Shad Nigiri with Forbidden Rice; Cucumber “Roll”; Shrimp Dashi; and Stuffed Pork in Mapo Sauce

I recently watched the Chef’s Table episode on Jeong Kwan and was just transported to a tranquil place, readily resonating with her philosophy about food and cooking.  Thus inspired, I expect to incorporate more of her “temple” cooking in what I prepare for myself.  Her best quote in the episode:

“Creativity and ego cannot go together. If you free yourself from the comparing and jealous mind, your creativity opens up endlessly. Just as water springs from a fountain, creativity springs from every moment. You must not be your own obstacle. You must not be owned by the environment you are in. You must own the environment, the phenomenal world around you. You must be able to freely move in and out of your mind. This is being free. There is no way you can’t open up your creativity. There is no ego to speak of. That is my belief.”

That is how I generally feel when coming with my lunches.  They usually start with an idea that just won’t go away and a story gets created around the idea.  The recipes form as I shop.  I notice that I struggle most when I lay down an expectation or when there is a root of wanting to perform.  Once I let those urges go, the meals come easily.

So this week started with the idea of a different way of preparing my vegetables, which led to the cucumber rolls, which are lightly pickled.  Filled with a variety of vegetables, the roll packs a nice crunch with the creaminess of avocado, bite of the scallions, peppery astringency of the radish sprout, and fresh crunch of the pea sprouts.  This would be the lightest dish.  The heavier balance was the eggplant and mushroom stuffed pork in mapo sauce.  Rounding out the two are shad nigiri sushi using forbidden rice and a shrimp dashi with a deep shrimp flavor.

Shad Nigiri Sushi with Forbidden Rice

1. Cook 1 to 1 forbidden rice and white rice (I used 50% hulled okita komachi)
2. Once cooked, let cool and mix with rice wine vinegar to make the sushi rice
3. Form with the shad fillet
4. Slice

 

 

Shad Nigiri Sushi with Forbidden Rice

Cucumber Rolls

1. Thinly slice cucumber into strips
2. Lightly pickle with rice wine vinegar and sugar mix
3. Roll with pea sprouts, radish sprouts, avocado, and scallions
4. Add ikura

 

 

 

Cucumber Rolls

Shrimp Dashi

1. Make dashi: simmer kombu, katsuobushi (I used thick slices), and shrimp heads
2. Peel shrimp and devein
3. Strain solids from dashi and add soy sauce to taste
4. Add raw shrimp in low heat
5. Lightly simmer until cooked

 

 

Shrimp Dashi

 

Stuffed Pork in Mapo Sauce

1. Cook down mushrooms (shiitake and oyster mushrooms) and eggplant that are chopped finely.  Add soy sauce and mirin and reduce.
2. Let cool
3. Place on top thinly sliced pork and roll
4. Simmer pork in mapo sauce

 

Stuffed Pork in Mapo Sauce

And so this week’s lunch:

Ingredient and preparation notes:

1. Pantry staples: mirin, cooking sake, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, kombu (dried seaweed), katsuobushi (dried bonito)
2. Pickling: I prefer a basic sweeter pickle with rice wine vinegar and sugar (I use palm sugar).
3. I mixed forbidden rice with the 50% hulled rice since forbidden rice does not produce much starch and therefore stickiness when cooked.  For it to hold enough for nigiri sushi, the regular short grained rice is needed.
4. The wrapping of the thinly slices pork around the filling is like wrapping a spring roll.  Thus no need to tie up the roll as the meat adheres to itself.

Feel free to ask me questions or let me know what you have tried in the comments below.

Thanks and enjoy!

The Bento Doctor

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