Sour Tamarind and Buttery Mushrooms with Crispy Rice
Sour Tamarind and Buttery Mushrooms with Crispy Rice
Mushrooms are deglazed with a soy sauce lacquered tamarind sauce, or what your eyes may think is a "tropical demi-glace."
I have vivid memories of cracking tamarind pods and eating the pulp while sitting in the passenger seat of my mom’s 1990s Taurus. My mom’s agua fresca game is so extra, she still buys tamarind pods, hibiscus flowers, and canela (for horchata) in bulk. These flavors trained me (and many generations of Mexican kiddos) to seek out sour and bright flavors in everything I cook.
This “acevichado” way of life (the act of ceviche-fying with acid and high contrast. But don’t look it up, I’m the source of this definition!) means that sometimes you reach out for black vinegar or ponzu to make it just right. So I was wondering, why not have it all in the sauce? The key is making tamarind paste or sometimes called “tamarind concentrate” a staple in your pantry. You can source it at Indian grocery stores, as it is an essential ingredient in some chutneys and sauces. That addicting sour and earthy flavor in some stir fries and pad Thai? Tamarind for sure. You can also find it in tiny jars at Whole Foods or online here. If you can only find tamarind pods, just boil the pods whole in water until pulpy. Cool and remove pods, seeds and strings. The pulp won’t be as concentrated as the paste but it will be significantly thicker, so start by adding the same amount that the recipe calls for, tasting until you hit the right note.
Tamarind paste is super sour on its own, but once it’s whisked in the broth and balanced with soy sauce, and finished with lots of butter, you may think your eyes are tricking you into thinking it is a tropical demi-glace. The shape and squiggly texture of shimeji or enoki mushrooms are so fun for a quick sear in butter and garlic (but you can definitely sub with your mushroom of choice). The mushrooms are deglazed with the tamarind sauce and cooked low and slow until the sauce is reduced by half and finished with butter, giving you a glossy, buttery sauce. I made this dish the other night when Javier and I were extra hungry and I served it with soft tofu poached in salted water for 3 minutes, which makes the tofu a little firmer and draws out excess moisture.
But the unsung hero in this week’s recipe is the use of leftover cooked rice. I like to think that crisping it up it’s a beginner’s initiation to the holy grail of rice textures: tahdig. Tahdig is a highlight of Persian cuisine, the crisp crust whose name means “bottom of the pot.” Naz Deravian wrote an entire cookbook dedicated to Tahdig that you can buy here.
But this is no tahdig, it’s just your leftover cold rice, but the pockets of golden crust might give your rice a second chance at life.
This week’s recipe playlist it’s a mix of Grupo Jejeje’s obscure sounds from synthy cumbia from Puebla and Persian music influences from second-generation immigrant DJs that will blow your mind. Some surf-punk from Señor Kino out of Hermosillo, Sonora, and more post-punk sounds from Depresión Sonora out of Spain. Listen here!