Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Making Uni Shooters


Uni, the roe of the sea urchin, quite frankly looks like a beige tongue. It is by no means great looking.



Its appearance has repelled many diners; even loyal sushi fans who go out a few times a week for their spicy tuna rolls, yellowtail nigiri, and occasionally, a piece or two of eel or scallop deign to sample it. Uni is the ugly little princess of the sushi menu. Only those who can work past uni’s façade can break the spell, the curse of flavor ignorance.



It has a smooth, slippery texture, and when heated (or eaten) develops an almost custard-like consistency. It has to be kept very cold or it will begin to melt around the edges. It tastes like what makes a fish sweet, with none of the fishiness and about three times the richness. You have to try it.
Commonly paired with uni is the raw quail egg, tama in Japanese. They have a much milder flavor and more delicate texture than chicken eggs, and are about one-fifth the size. The inside is a rather calming shade of blue.



Some of the bottled ponzu sauce found in supermarkets is too acidic and can really overpower the sweetness of uni and sort of… hurt your throat. While you’re at the Asian market anyway for the uni and quail eggs, invest a few more dollars in a better brand with a lighter taste– Otafuku is made with yuzu, an aromatic citrus fruit that has both sweet and tart grapefruit and mandarin overtones, and less acid than kabosu or sudachi, other Japanese citruses with stronger lemon and lime flavors that are also used in making ponzu.



Uni shooters


1 2 oz. tray fresh uni
1 carton quail eggs (sold by either the 10 or dozen)
1 bottle dry sake, like Ozeki or Sho Chiku Bai
Tobiko, or other fish roe
Ponzu sauce
Thinly sliced green onions
Tabasco

Preparing an uni shooter is a simple matter, and absolutely nothing to be intimidated by. It’s pretty fun, actually. The Disco Bandit is from Kingdom of Loathing. Layer the bottom of a shot glass with uni.
Pour in sake to the half mark, then fill to ¾ with ponzu





Add a small amount of roe.


Carefully, using a sharp knife tap to puncture the shell, crack the quail egg on top of the shot



and add a drop or two of Tabasco and a few green onions to garnish. Sip or shoot.




If you have five or six of these (and you should), you'll also get a little drunk. Just warning you.


If you come across yuzu at an Asian market, and want to make a dozen or so shooters’ worth of fresh ponzu, set aside a quarter cup of its juice and boil a tablespoon of its zest with a few tablespoons of good quality soy sauce, ¾ cup mirin (sweet rice wine) 1/3 cup rice vinegar and half a cup of bonito flakes. Strain the flakes out of the sauce and add the yuzu juice. It will really make a difference, stay fresh for a few weeks in the fridge in a bottle or sealed container and makes a great stir fry sauce for fish and vegetables.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Jess,

Nice blog!

I know the word Otafuku in connection with the Japanese Godess of Mirth (see here: http://www.asia.si.edu/collections/singleObject.cfm?ObjectId=39952), so I was interested to see it among the list of ingredients for uni shooters. No doubt the drink leads to happiness!

One question: how safe is it to consume raw quail egg?

Regards,

C

Jess said...

While most commercial chicken eggs have little health risk to normal healthy people (elderly folks and small children should not consume raw eggs, as they're more susceptible to disease), quail eggs carry less of a risk because quails are typically not treated with any hormones and they're kept under better conditions. Go quails. Keep in mind, though, one quail egg has about five times the cholesterol as a chicken egg, so mind your levels.

Unknown said...

Jess,

I am interested in making and consuming uni shooters, but have some questions:

-Can I substitute vodka for the sake?
-If drinking these leads to happiness, can I attain enlightenment before getting blacked out?
-Can I just use an ostrich egg instead of those high cholesterol quail eggs? I will make sure to increase the other ingredients in proportion, and call my new creation the "Americuni shooter". Except, it won't really be a shooter...it'll be more like a punch bowl.

Jess said...

Lyle... just. Yes.

mindela said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mindela said...

hi jess, its jamie, i am sitting here with my best friend since 2nd grade "aunt mindy"... while the uni shooters look a bit scary....everything else looks yummy! i especially like the easy-to-follow instructions & your beautiful food descriptions...looking forward to more recipes in the future :)