Chef and cookery teacher Andrew Kojima (‘Koj’) created this quick, seasonal recipe after being inspired by a trip to Stroud Farmer’s Market.

Smoked salmon, purple sprouting broccoli, Savoy cabbage with spicy sesame dressing

Serves 2

20-30 minutes

Background

I visited Stroud farmers’ market on Saturday. It was a beautiful day, but this spell of nice weather worries me - winter vegetables are waning, but the full abundance of spring produce is still several weeks away. One vegetable that I’m relying on to get me through the ‘hungry gap’ is purple sprouting broccoli (PSB). Quality has been a little variable recently; I was forced to take it off a menu recently, but was lucky that my client had just harvested some from their garden. It’s important to cut off the woody ends and I also peel the stems like asparagus, not just because the skin can be tough, but to help the heat penetrate more easily. I also remove most of the leaves - they are edible, so don’t throw them away, but add them right at the last moment so they are just wilted and remain bright green. The PSB that I found in the Shambles at Stroud had dainty stems, virtually no leaves and were starting to flower - if you allow broccoli to go into full flower it will stop producing shoots, so I hope they harvested in time! To the chef and diner, the little yellow flowers are not just edible, they transform the visual appeal of the dish. I created this dish not for a client, but for myself at lunchtime - it therefore had to be quick and use what was available in the fridge. It has sub conscious roots in chirashi sushi (chirashi means scattered) but at the end of the day, it is a bowl of rice, topped with whatever ingredients come to hand. If it is pretty broccoli flowers, all the better.

Ingredients

150g brown rice

225g water

75g smoked salmon trimmings

3 leaves of cabbage (Savoy or white), shredded

6 sprouts of purple sprouting broccoli

2 tbsp Cotswold Gold extra virgin rapeseed oil

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar or cider vinegar)

1 tsp white sesame seeds

Large pinch of chilli powder (to taste)

Black sesame seeds (optional, for garnish)

Chives (optional, for garnish)

Method

1. Wash the rice, add the water and bring it to the boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, with the lid on, for about 15-18 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed and the rice is tender.

2. Make the spicy sesame dressing in an empty jam jar. Add the oils, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame seeds and chilli powder, screw on the lid, then shake until combined.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine the shredded cabbage and purple sprouting broccoli - everything should be in bite size pieces. Add a tablespoon of dressing and mix until the cabbage and broccoli is well coated.

4. To serve, fill a bowl with rice, then top with smoked salmon, cabbage and broccoli. Garnish with black sesame seeds and chopped chives, for further visual dimension.

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Koj

Andrew Kojima (‘Koj’)

Chef and cookery teacher

MasterChef 2012

Twitter: @MasterKoj

For more from Andrew Kojima, visit: www.kojcooks.co.uk