This crudo is truly simple to assemble and just delish!

Chef’s tip: Frankly, there’s little skill needed to put this dish together.  Just get the best hamachi you can buy.  In SF Japantown, at the Nijiya market, they fly in fish from the Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market several times a week. I know, it’s not locally-correct, but you’ve gotta sink your teeth into the fish to feel the springy, crunchy texture to feel the fresh difference.

Ingredients

6 oz of sashimi-grade yellow-tail hamachi

Zest of 1 Meyer lemon
Juice of half a Meyer lemon
1/3 cup of Meyer lemon olive oil (O Brand)
A pinch of sugar
A pinch of salt

¼ of English cucumber

1 Tablespoon dried hijiki, soaked in hot water, 10 minutes
Thinly sliced Meyer lemon
Some fleur du sel

To make the Vinaigrette:
1.    Zest the Meyer lemon with a microplane zester
2.    Combine ½ the zest with olive oil, lemon juice, sugar and salt and mix well.
To Assemble:
3.    Slice the yellowtail thinly and arrange on serving plate
4.    Slice cucumber into half moon slices and arrange around the fish
5.    Drizzle with the vinaigrette
6.    Garnish with sliced lemons and drained hijiki.
7.    Finish with a sprinkle of fleur du sel.

Serves: 4

Tags: Japanese, sashimi.

Putting in more Vietnamese into Slanted Door’s Grapefruit and Jicama Salad, I have adapted the recipe and served the salad as a springroll. The tantalizing sweet, sour, salty and spiciness of the springroll will surely tintilate your tastebuds. The chewiness of the rice paper lets you savor the flavors slowly, as each flavor unfolds from the various herbs as you chew. And it’s a beautiful dish, too. It’s like serving a Garden of Eden, wrapped in rice paper.

Chef’s tip: If you have to prep this ahead, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and do not place into the fridge. The coldness will turn the rice paper hard.

Ingredients:

Candied nuts:
1/2 cup golden brown sugar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cups pecan halves
Nonstick vegetable oil spray and foil

Shallot oil:
1 shallot, sliced finely
1/3 cup of oil

Nuoc Cham Sauce:
1 tablespoon Sri Racha sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 Tablespoons sugar
5 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
4 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons fish sauce (sub with soy sauce for vegetarian option)
2 Tablespoons shallot oil (see above)

Filling:
2 oz rice vermicelli
1/4 head of red cabbage, thinly julienned, makes 2 cups
1/4 head of napa cabbage, thinly julienned, makes 2 cups
1 large carrot, thinly julienned
1/2 small jicama, thinly julienned, makes 2 cups
1 large ruby grapefruit, peeled, membranes and seeds removed
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chiffonade
1/2 cup scallions, chiffonade
1/2 cup Rau Ram – polygonum (Vietnamese Mint), chiffonade
1/2 cup of Thai basil leaves, chiffonade
5 small pieces of butter lettuce, ribbed and tear into 2×3 inch pieces
1/2 cup mint leaves, whole

