Tag: fermentation

by Veggie Sutra

A South-Indian yogurt-based gravy dish with ash gourd

We are back on the fermentation series after the sweet break for the yummy Mysore Pak dessert.   Lingering on in South India, we bring you another delicacy.  “Mor Kozhambu” (which roughly translates from the original Tamil to buttermilk gravy), is one of the many side dishes served with rice.

 

Let me rant a bit again.  V is really amused that I am in such a funk these days about Northern California.  But how can I not be?  Spring is my favorite time of the year and it feels like we have jumped straight from fall to summer.  Last weekend, while hiking in Rancho San Antonio Park, I was dismayed to see the poor little famished buttercups.  The wild flowers, the gurgling sound of water, the little baby deer and quails and rabbits, all hallmarks of spring, are non-existent.    Well, we must keep calm and carry on!

Last weekend was a particularly warm one for this time of year.  Amma’s Iyengar-style “mor kozhambu” (yeah it’s not just yoga that can be Iyengar style), an yogurt-based gravy dish, was perfect for lunch.

As I have stressed throughout the fermentation series, make sure the yogurt you buy from the store has live and active cultures and is preferably organic.  Otherwise, there is pretty much no point in consuming it.

Making yogurt at home is not difficult.  Add about a tablespoon of yogurt to 2 cups of luke warm organic whole milk and leave it undisturbed overnight.  You need to find a warm spot such as inside the oven with the light on.  I place the milk inside another container with luke warm water and smother the whole thing with a kitchen towel so that it creates somewhat of a humid condition.   To make “mor kozhambu”,  leave the yogurt out of the refrigerator at room temperature so that it becomes a bit sour.

Recipe for Iyengar-style Mor Kozhambu – South Indian Yogurt-based Gravy
Ingredients:
  • 2 cups sour yogurt
  • For spice paste:
  • Vegetables:
    • 1/2 cup ash gourd (also called white melon), cut in to cubes (alternately use chayote squash)
    • 1/2 cup green beans, cut in to 1 inch pieces
    • 1 medium potato, cut in to cubes
    • 1/4 cup shelled green peas
    • Pinch turmeric
  • For tempering:
    • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
    • 1 tsp mustard seeds
    • 2 sprigs of curry leaves
  • Salt to taste
Method:
  • Whisk the yogurt until smooth and set aside
  • Wash and soak the yellow lentils and red gram lentils in water to cover for about an hour
  • Heat oil in a small pan.  When hot, add the fenugreek seeds and split black lentils and cook on low heat until golden brown
  • Grind together the soaked lentils, fenugreek seeds, split black lentils, asafoetida, red chilies, green chilies, coconut and cumin seeds with a little water.  Set aside
  • Heat some water in a pot and add the vegetables, turmeric and a dash of salt.  Cover and cook on low heat until the vegetables are soft but not mushy, ~10 – 15 mins
  • Add the whisked yogurt and raise the heat to medium and let it froth a bit and switch off heat
  • To make the oil tempering: Heat the vegetable oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds.  Switch off heat when the seeds start popping and add the curry leaves
  • Dump the tempering into the yogurt gravy, and adjust salt to taste
  • Serve immediately with freshly cooked white rice and crisp appalams (also called pappadums)

South Indian cuisine is rice-based, more vegetarian friendly, spicier and less greasy than North Indian cuisine.   It may seem daunting at first, but once you pick up a few basic techniques, it is pretty easy.  The best way to learn the techniques is to watch someone in person, so I hope you have a really good South Indian friend who cooks.  Alternately there’s always youtube!  As for the recipes, Chandra Padmanabhan’s Dakshin: Vegetarian Cuisine from South India is the bible, no debate!   Also, don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!
by Veggie Sutra

Bibimbap made with Kimchi – Korea’s fermented staple

V and I have a fascination with Korea – he makes me watch the movies and I make him eat the food. During my visits to Seoul, I was determined to try the local cuisine instead of resorting to the generic international restaurants.  My favorite experiences were in Insadong, a oasis for vegetarians, where I could sample anything I wanted in the Buddhist all-vegetarian restaurants.

