Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Im this video I take you through a small, unusual dish from the tasting menu to share the recipe and how I work creatively on dishes like this, layering up techniques to develop flavour, deliciousness and complexity.
Recipe and in depth technique videos bellow.
DOWNLOAD MY COOKBOOK HERE - veggiechef.co.uk/store/p/eddie-shepherd-the-walled-gardens-a-plant-based-chefs-cookbook
More from me -
PATREON - patreon.com/eddieshepherd
WEBSITE - veggiechef.co.uk
INSTAGRAM- instagram.com/eddiesheps
TWITTER - twitter.com/vegetarianchef
INGREDIENTS I USE - specialingredients.co.uk/?ref=e-s
TASTING MENU RESERVATIONS - exploretock.com/thewalledgardens
MY COOKBOOK - carelpress.uk/walled_gardens
Video Timestamps -
00:00 The Dish
1:40 Presentation & Flavour
2:47 Blue Algae Miso
3:40 Distilled Osmanthus Flowers
5:00 Cold Infused Dashi
5:16 Centrifuge Clarified Miso Sauce
5:42 Osmanthus Dashi Marinated Tofu
6:30 Spiced Mushrooms
6:59 Pickled Apple
7:30 The Finished Dish
Technique Video Links -
Making Miso - youtu.be/qADkUWJFIAI
Making Koji - youtu.be/iNzih0AllyE
Working with Tofu - youtu.be/KSlDpv044xE
The Rotavap - youtu.be/nfiHXHl3XNM
Cold Infused Dashi - youtu.be/wOB2QiQ9aLo
Recipes -
Osmanthus Cold Brew Dashi -
300g Water
10g Kombu
2.5g Osmanthus Flowers
Combine the ingredients and cold infuse for 24 hours
Tofu Marinade -
300g Osmanthus cold brew dashi (see above)
125g Shio Koji (see my koji making video)
75g Tamari
Juice 1 lemon
Cut tofu into rectangles and deep fry ay 190C until the exterior of the tofu has a light brown crispy outer layer.
Place the fried tofu into the Osmanthus dashi marinade and allow to marinade for 24 hours.
Spiced Mushrooms -
75g Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
100g rapeseed oil
6 garlic cloves
1.5g chilli flakes
1 white onion
4 spring onion
1 star anise
1 small piece cinnamon bark
1 sheet nori - thin sliced
15g tamari
5g muscavardo
10ml brandy
4g dashi powder
Black pepper
Soak the shiitake mushrooms for 1 hour to rehydrate them, then dice into small pieces.
Dice the remaining fresh ingredients and warm three tablespoons of oil in pan .
Saute the onions to soften then add the star anise, cinnamon and chilli and fry gently for a couple of minutes.
Add the mushrooms, seaweed and garlic to the pan and cook a few minutes until the mushrooms absorb the oil.
Add the tamari, brandy, dashi powder & sugar to the pan then turn the heat down and cook on low until all the liquid is evaporated.
Remove the whole spices and then pulse the cooked mushrooms in a blender. Place the pulsed mushrooms in jar and cover with the leftover cooking oil.
Blueberry Pickled Apple -
100g Blueberries
400g Cider vinegar
10g Salt
200g Caster sugar
2 Fresh Green apples
Blend together the blueberries, vinegar, salt and caster sugar.
Then strain this mixture through a fine sieve and reserve in the fridge until ready to use.
For the freshest flavour the pickled apple should be prepared using a vacuum machine just before serving. But If you don’t have access to a vacuum machine you can marinade the apple in blueberry vinegar for around 6 hours in the fridge instead.
Cut the apple into small 2mm cubes.
Place these small pieces of apple in a vacuum bag with the blueberry vinegar.
Then vacuum them on 100% in a chamber vacuum sealer to flash pickle the apples.
The stuffed Tofu -
Then cut the marinated tofu (see above) at one end and use a small cutting tool to remove some of the 'flesh' of the marinated tofu, then fill this with the spiced mushroom mixture (above).
Top with the blueberry pickled apple and place in the serving dish topped with a fresh nasturtium petal.
For the Sauce -
Distilled Osmanthus -
100g Osmanthus Flowers
1.5 Litre water
Cold infuse the flowers for 24 hours then vacuum distill at 35C to 40C gradually dropping the pressure to distil 3/4 of the infusion.
Cold Brew Dashi -
300g Water
10g Kombu
Combine the ingredients and prepare as a cold brew dashi - cold infused for 24 hours.
Blue Algae Miso
This miso follows the principles for miso making I cover in my miso making video - youtu.be/qADkUWJFIAI
I use 5% Salt and Ferment the miso for 4-6 months. I wont give you the full the recipe for this here but you can follow my miso making video and the principles in that.
Blue Algae Miso Sauce -
50g Cold Brew Dashi
130g Distilled Osmanthus
75g Plain water
50g Blue Algae miso
Combine the ingredients and mix well.
Clarify the mixture though a centrifuge (I use the Booker and Dax Spinzall)
Serving -
Finish the blue algae miso sauce with 1% fresh lemon juice (1g lemon per 100g miso sauce).
Place the stuffed tofu topped with pickled apple in a dish.
Pout the blue algae miso sauce around it.
