Picking, Simmering, Splendid! (Pickled Enoki Mushrooms & Green Beans)

For those who watched Aladdin, you'll see what I did there with the title.

And for my grand (and visually maniacal) pickling experiment, the types of food I could think of were endless to the point where I kept asking myself: "What HASN'T been pickled?"

So for inspiration, I asked my trusty friend & companion of 10 years Google for some advice, and stumbled onto a recipe when deciding to keep things simple:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/crisp-pickled-green-beans/

Plot twist: This was not the recipe.

Wanting to do things differently (because "Different" is awesome), I wanted to bring in a little Oriental twist into this experiment by implementing something my family had bought from the grocery market but never ate: Enoki Mushrooms!

(admit it, you too have something in your kitchen right now that was wasted several dollars on. With that money, you could've indulged yourself with several chocolate bars. Hmm. Or better yet, stop buying that one item you don't eat, save up and then start your own factory that produces whatever food you left sitting in the kitchen! Whoops, my imagination just struck again. Let's continue!). 

Now knowing what I wanted to do in the pickling, I began to research on existing recipes if anyone had ever tried these two unlikely combinations of both Creaminess and Crunchiness, and surely enough someone had already did it first (darn, there's someone crazier than me).

In this recipe from a British culinary education site named "L'atelier des Chefs", Enoki mushrooms and Asparagus are both combined in a simmer of pickling vinegars, made to be served almost immediately.

With this being a pickling experiment, I began my project with a different approach of converting this recipe to be pickled in a jar for several weeks:

1. I substituted Asparagus for a crunchier Green Bean, quite pickle-able for its size and perfect yield

2.  I did not simmer the Enoki Mushrooms and Green Beans in pickling solution. 

3. I blanched them in water instead!

4. The yield of the recipe had to be doubled to accommodate the size of my only Mason Jar (the other ones are for my Mom's plethora of Chinese herbs. Sick or near-dead from winter? Just let me know and I'll send you some tea bags. Only joking, of course).

The ingredients used:

Oh, and the butter, chopped parsley & farfalle pasta? That's just part of my dinner in another personal endeavour of mines.

The process was simple (considering it was actually my first time pickling). I began by processing my required vegetables prior to blanching:

Meanwhile in a separate pot far away (like, across the kitchen far), my pickling solution was simmering. The pickling liquid consisted of a reduction of Soy Sauce, Rice Wine, Mirin and Rice Vinegar.

After the simmering, the time came to remove the blanched vegetables for the last steps (Brought to IMAX Scale presentation to showcase the cinematic proccess in all of its HD gloooooooory!):

Finally came the pouring of the reduction once it was brought down halfway into the pot.

Much to my surprise, the scalding hot pickling liquid forced the air pressure out of the tightly-sealed lid to the point where I heard seeping noises. At this point, I knew that the jar had pressurized itself a bit, but I boiled the jar carefully in a spaghetti pot of boiling water to be sure. Needless to say, it became pressurized for the grand waiting of 3 weeks.

Day 1:

Day 8 (1 week in):

Day 16 (2 Weeks later):

The Final Day: (Day 26), (4.5 Weeks In)

After several weeks of Pickling the Enoki Mushrooms & Green Beans, the food had shrunk by 1/3 of its size and gradually curled the Enoki.

For detail, here is the same jar in Day 26 (turned around for more visual)

Sensory Evaluation:

Of course, progress cannot be achieved without expecting results! After weeks of pickling in the solution, I tried out the food for the first time and the feedback my palate had told me was promising:

But yes, I liked it.

Taste

Salty:
Not much saltiness, as the mirin had created a sourness to the vegetables. The soy sauce, however had brought this missing saltiness (no seasoning was added to this liquid). The rice wine had also enhanced the flavours of the soy sauce during the cooking proccess and it enveloped my tongue when eating both the Enoki and Bean simultaneously. The other liquids had brought out further saltiness when reducing, and the remaining liquid has carried the true flavours from this liquid mix. Saltiness was definitely in this (not to be confused with sour, which shares a similar but unique effect).