20 round 8-inch Vietnamese rice paper

Directions

Prepare the candied nuts:
1. In heavy medium skillet over medium heat, bring sugar, olive oil and vinegar to boil until sugar melts and syrup bubbles, about 3 minutes.
2. Mix in pecans and stir until nuts are toasted and syrup coats nuts evenly, about 7 minutes. Turn nuts out onto greased foil. Using fork, separate nuts and cool completely till harden. Break nuts into small pieces.
Prepare the sauce:
3. Make the shallot oil by frying sliced shallots in 1/3 cup of canola oil till golden brown.
4. In a small bowl, whisk Sri Racha, garlic, sugar, rice wine vinegar, water, fish sauce and 2 tablespoons of shallot oil together. Set aside.
Prepare the filling:
5. Bring salted water to boil. Drop rice vermicelli in, bring to boil again. Remove from heat, cover and soak for 15 minutes. Drain and fluff.
Prepare the slaw:
6. Using a food processor, mandoline or a sharp knife, shred both cabbages (2mm); julienne jicama and carrots finely into shoestring strips.
7. Place vegetables in separate bowls and toss with a tablespoon of Nuoc Cham each.
8. Peel grapefruit, remove skin, pith, membranes and seeds.
9. Chiffonade cilantro, scallion, Rau Ram and Thai basil and toss together to mix.
10. Remove ribs from butter lettuce and tear into 2 x 3 inch pieces each.
Assemble the springrolls:
11. Line a baking sheet with a damp tea towel and have another damp towel ready to cover the rolls. Line a cutting board with a third damp towel. Have all spring roll filling and vegetables mise en place.
12. Fill a large sauté pan with 2 inches of water. Add 1 spoon of sugar, bring water to a boil, then turn heat to very low. Working with one sheet of rice paper at a time, dip half the disc into the hot water, holding one corner with your fingers or a pair of chopsticks. Let it sit for about 5 seconds. Quickly dip the other half and remove and spread out flat on lined cutting board.
13. Lay a leaf of lettuce over the bottom third of the rice paper. Lay a thin layer of rice noodles on top of the lettuce. Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon of grapefruit sacs, 1 tablespoon herb mixture and 1 tablespoon of pecans. Lay a small amount of carrots, red and napa cabbage on top of the lettuce. Place 3 pieces of jicama sticks and press together to compact. Lay 2 pieces of mint down on the middle third of the rice paper.
14. Fold the left and right side over the filling. Holding the sides in place, fold the bottom flap up and roll the roll up into a tight cylinder. You want the mint to show through the wrapping. Lay the rolls flap side down on the moistened towel and cover with another moist towel until ready to serve (or cover tightly with Saran wrap). Patch any broken areas with small pieces of soaked, rice paper.
15. Serve: Cut the spring rolls into half crosswise and serve with nuoc cham dipping sauce.

Makes: 40 pieces.

Tags: finger foods, springrolls, vegan, Vietnamese.

The British have their dainty cucumber sandwich….eaten with raised pinkies. Malaysia, a former British colony, added a little a lot of spice to the cucumber sandwich, and came up with the sambal sandwich. The butter tempers the spice of the sambal, and the cucumber cools the palate.

Chef’s tip: This sambal recipe is very versatile. You can toss in some fried eggplants to get sambal eggplant, some cooked okras to get Sambal Ladies Fingers, or just eat it by itself! It freezes very well, too.

Ingredients

Spice paste:
3 fresh red chilies
2 small cloves of garlic
3 small shallots, sliced
2 teaspoons roasted belacan
½ inch piece of tumeric/ ½ teaspoon tumeric powder
½ inch of galangal
1 lemongrass, sliced, white part only

2/3 cup of dried shrimp, soaked

1 teaspoon tamarind paste mixed with ½ cup water
3 tablespoon sugar, to taste
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup canola oil

6 slices of brioche bread or white bread with crust removed
½ stick butter, at room temperature
¼ English cucumber

Preparing the spice paste:
1.    Grind all spice paste in a food processor, set aside.
2.    Drain the dried shrimps.  Separately, place in food processor and grind till fine.
Cooking the sambal:
3.    In a wok or a saucepan, heat ¼ cup canola oil on medium high.  Fry paste till fragrant, red and oil has separated, about 7-10 minutes.  Add more oil if necessary to prevent sticking.
4.    Add the dried shrimp and sugar.  Fry until aromatic, about 5 minutes.  Add tamarind liquid.  Continue cooking, adding more oil if necessary for another 10 minutes until the sambal is a dry and deep red in color.
Assembly:
5.    Slice cucumber into thin rounds
6.    Remove bread crust, and place two slices of bread on a cutting board.  Generously smear butter on one side of each slice of bread.
7.    Spread on a thin layer of the sambal, top with cucumber and sandwich with buttered bread.
8.    Cut bread into 4 diagonally, making 4 tiny triangles.

Makes 12 mini sandwich fingers

Tags: Malaysian, sambal, sandwich.