Open my fridge, and you’ll discover a load of ‘trick’ condiments for injecting meals with flavor, the trick being fermentation and its strong effect on cooking. Fermented elements, of which miso is a shining megastar, have multiple layers and extreme intensity, which saves on effort and time growing that complexity your self. My miso jar is available especially on hand for cooking vegetables without any help from animal-based products. It gives meals – even desserts, drastically whilst caramel is worried – umami improve and an unmistakable, but very scrumptious, funk.
Potato and gochujang braised eggs (above)
Here, eggs are baked nestled inner a massive rösti with a crisp bottom, giving you a great brunch aggregate. Try to paste to ½cm batons for the veggies and now not grate them, because you received’t get the crispness you’re after. You can try this with a sharp knife or, extra simply, a mandoline or a meal processor with the ideal attachment. Be sure to source a great-quality gochujang (a fermented Korean crimson pepper paste) because they’re a whole lot punchier than most supermarket brands.
Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Using a bit of olive oil, lightly grease a 28cm nonstick saute pan for which you have a lid, then positioned it in the oven to warm for 5 minutes.
In a huge bowl, toss the first six ingredients and a quarter-teaspoon of salt until nicely covered (you can need to put on rubber gloves). Remove the pan from the oven, tip within the potato aggregate, spread out calmly, then go back the pan to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, rotating the pan once halfway, till golden brown crisp on the pinnacle.
Use a dessertspoon again to make eight wells in the potato combination, then crack an egg into each one. Cover the pan and return it to the oven for eight mins, or until the whites are cooked, and the yolks are nevertheless runny (if you like, use a small spoon and carefully peel away the white film over the yolks to reveal their color). Season the eggs with a touch of salt.
While the eggs are cooking, blend all the salsa substances in a small bowl. To serve, drizzle the salsa all around the eggs and potatoes and serve instantly from the pan with the lime wedges along to squeeze on top.
Leeks with miso and chives
The punchy dressing is the superstar right here, and it pairs brilliantly with the mild sweetness of the leeks. It’s additionally great tossed with new potatoes or drizzled over fish, chicken, or tofu. The fried leek tops and garlic add aroma and crunch, but if you need to save yourself from deep-frying and/or time, depart them out and serve the leeks with the dressing alone.
Remove the hard outer layers of the leeks and wash them well to eliminate any grit. Cut off and reserve the green tops, so every leek is about 22cm long. Finely slice 60g of the reserved tops into skinny, 8cm-long strips. Rinse the leek greens again to ensure you’ve removed any grit, then drain and dry very well with a kitchen towel.
For the miso and chive dressing, pound the ginger and 1 / 4-teaspoon of flaked salt in a mortar (or with the flat of a knife). Put in a small bowl with all the remaining dressing components except the oil, stir properly to combine, and set aside.
Take a pot that’s wide sufficient to keep the leeks lengthways, half-fill it with lightly salted water, then placed it on a medium-excessive warmth. Once the water is simmering, add the leeks and flip down the warmth to medium. Put a lid that’s smaller than the pan on top of the leeks to weigh them down and keep them beneath the water’s floor, then simmer lightly for 20 minutes, or until a knife goes thru without problems; however, they’re still holding their form. Transfer the leeks to a colander and stand them up vertically, so they drain thoroughly.
