This was the vegetarian version of one of my recent Mission Street Food dishes. It was a delicious combo with scallop or with daikon, so I reprised the dish (a.k.a. used the leftovers) for a private vegetarian dinner a few days later.

First I made dashi with 20 grams of kombu per liter of water, circulated at 65C for an hour (which yields maximum glutamate extraction according to Cooking Issues). Then I poached daikon radish in the dashi (traditionally, on the stove) until tender but still with some bite, which took maybe an hour. Then the daikon was chilled until ready to use, sliced, and served at room temperature.

The swoop of light green sauce is a puree of arugula and silken tofu. This component was awesome, and really brought the dish together. The arugula gets blanched and shocked (and I throw in a few spinach leaves, which gives it a more vivid green color without affecting flavor). The ratio of tofu to arugula was quite high, though unfortunately I didn't measure. The puree was salted to taste, and I added a couple drops of pure lemon oil for extra brightness of flavor. The tofu ends up giving the puree a very light and buoyant texture--almost foamy--and it stays that way for days and days. I will definitely start using silken tofus in purees more often.

Finally, the crunchy black sesame crisps provide an interesting and delicious textural contrast, with their slight sweetness playing against the lingering bitterness of the radish. These are awesome, and are reminiscent of Oreo cookies (without the cream filling). I plan on utilizing them for post-dessert treats in the future as well: black sesame oreos with white sesame cream centers. Here is the recipe (and sub-recipes).

Black Sesame Powder
380g black sesame seeds
500g dashi
400g water

Pressure cook seeds, dashi, and water on high for approximately 50 minutes. Drain the seeds, reserving the cooking liquid. Add the seeds to a blender and puree on the highest setting, adding as much of the reserved liquid as is necessary to get the seeds to spin properly. Once pureed and fairly smooth, dehydrate the puree by spreading it thinly on Silpat and and baking at 200F for several hours. You'll be able to fit about 1/3 of the puree per half-size Silpat. Finally, break up the resulting brittle (which won't be very crunchy), and grind it in a spice grinder, then reserve in an airtight container.

Neutral Caramel Powder
2 parts liquid fondant
1 part powdered glucose
1 part powdered isomalt

Cook all three sugars to 320F, then pour out onto a Silpat-lined sheet pan. Let cool to room temperature, then break into smaller pieces and grind in a spice grinder. Transfer immediately to an airtight container, add a desiccant pack or two, and seal until ready to use.

Black Sesame Crisps
70g neutral caramel powder
60g black sesame powder

Keeping neutral caramel powder sealed as much as possible, and working quickly, measure out two powders into a bowl and whisk them together, then sift the powders onto a Silpat evenly in a layer about 1/8 thick. Bake at 350F until melted together, about 5-7 minutes. Either wait for it to cool (about fifteen minutes) then break into shards, or else cut and/or shape the crisp while still hot, then let cool to set. Either way, store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Posted by Barzelay on 2010/02/25 @ 23:16 | Comments (0) | Sauces, Condiments, Veggies, Fruit, Grain, Cheese