Global influence

Flex your cooking skills by trying three of our favourite dishes at London’s new Riding House Café Bloomsbury

Recipes HENRY OMEREYE
Photographs DAVID COTSWORTH

Chef Henry Omereye’s unique style of cooking features new combinations of ingredients that play around with Caribbean and African flavours. The menu at the new all-day Bloomsbury restaurant (sister site to Riding House Café Fitzrovia and Rail House Café) serves well-loved dishes, including those he’s shared here, along with lobster lasagne and cod fritters with Bajan pepper sauce, a recipe learnt from his mother-in-law in Barbados. riding.house

Crispy okra with yuzu ponzu dip

40 MINUTES | SERVES 4 AS A STARTER | EASY

OKRA SPICE MIXTURE

Maggi cubes (available in world food shops or online) 2

dried chilli flakes 1 tsp

golden granulated sugar 30g

suya spice mixture (available in world food shops or online) 2 tsp

YUZU PONZU DIP

mayonnaise 200g

onions 50g (about ½), finely chopped

ponzu soy sauce 2 tbsp

aleppo pepper flakes a pinch

CRISPY OKRA

vegetable oil for deep-frying

semolina 150g

whole milk 100ml

okra 200g, cut in half lengthways

1 To make the spice mixture, blitz together all the ingredients using a blender or spice grinder, then set aside.

2 To make the yuzu ponzu dip, whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside until ready to serve.

3 Fill a pan no more than a third full with vegetable oil and heat to 170C or until a cube of bread browns in 40 seconds.

4 Put the semolina and milk in two separate, shallow bowls. Dip the okra, first in the milk, and then quickly into the semolina.

5 Fry the okra in batches for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain each batch on kitchen paper while you fry the rest, then toss the fried okra in the spice mixture.

6 Garnish the okra with more of the spice mixture and serve with a side of the dip.

Chicken wings with Bajan pepper sauce and pickled onions

45 MINUTES + OVERNIGHT MARINATING + FERMENTING SERVES 10 | A LITTLE EFFORT

BAJAN PEPPER SAUCE (OPTIONAL)

shallots 2 long, chopped

onion ½, chopped

ground turmeric 1 tbsp

mustard powder 1 tbsp

scotch bonnet peppers 20

garlic 50g (5-7 cloves)

fresh horseradish 75g

lime 1, zested

distilled malt vinegar 225ml

MARINADE

chicken wings 1kg

all-purpose seasoning 40g

buttermilk 500ml

PICKLED RED ONIONS

white wine vinegar 250ml

caster sugar 100g

red onions 3 large, thinly sliced

DRY MIXTURE FOR CHICKEN

plain flour 250g

ground allspice 1 tsp

onion powder ½ tbsp

garlic powder ½ tbsp

dried thyme 1 tsp

TO SERVE

Bajan pepper sauce (recipe above) or other hot pepper sauce 60g

mayonnaise 200g

coriander a few sprigs

pickled red onions (recipe above)

1 To make the pepper sauce, blitz all the ingredients plus 1 tbsp of table salt in a food processor or high-powered blender to make a smooth paste. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days before using.

2 The day before cooking, rub the chicken wings in the all-purpose seasoning and put into a large bowl. Pour over the buttermilk and chill overnight.

3 To make the pickled onions, bring the vinegar and sugar to a boil in a pan over a medium heat, then add the onions. Cover and leave until completely cool, then chill.

4 Combine all the ingredients for the dry mixture, plus 10g of table salt.

5 Whisk together 60g of the Bajan pepper sauce and mayonnaise to make a serving sauce, then set aside until ready to serve.

6 Remove the chicken wings from the buttermilk and drain really well, then toss in the dry mixture.

7 Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Fill a large pan no more than a third full with oil and heat to 180C or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Fry the wings, in batches, for 5-7 minutes or until crisp, drain onto kitchen paper, then tip onto a baking tray while you fry the rest. Once all the wings are fried, put them into the oven for 5 minutes to cook through.

8 Serve the wings with the coriander, pickled onions, dipping sauce and the remaining pepper sauce.

Orange brioche doughnuts with butterscotch sauce

1 HOUR + OVERNIGHT PROVING | SERVES 8 | A LITTLE EFFORT

dried fast-action yeast 7g

strong white flour 250g

plain flour 80g

caster sugar 30g

sea salt flakes 8g

orange 1, zested

whole milk 15ml

orange juice 25ml

eggs 3

unsalted butter 125g, softened

vegetable oil for deep-frying

granulated sugar for the doughnuts

BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE

caster sugar 300g

double cream 350ml

1 Combine the yeast, flours, sugar, salt and orange zest in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the milk, juice and eggs, then mix until a dough forms.

2 Gradually add in the butter, a little at a time, only adding more once the previous butter is incorporated, then mix on a high speed until the dough comes away from the bowl and is smooth and glossy. Allow the dough to prove overnight in the fridge.

3 Divide and roll the dough into 20g balls and put on a tray lined with baking paper.

4 To make the butterscotch sauce, dissolve the sugar in a little water over a low heat – bring to the boil but don’t stir. When the sugar is a dark golden caramel, remove from the heat and stir in the cream. Season with a little salt.

5 Fill a pan no more than a third full with oil and heat to 170C or until a cube of bread browns in 40 seconds. Fry the dough balls, in batches, for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown all over. Toss in the granulated sugar and serve with the warm butterscotch sauce for dipping.

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