At other restaurants, most often I ordered bibimbap.  Probably one of the best known Korean dishes, it has a variety of sauteed vegetables and rice mixed together with gochujang (a spicy condiment) and topped with a fried egg.

Kimchi Bibimbap

This week for the fermentation series on this blog, I made kimchi bibimbap, inspired by a recipe in The Healthy Probiotic Power Diet by R.J. Ruppenthal.  Kimchi is a staple in Korea and is prepared by the lacto-fermentation of vegetables, primarily Napa cabbage.  It is similar to sauerkraut, but different in the addition of hot pepper, ginger, and garlic.  Vegetarians beware, kimchi sometimes has shrimp sauce, so check the ingredient list before buying.  The wonderful thing about this dish is that both kimchi and gochujang are fermented.  
Kimchi Bibimbap
For today’s dish, I used a store-bought kimchi and store-bought gochujang.  The number of ethnic grocery stores and restaurants makes the Bay Area one of the most attractive places to live and it was not difficult for me to get hold of these ingredients.   

Gochujang from a Korean grocery store

Recipe for Kimchi Bibimbap adapted from The Healthy Probiotic Power Diet by R.J. Ruppenthal

Serves two
Ingredients:

  • About 4 Tbsp of sesame oil or vegetable oil for cooking
  • For the marinated tofu (my own recipe): 
    • 1 14oz tub tofu, cut into cubes after squeezing out the water
    • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
    • 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
    • 1 Tbsp mirin or sweet rice wine
    • 1/2 tsp brown sugar
    • 2 cloves garlic chopped fine
    • 1/2 inch piece of ginger, grated
    • 1/2 tsp chili sauce (alternately soak 2 long red chilies in warm water for 10 mins and chop)
    • 2 Tbsp sesame oil
  • Vegetables:
    • 1 medium onion, sliced long
    • 8 oz mushrooms (shiitake or button), sliced
    • 2 cups greens (spinach or kale or any other), chopped
    • 2 medium carrots, cut in to thin strips
  • 1 cup cooked rice
  • 1/2 cup kimchi (any kind)
  • 2 eggs (plus water and 1 Tbsp of white vinegar if you plan to poach)
  • 1 Tbsp white sesame seeds, for garnish
  • 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, for drizzling
Method:
  • Marinated tofu: Whisk all the ingredients for the marinade.  Add the tofu and shake to coat evenly and refrigerate overnight or atleast for a few hours
Marinade for tofu
  • Add 1 Tbsp of oil and pan fry the marinated tofu and set aside
  • Add more oil as needed and one at a time, saute the onion, mushrooms, carrots and greens and set aside separately
  • Next heat up the cooked rice a bit and add the kimchi and mix.  Set aside
  • Poach the 2 eggs or fry them in a little bit of oil.  I prefer to poach.  To poach the egg:  Bring a cup of water to boil in a pan and add a tablespoon of white vinegar optionally.  Break one egg in to a small cup and slowly slide it in to the boiling water without breaking the yolk.  Do the same with the other egg.   Lower the heat and close the pan with a lid for 5 mins.  Check if the yolk has set unless you like it runny and if not, cook for an extra minute or two.  Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon.
  • Assemble the kimchi bibimbap:
    • Divide the rice-kimchi mixture into 2 bowls
    • Divide all the vegetables in to two and place on top of the rice and drizzle with about a tablespoon of toasted sesame oil
    • Top with the poached (or fried) egg
    • Sprinkle with sesame seeds
    • Top with gochujang as per individual preference, mix it all up with a spoon and eat

Kimchi Bibimbap

Bibimbap can be served with fresh julienned vegetables like cucumber during summer.  Alternately during winters, it can be served in a very hot stone bowl (dolsot) that makes kind of a rice crust at the bottom of the pot which is delicious.
Any way you like it, enjoy your bibimbap with a side of kimchi for the probiotic power!
by Veggie Sutra

Home-made kefir – A fermented milk delicacy plus a Kefir-Blueberry Smoothie

As I mentioned last week, my kefir grains are here, and are thriving and making delicious kefir.  In fact my little pets have doubled in size.  The description given in various books and websites is appropriate – they look like little white cauliflower florets.  (Picture below.  They are not cute pets.  Please don’t judge.)

