What New Ingredients Are You Trying Out?

[teapot]

I use a doggy toenail clipper (for kitchen use only) to nip it into small pieces that will fit nicely into the mill.

That's a clever idea! I've been using mortar and pestle, which is a snap for small amts.

BTW, I enjoyed your blog. I love vintage kitchenalia as well -- though I don't have space to collect much. Do you ever go to auctions? They are a super source for inexpensive treasures.

[andiesenji]

I use a doggy toenail clipper (for kitchen use only) to nip it into small pieces that will fit nicely into the mill.

That's a clever idea! I've been using mortar and pestle, which is a snap for small amts.

BTW, I enjoyed your blog. I love vintage kitchenalia as well -- though I don't have space to collect much. Do you ever go to auctions? They are a super source for inexpensive treasures.

I used to attend estate auctions but am now pruning my collections, selling off various appliances and items since I am 74 and too old to go jaunting around to hunt for new things - and I need the room.

And speaking of new ingredients, I have been experimenting with teff flour, combined with millet flour for flatbreads, pancakes and waffles.

So far I am very pleased with the results.

I want to try making Ingera, but am waiting for a friend to stop by and give me some instructions because it can be a bit tricky.

[teapot]

I've made injera a couple of times. It's really pretty simple...if you can make a crepe you can make injera. I always have sourdough starter so simply mix a lively starter with water and teff (or a teff/ap mix) until it has a consistency of crepe-batter. Have fun with it!

[andiesenji]

My friend is bringing me some "lit" a few days before so I can develop it for the starter and mix the batter the day prior. She is also bringing a high temp round electric griddle type thing in case my big cast iron griddle doesn't get hot enough on the high-output burner.

[Anna N]

My friend is bringing me some "lit" a few days before so I can develop it for the starter and mix the batter the day prior. She is also bringing a high temp round electric griddle type thing in case my big cast iron griddle doesn't get hot enough on the high-output burner.

If you are able to document this adventure with photos, if possible, I would be very happy. Kerry Beal and I tried to make injera with 100% teff but were not successful. We had been shown the process by an Ethiopian restaurant owner but it is not as simple as it might sound to grow the starter, create and rest the batter and finally cook the bread.

[andiesenji]

My friend is bringing me some "lit" a few days before so I can develop it for the starter and mix the batter the day prior. She is also bringing a high temp round electric griddle type thing in case my big cast iron griddle doesn't get hot enough on the high-output burner.

If you are able to document this adventure with photos, if possible, I would be very happy. Kerry Beal and I tried to make injera with 100% teff but were not successful. We had been shown the process by an Ethiopian restaurant owner but it is not as simple as it might sound to grow the starter, create and rest the batter and finally cook the bread.

I know, my previous attempts were not anywhere near expectations. My friend says that many restaurants use wheat flour so it will hold together better but she wants a gluten-free bread so uses only the teff but it is a combination of the white and the red/brown varieties.

She says that so much of the finer white teff is now being exported that many people "back home" are using this combination product or even adding millet flour to it, which is much cheaper but does produce an acceptable end product and it remains very low in gluten.

She explained that many Ethiopians who have been here for decades are subject to diabetes because they can't handle the sugars in western type breads. She is an advocate for her people sticking to the types of foods they traditionally consumed.

She is not a chef - she is involved in the Ethiopian Orthodox church in L.A. and organizes charitable events and trips to Ethiopia for donors who wish to see where their money is going. She does have a large extended family and (with help) does a lot of the traditional cooking - although she says her grandsons usually opt for "American" food (which includes Mexican and Chinese) except on special occasions.

She also directed me to this site, which she says does it right - so I will understand the process - because many other sites get it totally wrong.

[liuzhou]

Three years ago I ate at a buffet in one of the the city's top Chinese state-owned hotels. It has been there for decades and is where every Chinese leader except Mao has stayed - as they never forget to tell you. It is also where Ho Chi Minh and Zhou Enlai planned the ousting of the French and later the Vietnam War and the Paris Convention of 1973 which led eventually to the war's end. So the hotel takes itself pretty seriously.

 

They have several restaurants. One is bland but expensive Cantonese. Another is bland but expensive general Chinese. Another expensive, supposedly western food, but only as re-imagined by chefs who have only ever seen pictures of the dishes, and copied every other 'western restaurant' in China's menu (also compiled by someone who has only ever seen photographs and copied...)

 

In other words, not impressive.

But the buffet at that one meal was memorable. It was served privately and off-menu and most of it was very good.

One dish stood out.

 

Stir fried bullfrog with tick-trefoil. A little chilli and some Sichuan peppercorn.

 

 

It was so good that I ate half of it before remembering to take a picture. Spicy, herbal, grassy (in a nice way).

I had no idea what tick-trefoil was or is, but it turns out to be a variety of Desmodium; something which is used extensively in traditional Chinese medicine to alleviate liver and kidney problems. It is made into a tisane and drunk daily by those who need it.

The Chinese is 金钱草 (jīn qián cǎo) which literally means 'money grass', a reference to its (fresh) leaves resembling coins.

The only reference to it as a food which I can find on Google etc is a post which I wrote on my blog about the dish I ate.

Well today, I found a bag of the dried leaves in the new supermarket near my home, so of course I bought them.

 

So, this is my ingredient to try out. So far, my experimentation has consisted of staring at the stuff and scratching my head. I could try replicating the dish I ate, but I'd also like to do something different.

But what? Hmmm.

 

Whatever I decide, my liver gets the benefit, too. Allegedly.

