When in Melbourne, Supernormal is an absolute non-negotiable for the Superette team. It’s one of our all time faves and we’ve been craving everything from their infamous lobster rolls to their prawn and chicken pot-sticker dumplings. Follow these recipes at home to get your Supernormal fix without having to leave the house!
SUPERNORMAL’S NEW ENGLAND LOBSTER ROLL
INGREDIENTS | Serves 8
– 2 lobster tails (about 250g each once shelled)
– ½ cup Kewpie mayonnaise
– 2 teaspoons lemon juice
– 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
– 1 teaspoon mustard powder
– 2 French shallots, cut in half lengthways and finely slice
– 8 brioche buns, cut in half horizontally
– 1 cup picked watercress
– 3 tablespoons olive oil
– Salt flakes
– Butter
METHOD
– Bring a large saucepan of water o the boil and reduce to a simmer over medium heat. Poach the lobster tails in their shells for 15–20 minutes until cooked – a probe thermometer is useful here, with the ideal internal temperature being 63°C. Remove the lobster tails from the pan and set aside to cool, then refrigerate until chilled.
– Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced (200°C conventional).
– Remove the lobster meat from the shells and slice into eight discs per tail. Finely chop any small or discoloured pieces of lobster you may have leftover.
– Combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, vinegar and mustard powder into a small bowl. Slowly add the oil while whisking continually. Season to taste.
– Butter the brioche buns lightly. Place them, buttered side down, in an ovenproof frying pan and toast in the oven for about 5 minutes until golden brown.
– Spread 1 teaspoon of the mayonnaise on each buttered half of the brioche buns. Place 1 tablespoon of the chopped lobster on the bottom bun and season to taste. Arrange two slices of lobster meat on top without overlapping. Add ½ teaspoon of mayonnaise to each lobster slice and season again to taste. Add a few slices of shallot and a few pieces of watercress, close with the top buns and serve immediately.
SUPERNORMAL’S PRAWN & CHICKEN POT STICKER DUMPLINGS
INGREDIENTS | Makes 20
– 1½ tsp cornflour
– 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
– To serve: Chinese brown rice vinegar
– 750 gm whole uncooked Australian prawns, peeled, cleaned and deveined (about 400gm prawn meat)
– 100 gm minced chicken, seasoned with ½ tsp light soy sauce
– 10 gm garlic chives, chopped
– ¾ tsp sesame oil
– ¼ tsp caster sugar
– Good pinch of ground white pepper
INGREDIENTS | Serves 10
– 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
– 2 tablespoons salt
– Pickled cabbage (see below)
METHOD
– Place a steamer – large enough to fit the pork – on the stove and bring it to a simmer. Place the pork shoulder in the steamer and cook for 4 hours.
– Preheat the oven 200C.
– Remove the pork from the steamer and place it in a large, heavy roasting tin. Rub the oil over the pork skin and sprinkle with the salt. Roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until the skin is crisp.
– Serve the pork with the steamed bread (see below) , pickled cabbage (see below) , ssamjang and lemon cheeks.
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– 60g red chilli paste
– 60g white miso paste
– 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
– 2 tablespoons honey
– ½ red onion, finely diced
– 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
– Thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
– 2 spring onions, white part only, thinly sliced
– 2 long red chillis, finely diced
To make the ssamjang, mix all the ingredients together and set aside.
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STEAMED BREAD
– 450g Rooster brand steamed bread mix
– 115g caster sugar
– 250 ml milk
– 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
– To make the steamed bread, in a bowl combine the flour and the sugar. Using your hand, mix the flour and the sugar while slowly adding the milk and oil to form a dough. Knead the dough on a work surface for 3-4 minutes until it forms a smooth ball.
– Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
– Place on a tray and leave to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
– When you are ready to serve the bread, steam the dough balls over rapidly boiling water until the bread rises, about 12-15 minutes.
– With a sharp knife, score the pork skin, or you can ask your butcher to do this for you.
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PICKLED CABBAGE (makes 1L)
– ½ savvoy cabbage
– 2 tablespoons sea salt
– ½ dried long red chilli, seeded
– ½ teaspoon white peppercorns, crushed
– ½ fresh long red chilli, thinly sliced
– 500ml rice wine vinegar
– 230g caster sugar
– Cut the cabbage into large chunks and place it in a colander. Rinse under cold running water, then drain well.
– In a large mixing bowl, mix the sea salt through the cabbage, then leave it to cure for 3 hours in a colander set over a large bowl.
– Preheat the oven to 180C.
– Put the dried chillies and peppercorns in a small ovenproof dish and roast them for 2 minutes, or until the dried chilli has blackened slightly and the peppercorns are fragrant.
– Transfer the spices to a mortar and pestle and pound until coarsely ground.
– Squeeze the cabbage in your hands to extract all the liquid you can. Discard the liquid and transfer the cabbage to a large bowl. Sprinkle over the spice mixture with the fresh chilli.
– Heat the vinegar and sugar in a stainless-steel saucepan over medium heat, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and then pour in the hot pickling liquid over the cabbage. Mix well so that the spices are evenly distributed. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. Leave for at least 1 week to pickle. Store for 4 weeks in the refrigerator.