Category Archives: Whole Food

Join us as we share our favorite whole food recipes

Okra, Ladies Finger

Glossary, , , , , , ,

Okra

Okra is known in many English-speaking countries as ladies’ fingers, bhindi, bamia, ochro or gumbo. 

The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with South Asian, Ethiopian and West African origins all being possible.

Okra has a tendency to become slimy when cooked. Some people like it this way, while others prefer to minimize this. Brief cooking such as stir-frying can help to keep them less slimy, as can cooking with acidic ingredients such as a few drops of lemon juice, tomatoes, or vinegar. Alternatively the pods can be sliced thinly and cooked for a long time until the slime dissolves. 

Shakarkandi Gobi – Indian sweet potato and cauliflower

Dinner, , , , , , , , , ,

Aloo Shakarkandi

During our time living in India we became really big fans of Indian food. One of the greatest parts of traveling there was tasting all the different types of food around the country. In India this is normally made with potatoes, but we have substituted them for sweet potatoes in this dish for the extra nutrition.

Ingredients

  • 400g cauliflower, cut into portions / florets
  • 300g sweet potato, peeled and cu into 3cm chips
  • coconut oil
  • pinch of asafoetida
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 3cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1/2 large green chilli, finely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp tumeric
  • 1/4 tsp chilli powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/4 tsp amchur (mango powder)
  • handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
  • 120ml water

Directions

  1. Heat 1 Tbsp of coconut oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the asafoetida, cumin seeds, ginger, chilli and turmeric. Mix and fry for a few seconds.
  2. Add cauliflower, sweet potato, water, and salt, cover and cook on a medium high heat until the water is evaporated. This will take about 10 minutes. Stir once in a while to avoid it catching on the bottom of the pan.
  3. Check that the sweet potatoes are cooked through. If they are not you may need to cook them for a little while longer, and add a little more water to create the steam to cook them in.
  4. Add the garam masala, coriander and mango powder. Mix and serve.
  5. Can be served as a side dish with Chicken Cardamon Curry with Papaya or another curry dish.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream

 

 

Avocado Tahini Dip with Pomegranate Seeds

Condiments and Dips, , , , , , , , , ,

Avocado Tahini Dip with Pomegranate SeedsThere is nothing that says “Middle Eastern food” like pomegranate and tahini. This avocado tahini dip is given a very fresh flavour with the addition of pomegranate seeds which are both stirred through it and used as a garnish. While the pomegranate gives it a delicious flavour, you can also leave them out for a more simple avocado tahini dressing if you prefer.

Ingredients

  • 1 avocado
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/2 Tbsp tahini
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 red chili, de-seeded
  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • handful of fresh mint
  • handful of fresh coriander
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • handful of pomegranate seeds to garnish
  • sumac to garnish (optional)

Directions

  1. Put the avocado, garlic, tahini, lime juice, cumin powder, chili, red onion, mint, coriander, sea salt, pepper and olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth.
  2. The  dip should be on the thick side, so be careful not to add too much olive oil. 
  3. Stir through a handful of pomegranate seeds so that they are found throughout the dip. 
  4. Garnish with a little sumac (optional)
  5. Serve together with sweet potato fries, with Lebanese lamb burgers, or on pan fried fish. 

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Tiny Ruins – Brightly Painted One

Za’atar

Glossary, , , , , ,

Za'atar

Za’atar is the generic name for the herbs oregano, thyme, and marjoram. As a spice mix it is usually based on these dried herbs, combined with sesame seeds, salt, and sometimes sumac and other spices. Used widely in Arab cuisine, both the herb and spice mixture are popular throughout the Middle East.

You can often find this in your supermarket (try the Asian food section), or by looking for a Middle Eastern supermarket in your city.

If you are not able to find it, then you can mix it up yourself. There is no definitive recipe for Za’atar as it is a blend of spices that varies from store to store in its native Lebanon, but this is a basic recipe you can use and vary from.

If you are unable to find it, you can also make it using our za’atar recipe

Asafoetida

Glossary, , ,

Asafoetida

Asafoetida is the dried resin extracted from a particular species of herb. The species is native to the deserts of Iran, mountains of Afghanistan, and is mainly cultivated in  India. Asafoetida is a very smelly spice, but in cooked dishes it delivers a flavor similar to leeks.

Asafoetida is used as a digestive aid, in food as a condiment, and in pickle. It typically works as a flavor enhancer and, used along with turmeric, is a standard component of Indian cuisine. When making a lentil curry (dal) and many other vegetable dishes, the flavour is often enhanced with a tempering (quick fry) of asafoetida together with other spices.

