Spelt Congee with Miso Braised Shallots and Pickled Granny Smiths

Method

1. Place the pearled spelt into a high-powered blender and pulse until you have cracked open most of the grains and they are covered by a good amount of powder.
2. Transfer the spelt into a saucepan and toast it on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the water and salt to the pan, followed by the rest of the congee ingredients, and bring it to the boil. Then reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for 35-40 minutes until the spelt is cooked all the way through. Check halfway through cooking to give the congee a gentle scrape just in case there is any sticking to the bottom of the pan.
4. Meanwhile, add all the ingredients for the pickled apple into a bowl, stir everything together then leave to one side.
5. To prepare the shallots, heat 1 tsp of oil in a small frying pan on a medium high heat and add the shallots cut side down leaving them to get a deep golden brown. Mix the stock and miso together, once the shallots have picked up a good amount of colour add the liquid to the pan. Reduce the heat to low, place a lid on top and leave to simmer for 20 minutes until nice and soft.
6. Meanwhile, add the first four ingredients for the dressing into a small saucepan and begin to gently heat until the garlic, ginger and chilli have become crisp (roughly 5-10 minutes). Remove the crispy aromatics from the oil and place to one side for later. Then mix the remaining dressing ingredients into the oil to finish.
7. After 35-40 minutes the spelt should be nice and soft, but still retaining some bite. Take the vegetables/aromatics out of the congee (as these were just to enhance the flavour of the cooking liquid) and stir for 5 minutes until the spelt has softened further - you may want to add a little bit more liquid if it needs a little thinning out.
8. To serve, place the congee in a bowl, top with your braised shallot halves, a spoonful of pickled apple, a few spoonful's of dressing and the crispy aromatics.