Walnut, Miso and Mushroom Pockets

Writer

Kirra Jamison

19th of February 2013

This afternoon we welcome back Melbourne artist and foodie Kirra Jamison for another healthy, flavourful Japanese-inspired meal! Her Walnut, Miso and Mushroom Pockets are the perfect tasty 'no utensils required' meal! Think Japanese tacos, minus all the stodgy, greasy bits (ie no cheese, wheat or meat!). - Lucy

Walnut, Miso and Mushroom Pockets by Kirra Jamison! Central plate from Marimekko, Long Handle Cup by Yu Kobayashi from Mr Kitly. Styling by Lucy Feagins & Kirra Jamison, photo by Brooke Holm.

It’s been a blistering hot few days in Melbourne, and if you’re like me, eating super light has been the way to go. Honestly I’m not interested in much more than a few slices of watermelon when it’s this warm. But this pocket full of freshness is the perfect flavourful bite to satisfy your taste buds on a hot day, whilst keeping your energy levels up all afternoon. This recipe is a bit of a homage to Sarah Britton’s amazing Raw Tacos (of course, my adaptation takes you out of Mexico and into Japan). Here miso is the magical ingredient. Yum! My preference is for white miso but you can you use red or brown miso if you prefer. This is a fun kind of DIY meal for a group of people. So if you like, rather than serving the pockets pre-made, you can lay all the ingredients out and let guests construct their own pockets. Itadakimasu!

Ingredients

Ingredients! (Most, not all). Bowl with mushrooms by Bruce Rowe/Anchor Ceramics, Cara Egg Cup with chilli flakes by Rina Ono from Mr Kitly. Styling by Lucy Feagins & Kirra Jamison, photo by Brooke Holm.

For the walnut mix 1 cup raw walnuts 1 tbsp white miso A few drops of tamari Sprinkling of chilli flakes 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil For the cashew cream ½ cup raw cashews Juice of ½ lemon 1 tsp brown rice vinegar ½ tsp white miso 4 tbsp water For the mushrooms 2 tbsp coconut oil 300g mixed mushrooms (look out for enoki and oyster) 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger 1-2 tbsp tamari Juice of ½ lime A few drops of sesame oil Celtic sea salt Cracked pepper For the pockets Iceberg lettuce (cabbage leaves will also work) Diced tomatoes Spring onions Black sesame seeds Lime wedges to serve

Method

Tea cup containing cashew cream by Bruce Rowe/Anchor Ceramics. Tomato in Lene Jacobsen Katakuchi from Mr Kitly. Mushroom in Kirra’s own dish. Spring onions in Sandra Bowkett dish from Craft Victoria. Walnut mix on Valerie Restarick blue saucer from Craft Victoria. Styling by Lucy Feagins & Kirra Jamison, photo by Brooke Holm.

Put all of the walnut ingredients in a food processor and pulse just to mix. This will take only a few seconds. You want to see chunks of walnut rather than have a paste. Set aside.

Repeat this process with the cashew cream ingredients by popping them into a blender, except this time you want to create a smooth and creamy consistency. For best results blend the ingredients on the highest setting, once smooth set the cashew cream aside. The mushroom component of these pockets are great for adding a little bulk to these vegetarian pockets. Brush off any dirt that may be on your mushrooms and slice them. In a large frying pan heat coconut oil and add mushrooms making sure that you coat them in the oil. Add ginger and tamari and cook for a couple more minutes until they are nicely sautéed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and cover with lime juice. Now it's the fun part – the assemblage of your pockets! Discard any outer leaves of your iceberg that may have lost their crunch. Now remove, wash and pat dry large leaves. Start by adding the mushrooms to the bottom of the lettuce leaf, the walnut mix goes along side them. Tomatoes on top followed by cashew cream, spring onions and black sesame seeds.

Massive thanks to Kirra Jamison for joining us this month with her inspired Japanese canteen treats! For more delicious recipes from Kirra be sure to check out her food blog, Keke!