MACAO’S PORTUGUESE FRIED RICE GRATIN – Lady and Pups

Step 1

TO COOK THE FISH: Cut the fish in small bite-size pieces, then season with salt and ground white pepper. Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil over high heat in a non-stick skillet, then cook the fish until slightly browned on the edges. Reserve 2/3 of the amount for fried rice, then roughly break up the rest for the sauce.

Step 2

TO FRY THE RICE: Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil over high heat in a wok or deep skillet, then add the beaten eggs. Before the eggs solidify, mix in the cooked rice with a wooden spatula and let the runny eggs partially coat the grains. After each grains are evenly separated and heated (if it seems dry, add a bit more oil), add the diced scallions, salt and ground white pepper. Mix evenly then add the reserved fish. Gently fold everything together then set aside.

Step 3

TO MAKE THE SAUCE: (If you have a small blender, you can puree vegetable oil, shallots, garlics and ginger together instead of grating.) Cook vegetable oil, unsalted butter, grated shallots, garlics and ginger in a pot over medium heat for 2 minutes until very fragrant. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and add curry powder, onion powder, ground coconut, all-purpose flour and ground black pepper. Stir constantly and cook for a few min until the paste starts to brown slightly, but careful not to burn. Whisk in the coconut milk and whole milk (make sure there's no lump), add the reserved shredded fish and simmer the mixture for 5~7 min until thickened and reduced very slightly. Now melt the grated gruyere cheese into the sauce, and re-season with more salt if needed.

Step 4

TO BAKE THE GRATIN: Preheat the broiler on high. Lightly butter the interior of the baking-dish, then spread the fried rice evenly across (you can make 1 big gratin or individual serving sizes). Pour in the sauce and make sure it completely covers the fried rice. Scatter more grated cheese over the top, plus a few small nubs of unsalted butter and a bit of ground black pepper. Bake on medium-high rack inside the oven until browned and bubbly on top. Serve immediately.