|
Post by Man Alive! on Mar 20, 2007 16:06:47 GMT -5
Fukui: And now for the dishes of Doctor Hattori.
|
|
|
Post by Arrianna on Mar 20, 2007 16:41:37 GMT -5
Post------------------------------- First is the appetizer "Takenoko (Bamboo Shoots) 3 Ways".
Served on a long curved bamboo sushi platter is three types and textures of bamboo shoots.
The first is Takenoko no Kinome Ae (Bamboo Shoots with Sansho Sauce). The fresh natural bamboo has been sliced and served with a drizzle of sansho sauce around it. The tasters can either enjoy it au natural or with the sweet pungent sauce.
The second serving is Menma (Bamboo Shoot Pickles) Bangkok Style. The freshly pickled julienned shoots are naturally very sweet and have been marinated with sliced green onions and chili threads in a sauce similar to the Soop Naw Mai (Shoots for Salad) of Yuzu zest, Tamarind juice, fish sauce, and shoyu.
The third offering is Takeno no Misoni (Bamboo Shoots simmered in Miso). Bamboo shoot quarters have been braised in dashi, saki, mirin, and miso. Drizzled lightly with the reduced sauce and garnished with Kinome buds. Endpost------------------------------------
Hattori: If you could eat the appetizers in order from right to left?
I wanted to start with fresh, unadorned, bamboo shoots. There is a Shiso sauce if you want to use it as well. The idea however is to start with the flavor of the shoots so that you will have a basis to contrast everything else.
Secondly is the pickles. I didn't want to use the traditional Menma so I borrowed the flavors from a dish from Bangkok.
The last should be a very familiar flavor to most of the panel. Shoots simmered in a reduced miso sauce for it's earthy, simple, flavor.
|
|
|
Post by missteetheironchef on Mar 20, 2007 16:50:56 GMT -5
Kishi: I adorned the flavors of the bamboo shoots quite well, especially for the pickled ones. It's not overpowering.
|
|
|
Post by ironchefcanadian on Mar 20, 2007 17:29:08 GMT -5
Michiba: "This is a good start, and well-prepared for a conventional Japanese dish. Of course it's not possible to reproduce the exact texture of menma due to the time involved, but the marination has done enough work to make it pleasant to bite and chew. The dipping sauce may be a little on the tart side for younger tasters, but if my diners wanted a premium bottle of sake, this is what I would serve them to accompany it."
|
|
|
Post by achen on Mar 20, 2007 19:32:25 GMT -5
Lam: I'm surprise we agreed so much today Michiba-san. But the first dish might have been better if the sauce was not as sweet. Eating it natural was okay but needed to be more savory. Out of all three dishes I like the Takeno no Misoni best. The bamboo shoot were not overwhelmed by the miso considering they both are strong and the Kinome buds made it look nice.
|
|
|
Post by barronmore on Mar 20, 2007 20:03:48 GMT -5
Sweet doggies. 3 ways to enjoy bamboo.
It's nice to have 3 appetizers to see how the natural flavor of bamboo. The presentation looks great too! I'm really not convinced of the greatness of bamboo though, so your really gonna have to convince me.
|
|
|
Post by Arrianna on Mar 20, 2007 20:13:50 GMT -5
Thank you.
Post---------------------------------- Next is "Takenoko no Umami" (Savory Bamboo Shoots).
Taking advantage of the way bamboo shoots can absorb very strong savory flavors without losing their individuality, these quartered shoots have been slow braised in a shoyu sauce. The flavor of the shoyu sauce was enhanced by saki, black mushrooms, and deep fried Cornish game hens that were simmered for 10 minutes before the shoots were added to give maximum flavor to the sauce. Served on a bed of fresh spinach and garnished with a sprinkling of sesame seeds, shredded shoots, and kaiware (diakon sprouts) this dish is guaranteed to show of the savory potential of the ingredients. Endpost------------------------------
With this dish it was my intention to infuse the shoots with as much richness, as much umami, as possible. It is one of the unique things about bamboo shoots that they can do so without losing the flavor of the bamboo or it being overwhelmed and I thought this would be a good way to show that.
