Chef News Archives

As the market emerges from the pandemic, your customers are looking for good mood food on menus. Dishes full of natural, healthy ingredients made truly special and that celebrate the pleasure of eating well.

And the demand is clear as Poké chains expand across the UK. Its customisable, quick and healthy fusion-flavours are perfect for takeaway and so its popularity has grown across the world. According to Deliveroo, Poke is now in the top 20 of delivery dishes*.

“The opportunity for Poke on menus is huge,” says Reine Houédénou, Brand Manager at Mizkan. “Globally, it’s predicted to grow at 14% per year over the next three years and despite already being popular, at least a 20% of consumers are yet to experience Poke**. And it’s the taste experience that our products really help to create.” she continues.

Source: * Deliveroo, December 2020 **Global Poke Foods Market Growth Forecasts to 2024 – Research and Markets

So, transform the taste experience of your Poké with the introduction of Shiragiku and Honteri. The mellow acidity and umami derived from sake cake make Shiragiku vinegar the perfect sushi rice seasoning and pickling ingredient. Whilst the versatile and authentic Japanese mirin-style sweet seasoning, Honteri, brings a unique depth of flavour to so many sauces, as well as a beautiful glossy shine. Our two ingredients open up a world of Poké inspiration for you to explore.

THE RICE

Season your sushi rice with the Shiragiku Vinegar, sugar and salt. The Japanese use a ratio of 5-4-1 but experiment to find your golden ratio!

THE SAUCE

The fattier and firmer the protein, the more flavourful the dressing can be. Honteri contains a complex sweetness and umami flavour that can help you balance different flavours for great tasting sauces and dressings.

THE INGREDIENTS

Contrasting textures and stand out flavours are the key to a memorable Poké. Add Honteri for firmer texture in soft vegetables or fish. Honteri helps to hold the proteins together for a soft but firm texture. Shiragiku is perfectly balanced in acidity and umami to add a bold punch to all pickled ingredients.

THE PRESENTATION

The beauty of the Poké bowl is in the presentation, arrange by colour and garnish. It’s time to get creative with your plating and garnish to make it Instagram-worthy.

Click here for recipes, chef demonstrations, and great free sample offers.

In one of the strangest leadups to the festive season ever, we’re hoping we can provide some foodie entertainment and of course inspiration with the very first instalment of our new web cooking series Chefs in Conversation.

What’s it all about? two innovators, two locations, one goal: inspire creativity!’ We’ve asked hope that in watching the video will inspire some creativity in you too.

Filmed just before lockdown 2 and hosted by our development chef Ron Laity, this first episode has as its guest a serious innovator in the world of cocktails, someone who seamlessly marries the world of food and drink through a distinctly avant-garde approach to mixology – the multi-award-winning bartender, Rich Woods.

Rich AKA ‘The Cocktail Guy’ opened both Duck & Waffle and Sushisamba in 2012, to great acclaim. Impressing critics, connoisseurs and media alike, in 2014 he earned first place in the UK and Ireland Bombay Sapphire’s ‘World’s Most Imaginative Bartender Competition’ followed by second place in the world finals

Most recently he was listed among the London Evening Standard’s Progress 1000, as one of the most influential people in the capital and led team London to win the 24hr Bar Build competition.

We couldn’t be prouder to welcome Rich as our very first guest on Chefs in Conversation as he creates three festive cocktails using Honteri as a hero ingredient. Inspired by what he sees, chef Ron then creates three incredible festive canapes, again using Honteri, that match perfectly with the unique flavours of Rich’s drinks.

The perils of Covid-19 and social distancing rules may have put paid to a two-person cook-off, but we’ve found an innovative, fun and highly entertaining way to bring Ron and Rich together from separate locations. Rich joins us from his latest venture, East London’s Scout Bar – meaning we get an opportunity to take a tantalizing peek behind his bar.

Modestly calls himself a ‘bartender’ – we think of Rich is more as an alchemist, and absolutely loved the way he took Honteri, its depth of sweetness, flavour and texture, and uses it to elevate his drinks.

We hope you enjoy watching episode one and if you’re inspired by what you see, all six recipes are available here, you can also sign up for a completely free, full size sample of Honteri, giving you the keys to create your very own dishes and drinks. If you are currently at home, don’t worry – we can send samples direct to you there. If you do end up making your own creations, be sure to share it on our Instagram page @MizkanChefUK. Happy viewing!

When we challenged French Chef, Pierre Sang Boyer, to make a Korean-French fusion recipe with Honteri we were excited to see what he would come back with. As you might expect, he rose to the challenge effortlessly to create a beautiful flavoursome seafood recipe, blending both cuisines perfectly.

About Pierre Sang:

In France, Pierre Sang is one of the most recognisable names in the foodservice industry with a high-profile media presence which stemmed from his first TV appearance as a contestant on French TV program Top Chef in 2011. Since then he has built his reputation as a culinary expert in the French media and is often invited to give his expertise and opinions about French Gastronomy.

Pierre Sang started his career as a baker before working as a chef in Lyon’s Opera. He worked for many Michelin star restaurants in Lyon, Paris and London, before his name became well known within the industry from his appearance on Top Chef. Nowadays, Pierre Sang is giving taste buds a treat with his innovative Korean-French Fusion cuisine across his five restaurants in Paris.

The recipe:

In response to our challenge, Pierre Sang created ‘Seabass en croute with oysters and Honteri gelée served with lemon caviar pomegranate and pickled onions’. Using Honteri as the start point for his imagination, this delicious seafood dish shows how well Honteri works to bring together the various flavours, offering up a masterclass in fusion cooking, blending classic French cuisine with a Korean twist. It is undeniably an elegant dish which would not look out of place on a Michelin stared menu and showcases the versatility of Honteri outside of classic Japanese dishes. Why not delight your diners and re-create this fragrant and flavourful recipe yourself?

For more details about the recipe visit our French Instagram and Facebook pages :
https://www.instagram.com/mizkan_chef_france/
https://www.facebook.com/MizkanChefFR
You can follow Pierre Boyer Sang on Instagram @pierre_sang

Please note this recipe is only available in French for copyright reasons.

We are proud to share the news of our partnership with Top Chef contestant Mory Sacko, who has used his talent and fresh skills to create an exciting new Japanese-African fusion dessert recipe using Honteri.

About Mory Sacko:

Mory was a contestant on this year’s edition of the French TV program Top Chef and has now become one of France’s favourite new culinary figures. With over 120K followers on Instagram in just a few months, not only is Mory popular, he is also hugely talented, blending African and Japanese flavours in a unique way. Mory honed his skills working beside famous Chef Thierry Marx at the Mandarin Oriental, then after Top Chef, he moved on to share his inspired dishes at the Edo restaurant at the ‘Palais de Tokyo’ in Paris where he took residency for the summer season. He is now starting on his own creative path, with the opening of his first restaurant Mosuke (as a tribute to Yakuke, the first black samurai) which opened in September 2020.

The recipe:

Mory has also collaborated with us at Mizkan to create a Pineapple Shiso ‘candy’ recipe with Honteri and lime syrup. This dish is perfect for a summer dessert as it’s light, fresh and has layers of interesting flavours from the combination of ingredients such as citrus seasoning, cacao beans, Sancho pepper and crème fraiche. The recipe showcases both his creativity and the versatility of Honteri moving away from the more traditional take on classic Japanese Mirin recipes.

Please note this recipe is only available in French for copyright reasons.