Lily Bulb, Black Garlic, Cilantro and Japanese Pepper

Name: Lily Bulb, Black Garlic, Cilantro and Japanese Pepper
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 bunch cilantro; 1 jalapeño; 1 cup whipped creme fraiche (or veganaise ); salt (to taste); Togarashi ((Japanese pepper)); cilantro flowers; 2 lily bulbs (cored, washed, and cleaned); 1 bulb black garlic (peeled and puréed); 1 bunch you enoki persimmon mushrooms; 1 bunch green scallion (or spring onions charred); Sous vide ((2 kaffir lime leaves, 2 tbsp of butter, ))

3 from 2 votes

Lily bulb is a root vegetable that is commonly used in Chinese medicine and is thought to have a long list of healthy properties. They are easily grown in all climates so when you can get your hands on this sweet delicate flower by all means do so. Some of the lily bulbs can be bitter but the ones I bought where sweet and crunchy.

In Chinese cooking it can be used in stir fry's or grated into a soup for thickening, and raw. I noticed when it was raw it had a sweetness to it that was really refreshing. When it's cooked it becomes a lot more starchy. The lily bulbs is a great product, great vehicle, for a vegetarian meal with it's sweet and crunchy attributes. Normally you can find lily bulbs dried, but when you can get fresh ones by all means buy them.

I found these in a local Japanese market in L.A. a few weeks ago One of the things that you have to do first when preparing this lily bulb, is you have to separate the petals and wash them thoroughly because there's a lot of dirt in between the petals (Mine also had saw dust as well to keep them fresh). simply cut the core out of the bottom and then separate the petals and place in cold water, rinse, and dry.

Because I had never used this product before I ended up sous vide one bulb and keep the other one raw. Eloise absolutely loved this dish and couldn't get enough of it. I pared this lily bulb with black garlic puree, jalapeño and cilantro creme fraiche, enoki mushrooms, and charred green onions. Here's the recipe I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

Cilantro Jalapeño sauce

1 bunch cilantro
1 jalapeño
1 cup whipped creme fraiche or veganaise
salt to taste

Garnish

Togarashi (Japanese pepper)
cilantro flowers

Lily Bulbs

2 lily bulbs cored, washed, and cleaned
1 bulb black garlic peeled and puréed
1 bunch you enoki persimmon mushrooms
1 bunch green scallion or spring onions charred
Sous vide (2 kaffir lime leaves, 2 tbsp of butter, )

Nutritional information

Calories: 204kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 38mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 233IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 1mg

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Servings 4 people

For the Lily Bulbs

Take the petals from one lily bulb and place in a cryovac bag with kaffir lime leaves, and butter. Seal up and place in a sous vide water bath set at 140 degrees for 30 minutes. Take out and let it come to room temperature.
If you don't want to sous vide you can lightly cook the petals or alternatively cook in a small pot with a little water and butter for 10-12 minutes with a lid. You can also try the bulbs raw, they have a great crunch to them and they are good just as they are. Try the two differernt textures for yourself.

For the Creme Fraîche

For the creme fraiche simply take 1/4 creme fraiche, jalapeno, and cilantro and place in a blender. Puree until smooth and then strain into the remaining 3/4 whipped creme fraiche. Season with salt and set aside.

For the Black Garlic Purée

For the black garlic puree simple take a fork and mash all of the black garlic cloves together to make a smooth paste.

To Finish

Simply take half of the sous vide petals and half of the raw petals and place in your serving bowl. Then place a little jalapeño creme fraiche in each petal along with a tiny bit of black garlic puree. Add the enoki mushrooms, charred onions, cilantro flowers, and sprinkle it all with Japanese pepper (Togarashi). Serve and enjoy!