laocook

Sometimes when you are presented with a top quality ingredient, you just want to use it all up at once. A batch of Mangoes arrived to our kitchen which just cried out to be used.

They where hard though soft, sweet though sour and they were bursting with flavour, yet not over whelming.

Saki and Kuchi got an instant idea and used them in their Maki Sushi, and what an idea it was. The Vinegared Rice was in tune with the Acidity of the Mango, and the Soy Sauce and Wasabi danced with the Sweetness of the fruit, plus the whole thing held a well defined texture, the rice remained Chewy and Elastic, whilst the Mango just slid around your taste buds.

Using Fruits with Rice is nothing new, and at first we were all excited about dipping the Mango Maki in the Wasabi and Soy Sauce. We even thought about making a quick Sugar and Salt based sauce for the Sushi, but later decided to remain faithful to the Sushi genre and use Wasabi.

Saki explains the Mango Maki must be made “a la minute” to ensure that fruit does not change colour and the Vinegar from the Rice should be allowed to fuse with the fruit, each ingredient, including the Nori must be “Independent”, that way the outside is naturally “Crunchy” (Nori), the Rice at Room Temperature, and the Mango firm yet soft.

Last week I posted an article about my Home Grown Chillies.

You can see by the pics that most of the Chillies were Green, there was only one Red one.

Now that a week has passed, I am glad to say that the green ones have now turned Red. They are a wonderful sight to behold…(well to me they are…)

They turn from Green to a tinge of Orange before turning a bright radiant Red.

Four out of the Six plants are doing very well, the weaker Two should come along within the next few days.