It is especially widely used in South Indian and Maharashtrian (Mumbai) cuisine, which is mainly vegetarian. It is often used to harmonize sweet, sour, salty and spicy components in food.

Thrive Rockmelon Juice

Drinks, , , , , , , , , ,

Thrive rockmelon juice

At the food market yesterday Liam decided that he was going to choose all of the fruits and vegetables, and rockmelon was amoungst his selection. This is his  creation this morning.

Ingredients

  • 1 rockmelon
  • 1 orange (whole)
  • 1 lime
  • 2 red apples (whole, washed)
  • 2 pears (whole, washed)
  • Centrifugal or slow juicer

Directions

  1. Cut the rockmelon into slices that will fit into your juicer tube. Remove the hard rind from the melon.
  2. Wash the apples and pears, and remove the stalks. (Only cut them if needed to fit into your juicer tube)
  3. Put the rockmelon, lime and orange (not peeled) through the juicer on the slow speed.
  4. Put the apples and pears through the juicer on the fast speed.
  5. Stir to combine all of the juices together and serve over ice.
  6. Makes 4-5 glasses.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Haim – Days are Gone

 

 

 

Singapore Summer juice

Drinks, , , , , , , , ,

Singapore Summer Juice

One of the joys of living in Singapore is the perpetual summer, and the abundance of tropical fruits. This juice was the perfect accompaniment to browsing through a Singapore guidebook to find our weekend excursion destination.

Ingredients

  • 3 carrots (whole, unpeeled, washed)
  • 1 guava (whole, unpeeled, washed)
  • 1 pineapple
  • 1 lime (whole, washed)
  • 2 red apples (whole, unpeeled, washed)
  • Centrifugal or slow juicer machine

Directions

  1. Cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple. Cut off the tough exterior, and cut the pineapple into quarters so that it fits into the juicer tube.
  2. Wash the skins of the other fruits, and cut them only if required to fit into your juicer tube.
  3. For a centrifugal juicer, turn the juicer to speed 1 (slowest speed). Juice the pineapple, apples and guava.
  4. Turn the juicer up to speed 2 (fastest speed). Juice the carrots and lime. 
  5. Turn off the juicer. Stir the juice to combine the fruits.
  6. Serve over ice straight after juicing. Including the lime ensures that the apples will not turn brown quickly, so it will keep for a few hours if you prefer, but it never lasts that long in our house.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Gregory Isaacs – Night Nurse

 

 

 

 

Thai Curry Paste

Glossary, , ,

Thai Curry Paste

Thai curry pastes are used as the basis for Thai curries. They can be made at home fresh (which we also do), but there are also some very good pre-made curry pastes available that can save you the time of preparing them from scratch.

Common ingredients used in many Thai curry pastes are:

  • Shrimp paste
  • Chillies, depending on the curry these can be dried or fresh, red or green.
  • Onions or shallots
  • Garlic
  • Lemongrass
  • Galangal
  • Coriander (cilantro) root

We keep Green, Yellow and Panang curry pastes in our store cupboard, which with the addition of coconut milk, onion, garlic, and vegetables can be turned into an easy dinner when we are running late.

Be careful to read the label, as not all curry pastes are created equal. The ones that we buy were recommended by a foodie friend of ours from Thailand, and contain no artificial ingredients or preservatives. We go to an Asian foodstore (Thai supermarket) to buy them as they are not available in our supermarket.

Galangal

Glossary, , ,

Galangal

Galangal is a member of the ginger family. There are two types of it – the more common one in the west which originates from Indonesia and tastes like a combination of ginger and pine. This galangal is commonly used in Indonesian cooking. A second species originates from China and tastes like a combination of ginger and pepper. The Chinese galangal is more commonly used in Thai cooking.

While Galangal is a member of the ginger family, they do not taste the same, however they way they are cooked with is similar. To use galangal, you first need to remove the tough outer layer, and then either crush it or chop it into strips.

For most recipes, if you are unable to find galangal, you can substitute it for ginger, or alternatively you can buy dried galangal, which is sometimes sold as “Laos galangal.” 1 tsp of dried galangal is roughly equivalent to 1.5cm of fresh galangal.

 

Apple Cider Vinegar

Glossary, , ,

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar is made by crushing apples and squeezing out the liquid. Bacteria and Yeast are added to the liquid to start the alcoholic fermentation process, and the sugars are turned into alcohol. In a second fermentation process, the alcohol is converted into vinegar by acetic acid-forming bacteria.

Organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar (like Bragg’s) also contains “mother,” strands of proteins, enzymes and friendly bacteria that give the product a murky, cobweb-like appearance.

Organic Apple Cider is thought to be antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal.

It can be used in salad dressings, marinades, vinaigrettes, preserving foods , and chutneys, amongst other things.