Kefir grains and a jar of home-made kefir

In his book, The Art of Fermentation,  Sandor Ellix Katz says “Kefir grains require regular care and feeding”.  It looks like I am committing myself to a lifetime of responsibility.  Once I have enough grains to share, I plan to give it away to some friends who can keep it going even if I drop the ball.

My primary sources for information on kefir are The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz, and a website by Dominic Antiteatro of Australia who is known as the Kefir King.  (In fact even Katz mentions Dom’s website in his book.)  Every other internet write up (including the one you are reading now) seem to have culled their information from these 2 sources but it is worth reading other experiences.

How to Make Kefir from The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz

Ingredients:

  • 1 litre/quart of organic whole milk (see note below on what milk to use)
  • 1 Tbsp (heaping) of kefir grains
  • About 24 hours of patience

Method:

  • Bring the milk to room temperature either by heating and cooling or leaving it out for a bit
  • Transfer to a clean glass jar
  • Add the kefir grains
  • Loosely cover with a cheese cloth and let sit on the counter away from direct sunlight
  • Shake or stir periodically (to spread the microbial activity).
  • Kefir is ready, when you can see that it has thickened a bit (It takes around 24 hours in California spring climate, longer if I want it sour)
  • Stir the kefir one last time.  Remove the kefir grains.  I just use clean hands or a spoon, as I found straining it a bit tedious. (See notes below on keeping the grains going.)
  • Enjoy the kefir
Notes:
  • What milk to use:
    • Regarding the type of milk to use, Sandor Katz says he always uses whole milk, raw when available, pasteurized if not.  I use organic pasteurized whole milk.  Even if you use raw milk, some people believe in boiling it and cooling it down to room temperature to kill the native bacteria (though they may be beneficial) so as to not contaminate the kefir.   Please let me know in comments below on what milk you have used for kefir.
  • Keeping the grains going:
    • Transfer the harvested grains to a clean jar, pour fresh milk over it and make the next batch.
    • If you have too much kefir, and do not wish to start another batch, put the grains in the refrigerator in some milk for up to 2 or 3 days.   Feed them periodically with fresh milk or else they will die.
    • The grains will multiply.  You can simply mix in the grains with the kefir and drink it. Or share it with friends.
  • There is a myth going around not to use metal containers or strainers when making kefir, but both Sandor Katz’s book and Dom’s website refute this.  Stainless steel should be perfectly fine.
  • Store-bought kefir will likely not have the same benefits as home-made for several reasons.
Kefir Blueberry Smoothie
Kefir is delicious consumed raw, especially for those who grew up eating yogurt.  The taste is not that far from yogurt.  In the chapter titled “Fermenting Milk” in The Art of Fermentation, Katz talks about other indigenous methods that different cultures have used for centuries to stabilize milk.  It is a fascinating read.
Since V and I typically start our day with a smoothie (as part of our regular breakfast variations), I decided to use the kefir to make smoothies.  We tried a Moroccan-style smoothie last time, this time it is a simple blueberry-banana smoothie.
A Simple Blueberry Banana Smoothie with Homemade Kefir

[Printable Recipe]

Makes 2 servings
Ingredients:

  • 2 cups home-made kefir (Get recipe here)
  • 1/2 cup blueberries (I used frozen berries this time of year allowing it to thaw in the fridge overnight)
  • 1 ripe banana

Method:

  • Blend all ingredients together
  • Pour and enjoy
  • If the smoothie is too thick for you, add half a cup of non-dairy milk and blend
Kefir Blueberry Smoothie
Please share your experiences with kefir and the ever-controversial topic of dairy!
by Veggie Sutra

Tempeh in Coconut Chili Sauce plus Six Weeks of Cultured Foods

The kefir grains are here.   I am excited as well as scared!  One reviewer on amazon.com said they are like pets and need to be fed every day and washed and stuff.   Hope the little critters, I mean, cultures, like our home.

