Mushroom orzo with soy sauce jelly, king oyster mushrooms and parsley

Preparation

Start by cooking the orzo. Bring a medium-sized pan of salted water to the boil, add the orzo and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked - make sure to stir every few minutes to stop the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Drain and spread the orzo straight on to a tray to cool. Once cool, place the orzo into a pan and add enough mushroom stock to cover. Place on a high heat and reduce - as it cooks, stir frequently with a rubber spatula - a metal tool will break up the pasta.

Heat a small amount of vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the diced mushrooms to the pan and fry until lightly golden.

Drain the cooked mushrooms on absorbent kitchen towel and add to the orzo. Once the stock has almost reduced to nothing, add the butter and stir in well. Add the parmesan and parsley and stir through. Season with salt, lemon juice and truffle oil to taste.

Line a non-stick baking tray with silicone paper. For the soy sauce jelly, combine the mushroom stock, soy sauce and vegetable gel in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Gently whisk everything together - take care to avoid creating bubbles.

Once the liquid comes to the boil, remove from the heat and pour onto the prepared tray. Work quickly to cover the tray with the liquid. Allow to cool and set in the fridge. Cut into 8 cm squares before serving.

For the mayonnaise, start by making a parsley purée. Wash the parsley and plunge into heavily salted boiling water for 30 seconds. Strain and refresh in ice cold water for a few minutes.

Squeeze as much of the water out the blanched parsley as you can and roughly chop. Place into a blender and starting on a low speed, add small amounts of iced water until it begins to purée. Increase the speed until the purée is very smooth.

Place the egg yolk, parsley purée and Dijon mustard into a bowl. Whisk together, while slowly adding the vegetable oil in a thin steady stream. Add oil until the mayonnaise thickens. Season with salt and lemon juice to taste.

Slice the remaining king oyster mushrooms 1/2 cm thick. Place a frying pan over a medium to high heat and fry the mushrooms in a small amount of vegetable oil on both sides until golden brown. Drain on absorbent kitchen towel.

Cover a large plate with cling film to form a taut, flat surface. Rub a small film of oil to cover the surface. Sprinkle with a little salt and press the parsley leaves flat onto the cling film. Crisp up in the microwave on full power for 3 minutes.

Reheat the orzo with a little water and gently stir. Place 2 pieces of the warm fried king oyster mushroom on the plate, followed by the orzo, soy sauce gel, parsley mayonnaise and crispy parsley. Serve immediately.