Sweet:
As the yield was doubled, so was the quantity of caster sugar that was placed into the solution when reducing. The amber colour of the solution was a result of the partial caramelization when the sugar was cooking during the simmering. With that being said, the sweetness brought a confectionary (and novelty) feeling to this concoction. It was both sweet and sour, and the enoki mushrooms had brought out this sense the most!

Sour:
Oh, man. The already-sour rice vinegar, combined with the also already-incredible-sour mirin, with the also-super-duper-tangy soy sauce really combined to bring up that "pucker"factor to your tongue when also remembering that soy sauce and rice wine were major supports in really flavouring the green beans. Mushrooms were creamy, and were less-affected by the sourness of the solution.

Bitter:
The Green Beans in particular were blanched to eliminate the woodiness (so that the evaluation wouldn't be intruded by its existing bitterness). With the blanching already giving the beans a "clean slate" to have another flavour, I noticed when eating that the sugars had alleviated the overwhelming tanginess of the solution in the green beans, and it brought a flare to the sides of my tongue,

Umami:
This is where the pickled mushrooms come into play. The creaminess as mentioned in the Sour description of the sensory evaluation provided a savoury feeling of both pungency and a subtle essence from the solution. As the mushrooms were full of moisture before pickling, I can theorize that the Enoki had reacted well when the scalding hot pickling solution had further cooked the Enoki to its preservative state.

And Now...

Touch
Upon taking out the pickled foods onto a plate, the first thing I observed when I pressed the beans was that it became very soft from weeks of pickling, but another thing was that it was really flexible, almost as if it was crunchy, but hard to snap! The mushrooms on the other hand, were firm when I got them raw. Upon analysing the Enoki, it had become almost gelatinous while still retaining its form factor. The softness was still there, but that "soft- crunch" in an Enoki mushroom surprisingly was there.
Sight
The colour of the green bean had changed dramatically to a much lighter shade of green.There were pockets of liquid under the skin of the green bean, and the glossiness had enveloped the vegetable, again presenting a confectionery appearance thanks to the work of the sugar!
The Enoki, on the other hand had become a light-amber, visually indicating that the Enoki had indeed absorbed and reacted to the pickling solution. Other than that, many heads of the mushrooms had fallen off the stems for reasons unknown (the jar was still as a statue during the pickling process).

Smell
I almost passed out from the overwhelming aromas of the jar's contents upon popping off the lid, then the top cover. You could immediately take in the vinegar (sort of like the suicidal act of inhaling balsamic vinegar when it is being reduced. Yes, I tried that, and it the subsequent headache taught me most of the lesson of thinking before leaping). Additionally, the rice wine had always provided an enhancement, but being paired with the rice vinegar it was overpowering.

Accounts of Success, Flaws & Room for Improvement:

Accounting my success, for a first time the pickling worked as it was supposed to through following the instructions. The food really did deliver a culinary victory in creating an original mixture that can be modified or flavour-enhanced before the simmering process.

There were some flaws, however as I had fore-mentioned. Because of the enhancing abilities the Rice Wine & Mirin have, the vinegar's power was amplified and it just overwhelmed the solution during the simmering process (which, on top enhanced even more out of the vinegar). It essentially became a vinaigrette, and although it was pickle-able, the Enoki mushrooms tasted better after pickling, but the green beans took most of the hits with every bite feeling like you're crunching down on a frozen salad-dressing ice cube (not the most accurate of analogies, and I generally do not favour pickled foods, but it was incredibly sour for my taste!)

Definitely this issue brings me to my next topic on improving the pickling method to create the best product possible. Different approaches such as adding less rice wine, less rice vinegar, and implementing more caster sugar with more mirin for sweetness (and maybe some thyme to bring in deliberate staleness to tone down the high vinegar count) over sourness will balance out the natural sours that are already extracted & enhanced by the simmering process.

Tomato, Tomäto, Kumato?