Speaking of cultures, we have decided to do a series on cultured foods for the next few weeks.  We will explore fermented and cultured foods, how to make them, how to enjoy them and what benefits they provide.

This weekend, V picked a dish from Leda Scheintaub’s Cultured Foods for Your Kitchen.  It uses tempeh as the featured ferment as well as other supporting ferments like apple cider vinegar, tamari sauce and fermented chili bean sauce.

Tempeh in Coconut Chili Sauce

Tempeh is a soybean ferment native to Indonesia.  It is usually not eaten raw, so, you might ask, what is healthy about tempeh if we have killed off the live cultures.  Fermentation has been used by our ancestors not only for the good bacteria, but also to make food more digestible and nutrients more bio-available to us.  In the case of tempeh, the process of fermentation reduces the phytic acid in soy beans, making it healthier.

(As an aside, in general, with any type of grains or beans, it is a good idea to soak in water overnight or at least for a few hours before cooking.  For example, if I am making a batch of brown rice, I always soak it the night before and change the water out before cooking.  If I am making hummus, I soak the chickpeas for up to day and change the water out a couple of times.)

The tempeh dish I made turned out to be wildly fragrant and flavorful, thanks to all the herbs from our garden, my addition to the original recipe.  It’s spring time and I got a bunch of spring garlic from the garden.  (I never have the patience to let it mature).  I also added lemongrass because I had so much of it.  (It is like a weed,  I got like 50 stalks from just 2 stalks that a friend had given me a year back!)     I also changed the recipe to use seasonally-available vegetables.

Lemon grass, and spring garlic from the garden

It seems like a complex recipe, but once you have all the ingredients lined up, it’s quite simple actually.

Recipe for Tempeh in Coconut Chili Sauce
Adapted from Leda Scheintaub’s Cultured Foods for Your Kitchen

[Printable Recipe]

Makes enough for 2 servings as main dish over rice
Ingredients:

  • 3 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 8 oz package of organic tempeh, sliced in to medium-sized pieces (I used Lightlife brand from Whole Foods Market. Use organic to avoid GMO soy.)
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 4 inch piece lemongrass cut into 1 inch pieces and smashed a bit to release flavor
  • 1 red onion, sliced
  • 1 inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp tamari sauce
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3/4 cup organic coconut milk 
  • 2 Tbsp fermented chili bean sauce (available in Asian grocery stores, optionally use 1 Tbsp of any chili sauce or chili-garlic sauce)
  • 10 stalks of tender asparagus, cut in to 1 inch pieces after discarding the bottom woody part
  • 1 medium carrot, cut in to thin 1 inch sticks
  • 1 bunch swiss chard, leaves and stalks separately chopped
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 bunch of tender spring garlic, chopped (optionally use 1 stalk of spring onion, chopped)
  • 2 sprigs of cilantro, chopped
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Heat 2 Tbsp of the coconut oil in  medium saute pan
  • Add the tempeh and cook over medium heat for about 5 mins until browned on one side.  Then flip the pieces over and cook on the other side for 5 more minutes 
  • Sprinkle the chili powder and a pinch of salt on the tempeh, then remove and set aside
  • Heat the remaining coconut oil in the same pan
  • Lightly pound the lemon grass with the back side of the knife to release the flavor.  (You will be removing this before eating).  Add to the heated oil
  • Add the red onion and saute for about 5 minutes 
  • Add the ginger and garlic and saute for 2 minutes
  • Now, add the apple cider vinegar, tamari sauce, brown sugar, chili bean sauce, water and 1/2 cup of coconut milk
  • When it is warm, add the asparagus, carrots and chard stalks and close and cook for 3-4 minutes
  • Add the chard leaves and close and cook for 3-4 minutes more until the leaves have wilted
  • Stir in the remaining coconut milk and cook to heat through
  • Add the lemon juice and garnish with green garlic (or onion) and cilantro
  • Serve hot over steamed brown rice

