Duncan cabbage with English wasabi and mock teriyaki

GBC Tayler Cabbage FILM 1080P 4 2 2022
  • medium
  • 4
  • 1 hour 15 minutes plus 10-14 days to ferment the mushrooms and overnight dehydrating time
Not yet rated

The humble cabbage takes centre stage in this British-meets-Japanese dish from chef Charlie Tayler. Gently cooked in beef fat before being lightly charred gives the brassica a distinctive meatiness, which is then bolstered by a British take on teriyaki made with stout and honey. A beautiful recipe which elevates seasonal vegetables in a unique, deeply flavourful way.

First published in 2022

Charlie says: 'This dish is a great example of how we mix different cultures and flavours together; a nostalgic traditional Sunday roast beef with a Japanese twist. Using produce from ‘Our Farm’ and other British ingredients makes this a great addition to our fifteen-course tasting menu.'

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Shimeji mushrooms

Duncan cabbage

Crispy peacock kale

  • 1 handful of peacock kale, or regular kale
  • salt
  • 1 pinch of micro herbs, to garnish

Wasabi mayonnaise

  • 1 egg
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2.5g of sherry vinegar
  • 10g of fresh wasabi, or 15g wasabi from a tube if you can't get fresh
  • 2g of table salt
  • 15g of water
  • 250g of sunflower oil

Mock ‘Teriyaki’ sauce

Equipment

  • Spice grinder
  • iSi whip
  • Sous vide equipment
  • Food processor or blender
  • Dehydrator
  • Squeezy bottle

Method

1

Begin 10-14 days in advance, as you need to give the shimeji mushrooms time to ferment. Separate the mushroom stalks from the heads and set the heads aside. Place the stalks in a sous-vide bag or Kilner jar and top with 120ml of water mixed with 2.4g of table salt and seal. Leave to ferment at room temperature for 10-14 days, after which you will be left with an amazing fermented mushroom stock which is used for the sauce. You will have to 'burp' the jar each day to allow built-up gas to escape

2

For the pickled mushrooms, heat the vinegar, sugar and remaining 100ml of water in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Pour over the mushroom heads and leave to come to room temperature in the pickle. Cover or seal and reserve in the fridge until ready to serve

  • 100ml of white wine vinegar
  • 100g of sugar
  • 100ml of water
3

The day before cooking, remove the outer leaves from the cabbage and place them in a dehydrator or low oven overnight until completely crisp. The next day, blitz into a powder using a spice grinder

4

The next day, cook the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into four segments, removing most of the core but keeping enough that it holds together. Brush each quarter liberally with the melted beef fat and sprinkle with a little salt. Place the leaves in a sous-vide bag and steam at 90ºC for 13–15 minutes until tender. If you don't have sous-vide equipment, you can cook the leaves in a lidded casserole dish in the oven set to 100ºC or the lowest your oven will go

5

Once the segments of cabbage are tender with a little bite, it's time to roll them up. Place a large sheet of cling film on a work surface and pile the quarters of cabbage on top. Tightly roll them into a cylinder, wrapping them with the cling film to create a sausage shape. Secure the ends, then place in the fridge for an hour or 2 to set firm

6

To make the crispy kale, place a dry frying pan over a medium to low heat and add the kale. Cook for around 20–30 minutes turning occasionally to ensure it turns crispy all over. Season with salt and store in an airtight container to keep crisp

7

To make the mayonnaise, whisk together the egg, yolks, vinegar, wasabi and salt together for a minute until thick and pale. Slowly drizzle in the oil whilst continuously whisking to create an emulsion. If it begins to split, add in the water which should bring it back together. Once all the oil is added, taste and season if needed. Transfer to an ISI gun if you have one

  • 1 egg
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2.5g of sherry vinegar
  • 10g of fresh wasabi, or 15g wasabi from a tube if you can't get fresh
  • 2g of table salt
  • 250g of sunflower oil
  • 15g of water
8

To make the mock teriyaki sauce, pour all the ingredients into a pan along with 120ml of the liquid from the fermented mushrooms. Bring to the boil and reduce until the thickness of teriyaki sauce. Transfer to a squeezy bottle

9

Now that all the elements are ready, slice the cabbage into 4 portions, unwrap and discard the cling film and use a blowtorch to char it all over (a hot grill will also do the job if you don’t have a blowtorch). Place them in a hot oven for 5 minutes to ensure they are warm all the way through

10

Place each portion of cabbage in the centre of a warmed plate and top with the pickled mushrooms and the teriyaki sauce. Add a dollop of the mayonnaise and balance the crispy kale on top, getting as much height as possible. Finish with a dusting of the powdered cabbage and a few micro herbs

  • 1 pinch of micro herbs, to garnish
First published in 2022

After working in some of London's toughest kitchens, Charlie Tayler travelled to Japan to further hone his craft. Returning to the UK a year later, he now leads the kitchen at Simon Rogan's chef's table-style restaurant Aulis London, where he won a Michelin star in 2024.

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