Despite my initial brain block, a brief search on google revealed a surprising number of black colored foods. From juicy fruits like blackberries and black figs, to exotic novelties like black garlic or even...this crazy black chicken!
I tried to track
down a black chicken. Really. I would’ve given it a try! It looked delish on Top
Chef! But – God help me – I couldn’t even find one online. So, I took
inspiration elsewhere. Like the sheen of a nori wrap and the shimmer of Tamari
soy sauce. In the end, I ended up with a succulent, Asian-themed meal.
But first!! We
started off with this surprise cocktail!
Black Sangria courtesy of my wonderful mother-in-law. She took the
initiative to find a drink we could enjoy while cooking up the following
Asian-themed smorgasbord.
Black Gulaman - a Filipino beverage containing Black Grass Jelly and a simple
syrup.
Homemade California Rolls! My first go at
making sushi, which was a super fun project shared with my brother-in-law and
brand new sister-in-law (they’re still twitterpated newlyweds). Since the theme
was “Jet Black”, we switched up the recipe and left the black nori on the outside of
the roll. As much fun as they were to prepare, they were even better to eat!
Asian Styled Black Bean Soup – the picture does not do this justice. It was
DELICIOUS! Especially with the addition of fresh ginger. I did not bother to puree
it as the texture was already fab!
Coconut and Cardamon flavored Black Sticky Rice with Grilled Pineapple. “Black Rice is also known as “forbidden
rice”, and as the name might imply, consuming it without approval from the
proper authorities [once had] life threatening consequences for those involved”
(Quote from: http://www.blackrice.com/articles/1/)
In closing - I apologize that the images are so dark. It's the nature of trying to photograph primarily black colored foods. Camera work aside, this meal was a joy to make and eat. With inspiration from both black colors and Asian flavors, it was also one of the more "cohesive" meals since starting this little experiment. Are my culinary skills actually improving through this crazy project? lol
See you next month!
