Saturday, November 7, 2009

Japanese-style Mignonette

This is one of my favorite accompaniments to raw oysters. It an approximation of a sauce I had at a little family-run Sushi Restaurant while living in San Francisco which, most unfortunately, it's no longer there (the restaurant, that is).

Makes about 16 oz, which should be enough for 3-4 dozen oysters, depending on how much you put on.

Though I generally just "eye" it, I think this is pretty close:

Japanese Mignonette
  • 1 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup dry sake
  • 1/4 cup mirin
  • 2 tablespoon tamari
  • 1 teaspoon very finely chopped hot chillies (Thai red or green chillies, even Serrano will work)
  • 1/4 - 1/2  teaspoon shredded fresh ginger (really, to taste)
  • 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (again, these oils differ in intensity so,  if you're not sure, start with just a little and keep adding/tasting until it blends nicely with the other ingredients)
Simply add all ingredients and let stand for a few hours before using.  A teaspoon on each oyster should be enough, and don't dump the oyster's liquor, of course. It really should keep for a few weeks, but it never last that long around here.

 A note: be careful when you slurp down an oyster too quickly with this stuff, if you shoot it directly into your gullet, the vinegar can burn a bit ... tears come to eyes, you cough, everybody has a laugh. You get the picture?  A nice cold premium sake would go very well with this.

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