Finish with a fresh nasturtium petal and osmanthus infused olive oil
Im this video I take you through a small, unusual dish from the tasting menu to share the recipe and how I work creatively on dishes like this, layering up techniques to develop flavour, deliciousness and complexity.
Recipe and in depth technique videos bellow.
DOWNLOAD MY COOKBOOK HERE - veggiechef.co.uk/store/p/eddie-shepherd-the-walled-gardens-a-plant-based-chefs-cookbook
More from me -
PATREON - patreon.com/eddieshepherd
WEBSITE - veggiechef.co.uk
INSTAGRAM- instagram.com/eddiesheps
TWITTER - twitter.com/vegetarianchef
INGREDIENTS I USE - specialingredients.co.uk/?ref=e-s
TASTING MENU RESERVATIONS - exploretock.com/thewalledgardens
MY COOKBOOK - carelpress.uk/walled_gardens
Video Timestamps -
00:00 The Dish
1:40 Presentation & Flavour
2:47 Blue Algae Miso
3:40 Distilled Osmanthus Flowers
5:00 Cold Infused Dashi
5:16 Centrifuge Clarified Miso Sauce
5:42 Osmanthus Dashi Marinated Tofu
6:30 Spiced Mushrooms
6:59 Pickled Apple
7:30 The Finished Dish
Technique Video Links -
Making Miso - youtu.be/qADkUWJFIAI
Making Koji - youtu.be/iNzih0AllyE
Working with Tofu - youtu.be/KSlDpv044xE
The Rotavap - youtu.be/nfiHXHl3XNM
Cold Infused Dashi - youtu.be/wOB2QiQ9aLo
Recipes -
Osmanthus Cold Brew Dashi -
300g Water
10g Kombu
2.5g Osmanthus Flowers
Combine the ingredients and cold infuse for 24 hours
Tofu Marinade -
300g Osmanthus cold brew dashi (see above)
125g Shio Koji (see my koji making video)
75g Tamari
Juice 1 lemon
Cut tofu into rectangles and deep fry ay 190C until the exterior of the tofu has a light brown crispy outer layer.
Place the fried tofu into the Osmanthus dashi marinade and allow to marinade for 24 hours.
Spiced Mushrooms -
75g Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
100g rapeseed oil
6 garlic cloves
1.5g chilli flakes
1 white onion
4 spring onion
1 star anise
1 small piece cinnamon bark
1 sheet nori - thin sliced
15g tamari
5g muscavardo
10ml brandy
4g dashi powder
Black pepper
Soak the shiitake mushrooms for 1 hour to rehydrate them, then dice into small pieces.
Dice the remaining fresh ingredients and warm three tablespoons of oil in pan .
Saute the onions to soften then add the star anise, cinnamon and chilli and fry gently for a couple of minutes.
Add the mushrooms, seaweed and garlic to the pan and cook a few minutes until the mushrooms absorb the oil.
Add the tamari, brandy, dashi powder & sugar to the pan then turn the heat down and cook on low until all the liquid is evaporated.
Remove the whole spices and then pulse the cooked mushrooms in a blender. Place the pulsed mushrooms in jar and cover with the leftover cooking oil.
Blueberry Pickled Apple -
100g Blueberries
400g Cider vinegar
10g Salt
200g Caster sugar
2 Fresh Green apples
Blend together the blueberries, vinegar, salt and caster sugar.
Then strain this mixture through a fine sieve and reserve in the fridge until ready to use.
For the freshest flavour the pickled apple should be prepared using a vacuum machine just before serving. But If you don’t have access to a vacuum machine you can marinade the apple in blueberry vinegar for around 6 hours in the fridge instead.
Cut the apple into small 2mm cubes.
Place these small pieces of apple in a vacuum bag with the blueberry vinegar.
Then vacuum them on 100% in a chamber vacuum sealer to flash pickle the apples.
The stuffed Tofu -
Then cut the marinated tofu (see above) at one end and use a small cutting tool to remove some of the 'flesh' of the marinated tofu, then fill this with the spiced mushroom mixture (above).
Top with the blueberry pickled apple and place in the serving dish topped with a fresh nasturtium petal.
For the Sauce -
Distilled Osmanthus -
100g Osmanthus Flowers
1.5 Litre water
Cold infuse the flowers for 24 hours then vacuum distill at 35C to 40C gradually dropping the pressure to distil 3/4 of the infusion.
Cold Brew Dashi -
300g Water
10g Kombu
Combine the ingredients and prepare as a cold brew dashi - cold infused for 24 hours.
Blue Algae Miso
This miso follows the principles for miso making I cover in my miso making video - youtu.be/qADkUWJFIAI
I use 5% Salt and Ferment the miso for 4-6 months. I wont give you the full the recipe for this here but you can follow my miso making video and the principles in that.
Blue Algae Miso Sauce -
50g Cold Brew Dashi
130g Distilled Osmanthus
75g Plain water
50g Blue Algae miso
Combine the ingredients and mix well.
Clarify the mixture though a centrifuge (I use the Booker and Dax Spinzall)
Serving -
Finish the blue algae miso sauce with 1% fresh lemon juice (1g lemon per 100g miso sauce).
Place the stuffed tofu topped with pickled apple in a dish.
Pout the blue algae miso sauce around it.
Finish with a fresh nasturtium petal and osmanthus infused olive oil