Ah, the St. Lawrence Market. A large place full of agriculture & businesses where the passions of food are reflected through many varieties of traditional cuisine in the form of street food, prepared meats/charcuterie, seafood & most importantly; the lush fruits & vegetables made available to some amazing prices (like, crazy prices. I bet if you came with a dollar or two, you could get yourself a bag of seasonal fruits just like that! Suddenly, thousands of students in Toronto on a budget cried in relief.)

The reason I went to this big market was the fact that I had so much love for this place seeing the myriad of scrumptious foods (especially the fish & chips) when I came here once (yes, only once then but now twice) as a kid, as well as how perfect the opportunity was to visit this big culinary library as a growing chef, I found that if I wanted to seek a weird & exotic-looking fruit, why not do that in the main hub that specializes in distributing foods like these? Again, it was just too perfect.

While I was stumbling on certain fruits that may have caught my eye.............

........ Only one fruit managed to freak me out the most:

Kumatos are what these (technically) fruits are called, & yes. These tomatoes are brown in their high-fructose nature.

At first I was skeptical of what this fruit could do my stomach if I had tried it. Although this fruit was indeed one of a kind, the fact that I had actually encountered one a month ago (with the same reaction) while I was shopping at Costco back in Mississauga. This sudden flashback just left me thinking that I was destined to try this rather interesting fruit, so I purchased a pack. While researching about it, that one question continued to spur my curiosity for the Kumato:

"How does a tomato become brown?"

Also, "What on earth did science do to you?"

To briefly explain about the Kumato (and to satiate the curiosity of other consumers who stumble on this article), it is a fruit that is derived from just one branch of a genetic family of Tomatoes. The way that the Kumato is grown, is through factory-industrial plant propagation.

What this mainly means is that this fruit cannot be grown naturally, and must be produced through step-by-step methods of "unlocking" the kumato using specific parts of the tomato to genetically create a new kind of tomato (it's in fact patented!)

While the specific steps & proccesses are not disclosed by the food science lab that makes fruits like these, Syngenta began development on the Kumato for almost 10 long years before discreetly releasing this new breed of tomato to consumers in mid-2008. Since then, people began to take notice of the Kumato for it's distinguished color and has gained attention through a word-of-mouth with articles like this one that discusses what the new rage is all about. Since then to this day, the Kumato has gained a steady flow of sales despite the underrated attention it is getting (also, lack of appeal for it's colour).

According to the said article above, it is said that after the Kumato was ready to leave the lab it began to produce in populated areas in Europe before shifting its growth to North America & the United Kingdom, where it became popular to make in Lancashire. It is now commonly sold in large grocery retailers available to most everywhere.

Regarding market pricing, tomatoes like these are a little more expensive due to it's production value requiring propogation. At the Market, these fruits go at a reasonable price at $3.50 in a pack of 5. That is almost a bit more expensive than your average tomato priced about 60 cents a piece compared to your average looking, average priced tomato.

As this was a fruit that isn't naturally made, this Kumato is an all-year round fruit & while it isn't exactly the most attractive fruit, it is very abundant due to it's still-growing popularity in North America. However roughly after 6 days of leaving it, the Kumato will have turned into a more light-redder color. This is when both the appearance (along with taste) peak.

Sensory Evaluation:

While the Kumato does indeed taste differently than an ordinary tomato, I found after additively eating 4 of them this fruit really does have some notable uniqueness to it when it comes to using your senses to appreciate it.

For Taste:

Salty: As this fruit has a moist & sweet taste to it, there is no hint of saltiness to it, but a bit of effect can come from the acidity of the juices.

Sweet: The one big thing that makes the Kumato is taste. Sweetness is what drives the Kumato's flavours to be 'amplified' compared to the average already-sweet tomato. The brown skin also provides a hint sweetness as you are chewing on it, giving off this sort of confectionery feel to it while eating.

Sour: With the high count of stomach-burning inducing acidity to the juiciness of this fruit, the acidity provides a big sour 'strike' after your tongue gets used to the taste (personally, this effect came after I indulged into my third Kumato).

