The raw food movement has definitely hit the UAE, with more than half-a-dozen places serving dishes or even entire menus of food that has not been cooked. If you want to try making something raw for yourself, Yves de Lafontaine, the chef and food and beverage manager at The Farm - Dubai, has kinfly shared the recipe for the retreat’s Vietnamese vegetable lettuce rolls.
Serves 2
The initial preparation of the vegetables is the key to the dish. Properly sanitise and dry the items following the directions on your preferred vegetable wash.
Great skill with a knife is not essential as the cutting can all be done on a good mandolin with a julienne attachment.
This will save you time and it adds to special atmosphere of your meal as you engage making your own wraps.
The list of ingredients can change with the season or to accommodate the palate.
Ingredients:
3 outer leaves of iceberg lettuce
3 outer leaves of radicchio lettuce
3 tender leaves of black kale/spinach/wild rocket
4-5 leaves each of fresh coriander (cilantro), fresh basil, fresh parsley, fresh mint, springs of fennel tops
1 medium carrot, cut into julienne (matchsticks)
1 medium white daikon, cut into julienne
1 celery stick, cut into julienne
1 small cucumber, cut into julienne
1 medium plum tomato, sliced
Bean sprouts
Dehydrated garlic chips
For the miso dressing:
½ cup of miso paste
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon of water
¼ cup of sugar
6 tablespoons of lemon juice
4 teaspoons of nama shoyu (raw soy sauce)
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of sesame seeds
¼ teaspoon of sea salt
Directions:
In small bowl, whisk together the miso, water, sugar, lemon juice, soy sauce and salt. While whisking constantly, gradually add the olive oil one spoonful a time until you have a creamy consistency. Finish with the sesame seeds. Serve immediately or it can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