Tempeh in Coconut Chili Sauce

A aromatic dish that you probably won’t have left overs of!  Let me know if you have tried to use tempeh and what your favorite recipes are.

by Veggie Sutra

Steamed Broccoli Salad with Sauerkraut

It was an interesting trip to Whole Foods last weekend.  Since I am on a fermented foods kick, I went in to pick up a bottle of kefir.  V wanted some tea.  While we were there, they were giving out sauerkraut samples from a local company called wildbrine, and the lady told me all about the good probiotic bacteria in it.  Of course, we had to get some because it tasted so good.   And guess what, the tea V selected was pu-erh tea, which apparently is a prized fermented tea from China.

Steamed Broccoli Salad with Sauerkraut

Surely the Gods of fermentation are sending me a signal!   I have landed on a couple of great books on the topic.  One of them being Cultured Foods for Your Kitchen by Leda Scheintaub.   She says basic sauerkraut is a very simple ferment with just 2 ingredients – cabbage and salt.  The book has the method for making sauerkraut as well as some recipes using it as an ingredient.

So, here is the third recipe from my exploration of fermented and cultured foods after the probiotic kefir smoothie and the make-ahead kefir oatmeal.  It is a steamed broccoli-sauerkraut salad with a creamy miso-tahini dressing, the featured ferments being sauerkraut as well as miso.

Steamed Broccoli Salad with Sauerkraut

Steamed Broccoli Salad with Sauerkraut
Adapted from Kale and Beet Salad in Lena Scheintaub’s Cultured Foods for Your Kitchen
[Printable Recipe]

Ingredients:
(Makes 4 servings)
Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp white miso (shiromiso)
  • 1/4 tahini
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp mirin or sweet white wine
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

  • 3 cups broccoli florets, thoroughly washed
  • 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
  • A dash of salt
  • 1/2 cup sauerkraut (store-bought or home-made)
  • 1/4 cup toasted walnuts for garnish (optional)

Method:

  • Make a paste of the miso with the lemon juice and then whisk in all the ingredients for the dressing. 
  • Add a dash of salt to broccoli and steam for 10 mins until crisp-tender.  
  • Combine the broccoli, sauerkraut, and red bell pepper
  • Toss with the dressing 
  • Garnish with toasted walnuts if desired and serve
Steamed Broccoli Salad with Sauerkraut
I followed the recipe for the dressing almost verbatim from the book except for leaving out the honey that was called for.  The miso in the dressing as well as the sauerkraut add some complex flavors to the salad making this one of the most satisfying broccoli salads I have made.  I packed it up for lunch for V and me for the next day and it was just as satisfying!
by Veggie Sutra

Quick make-ahead healthy probiotic breakfast – Kefir Oats with Blueberries and Chia Seeds

Spring is here in Northern California in full force!  It is my most favorite season of the year, but this year, I have been holding out on winter hoping for more rain.  But I can’t deny it any longer.  The indomitable wild flowers are popping up everywhere.  The hillsides are green and yellow and considering the lack of rain, they will be brown in just a couple of weeks, so let’s enjoy spring for a bit.   (V is traveling on the east coast this week, and he is wondering what I am going on about spring considering the freezing temperatures there.  Now try denying climate change!)

As I mentioned in the previous post, I am on a major fermented and cultured foods kick these days and have been exploring recipes that use “kefir“.  Kefir is delicious and can be drunk straight up on a hot, summer day.  And hopefully by this summer, I will master kefir-making.  For now, I am using store-bought plain organic kefir with live cultures.

Oats with Kefir, Blueberries and Chia Seeds

Browsing for recipes online, I was inspired by a simple, make-ahead breakfast recipe for oats by Sara Bradford of nourishrealfood.com.  I made a variation of that with blueberries using a wide mouth mason jar.  The next morning I screwed the lid on and took it to work for my breakfast.  Super convenient!

