Halibut two ways with rice congee, black tempura vegetables, kimchi and pickled daikon

Inspired by Billy Elliot and the mining communities of northeast England, where both of Weike's parents worked in mining. 

Weike: "This is the title: A Leap from the Dust. And the inspiration is from the film Billy Elliot. I love this film because it's about the mining community and they went through the crisis and they still push through." Halibut is used two ways: First, as thin sashimi-style slices added raw to the congee at the final moment to cook gently from the residual heat. 

Weike: "So this I've sliced into some very thin slices. Like sashimi. Marinade. So this goes to the congee last minute to stay really tender." Second, a halibut fillet wrapped in miso paste and nori sheets, roasted on an open charcoal fire. 

Weike: "This piece of fish already wrapped in this miso paste and wrapped in the nori sheets. And this piece of fish gonna cook on the open charcoal fire." The congee is seasoned with salt and white pepper, deepened with shiitake mushroom, finished with chive oil, spring onion and crispy shallots. 

Weike: "I'm seasoning with salt and white pepper at the moment and this is some shiitake mushroom to give the depth of the flavor." Black tempura: cauliflower and mushrooms battered in a black batter to resemble lumps of coal from the mining area. 

Weike: "Normally, tempura should be pure white. I'm doing this because I want to present them like the coal from the mining area." The tempura is dusted with furikake seasoning. Daikon is pickled in mirin and rice wine vinegar. Homemade kimchi provides acidity. Served in a three-tier lunchbox. 

Weike on the dish's balance: "The whole dish is really rich. I want something to cut through that. And same as the pickles." 

Cal on the pickles: "The pickles are great. Like when you have one to freshen your palate when you're eating sushi, it does that exact same thing."