Cooking with spirits is this months theme for RecipeRedux. Choosing just one recipe for this post was a tough one. Then I remembered the first time I tasted mirin, just a dash used in some Jasmin rice and the choice was easy. Just a tablespoon or two of this special Japanese cooking wine transforms boring foods into a slightly sweet and complex creation.
We had new carpet installed last week which meant a flurry of furniture and nick naks flying in all directions. My entire bedroom was shoved onto the back porch, the contents of the master closet thrown into the bathtub {note to self, declutter closet!} Who knew we had so much junk? The rest of the house was stacked on top of each other and shoved into the kitchen. I took the dog and kids out for most of the day so I didn't witness the chaos but a week later, I'm still finding things in very odd places and not finding other things at all such as my camera!!!!
I've searched the house and my poor camera is nowhere to be found. Let's just hope it didn't end up in the garage because that's where things go to be forgotten and rot.
Camera-less, I had to take these pictures with my iPhone as if you couldn't tell. They didn't look so bad on my phone but when uploaded them to my computer I was very disappointed, ick. iPhones may take great shots of the kids at the park and and decent selfie snaps but they do not do food photography any favors!
Too bad because this was a fabulously lip smacking meal. The sweet Japanese cooking wine really dialed the brussels and shitake side dish to a whole new level! Even picker eater numero tres gobbled them all up and even asked for seconds! The brussels went perfectly with this broiled salmon marinated in freshly grated ginger and Chinese black vinegar.
I added shallots and thinly sliced Thai chilies to the sprouts at the end of sautéing them and then poured in the mirin while scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze all the browned bits.
Finding a good quality mirin is really important for better flavor and avoiding the added sugars and corn syrup found in most of the bottles found in grocery stores. "Cheap" mirin is often simply sake with corn syrup, but hon-mirin is a traditional sweetener made from sweet rice and koji. It adds a wonderful depth of flavor. Mitoku's Mikawa miring was recommend to me and, according to what I've read is either the only or one of the only makers still using traditional methods. A bit of salt is added in order to be able to import it into the US. Eden makes a natural mirin with regular rice which is pretty good. Mirin is slightly expensive, but only a little is needed in recipes and it goes a long way. You can find the Mikawa mirin online at Simply Natural and Amazon. I didn't get it in time for this post but I'm looking forward to it to add in rice, seafood dishes and sweet and sour soups.
I have got to find my camera!!!
You Will Need:
2 cups of baby brussel sprouts, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
1 cup shitake mushrooms wiped clean, stems removed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sesame oil (not toasted)
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1 small Thai chili pepper, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons mirinsesame seeds for garnish
Preheat a good quality sauté pan over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add oil, let heat up for a minute then add brussel sprouts (make sure they are dry before adding to hot oil!). Carefully, shake the pan to toss the brussels and coat them in the oil. Let them sit and re shake the pan every minute or so. After about 3 minutes, add the shallots and the mushrooms, stir to combine. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes being careful not to over cook.
Pour in the mirin while using a wooden spoon to quickly scrape off the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. reduce heat to medium and let the mirin cook down a bit. Do not cover pan. Add chilies if using. After a minute or two, remove pan from heat. Serve immediately.
To see what all of the other Recipe Redux members came up with to spike their foods click the links below.
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