Oats with Kefir, Blueberries and Chia Seeds

Recipe for Make-Ahead Kefir Oats with Blueberries
Inspired by Kefir Peach Overnight Oats by Sara Bradford of nourishrealfood.com
[Printable Recipe]

Ingredients:
For one serving

  • 1/2 cup plain old-fashioned Quaker oats (or any other rolled oats, but not instant)
  • 1/2 cup kefir (plain, unsweetened, organic with live cultures)
  • 1/2 cup water / unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/4 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1 Tbsp date sugar (or honey)
  • 1 Tbsp chia seeds (or flax or hemp seeds)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)

Method:

  • In a wide-mouth mason jar or a plain old bowl, layer the oats, kefir, water, blueberries, chia seeds, date sugar, and cinnamon powder (if using) and leave it on the counter overnight
  • The oats will soak and the blueberries will thaw overnight
  • Mix everything up in the morning and enjoy!
Oats with Kefir, Blueberries and Chia Seeds

What other variations would you do to this recipe?  Do let me know in the comments below.

by Veggie Sutra

A Healthy, Probiotic Kefir Smoothie with Avocado, Orange and Dates

The Indian, Greek and Middle-eastern cultures have yogurt.  The Germans have sauerkraut.  The Japanese have miso and natto.  The Koreans have kimchi.  The Chinese have pickled vegetables.  The Balkan countries have kefir.  The English have errr. ummm.. beer(?).  What do these have in common?    They are all fermented foods that our ancestors considered beneficial to health.

I have been on a fermentation kick recently.  Fermentation preserves foods as much as it preserves our digestive systems due to the healthy bacteria called “probiotics“.

Kefir Smoothie

Growing up, making yogurt every night was a constant and a fresh batch for the next day was always ensured.   If we went away on a holiday, the first thing we did when we got back was to carry a cup to the neighbor to borrow some yogurt to start a new batch.

Now we make yogurt every two or three days with organic whole milk.  Even though V and I do not consume milk or other dairy products, I consider yogurt and ghee to be exceptions.  (V has his reservations about this theory of mine.)

Speaking of yogurt, kefir is yet another probiotic beverage made from cultured milk.  In her book Cultured Foods for Your Kitchen, Leda Schientaub says “The Turkish translation of kefir, “to feel good”, is a fitting description”.  As with yogurt, she says, “there is little or no lactose remaining in dairy kefir”.   This book has a treasure trove of recipes for making cultured foods and I highly recommend it for anyone who is starting to explore fermentation, in conjunction with Sandor Katz’s The Art of Fermentation.

  

Since I wanted to add some variety and probiotic power to our regular breakfast smoothies, I decided to give kefir a try.  I do intend to make kefir at home as soon as the kefir grains I ordered get delivered.   For now I used store-bought kefir – unsweetened, plain, organic with live cultures.

Recipe for a healthy, probiotic breakfast smoothie
Adapted from the Moroccan Style Avocado, Date and Orange Shake recipe in Lena Scheintaub’s Cultured Foods for Your Kitchen

[Printable Recipe]

Makes 2 glasses

Ingredients:
1 cup kefir (if store-bought, look for unsweetened plain kefir with live cultures)
1 cup water or unsweetened almond milk
Half an orange, peeled and cut in to sections
4-5 dates, pitted
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced
1 Tbsp raw cacao powder (I used Healthworks Raw Certified Organic Cacao Powder that I ordered on Amazon.com)

Method:
Throw all the ingredients in to the blender and blend till smooth.  If the consistency is too thick for you, add half a cup of water or almond milk and blend.

Kefir Smoothie

With a boiled egg on the side for protein, this is a great all-rounder breakfast smoothie with healthy fats from the avocado, vitamin C from the orange, fiber and a hint of sweetness from the dates, antioxidants from the cacao powder and of course, probiotic power from the kefir.