Cod in Miso Soup with Udon and Shiitake
My wife bought me a cookbook by Masaharu Morimoto last year after we had an amazing meal at his Hell’s Kitchen establishment. Flipping through the book, I was mesmerized by his artistically stunning culinary creations. But as I started reading the recipes on how to construct these mouth-watering and eye-popping dishes, I was completely overwhelmed and intimidated by the list of ingredients and techniques that were required. I didn’t have the faintest idea where I would even find things like royal fern, chrysanthemum greens, lotus leaves or shanton broth, and I strongly doubted I would know what to do if I could find them. Sheepishly, I thanked my wife but told her to return the book as I was clearly not worthy of such culinary brilliance.
Let me be clear, International cuisines do not scare me. I love experimenting with new flavors and ingredients and some of my favorite dishes originate from Thailand, India, China, Mexico and the Carribean. However, Japanese food has always scared me for it embodies everything that I lack as a chef. The flavors and sauces are light and subtle. The preparations are delicate and precise. And the presentations are usually pristine and artistic, accentuating each ingredient on the plate. In other words, the exact opposite of how I cook!
wildscallion 