INGREDIENTS
Hearts of Palm:
2 ounces hearts of palm
Palm oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Takanotsume chili pepper
6 ounces kombu stock
2 ounces turnip
1 teaspoon sour plum paste
Plum Sauce:
Japanese pickled sour plums, pitted
1 teaspoon sake
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Pinch sugar
Nama-Fu:
1 ounce nama-fu
15 ounces water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon canola oil
To Assemble and Serve:
Wasabi
2 chive shoots
METHOD
For the Hearts of Palm:
Peel off the skins of the hearts of palm and cut off the edges as well as the stiff parts. Reserve the edges. Heat the palm oil in a saucepan over a low heat and sauté the edges of the hearts of palm. Add the salt, pepper, and takanotsume pepper. Add the kombu stock, and turn the heat up to high. Continue to cook the palm edges for 20 minutes to make a soup. Keep adding water in order to maintain the consistency of the soup. Remove the pot from the heat, blend the liquid, then strain the soup with a colander. Clean the rest of the hearts of palm and then steam them for 25 minutes at 176˚F. Cool them and soak them in the soup for 12 hours. Cut the steamed hearts of palm into small pieces.
Plum Sauce:
Pit the Japanese pickled sour plums and strain them to make a paste. Heat the sake to reduce the alcohol and then cool it. Blend the sour plum paste, sake, soy sauce, and sugar to combine. Reserve.
For the Nama-Fu:
Cut the nama-fu in half. Heat the water to a boil and add the salt and canola oil. Blanch the nama-fu and remove to cool.
To Assemble and Serve:
Plate the hearts of palm pieces and nama-fu in a bowl. Grate the turnip and squeeze the water out. Mix the grated turnip with a small amount of the hearts of palm soup, then pour it over the plated hearts of palm. Top with the plum sauce and garnish with hollowed fresh hearts of palm, wasabi, and chive shoots.
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