Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Everything tastes better aburi-ed

C says:

I’m finally the proud owner of a blowtorch. Why did I buy one, you may ask? Actually I’m not too sure myself. Mainly to sear tuna or aburi sushi, possibly to make creme brulee, but also to delude myself into thinking I’m actually a proper cook.




I broke it out for the first time proper to aburi some sushi that we bought from Ichiban Boshi. We ordered some standard salmon, tuna, yellowtail and scallop sushis, and torched them for dinner the following night.


Bearing in mind that the sushi wasn’t same-day fresh, it still tasted pretty good aburi-ed. Nice and smoky, with the fish still rare inside. Pity that the rice was a bit hard from being kept overnight, and there generally was just too much rice. I’m inspired now to make my own sushi from scratch and aburi up a storm. Next time I won’t be so timid with the torch – the sushi could’ve done with a bit more searing.


Anyway, I think everything tastes better aburi-ed. I experimented by steaming some vegetables (baby corn, cauliflower and broccoli), then gave them a good blast. Voila! Vegetables with all the charred, smoky taste of the grill, but without any oil, or having to clean up the grill pan. (Ok, there may be carcinogens, but let’s not dwell on small details.) The broccoli benefited the most from the torching – the little fronds provided lots of surface area for the flame to hit, giving it loads of smoky flavour.

Any suggestions on what else I can aburi?

A says:

Smokin’!!!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Carcinogens indeed! I was also going to say. Er I don't think you Aburi things that are already cooked, no? You are just adding the carcinogens... not sure how much of taste you add? Haha I also bought a blow torch which is still in its pack!

red fir said...

how about torching marshmellows or caramelizing sugar for desserts? like what they do for creme bulee..

atetoomuch said...

Heh I know aburi-ing stuff that's already cooked isn't the norm. But it really does add quite a nice charred flavour, specially when you're too lazy to break out the grill pan just to make lunch for one. But k lah, the carcinogens ain't particularly good; guess I shouldn't do it too often...

Anonymous said...

Oh manz this looks like a useful tool for instant cooking! May I know where did you get it from, and how much does it typically cost?

atetoomuch said...

JY - not sure it's particularly healthy to cook something all the way through with the blowtorch, what with the carcinogen thing and all... Anyway, I checked out Isetan, Pantry Magic and Shermay's Cooking School (at Holland V), and Shermay's is the cheapest. $49 for the torch, and each gas canister is about $4 (canisters are available at NTUC as well). Isetan and Pantry are selling it for about $60 plus.

Anonymous said...

Thanks! LOL it was just a wild thought to cook everything thru torching, but that would mean producing carcinogens! However I guess it should come in useful in certain aspects of cooking, like making creme brulee :P

Thank you for the recommendation! :D

Anonymous said...

hi!
have been reading your blog for some time. love the open, honest and frank style of writing.
i think the blow torch is so cute!
i had aburi sushi today after reading your post!