Platinum Chef 5- Fish Rice Cakes with Cool Sauce

It's Platinum Chef time baby! This challenge was a tough one. I really like coming up with a 1 dish solution for the ingredients, but this had such a weird set of raw materials, "challenge" was a great way to describe it! Avocado, rice, & basil are a-ok; I know what to do with those. But black beans AND grapes... complicated.

I focused on rice. I made a fish and rice cake that I paired with an avocado sauce. I'm not sure where you might find this in the world, and it needs some tweaking, but I'm pleased with this base. The basil didn't really add much flavor, and the raisins and black beans were a subtle but nice addition to the fish. It did need something extra though- hubby thought tang (orange zest?) and I thought spice (cayenne?). The sauce was perfect though- no changes there! I am going to add some lemon and mint to it and use it for a Greek style sauce tomorrow... But that's another day.


Fish Rice Cakes with Cool Sauce
Fish Cakes

• 1 1/4 C. Sushi Rice (Risotto might also work)
  
• 1 3/4 C. Water
  
• 1 Haddock Fillet (2 might be better)
  
• Chili Powder
  
• 1/2 C. Black Beans, drained & divided
  
• 1/2 C. Raisins, divided
  
• 1 Tbsp. Fresh Basil
  
• 1 Tbsp. Chives (I actually used 4 stems.)
  
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  
• Chili Powder, Dried Basil

1. Cook rice according to directions. Let sit and cool while prepping the rest of the ingredients.
   
2. In a medium saucepan, heat some water with chili powder to boiling. Add in fish and cook until flaky.
   
3. In a food processor, add in fish, basil, chives, 1 Tbsp. olive oil, half of the raisins, half of the black beans, and a couple of spoonfuls of cooked rice. Blend on Chop or Mix mode to just chop the mixture. The rice will turn pasty.
   
4. Roughly chop the remaining beans and raisins.
   
5. In a large bowl, mix together contents of the processor, rice, chopped raisins & beans, and any additional spices desired. I added in additional chili powder and dried basil.
   
6. Form mixture into 3-4" patties that are about 1/2" thick. In a large skillet, heat a little olive or vegetable oil and fry the cakes. Brown on each side, about 3-5 minutes each. Serve warm!

Cool Sauce

• 1 C. Sour Cream
  
• 1 Avocado
  
• 1/2 Cucumber, seeded
  
• 1 Clove of Garlic

1. Chop the avocado, cucumber, and garlic into large chunks.
   
2. In a food processor, puree all ingredients until a smooth consistency is achieved.
   
3. Let sit for a few minutes so flavors can blend.