|
|
|
Post by ironchefcanadian on Mar 20, 2007 21:08:34 GMT -5
Michiba: "I do taste the umami provided by the shoyu, and the kaiware does provide a fair amount of balance. The game hen meat is a bit dry, particularly the wing and drumstick pieces; it's very difficult to be able to cook a small bird like this very evenly with the method you used. But then again, the game hen isn't being showcased here, so please forgive an old man's complaining."
|
|
|
Post by achen on Mar 20, 2007 21:20:57 GMT -5
Lam: Again a vary good dish. The savoriness of the shoyu sauce brings out the sweetness in the bamboo shoots. My piece of game hen was well cooked and not dry. The kaiware though doesn't add much to this dish but for the presentation. The sesame seeds and shredded bamboo shoots lets us as the tasters enjoy the textures of the different parts of the bamboo shoots. Very good.
|
|
|
Post by Arrianna on Mar 20, 2007 22:12:56 GMT -5
Hattori: I am sorry you feel that your chicken was overcooked Michibasan. It is a Chinese technique of deep frying chicken quickly and then simmering it slowly for 20 minutes in a shoyu based sauce so that the chicken will absorb the sauce as it slowly releases its juices through the crispy exterior and is meant to result in a well cooked, flavored, piece of chicken. I was afraid that the wing tips would be overdone though which is why I made sure they were discarded.
|
|
|
Post by ironchefcanadian on Mar 21, 2007 9:34:24 GMT -5
Michiba: "Oh, the wing tips would definitely be burned; I was referring to the flat part of the limb. It's a minor quibble; the dish is good overall."
|
|
|
Post by missteetheironchef on Mar 21, 2007 9:51:17 GMT -5
Kishi: The wings are very good, if you ask me. I don't mind anything strange, that's what Hattori want to experience in this secret ingredient. I believe the bamboo shoots go well in this dish.
|
|
|
Post by barronmore on Mar 21, 2007 10:34:19 GMT -5
Jimmy James: Whooo Weeee...I must admit I wasn't expecting much out of bamboo but this is really a nice dish. The bamboo is really tender and has done a great job in soaking up all the flavors while still tasting like bamboo. It's like the Ricky Morton of the food world....
My only complaint is this little bird thingy. I love that it's deep fried but it's so small. Back home we'd use a fryer...but then again I can't see Michiba-san or Kishi-san putting away a whole fryer. Yeah...good choice on the Cornish game hen.
|
|
|
Post by Arrianna on Mar 21, 2007 10:41:38 GMT -5
*Hattori stifles a laugh*
Hattori: Yes, well. My next dish.
Post------------------------------------------------- Hattori's third dish is a Kata-yaki Tokenoko no Shiru (Deepfried Bamboo Shoot Noodle Soup).
The broth of this soup was made from bamboo shoots, crimini, and shitaki mushrooms that were slowly simmered for all their savory flavors. Finished with saki and miso then strained twice this elegant bamboo shoot broth makes a wonderful platform for the bamboo shoot noodle served inside. The noodles were deep fried twice for a crumbly outside and soft inside. To finish the soup Manila clams were cooked in it in the last few minutes, fried abalone adds some extra richness, and Enoki mushrooms provide a little crunchiness to the completed dish. A sprinkling of sliced scallions completes the presentation. Endpost--------------------------------------------
Hattori: Please be careful not to burn yourself on the clay pots while eating.
If you could first take in the aroma and the flavor of the broth before moving on to the ingredients in the soup?
|
|
|
Post by barronmore on Mar 21, 2007 11:08:30 GMT -5
Jimmy James:
Now this is a nice dish...and you even got something deep fried in it!
This kinda reminds me of Mama's chicken noodle soup back home...only without the chicken. It smells incredible. The taste is great too. I'd love to have a large bowl of this to perk me up when I'm under the weather.
Great job, Doc.
|
|