10g ehuru
• 10g uda pods
• 10g ancho chillies
• 10g lavender
• 10g thyme
• 20g bay leaves

In a large pot, bring the vinegar, water and honey to the boil, then set aside.

Toast the peppercorns, ehuru and uda pods in a wide frying pan until fragrant, then add to the pickle liquid, along with the chillies, lavender, thyme and bay leaves. Cool the pickle to room temperature and leave to infuse overnight in the fridge.

Strain the pickle the next day and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Use within three months.