Bitter: Although the Kumato is genetically altered in it's nature, it still is a tomato (Once a Tomato, always a Tomato. Harsh but true). The skin of the tomato; although feeling scarce as you eat it, has a tangy (yet pleasurably-unpleasant) bitterness that kicks in the harder you chew on the skin. The enzymes unlocked from the skin will cleanse your palate for the next Kumato (a cool, neat little feature I find unique about the fruit).

Umami: Since this fruit is became a sort of healthy addiction for me for it's juiciness, eating the Kumato brought a really strange pungency after I had took a break eating it. After realizing that it was the really sticky aftertaste (Trust me. sterilize yourself with mouthwash, & save your dignity by not eating these before a date). While discussing about Umami, the three aspects of the sweet pulp, refreshing juices & tangy skin combine make it an incredibly scrumptious acidic bundle of joy.

While I have reflected part of my ecstatic experience with a tomato, the cool thing I learned that my palate could actually go into different 'stages' so that it could prepare itself to go well with any sort of taste that comes its way. For example I literally went from enjoying a sweet feeling from the juices/pulp while 5 seconds later, my entire mouth turned completely bitter from chewing on the Kumato's skin for too long. It's like one taste after another (Thanks to the Kumato's awesome palate-cleansing abilities)!

It would be an understatement to say that I enjoyed this fruit. In fact I'm probably eating 4 more of these Kumatos as you are reading right now. 

The Best Part in the Longest Review of a Tomato Ever: "If I were to cook this fruit?"

The way I would cook a Kumato is to definitely simmer this fruit as an ingredient (much like the tomato) into a pasta sauce because as the Kumato is substantially less acidic & more sweeter to it's predecessor, these characteristics would eliminate the need for the dependency of sugar while preparing a marinara sauce. Since these Kumatos are also incidibly juicy, sauce-making would be perfect especially for a Pasta Aglio e Olio dish since the abundance of juices would make up most of the sauce (and increase volume two-fold).

From the official site of the company Syngenta that created the Kumato, they actually have provided a Sauce Recipe that shows how perfect (too perfect) it is to use the Kumato in a sauce:

To conclude, the Kumato packs one heck of a punch in terms of taste, aroma & the way it can be used as a tomato in preparation of a sauce. If you want a real experience for a first time however, try eating it with Mozzarella!

Also, here is a quick video showcasing this fruit & the appearance of it; complete with some clichéd (and rather pleasant) elevator music!

Kumato:

Sites & resources (and more information about the Kumato):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6raEpSFJds4

https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/food/index/article/-/15191268/ten-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-kumato/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-1185037/You-say-tomato-I-say-kumato--fruit-thats-tasty-ripe-not.html

http://www.syngenta.com/global/corporate/en/Pages/home.aspx

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:zJlzT4A7eW0J:https://www.kumato.com/en/-ska-sorulan-sorular.aspx+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca

Would you like some Fries…… & Tahini with that? (A Strange, Starchy Tale)

                During all my 18 years of non-stop eating, I haven’t gained a single pound. What I have gained though, was a growing curiosity that keeps expanding the more I try out many unique foods. One food that really caught my eye in my daily life-adventures was a dish that was created in a freak-accident that introduced a culinary abomination. Although the restaurant ran out of rice, this sort of food turned out to be….. Well, incredibly incredible!

It all started on a supposedly rainy day (I blame the weatherman for making me hold onto an umbrella all day). During a tense dinner rush, I was ordering my usual order of “Chicken on the Rocks” (A rice-dish fried together with split-chicken & covered in tahini) from a small shawarma restaurant called Osmows back in Mississauga. It was a really long line that went outside to the parking lot (I kid you not, this is a dinner rush at Osmows). After waiting for almost 16 minutes with a friend for what was supposed to just be another order, we dashed straight to his house so we could finally dig in after many hours of not eating anything. 

When we opened to see our order, this was what we saw:

This was honestly nothing that I have ever seen in a restaurant before. You wouldn't call this as any form of poutine.
Come to think of it at a first glance, what the heck is that?

