Wax Beans in Nigella Crust Roll with Sour Cucumber Spheres
This recipe features three main components: a sodium alginate bath, radioactive spheres made from yogurt, mayonnaise, and pickle brine, and a Chernobyl Reactor Roll made from wax beans coated in nigella seeds and breadcrumbs, then wrapped in nori. The dish is assembled by placing the radioactive spheres on the nori-wrapped fried beans and garnished with dried jalapeño. The striking green hue and unique textures make it visually exciting and flavorful, inspired by molecular gastronomy techniques.
Equipment
- Immersion blender
- Spherical molds
- Plastic wrap
- Slotted spoon
- Bowls
Ingredients
Sodium alginate bath
- 5 g sodium alginate
- 1000 ml distilled water
Radioactive spheres
- 100 g Greek yoghurt
- 50 g mayonnaise
- 1 g xanthax gum
- 2 g sodium citrate
- 2 g calcium lactate
- 1 sour cucumber
- 60 ml pickle brine
- green food coloring
Chernobyl Reactor Roll
- 200 g wax beans
- 2 eggs
- 200 g nigella seeds
- 100 g breadcrumbs
- salt
- neutral oil
- nori sheets
- pinch of dried jalapeño
Instructions
Prepare the sodium alginate bath:
- Dissolve 5g of sodium alginate in 1000ml of distilled water using an immersion blender.
- Let it rest for at least 24 hours in a fridge to remove air bubbles.
Make the radioactive spheres:
- Blend Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, xanthan gum, sodium citrate, calcium lactate, 1 sour cucumber, pickle brine and green food coloring (to achieve the desired "radioactive" hue) until smooth.
- Refrigerate for few hours to remove air bubbles.
- Pour the mixture into spherical molds.
- Freeze the filled molds until the mixture is completely solid (about 2-3 hours or overnight).
- Carefully place the frozen spheres into the prepared sodium alginate bath.
- Allow the spheres to sit in the bath for about 3 minutes, or until they are fully thawed and a thin membrane has formed around them.
- Gently remove the spheres from the bath using a slotted spoon and rinse them briefly in cold water.
Prepare the Chernobyl Reactor Roll:
- Cook the wax beans in salted water until tender, then drain and cool.
- In a bowl, beat two eggs and add a tablespoon of salt.
- Add the cooled wax beans to the egg mixture and stir to coat evenly.
- Prepare the coating: First, grind the nigella seeds, then mix them with breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.
- Take wax beans, allowing excess egg mixture to drip off, then roll it in the nigella seed and breadcrumb mixture until fully coated.
- Heat neutral oil in a deep fryer or heavy-bottomed pot to 190°C (374°F).
- Fry the coated wax beans for 3 minutes, until golden and crispy.
- Remove the fried beans and place them on paper towels to drain excess oil.
- On a piece of plastic wrap, lay out a sheet of nori.
- Lightly moisten one edge of the nori sheet with water and place another nori sheet on the edge to connect them.
- Place the cooled fried wax beans on the nori sheets.
- Carefully roll the nori around the wax beans to form a tight cylinder, using the plastic wrap to help shape it.
- Wrap the roll tightly in the plastic wrap and let it sit for 1 hour to set.
- After an hour, cut it into 1.5 cm (about 0.6 inch) thick slices.
- Carefully remove the plastic wrap from the edges of each slice.
Plate the dish:
- Place the nori-wrapped wax bean slice on a plate.
- Carefully position the "radioactive" spheres on top of each roll.
- Sprinkle with a pinch of dried jalapeño for extra heat and visual effect.
Video
Notes
- Handling Sodium Alginate: Ensure the sodium alginate bath is prepared at least 24 hours in advance to remove air bubbles, as these can affect the sphere formation.
- Freeze the Spheres Well: Make sure the yogurt spheres are fully frozen before placing them in the bath to maintain their shape.
- Nigella Seeds Alternative: If you can’t find nigella seeds, black sesame seeds are a good alternative that provides a similar texture and flavor.