[Summer Flavors] Just zucchini, for side dishes or snacks! A secret cold dish that "develops umami" and will become a summer staple
Thank you, as always.
From the "Cafe that heals from within with Koji and fermentation" in Ibaraki City, Osaka,
the husband from Cozy Cafe & Bar beyond.
June has arrived, and the rainy season is already here.
The number of humid days is increasing,
and the kitchen has become even hotter.
As summer approaches, "that little one"
has started to show its face in our "Seasonal Vegetable Set"again this year!that little onehas started to show its face in our "Seasonal Vegetable Set"again this year!
The green and yellow little onereminded me of
a memory from last year.
A new summer staple at beyond is born! "Grilled Zucchini Marinade"
Starting with the
"beyond handmade Koji One Soup Eight Dishes Lunch"that I often introduce,
at Cozy Cafe & Bar beyond, we serve each plate menu
withfermented obanzaion top.
Locally grown vegetables with reduced pesticide useare packed randomly into the
"Seasonal Vegetable Set"
There was a time whena lot of magnificent zucchiniwere included in it.
I didn't think I could keep up with consuming them
with the ratatouille or vegetable mixes I usually made...!?
I had to make an obanzai where zucchini was the absolute star!!
I immediately started prototyping...
(I will omit the talk about other dishes)
Just by grilling it in the frying pan,
the aroma was already tempting me.
Even though I knew it was a marinade...
As soon as I combined it with the marinade liquid,
"It must be delicious already"I thought, and popped the freshly made dish into my mouth—
"…Hot!!! So good!!"
It was just between the lunch and dinner shifts.
I couldn't help but say it out loud.
The juiciness of the zucchini,
the umami overflowing with every bite...
how well it pairs with fermented seasonings...
Irresistible!!!!
Post-service episode
Plated and served to the customer.
Happily, the reaction was even better than I imagined!
"How do you make it taste this good with just zucchini?"
Of all the comments I received, this one left the biggest impression.
I was so happy about it that,
actually, last year on X (formerly Twitter),
I briefly introduced how to make it.
My account doesn't have that many followers,
but I got some lovely comments!!
Since it's hard to dig it up from a post a whole year ago...
the recipe for 'Grilled Zucchini Marinade'
I'll publish it on note too!
I can set a thumbnail image to make it easy to understand,
and it's definitely easier to find this way, right?
Juicy zucchini x '336 hours of magic'
But before that...
just a little bit oftalk about zucchini.
Looks... almost like a cucumber.
In reality... it's a member of the 'pumpkin' family.
About 95% of its composition is water.
It's an incredibly mild vegetable.
But these little guys
hide incredible potential.
That is...
by applying heat,
'they soak up the umami of the oil with all their might and become melt-in-your-mouth tender'
.
Soaking up umami with all their might...
this is where my homemade fermented koji seasoning,
with its umami condensed through about 2 weeks (336 hours) of slow fermentation,
comes into play!
Because zucchini is so full of water and mild,
the deep umami of fermentation, nurtured over time,
soaks into the gaps between its cells...
that's the image, I suppose.
Also, let's look at the nutrients in zucchini!
*Potassium
Supports care for summer 'swelling' concerns
*Vitamin C, Beta-carotene
Ingredients that protect the skin from UV damage
Using simple seasonings for mild ingredients.
A dish that feels good for the body and lets you appreciate the charm of the ingredients.
[Introducing the restaurant's flavor] Easy recipe
Sorry to keep you waiting.
Here is the special beyond recipe!
*Since it works as both a side dish and a snack,
I recommend making a batch in the amount introduced here.
[Ingredients used]
◎ Zucchini 3-4
● Salt koji 30g
● Garlic koji 20g
● Olive oil 15g
● Black pepper to taste (I like a lot)
[How to make]
1. Put all the ingredients marked with ● into a bowl and mix (marinade).
2. Cut the zucchini into 1.5cm thick rounds.
3. Spread olive oil in a heated frying pan and grill the zucchini from step 2 until both sides are browned.
4. While still hot, add the zucchini from step 3 into the bowl from step 1.
5. Once all of step 4 is done, mix everything together in the bowl.
6. Arrange the zucchini in a storage container, pour the remaining marinade over the top, and let it cool.
7. Once cooled, put it in the refrigerator.
How about that?? This isn't difficult at all, right??
It's so simple that
I had no hesitation in sharing it last year either. lol
By the way... one extra tip!
Since it's "summer,"
adding a splash of vinegar or lemon juice
makes it refreshing and light,
so it's easy to eat even on days when you have no appetite!
<<Recommended ways to eat>>
* Eat as is
* Put on salad
* Put on curry
* As a companion to evening drinks
A note of caution with a probability as low as winning the lottery
If it's something distributed at the supermarket where you usually shop,
it's generally fine, but ...very, very rarely ...
there may be a
defective individual due to mutation that contains a lot of a toxic bitter component called "cucurbitacin" mixed in.
<Level of 1 in tens to hundreds of thousands>
The troublesome thing is...
* You won't know until you eat it
* The poison doesn't disappear even if heated
Neither the producers nor the sellers can notice it.
If you feel a strong bitterness,
don't endure it thinking it's a "waste," just toss it.
Food poisoning after forcing yourself to eat it is scarier, after all!
In closing
If you make it at home,
I'd be happy if you could let me know your thoughts...or something like that.
Even though I look like this (look like what?),
I'm a "rice eater" and a "beer lover," but
truly,
I think it's a dish that goes perfectly as both a side dish and a snack,
so I highly recommend it!
For those who still think it's a hassle to make...
please consider our obanzai takeout!
<⇩ There is also a memory of early summer last year ~Beet version~>
<⇩ For those who want to know more recipes, dressing recipes are on sale>
<⇩ Just in case... Google Map for those considering takeout>
◆◇◆◇◆◇
Cozy Cafe & Bar beyond
~A cafe where you can "get in tune" from within using koji and fermentation~
2F, 6-23 Nishi-Ekimae-cho, Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture
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麹・発酵で内側から整えるカフェ『Cozy Cafe & Bar beyond』は、麹や発酵の魅力をもっと広げていけるように努めてまいります。応援いただけますと幸いです。