Edited August 26, 2021 by liuzhou (log)

[DianaM]

And speaking of new ingredients, I have been experimenting with teff flour, combined with millet flour for flatbreads, pancakes and waffles.

So far I am very pleased with the results.

I want to try making Ingera, but am waiting for a friend to stop by and give me some instructions because it can be a bit tricky.

I add sorghum to the teff and millet usually, and I like the results.

[mercenaryblade]

Loving all the great ideas! I too tried Cherimoya for the first time recently but only had one and wasn't sure what to do with it so just ate it. Delicious though and definitely has potential. I've been experimenting with using grains in place of Arborio in risotto: wonderful. Faro and Barley are the only two I've dried thus far but I have a couple types of wheat that I intend to try as well. Combining the faro with the barley worked really nicely; the faro maintained more of a toothy bite to it. Cardamom, bee pollen, annatto(achiote) and all sorts of flowers(rosebuds, lavender, hibiscus...) are all being played with as well.

[Anna N]

Red velvet apricots.

These were being featured at my local grocery store today. They are sweet, juicy but do not have a whole lot of apricot flavour.

[Smithy]

If you are able to document this adventure with photos, if possible, I would be very happy. Kerry Beal and I tried to make injera with 100% teff but were not successful. We had been shown the process by an Ethiopian restaurant owner but it is not as simple as it might sound to grow the starter, create and rest the batter and finally cook the bread.

This may not be the kind of photo documentation you had in mind, but you may enjoy this video and small discussion about the process: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/148103-the-science-of-injera-the-east-african-flat-bread/

[Anna N]

This may not be the kind of photo documentation you had in mind, but you may enjoy this video and small discussion about the process: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/148103-the-science-of-injera-the-east-african-flat-bread/

Thanks. I had to take two Tylenol to relieve my backache just from watching! Can you imagine such backbreaking work to feed your family? Her obvious confidence in her skills and her expertise in pouring that batter is admirable.

[DianaM]

This evening we tried roasted butternut squash seed oil.  Oh, my, just licking my fingers with this oil was heaven.

 

We oiled some slices of kabocha squash with it, baked it, and the results were devine.

 

Since it was a gift, I have to find out where to get it.

I found it at a local store, and bought it. And I agree, it tastes fantastic. On the back of the tin it came in, it is suggested that it be paired with vanilla ice-cream. Before trying that out, however, I would like to attempt this cake: http://www.deliciousdays.com/archives/2009/06/03/the-incredible-green-cake/

Perhaps bake it in a silicone pan so that the sides of the cake remain this incredible green colour.

[CatPoet]

I am going to see if I can get loquats,  I want to make pie of it.  So far I only found them at the second chance  fruit store, but sadly most of them  have gone so far they are for wine use and not cake.

[heidih]

CatPoet - have you had a tasty loquat cake? To me the flavor is so so mild as to be almost invisible in a baked good. Also after skin (tough) and seed removal there is almost no flesh per fruit.

[CatPoet]

Heidih the loquat we have is so flavourful, it is rich sweet and a bit flowery taste. I have had one loquat dessert, like a trifle, it was  yummy.

[heidih]

Interesting on the variability in loquats. They grow like weeds here so I am able to pick and eat from various trees and at full ripeness - never taste "rich sweet". 

[andiesenji]

I have a recommendation for hemp seeds - actually  hemp "hearts" the "shells" have been removed.

Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts, Raw Shelled Hemp Seeds

 

I have been using hemp seeds in cooking for some time and have been rather ambivalent about the results - some were okay, some were iffy and a few were quite good.

A couple of the products were unacceptable - there was a rancid odor as soon as I opened the bags.

I began using hemp seeds on the recommendation of my nutritionist because of my diabetes.  Along with the rest of the regimen, I have had excellent results and the medication (Metformin) has been discontinued so that my diabetes is controlled by diet and exercise alone. 

I'm not recommending it for others with diabetes, they should consult their doctors before making any changes.

 

Following is the review I just submitted to Amazon.

 

This product is exceptional.

I am very enthusiastic about this product.  I have tried many hemp seed products from various suppliers, many of the whole seed variety and most were okay and a few were quite good but there were always limitations - the seeds were sometimes hard and annoying so my use was limited.

I was given a sample of the Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts a few months ago and subsequently have ordered the product which is so much better than the others I have tried and is extremely versatile.

I have added it to baked goods - yeast breads, quick breads, pancakes and muffins, to rice and other grains after they were cooked, to hot and cold cereals, to salads - including a fruit salad that was nicely enhanced by the slightly nutty flavor.
If you like "plain" pasta - I love linguini with oil and garlic - a generous sprinkle over the top enhances the flavor beautifully.
 I sprinkled them on top of a custard pie ten minutes after it had gone into the oven.  And I rolled peanut butter cookies in it before flattening and baking.  
I made dried fruit "sugarplums" and rolled them in the hemp hearts and they were very tasty.
Since it is available via Subscribe and Save, I am setting up a subscription because I want to make sure this is always on hand.

 

And these are non-GMO and sustainably harvested. 

[liuzhou]

Interesting on the variability in loquats. They grow like weeds here so I am able to pick and eat from various trees and at full ripeness - never taste "rich sweet". 

 

Same here.

[jedovaty]

Old thread bump

I picked up Canadian hemp seeds at costco the other day, and I can't help but think in jest whether our neighbors up north are cheating.. these things taste exactly like shelled sunflower seeds.  I can barely tell them apart. 😛