Clearspring and Daniel Watkins Celebrate Seasonal Plant-Based Cooking

Now that the days are getting longer and we’re looking for lighter meals, a famous chef who cooks with plants, Daniel Watkins, is working with Clearspring to highlight the fresh and exciting tastes of the season.

They’re showing how flexible Clearspring’s carefully made ingredients are by introducing three new recipes that will make cooking at home in the spring and summer a breeze.

Watkins, the Executive Chef at Holy Carrot, has come up with some amazing dishes that feature Clearspring’s popular ingredients like tofu, miso, and sea vegetables.

These dishes show that the brand is all about quality, being able to track where the ingredients come from, and traditional plant-based cooking, but with a modern twist on seasonal flavours.

Clearspring – tofu chawamushi

Makes: 4 portions 

Ingredients: 
Chawamushi Base: 

• 335 g silken tofu 
• 10 g white miso 
• 5 g tamari 
• 10 g mirin 
• 6 g potato starch (or cornstarch) 
• Salt, to taste 

Garnish – Pickled Mushrooms: 

• 200 g mushrooms (shiitake, enoki, or shimeji) 
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil 
• 1 tbsp sesame oil 
• 1 tbsp dashi stock 
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 
• 1 tbsp soy sauce 
• 1 tbsp mirin 
• 1 tbsp lemon juice 

Method: 

1. Open the tofu and drain  
2. Combine the tofu, white miso, tamari, mirin, potato starch, and salt in a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth and pour into ramekins. 
3. Bring a large, shallow pan of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a gentle simmer. 
4. Place ramekins in the simmering water or a steamer basket and steam for 10–15 minutes, until set. 
5. While the chawamushi is steaming, heat the vegetable and sesame oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. 
6. Add the mushrooms and sauté until browned and tender. 
7. Remove from heat, then add dashi, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, mirin, and lemon juice. Mix gently to combine. 
8. Serve the pickled mushrooms on top of the steamed chawamushi immediately or allow to cool and serve at room temperature. 
9. Optional: garnish with your favourite pickles for extra texture and flavour. 

Clearspring tofu – koji – flatbread

Makes: 8 flatbreads 

Ingredients: 

• 1 kg strong flour 
• 500 g water 
• 200 g Clearspring silken tofu, drained 
• 50 g olive oil 
• 23 g salt 
• 5 g dry yeast 
• 100 g Shio (or 100 ml water if Shio is not available) 

Method:
Creating the Dough: 

1. Place all dough ingredients, except for the Shio (or water), into a mixer fitted with a dough hook. 
2. Mix on Speed 2 for 5 minutes. 
3. Increase the speed to Speed 6 and mix for a further 6 minutes. 
4. With the mixer still on Speed 6, gradually add the Shio (or water) in small batches, mixing for 4–5 minutes until fully incorporated. 

Proofing and Folding: 

1. Grease a large container. 
2. Transfer the dough into the greased container. 
3. Cover with a lid or tea towel and leave to rest for 30 minutes. 
4. After 30 minutes, perform the first fold: remove the dough from the container, gently flatten it with your hands, fold one side into the middle, then roll it onto itself. Cover and rest for another 30 minutes. 
5. Perform a second fold. Cover and rest briefly if needed. 
6. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. 
7. Lightly flatten each portion with a rolling pin or your hands to approximately 2–3 cm thickness. 

Cooking: 

1. Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan or skillet over medium heat. 
2. Fry each flatbread on one side until golden and bubbling, then flip and cook the other side until done. 
3. Brush with olive oil and finish with sea salt flakes 

Clearspring – liangban, sesame, seaweed and miso cream

Makes: 4 portions 

Ingredients:
Master Stock: 

• 50 g white miso 
• 15 g kombu 
• 2 g star anise 
• 2 g coriander seeds 
• 1 L water 
• 2–3 pieces dried shiitake 

Tofu: 

• 1 pack Clearspring tofu, 400 g, drained 
• Pickled Seaweed: 
• 1 packet Clearspring Sea Vegetable Salad 
• 200 ml rice vinegar 
• Salt, to taste 
• Coconut sugar, to taste 

Miso Cream: 

• 100 g tahini 
• 50 ml lemon juice 
• 50 g miso 
• 100 ml oil 
• 100 ml hot water 
• Salt, to taste 

To Finish: 

• Roasted sesame seeds 
• Shiso leaves 

Method:
Master Stock & Tofu: 

1. Add all Master Stock ingredients to a pot and simmer gently for 20 minutes. 
2. Remove from heat and allow to infuse for 30 minutes. 
3. Reheat the stock to 160°C, then add the tofu and poach gently for 20 minutes. 
4. Remove from heat and allow the stock and tofu to cool together. 
5. Once cool, chill overnight in the refrigerator. 
6. The next day, remove the tofu and set aside. Reserve the stock for soups or noodle dishes. 

Pickled Seaweed: 

7. Combine rice vinegar, salt, and coconut sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
8. Rehydrate the seaweed salad in water until fully bloomed, then drain (optional: spin in a salad spinner).
9. Once cooled, mix the seaweed with the pickling liquid. Store in the fridge for up to a few weeks. 

Miso Cream: 

10. Blend together tahini, miso and salt.
11. Slowly add hot water while blending until fully combined.
12. Gradually add oil while continuing to blend until smooth.
13. Finally, add lemon juice while blending, then check the seasoning and adjust to taste. 

To Finish: 

14. Serve tofu topped or accompanied with pickled seaweed, miso cream, roasted sesame seeds, and shiso leaves. 

Why not check out our other Clearspring articles here?