Kayak Cookery: From Spring Island

December 1999 - January 2000

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

by Maya Gislason & Rupert Wong

Spring Island is nestled among the Mission Group Islands near Kyuquot, BC. It is a stunning meeting place of land and the dynamic body of the Pacific Ocean. Boomers crashing, wind swept trees, golden grass, and volcanic rock—all teeming with life. Sights, sounds and a powerful energy all convey the continued presence of the Checleset and the Kyuquot First Nations here.

Every summer West Coast Expeditions returns to Kyuquot. A crew works hard on Spring Island to reawaken the kitchen for another year of culinary pleasure. Driftwood beams are inspected, handmade tables are restored and beach shelves are returned to places above the stoves where they will store a dizzying array of cooking ingredients.

To ensure culinary excellence, Rupert Wong employs a full time cook at base camp. WCE is also proud to serve organic vegetables, fresh bread and pasta homemade in the Comox Valley. Seafood supplied by local fishers. And of course, the critical ingredient for so many, Ecofriendly organic coffee made by a sister city in Nicaragua.

Hmmm, sweet, sensual reverie. I am remembering the sound of the sea otters waking me at midnight. The pups crying under a dark moon, held by a calm sea. Here are some of our favorite culinary pleasures to help tie us over an earthbound winter until another seasons wakes us from our winter slumbers.

A MENU OFFERING FROM SPRING ISLAND:

Appetizer

Hearty Miso Soup (serves 4)

4 re-hydrated shittake mushrooms
5 cups kombu dashi
1/3 medium daikon
1 teaspoon Asian Family tamari
1/2 medium carrot
5 tablespoons dark miso
1/2 block tofu
1-1/2 teaspoons Japanese fish flakes
1 medium potato
1 teaspoon honey
4 green beans
4 scallions

Step 1: Make the Kombu Dashi by bringing the 1/2 ounce kombu (seaweed) and 8 cups water to a boil for 20 minutes. Strain out the kombu. Use the dashi (soup stock) for the soup.

Step 2: Soak the dried shittake mushrooms overnight. When soft, trim and discard stems. Cut caps into thin strips.

Step3: Peel and thinly slice the carrots, daikon and scallions. Cut the tofu and potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Slice the green beans into 1/2 inch pieces.

Step 4: In a pot combine the kombu dashi, honey, tamari, Japanese fish flakes. When simmering, add potatoes, green beans, shitake, daikon, and carrot. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Step 5: Prepare miso paste by putting miso in a bowl and adding 1/2 cup broth water. Mix until miso dissolves. Then, add miso mixture and tofu to broth. Turn mixture to a low heat. Do not let soup boil because the nutrients from the miso will be lost. Simmer on low until vegetables are cooked and the tofu is hot.

Step 6: Garnish each individual bowl with chopped scallions. Enjoy!

Dinner

Indonesian Tofu Sate,
Zesty Rice Noodle Salad,
Thai Cabbage and Lime Salad,
Salicornia Stir Fry

Indonesian Tofu Sate (serves 5) This recipe is from my friend Rosemary Wooldrige on Cortes Island

3 cloves chopped garlic
2 teaspoons honey
3 teaspoons vinegar
3 tablespoons Asian Family tamari
5 tablespoons peanut butter
1/3 cup water
2 teaspoons oil
1 cautious pinch of cayenne
1-1/2 teaspoons shredded ginger root
1-1/2 lb. tofu (we often use tetra pack tofu)

Step 1: Slice tofu 1/2 inch thick

Step 2: Mix together remaining ingredients into a marinade. Spread a thin layer ofmarinade into a frying pan. Lay in tofu and cover with the remaining sauce.Cover with a lid or tin foil and let it stand for as long as possible (e.g.. One hour).

Step 3: Slowly cook the sate to mimic an oven. It will take about 20 minutes or more depending on heat. Be careful to add more liquid if needed. Garnish and enjoy!

Zesty Rice Noodle Salad (serves 5)

1 package Asian Family rice vermicelli noodles
6 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 red pepper
3 tablespoons Asian Family oyster sauce
1 yellow pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 carrot
3 generous mint sprigs
1 lemon
2-1/2 teaspoons salt
3 scallions
1/4 cup Asian Family toasted sesame seeds

Step 1: Prepare rice vermicelli by boiling water. Remove from stove. Add rice noodles and cover. Gently separate the noodles with chopsticks while they are soaking so they don't stick. When noodles are soft (approx. 10 min.), strain them. Next, plunge them in cold water to stop cooking process. Finally, remove and let strain.

Step 2: Thinly slice into uniform strips the peppers, carrot and scallions. Gently slice the cilantro and mint.

Step 3: Mix the hoisin sauce and the oyster sauce together with the salt.

Step 4: Add the rice noodles and then the sliced vegetables into one bowl. Then, alternatively mix the noodles and vegetables together while adding the sauce, the juice of one lemon and the toasted sesame seeds (save some seeds for the garnish). Mix gently, preferably with chopsticks so that the fragile noodles are not damaged. Garnish with the remaining sesame seeds and local garnishes—like salal berries and edible flowers.

Thai Cabbage and Lime Salad (serves 4)

1/2 finely cut green cabbage
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 cup shredded carrots
1 teaspoon chopped chili peppers
1-1/2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons lime peel (usually 2 limes are plenty)

Add to a bowl the finely cut (or shredded) cabbage, carrots and lime zest. Sprinkle the lime juice, salt, and sugar. Mix thoroughly, garnish and serve.

Salicornia Stir Fry (serves 4)

As with any food gathering from the wilds, harvesting should be done with great care and respect for nature. Salicornia Virginia is a member of the Goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae). You'll find it in protected high inter tidal zones over beaches or salt marshes. Optimum harvest time is spring through early fall using bare hands to break off the tender stalks (AKA sea asparagus) above the woody stem. Done with care not to damage roots or over pick, the plant will continue to flourish.

1/3 baseball cap full of sea asparagus
2 cups julienned organic carrots
2 cloves crushed garlic
small lobe of finely grated fresh ginger
1 tbs. Asian Family black bean sauce (BBS)
3 tbs. olive oil
splash of Asian Family Chinese cooking wine
1 tsp. ground sesame seeds

Remove any bugs or poisonous plants from the sea asparagus. Blanche sea asparagus for 4 min. to remove excess salt stored in plant tissue. Remove from water & and drain.

Bring wok to temperature over high heat and add oil. Just as the oil starts to smoke, toss in carrots, sea asparagus & garlic turning over frequently for 3 min. (or until carrots begin browning on edges). Add cooking wine and immediately cover using wok lid. Turn flame to medium. Allow to steam while covered for 2 min. Remove lid, add BBS and toss for 1 minute. Turn off flame, cover & and let stand for no more than 5 min. before serving. Add sesame seeds before setting out to serve.

Rupert Wong is the owner of West Coast Expeditions and a marine biologist specializing in fish habitat restoration.

Maya Gislason is undertaking women's studies at the University of Victoria. Maya is an assistant guide with West Coast Expeditions