meatless dishes to make your table pop
A flat pancake resembling a crepe, dosa are traditional to the South Indian and Sri Lankan Tamil cuisines but are popular all over India and beyond
Dosa are a staple in South Indian restaurants in the West. Plain or filled they come with coconut chutneys and often sambhar, a hot and sour South Indian vegetable dish which I’ll describe shortly. When in London we treat ourselves to dosa most weekends at our favourite Indian eaterie Sagar
Continue reading “South Indian Dosa – Basic Recipe”
Traditionally served with greens, kasundi ( कसूंदी ) is a perfect accompaniment to dry vegetable snacks such as pakora and samosa. Added to pasta it’s a marriage made in heaven.
Though available commercially, kasundi is easy to make at home. No vinegar or other acids, no additives, no cooking even. Just natural fermentation of raw materials for a condiment bursting with pro-biotic goodness and umami deliciousness. Continue reading “Aam Kasundi – Bengali Mustard & Green Mango Relish”
Great day out in Monfrague Biosphere Reserve with a stiff walk up to the Castle. I chickened out just before the summit. Vertigo, don’t you know! Lots of fresh air, exercise – and vultures. Enough to give anyone a healthy appetite. We ate lunch out in the chiringito in the village. Finally, after an hour of gentle restorative yoga, SUPPER. Well, dinner, actually. Continue reading “Dinner: Korean Bibimbap With Turnip Kimchi”
Here we use yeast for breads you can make in minutes rather than days.
If you can, buy a sourdough starter. Or make your own. It’ll only take you three days! Put a cupful of flour in a bowl with a cup and half of tepid water and half a teaspoon of instant dry yeast. Mix well and leave, covered but not sealed, for three days. Initially there’ll be lots of frothy activity – eventually the mixture settles and a brownish liquid form on top. Ready.
The throusand hole crepe is in fact popular throughout North Africa. Continue reading “Quick Injera AKA Lahoh”
I’ve deliberately left out the dish’s nationality as I don’t know how an Ethiopian cook would react to the suggestion of making a non-sour-dough version of their ancestral dish. Indian cooks give this treatment to some of their traditionally fermented dishes like Dosa or Dhokla without a blink. Granted, we’re not in India, but it is quick. And tasty. Continue reading “Instant Injera”
It’s hard to describe the flavour of Injera. It is sour, but that wouldn’t begin to describe the unique complexity of this, one of the world’s great breads.
Made from Teff, a non-gluten, high-protein grain native to Ethiopia and Eritrea traditional Injera ferments for 3-5 days and nights, to become a probiotic wonder bursting with goodness as well as flavour. Sounds long winded? Just remember you’ve delegated the task of creating sourdough to lactic-acid bacteria while you get on with other things.
And if you can’t get hold of Teff I’ve eaten great “njera” made from buckwheat and millet, both also gluten-free. You can even use wheat! A step too far? Not at all. Officially you’d be eating another bread popular to the region, lahoh. But what’s in a name?
Continue reading “Teff Injera: naturally fermented sourdough bread”
Britain is still gripped in a suffocating heatwave. Here is Spain tempratures are higher but in Trujillo you wouldn’t think so – the air is dry so you barely sweat – you do, but it evaporates to keep you cool, the slightest breaze, though hot, feels refreshing, and night-time temperatures are 25C degrees lower than by day! Locals are calling this a cool summer, though 40C is forcast for next week when summer proper is due to arrive. Can’t wait…
I love fermenting grains in the hot weather and two of my many number-one favourites are Ethiopian teff Injera and Ghanaian maize Kenkey. The Injera battter prepared, I now need to wait 3-4 days (5 in the winter) for it to ferment. Once accomplished I’ll let you in on the secret. And as usual I’ll suggest alternative grains and how to cheat for instant results. Continue reading “Injera: Ethiopia’s Thousand-Hole Pancake With Vegan Accompaniments”
Having tried sauerkraut, traditional Napa cabbage kimchi, the fresher cucumber kimchi, and unfermented Korean lettuce kimchi (sangchu-geotjeori) we should now be able to give the same treatment to practically any vegetable.
Here are a few of the kimchis and other fermented pickles that have adorned our table at Spanish Yoga Retreat
Continue reading “Kimchi, Sauerkraut & Savoury Probiotics: The Sky’s The Limit”
Known as a Western-style pickle, sauerkraut originates from Germany, right?
Wrong! The delectable salt-pickled cabbage originates from China and is one of the oldest known forms of lacto-fermentation. Continue reading “Fennel Sauerkraut”
Worldwide, kimchi is synonymous with the Napa cabbage , Korea’s most popular and traditional fermented pickle.
Historical records speak of Kimchi and other fermented products, such as soy sauce and wine, as far back as the era of the three kingdoms (37BCE – 7CE). Continue reading “Savoury Probiotics: Traditional Korean Vegan Kimchi”