There are 2 popular ways to eat pickled ginger.  In Chinese tradition, at the first full moon celebration of the birth of a baby, or in Japanese, gari is eaten with sushi.  I just love it as an everyday condiment!  Do note that the pink in the pickled ginger is a natural color.

Chef’s tip: Buy the young ginger, which has very thin skin, succulent flesh with little fibers.  Peel the ginger by scraping it with a spoon.

1  1/4 lb young ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
2 Tablespoons kosher salt

1 1/2 cup white vinegar
6 Tablespoons sugar

1. Peel ginger and slice with a mandoline as thin as you can, preferably less than 1 mm thick
2. Spread sliced ginger on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and let sit for 7 minutes.  Rinse and spin dry.  Pat dry with paper towels.
3. In a non reactive bowl, dissolve sugar with the vinegar.
4. Pack the ginger into a glass container, then pour in the vinegared syrup.  Refrigerate for at least two weeks before consuming.  The ginger will develop a rose pink hue over time.

Serves: Makes 6 cups

Tags: hot, Japanese, sour, sushi, sweet, vegan, Vegetarian.

A tasty pesto with sharp herbal tones to match the robust, nutty taste of buckwheat noodles.

Chef’s tip: When making a pesto, don’t add the Parmesan till after you remove it from the food processor.  that way, the cheese won’t melt with the heat of the motor.  Also, always reserve some pasta water to add back to the pasta to create smooth, silky noodles.  Lastly long pepper is a fragrant, fruity peppercorn with a hint of sweetness and it’s the spice du jour.  Seek it out!

Asian Pesto:
2 cups Thai basil, stems removed
1/2 cup Rau Ram – Vietnamese coriander leaves
3 sprigs green onions, green parts only
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 Tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1/2 teaspoon long pepper, freshly ground

1/4 cup Parmesan, grated

3 bunches dried soba, 1 inch diameter bunch

Preparing the Pesto:
1. Place all the herbs into the bowl of a food processor.  Process to chop up the leaves.  With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream.  Process till a smooth paste forms.
2.  Add in pine nuts, salt and pepper, pulse to chop and adjust seasoning if needed.
3. Transfer pesto to a bowl and mix in parmesan.  Drizzle on some olive oil to keep pesto green.
Preparing the soba:
4. Bring a pot of salted water to boil.  Add the soba and cook at a rolling boil until el dente, about 3 minutes, or according to package instructions.  Drain, but save some of the pasta water.  Transfer to a heated large bowl.
5. Toss the pasta with the pesto, adding in some of the pasta water (about 1/4 cup).
6. Serve with grated Parmesan.

Serves: 4

Tags: Japanese, Pasta, pesto, Vegetarian.

Probably one of the best ways to eat maitakes.  Using rice flour for the batter, deep frying the mushrooms to perfection at 375F gives the tempura a nice big crunch.  The woodsy, robust flavor of chicken-of-the-woods mushrooms works very well with the lime salt…..deep fried margarita, anyone?…I mean, maitake.

Chef’s tip: Sprinkling the maitake with some cornstarch absorbs any excess moisture, and allows the batter to adhere to the mushrooms better.

Ingredients:
Zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoon Maldon sea salt

1 lb maitake or hens of the woods mushroom

Batter:
2 cups rice flour
1 egg yolk
2 cups club soda, chilled cold

1 cup of cornstarch
kosher salt
4 cups of canola oil
Lime, cut into wedges

Preparing the lime sea salt:
1.    Using a mortar and pestle, muddle salt with zest.  Salt can be stored in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks.
Preparing the mushroom:
2.    Wipe maitake with a damp towel to clean.  Trim roots.  Break into small chunks about 2 inch square.
Preparing the batter:
3.    Whisk egg yolk, rice flour and club soda in large bowl until just blend.
Cooking the tempura:
4.    Heat canola oil in a deep fry pan till 375F
5.    Working in batches, sprinkle cornstarch on maitake to cover entirely, then dredge in batter and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes.  Using slotted spoon, transfer mushroom to a baking rack over a sheet pan to drain.
6.    Sprinkle with kosher salt immediately
7.    Repeat for remaining maitakes, making sure temperature is maintained at 375F
8.    Serve with lime sea salt, and wedges of lime.

Serves: 4

Tags: finger foods, Japanese, Maldon, Mushrooms, Sea salt, tempura, Vegetarian.