Coastal seaweed bap & baby abalone

by Chef Paul Chung & his Culinary Team
California, United States
 

RICE
1020g (about 4.5 cups) California Koshihikari rice
840g filtered water
15g whole dried green laver (seaweed)
300g softened cultured butter
250g seaweed vinegar
300g dry aged beef pellicle

SEAWEED VINEGAR
30g Ma Kombu
300ml organic unpolished brown rice vinegar
300ml organic light rice vinegar
500ml Hon Mirin
39g fleur de sel
110g raw sugar

GRILLED ABALONE
36 baby abalone (28g each), live or frozen
20g Ma Kombu
50g Tuna Aekjeot (Korean fish sauce)
2L clear chicken broth
2L filtered water
35g Kuzu starch
20g dried California wakame (cut into small strips)

OPTIONAL
Smoked abalone bushi
Black truffles
 

1 — SEAWEED VINEGAR
Combine both vinegars with the salt and sugar and bring to a soft simmer. Add the Hon Mirin and reduce by a third. Add the Kombu and continue to simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve. This can be made the day before and held in refrigeration up to a week.

2 — ABALONE
Rinse the live abalone with filtered water, making sure to wash off any impurities and sediment. Place the fresh abalone with the shell still on in a large pot and cover with the filtered water. Bring the water to a boil, then turn off the heat. Drain the hot water and rinse the Abalone with cold filtered water. Using a pallet knife, detach the abalone from the shell. Remove the liver and the teeth of the abalone, and place only the main muscle back into the pot. Cover the abalone with the chicken broth, add your Aekjeot and Ma Kombu and gently simmer for 30-60 minutes, depending on whether your abalone was fresh or frozen. When the abalone are fully tender, remove them from the pot and save the liquid. Add the wakame to the pot and braise for 5 minutes making sure the wakame is no longer chewy and waxy. Hydrate your Kuzu starch in cold water and add it to the broth. Allow the broth to simmer and thicken to a rich glaze. Add black truffles to taste.

3 — RICE
Gently wash the rice in cold filtered water. Drain the cloudy water and repeat 4-5 times or until its water runs clear. After draining the rice for the last time, let the rice rest for 30 minutes as moisture will continue to steep out of the grains. After the rice has been fully drained, add it to your rice cooker and cover with 840g of filtered water. Place the beef pellicle on top of the rice and cook according to the rice cooker’s setting. When the rice is finished, remove the pellicle from the rice and scoop the rice into a large bowl. Gently paddle the rice while mixing in the seaweed vinegar and cultured butter. The rice can be eaten right away or saved for later.

SERVING INSTRUCTIONS
When the rice is ready, put it in a large sharable vessel. Gently sear the abalone over high heat embers on the flat side. Once warmed through, place them over the rice, take the glaze that was saved, thicken with Kuzu starch and gently glaze them sparingly with a spoon. Serve with pickles and preserves of your choice. Optional: shave smoked abalone bushi and black truffle over the rice.