lamb & wild rice garum.

Execution:

• Sanitize all equipment that you will be using.

• You will need either a fermentation chamber, a rice/slow cooker or a heating pad able to keep a temperature of 60°C/140°F.

1. toast rice and cumin.

• Heat a sauté pan over medium heat, add the cumin and rice, toast until aromatic and wisps of smoke start to form.

• Remove from the pan, let cool to room temperature.

2. fermentation process.

• Place the lamb, koji, water, salt, wild rice and cumin seeds into a sterile plastic/glass container.

• Mix everything thoroughly using a hand-blender or gloved hands.

• Scrape the walls of the jar and wipe them with a damp clean paper towel.

• Cover the surface of the mixture with a layer of plastic wrap, reaching to the edges to ensure no air makes contact with the garum.

• Place a lid slightly ajar onto your fermentation vessel and place the container into a fermentation chamber or onto a heating pad set to 60°C/140°F. Keep away from sunlight.

• The garum will take 8-12 weeks to ferment. The liquid should separate creating a raft of solids on the top. The liquid will become dark with a very nutty, earthy aroma. It should taste funky and savoury.

• During the first week of the ferment, skim and stir the mixture daily, replacing the plastic film if necessary. After this, you will only have to repeat this process once a week.

3. finish.

• Once the garum has reached it peak or has attained your desired flavour/aroma, strain it through a fine mesh sieve.

• You can discard the solids or you can dehydrate and blitz them to turn into a seasoning powder. Preheat an oven to 170-200°F, spread the solids onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper, place in the oven and let dehydrate for 2-3 hours or until dry. Process in a blender on high speed until it turns into a fine powder.

• Strain the liquid one more time through cheesecloth, store in the fridge for one month or freeze for up to one year.