Cold Smoked Maitake Mushroom & Veal Congee
Makes 2 Servings
A congee is a savory rice porridge. Here’s a recipe for congee topped with seared veal cutlets, an egg yolk for richness and cold-smoked maitake mushroom for extra umami & depth.
INGREDIENTS
- 8oz Veal Cutlets
- ¼ cup All Purpose Flour
- Salt & Pepper
- Congee:
- 1 cup Short Grain Rice
- 9 cups Dashi Stock
- 1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1 tbsp Tamari Soy Sauce
- Smoked Mushrooms:
- 1 bunch Fresh Maitake Mushrooms
- 1 cup Smoking Wood Chips (not Mesquite, we recommend Apple, Cherry or Pecan)
- Garnish:
- 2 sheets Toasted & Seasoned Nori, finely minced
- 2 Egg Yolks (ideally pasteurized for safety)
- Radish Sprouts
DIRECTIONS
1
Combine the rice & dashi in a medium saucepan. Heat to bring the dashi to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low & simmer until the rice is VERY tender.
2
Stir in the sesame oil & tamari soy sauce, then cover the pot & keep it warm until you’re ready to plate the dish
3
Lightly salt the mushrooms & allow the salt to draw out their moisture.
4
Preheat your oven to 250°F.
5
Put the wood chips in a “dish” made with aluminum foil. Place the dish in a large frying pan or cast iron skillet, off to one side. Light the chips using a strong culinary torch, then let the flames burn out.
6
While the chips are still smoking, put the mushrooms in the other side of the interior of the pan. Cover the pan immediately with a lid or foil & move it to the oven. Let the mushrooms smoke for 20 minutes.
7
While the mushrooms are smoking, pre-heat an oiled frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Season the veal cutlets with salt & pepper, dust them with flour on both sides.
8
Sear the veal cutlets in the pan, flipping as necessary, until they reach your desired doneness (we cooked ours to Medium (an internal temp of approx. 150°F), which took about five minutes).
9
Serve bowls of the congee with sliced veal, clusters of maitake mushrooms, an egg yolk in each & some of the radish sprouts.
Recipe by Jake Vorono