Where food becomes
an experiment

Experiment

Koji is used for sake and miso — what does it do to chicken if you age it for 48 hours? Testing texture and umami development.

Result

The results were genuinely strange and genuinely good. The texture changed — silkier, denser. The flavor deepened in a way that normal marinades don't achieve. It tasted older, in the best possible sense. Will never make chicken another way.

Experiment

What happens when you marinate burrata in white miso for 2 hours before serving? And does burnt honey actually work as a sweet-salty contrast?

Result

Yes — completely. The miso adds a quiet depth that you feel more than taste. The burnt honey cuts the richness perfectly. It looked almost too simple on the plate but tasted like something from a restaurant I couldn't afford.

Experiment

Can you make a risotto that's genuinely rich without the Italian fats? Replacing stock with dashi and finishing with a little toasted nori butter.

Result

The dashi gives it a cleaner, more oceanic richness than chicken stock. The nori butter at the end was the key — it replaced parmesan's umami punch without any dairy weight. Slightly different beast, but completely its own thing.

Experiment

Testing whether sumac can do what lemon does in a cure — acidity without liquid. Cured for 4 hours with sumac, salt, and a little sugar.

Result

It works differently than lemon. More floral, less sharp. The salmon stayed firmer and the color was spectacular — deep coral with a purple blush. The yogurt flatbread was essential, not optional.