' japanese WILD HARVESTED MUSHROOMS.'

Japanese Wild Mushrooms (Nameko, Shitake, Snow fungus) and Sugar-cane fed Oyster mushrooms on a bed of Royal black rice, pickled ginger, shiro miso paste, wasabi foam, tree resin and snow pea shoots.

           The second of my mycological gastronomy series takes us to the far east to taste the fungus of Japans wilderness. My very own grown sugar-cane fed white oyster mushrooms also feature in this dish as it really was the inspiration for the day. I started this one by cooking the black rice which has a purplish tinge when cooked, by the absorption method one part rice to one and a half parts water, washing the rice well before cooking. I brought the rice to the boil, reducing to a simmer stirring at intervals . When the water had absorbed I removed the rice from the heat and let stand with a lid for ten to fifteen minutes, fluffing with a fork just before serving. While this was standing  I re-constituded the snow fungus, nameko and shitake mushrooms in hot water before draining, pat drying and pan frying in a little peanut oil with the home grown oyster mushrooms. To make the wasabi foam I simply added wasabi paste, plain yoghurt, rice wine vinegar and soy lecithin into a tall tumbler and using a stick blender ,blending to form a foam and then placed the foam into the fridge to chill and hold form before plating. The pickled ginger and miso paste, resin and snow pea sprouts came bought in and were plated as is.
            The construction of this display starts with a bed of opulent royal black rice, topped with fried asian wild mushrooms. Accompanied by shiro miso paste swiped on to the plate adjacent the rice.The pickled ginger and wasabi foam was placed strategically to offer pairings with all elements. To add colour and crunch to the dish, the plate was garnished with snow pea shoots and edible tree resin.

        Below are photos of my mycology madness on the go.