At first, we thought this was some sort of a joke until we phoned Osmows. After we were told that they had no rice & were supposed to use pasta (which would’ve been nice too), my friend & I drove them to hang up after our hysterical laughter drowned the line. My friend & I couldn’t help but wonder why they swapped our rice with fries (Since rice dishes are Osmows signatures) & felt like we were prepared to storm into the restaurant to file a big complaint.

We ate it any ways. We were too hungry.

Upon taking the first bite however, I expected these…. Mediterranean Fries to be really horrible in combinations. But then my taste buds sent me a huge message, and I was mind-blown by the tastes of this dish.

The fries were of course salty, but the umami-side of the scrumptious tahini sauce complimented well with its distinctive sweet & bitter tanginess alongside the shawarma chicken. Together, these tastes combined to create a hearty meal that made my taste buds craving more.

Visually, it looked ridiculous at first. However, I instantly began to love how the texture of the molten sauce was smothered over the crispy French fries. Besides hearing the sound of squeaking Styrofoam, I was amazed to be able to hear the crunch of the fries. As I held one before eating it, I noticed that physically no texture was lost from the fries (even after an hour in tahini).

Over time, the flavours of the Mediterranean fries didn't make me think of poutine. Unpredictably, it reminded me of scalloped potatoes with the tangy sauce boding together with some filling taters. This is definitely a fusion of American & Middle-Eastern descent, and this food is more than unique (may I remind you that it was created by accident?)

After eating, I learned that this food did stick to my palate, but it was a good feeling from the essence of the tahini & potatoes that left me wanting more. I really enjoyed this food because I came to my senses in realizing that in all that time I was annoyed by Osmows mistake, I found fries (though I rarely eat them) to be more enjoyable than rice in terms of adding pizazz (yes, I said that word). To a dish that is already oh-so great.

As much as I enjoyed the food, there were certain flavours in the fries that made the sauce more tasteful. As the tahini was made with a bitter-nutty taste in mind, the combination of the saltiness from the deep-fried potatoes brought more flavour into the under seasoned chicken. As a result, I got the taste I wanted in the meat. If this new dish was featured on the menu, it’s a must-have for the any new customer.

This experience in a way has added a new perspective in how one ingredient can impact an entire dish. Any hint of a spice, meat, herb or garnish makes a difference in how something tastes. If I do add too little or too much of something, another ingredient could make up for it (it won’t be the end of the world).  Like in the movie Ratatouille, the Mediterranean Fries brought up one moral that was etched into my head:

“Accidents Happen”. 

First Time for Everything, Right?

Hello there. For visiting my blog, I made you fresh cookies for your internet browser. Still hungry? Have another!

Monochrome filters make things cooler. Only 80% depressing

If you don’t know me a single bit (or passed the lonely About Me tab on the right), let me start by introducing myself: my name’s Clement.

I want to be (you guessed it!) a world-class chef simply because cooking was my guilty pleasure-turned-passion. Like successful chefs, enthusiasm came at an early age. Growing up around family recipes & The Food Network, it all inspired me to enter the industry so that one day I could also inspire others to follow their heart instead of trying to meet the standards of society for income.

It’s fun & the food business never dies. What’s not to love (besides the long hours, backbreaking world records for standing & constant pressure in a race against time)?

 Experience-wise, I primarily started my cooking at Rick Hansen Secondary School & joined the SHSM & CO-OP/OYAP programs. Working at Alice Fazooli’s for CO-OP, I became a part-time prep chef (where I finally realized the constant demands for quality & professionalism in my first glimpse of the industry).

Since then, my philosophy (so far) is:

“In life, the only real customer you should be cooking for is your happiness.”

Please give yourself a moment to let my philosophical quote sink in & blow your mind.

             At GBC, I hope to gain the skills I need for a great start in the industry. I also want to work my way closer to that one life-changing opportunity so that I could rise to become a household name in the decades to come.

(P.S: Welcome to The Cooking Chef.)