Entertaining in the Raw - Matthew Kenney [60]
*Note: Raw carrageenan is prepared by soaking salt-packed Irish moss until all salt is removed. Soak Irish moss overnight, then blend with an equal amount of water until smooth. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Assembly Warm pho broth in a dehydrator for 30 minutes. Place half the vegetables in the bottom of soup bowls and top with broth. Pour broth into soup bowls and top with tofu, remaining vegetables, black sesame seeds, and cilantro leaves. Serves 4
Fortune Cookies
I added fortune cookies to our Chinese-inspired menu, not fully expecting that my sous chefs Kristen and Anna would be able to actually find a way to make them. Lo and behold, they were perfectly executed. Interestingly, fortune cookies are a California—not a Chinese—invention. They remain a lighthearted and fun way to end the meal, hopefully with a welcoming prophecy.
1-1/4 cups flax meal
3/4 cup chopped pear
1/2 cup young coconut meat
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup water
Blend all ingredients in a Vita-mix except water until smooth. Add water until batter is pasty but still thick. Spread into 3-inch circles on Teflex sheets and dehydrate 6–8 hours until firm but still pliable. Place a fortune note on top of each cookie with the end of note barely hanging over the edge. Carefully transfer to dehydrator trays and form into fortune cookie shapes, by folding in half, and then folding again to pull down pointed edges. Use paper clips to secure edges if needed. Dehydrate another 18–24 hours until crisp. Yields 2 dozen
Spicy “Fried” Spring Rolls with Sweet Tamarind Fondue
Spring rolls, so named because they are typically eaten during Chinese festivals in the spring, are normally filled with crispy vegetables and sometimes cabbage or mushrooms. They are not always vegetarian, but quite often are. The wrapper in this recipe makes use of one of my favorite techniques and embraces, rather than overpowers, the filling.
Wrappers
2 cups flax meal
2 cups chopped yellow squash
1 cup chopped coconut meat
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 cups water
1/4 cup raw agave nectar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
Filling
1 cup julienned carrots
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1 cup shredded Napa cabbage
1-1/2 cups dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked 1 hour and dehydrated 2 hours
1/2 teaspoon salt
Black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
Tofu
1 cup cashews, soaked 1–2 hours
1/2 cup fresh young Thai coconut meat
1/2 cup raw carrageenan
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1-1/2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup cilantro
Chile Sauce
3/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
2 cups cashews, soaked 1–2 hours
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup nama shoyu
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
Sweet Tamarind Fondue
1 cup dried tamarind paste
1/2 cup raw agave
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup coconut water
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Garnish
Cilantro leaves
Wrappers Blend all ingredients except scallions in a Vita-Mix until smooth; stir in scallions. Spread thinly into 6- to 7-inch rounds on dehydrator Teflex sheets. Dehydrate 5–6 hours until dry but very pliable.
Filling Fold all ingredients together.
Tofu Line the bottom and sides of a small pan or square container with plastic wrap. Blend all ingredients except cilantro in Vita-Mix until completely smooth; stir in cilantro. Pour into lined pan (tofu should be about 1-1/2 inches thick); cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate about 2 hours until firm. Remove tofu from container by lifting plastic wrap out of pan and gently transferring to a cutting board. Cut tofu into 2-inch squares with a butter knife.
Chile Sauce Blend all ingredients in Vita-Mix until smooth.
Sweet Tamarind Fondue Blend