Chef Ivan Brehm Ivan is the chef-owner of Michelin starred restaurant Nouri and creative interdisciplinary space Appetite. He is well known for developing an approach to cuisine he calls ‘Crossroads Thinking’. Crossroads Thinking serves to connect food to the diner in a deeper, more meaningful way.
Watch his rendition of the traditional Italian dish Chicken Cacciatore, aptly named ‘Not a Chicken Cacciatore’ where he infuses local South East Asian flavors to the dish. Learn tips like how to make polenta so it doesn’t stick, and how to make deep jade basil oil with no oxidation!
Here are the recipes:
Serves 4
Polenta
A
50gr fine grit polenta flour
225gr milk
225gr water
B
90gr parmesan cheese grated
90gr butter
Salt to taste
1. Add ingredients A to the thermomix fitted with butterfly attachment. Cook at 90 Celsius, speed 2 for 2 hours.
2. Add ingredients B, to the thermomix bowl, on speed two till emulsified. Season to taste. Serve straight away or reserve in appropriate size container with plastic wrap in contact with the product. (To reheat product warm a few tablespoons of milk in an appropriate size pot, and once hot, add polenta and reheat. Do not bring product to a boil)
Basil Oil
200g basil leaves (no big stems)
300gr grapeseed oil (or another neutral tasting oil)
1. Add both ingredients to the Thermomix. Blend on high speed, occasionally stopping the blender and with the help of spatula, pushing the herb paste back down. You might have to repeat this process a few times until mix is no longer chunky.
2. Once herb is pureed blend on speed 9 for 2 minutes. Push once again with the help of the spatula.
3. Turn the thermomix to 80 celcius, and spin with the lid on for 3 minutes.
4. Pour the herb oil mix with the help of a spatula onto a colaner lined with cheesecloth or a clean kitchen cloth, into a bowl. Tighten the cloth and allow it to drip in the fridge.
5. Decant (separate the basil oil from the brown water that will have appeared). Reserve till needed in the fridge or freeze it for later use.
Peanut Praline
100gr trehalose sugar(can be replaced with normal sugar)
100gr water
100gr peanuts
1 tbsp of peanut oil or neutral oil
Oil for frying
1. Toast peanuts at 160 celsius or till golden brown
2. Meanwhile make simple syrup out of water and sugar
3. Once nuts are toasted add them to the syrup and cook mixture slowly till syrup has thickened slightly and is tacky to the touch.
4. Strain nuts from remaining syrup and allow them to air dry and cool on the bench on a tray or bowl.
5. Add mixture to the thermomix with a tbsp of peanut oil, blend on high speed till desired consistency is achieved
Spiced rempah
100g grapeseed oil
17g belachan (blow torched all sides)
200g local shallots
5gr korean chilli flakes
1. Place all into a thermomix, blend until smooth
2. Lower to speed 1-2, 100’C for 35min
3. Transfer to a pan, cook until the oil splits from the paste and fragrant.
Sous Vide Chicken
2 Large chicken breasts
500gr salt
40gr salt
Butter or rumpah
1. Dissolve salt in water completely to make brine
2. Submerge chicken in the brine for 1 hour in the fridge. Remove from brine, rinse in fresh water to remove salt. Rest chicken for 2 hours in fridge in a covered bowl
3. Drain chicken from brine, pack in individual vaccum pac bags or ziplog freezer bags with 10g of butter or a tbsp of rempah.
4. Vaccum pack the chicken breast or with the help of a deep pot with tap water, remove all the air from the ziplock bag (there are videos of this online. Search ziplock bag sous vide)
5. Add the blade cover to the thermomix, add water to fill the bowl slightly bellow the maximum line.
6. Straighten the chicken so the butter is not squashing the breast and there is no wrinkles
7. Cook at 60’c for 30-40 minutes depending on size of chicken breast.
8. Remove chicken from water bath, keeping it in the bag and rest at room temperature water for 15 minutes. add ice and chill completely. Refrigerate till needed
Plate up:
1. Remove chicken from fridge 20mins prior to cooking. Leaving it in bag on counter top away at room temperature.
2. In a hot non stick pan sear chicken on one side till lightly browned
3. Meanwhile reheat polenta
4. Slice chicken thinly and lather it with rempah
5. Spoon a few spoons of hot polenta onto plate
6. Add chicken dressed in rempah. Add peanut praline and drizzle basil oil.
7. Garnish with edible flowers, and a few slices of good quality tomatoes.