Pairing Lab #1: Nepali Pearls, Udon, and Turmeric White Chocolate

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For my first pairing lab, I decided to pair a Japanese noodle dish, with a Nepalese green tea and Vietnamese, Middle Eastern, and Indian inspired chocolates. I wanted to make an Asian-fusion meal that mixes spice with floral flavors and finishing with a creamy and rich taste to settle the spicy mouthfeel.

History of Nepali Pearls

Although Nepal is not one of the world’s most conventional tea-producing countries, it is slowly becoming a region growing high quality organic tea that focuses on social/environmental sustainability. 

Nepali Green Pearls are an organic green tea rolled into asymmetrical spheres. The tea is usually shaped using heated pans, coaxing out a wide range of aromas and flavors that can be experienced through steeping the same leaves multiple times.

Origin: Ilam, Eastern Nepali Himalayas

The taste of Nepali Pearls can be similar to;

-Smoked vegetables

-Lemons

-Shasta Daisies

-Dandelion leaves

Smell:

-Soil

-Honey

-Collard greens

-Petrichor

Udon Recipe:

Ingredients:

-2 packages of udon noodles

-Veggie mix; two zucchinis, two heads of bok-choy, one carton of mushrooms, two stalks of green onions, one orange or yellow bell pepper, half an onion, four cloves of garlic, sesame oil, garlic powder, coconut sugar, cayenne powder, coconut aminos, and vegetable broth.

-Cook the noodles in boiling water for one minute and the simmer and medium for 6 minutes

-While the noodles cook, chop your veggies and sauté them in a pan with sesame oil and a splash of coconut aminos.

-When the noodles are cooked to the texture of your liking, take them out and rinse them with cool water

-After the veggies are soft, combine the noodles into the pan adding 1/3 cup vegetable broth, 2 tbsp. of sesame oil and coconut aminos, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 2 tsp. coconut sugar, and 1/2 tsp. cayenne powder. Mix on a low heat until combined thoroughly.

-Top with green onion and sriracha

The Chocolates:

Mirzam-Dubai

Rating: 3/10

Although the crunch is satisfying in contrast to the soft udon noodles, the chocolate is very mild and flavorless. The date syrup is also sickly sweet leaving a bad mouthfeel and an unsatisfactory experience.

This 45% milk chocolate is made with dates and puffed quinoa, giving a strong sweet flavor and extra crunch. This bar is part of a collection inspired by the UAE’S rich culture. The artwork on the label is done by Saeed Al Madani and was created through remixing local iconography with patterns drawn form textiles, Islamic art, and nature. The collection was meant to emphasize the heritage of the UAE in an innovative way.

Endorphin-Berkeley, CA

Rating: 10/10

The golden mylk bar has the perfect amount of creaminess to add to the noodle dish and green tea. The coconut milk cools the heat from the sriracha and the turmeric balances out the cayenne pepper in an overall enjoyable contrasting flavor sensation.

This bar uses fresh golden turmeric root, and then mixes in coconut sugar and caramelized coconut milk until the chocolate is smooth and creamy. They then use both cardamom and black pepper to intensify flavor. Black pepper is also added to help the curcumin in turmeric become more absorbed in our bloodstream through a chemical process that can only occur when turmeric and black pepper are mixed together. Curcumin in turmeric and piperine in black pepper can improve health due to their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and disease-fighting qualities.  

This bar is also crafted with using organic, fair trade cacao and coconut sugar. All Endorphin products are dairy free, soy free, gluten free, agave free, GMO free, and never contain refined sugar.

This company strives to make the earth a better place by utilizing plant-based biofilms, vegetable-based inks, and compostable materials for 100% of their packaging.

Marou-Vietnam

Rating: 11/10

This 72% dark chocolate is my new favorite bar. There is an intense rich flavor to this chocolate that can usually only be found when cream is added…although, this chocolate only contains cacao and sugar. The Marou 72% is creamy, citrusy, and smooth. I am not going to lie, I finished the whole thing in one sitting.

This bar comes from the jungle hills of the Dong Nai province in Vietnam, northeast of Saigon. Avocado farmers grew this cacao to be creamy, sweet and sour like a fruit parfait. Vietnam is said to grow some of the most flavorful cacao, and now, I understand. The Marou bars that I have tried so far have a very distinct flavor to each of them.

(See Marou post for more)