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TOASTED RICE POWDER PILL & SUPER FOOD SALAD
The Center for Genomic Gastronomy & Special Snowflake Studio USA/Norway & USA
PICKLED SEAWEED
200 g dried seaweed, a mix of different
shapes, such as wakame and hijiki
250 ml white wine vinegar
250 ml rice wine vinegar
250 ml water
100 g sugar
½ tsp salt
Soy sauce to taste
SICHUAN PEPPER SALT
3 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
4 tbsp salt
BASIL, CHIVE AND SCALLION OIL DRESSING
60 g scallions, roughly chopped
30 g chives, roughly chopped
10 g basil, roughly chopped
120 ml neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
½ lemon
Salt to taste
TOASTED RICE POWDER PILL
4 small vegan empty pill capsules
[available from health food stores]
100 g Thai sticky rice
2 stalks lemongrass, tender stem ends peeled and chopped
4 wild lime leaves
Zest from 4 wild limes [optional]
PRESSED TOFU
½ pound pressed tofu
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
_First prepare the pickled seaweed, as it will need to be refrigerated for 4–24 hours before serving. Rinse the seaweed in cold water, place in a bowl and cover with room temperature water. Drain. Chop any large pieces of seaweed into thin strips, place the brine ingredients in pan and bring to a boil. Simmer and stir until sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. Add seaweed to cooled liquid. Stir and season with soy sauce to taste. Refrigerate for 4–24 hours.
_Next, to prepare the Sichuan pepper salt, toast the salt and peppercorns in a skillet or wok until fragrant, then cool. Use a spice grinder to grind to a fine powder and store in a glass jar with an airtight lid.
_To make the basil, chive and scallion oil dressing, heat the oil over medium heat and add greens. Infuse for 10 seconds. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Add a couple of drops of lemon juice and salt to taste. Place bowl in refrigerator or chill in an ice bath for 10 minutes, then transfer contents to a blender. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth and store in a glass jar with an air tight lid.
_To create the toasted rice powder pill, toast the rice in a skillet over medium heat, stirring or shaking constantly until the rice is brown and aromatic, about 5–7 minutes. Allow to cool. Place rice and aromatics in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. Fill each empty pill capsule with the toasted rice powder. Store in a glass jar with an airtight lid until ready to use.
_For the pressed tofu, slice tofu into 1 cm wide slices and add enough sesame seed oil to lightly coat a skillet. Work in batches to warm the tofu slices over a medium heat, making sure that they are spaced apart and placed in a single layer. Add sesame seed oil as needed to keep the tofu from sticking.
_Finally, to assemble your Toasted Rice Powder Pill & Super Food Salad, arrange heated tofu slices on a plate, two per diner. Drizzle tofu with basil, chive, and scallion oil dressing. Sprinkle with Sichuan pepper salt. Garnish with a generous handful or two of pickled seaweed on each plate. Perch one toasted rice powder pill on top of seaweed. Diners are invited to open the capsule and sprinkle the toasted rice powder on the tofu and seaweed, seasoning their dish to suit individual preference.
