Canberra fine diner Pilot has drawn national acclaim for its creative approach to familiar flavours – and now the team’s highly anticipated sequel, Such and Such, is here.
Such and Such couldn’t be a more different restaurant. Pilot’s minimalist concrete floors and subdued colour scheme have been swapped for bright hues and velvet textures. A vibrant, rainbow-hued glass wall greets you at the entrance, giving way to colourful terrazzo floor tiles, butter-yellow shelving and curvy banquette seating. The menus are also markedly different. Pilot’s degustation menu and tweezered precision contrasts with Such and Such’s laid-back snacks and share plates, designed for picking at over new wave wines and lively conversation.
One of head chef Mal Hanslow’s favourite dishes to throw together is his ginger-spiked tiger prawn omelette. It’s quick, easy and super satisfying. His trick for making this simple dish the best it can be? “Have everything ready to go before starting to cook the omelette – it will all come together very quickly once you start. You also need a well-seasoned cast-iron or good quality non-stick pan,” Hanslow tells Broadsheet.
“If you have a reasonably stocked pantry and fridge then this actually makes for a good weeknight dinner. It’s also great if you want to impress someone but don’t have a long time to spend in the kitchen.”
While this recipe may require a quick trip to the specialty Asian grocer for ingredients like shiro shoyu (delicate white soy sauce) and furikake (an umami-rich Japanese rice seasoning), it’s well worth the effort. While you’re there, grab a jar of the addictive Lao Gan Ma chilli oil – you’ll need it for this recipe and you’ll want it on everything thereafter.
Mal Hanslow’s midweek ginger-spiked prawn omelette
Serves 2
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
30ml white soy
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp ginger
1½ tsp coriander root, washed and finely chopped
5 fresh tiger prawns, peeled and deveined
30g unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp chilli sauce
Garnish
Furikake
Lao Gan Ma Chili Crisp
Coriander leaf, washed and picked
2 spring onion greens, washed and julienned
Zest of 1 makrut lime, finely julienned
Reserved chilli butter
Method:
In a bowl, whisk the eggs, white soy, garlic and ginger, and coriander root.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and cook the prawns on one side until the meat turns white. Add the butter and chilli, flip the prawns and cook through. Reserve the chilli butter for plating.
Heat a non-stick pan with oil and add the egg mix. Move the pan continually until the mix is half cooked, then let it settle for about 2 minutes to form a base. Once cooked through, transfer the omelette to a plate, top side facing up.
Sprinkle furikake over the omelette and top with the prawns, chilli crisp, coriander leaf, spring onions, makrut lime and reserved chilli butter.
Looking for more recipe inspiration? Check out Broadsheet’s recipe hub.
