Many of you are familiar with our Facebook page for Never Enough Thyme. Sure, it is a great place to see what we are creating but I’m going to encourage you to “friend” and discover some new ingredients of your own.
Tamarind has been growing on trees in Africa, Mexico, Northern Australia and Southern Asia for centuries. The dark brown pods hang from the branches looking like ginger in skin texture. They are filled with B vitamins and calcium, and have a sweet-and-sour taste. We see this ingredient already in Worcestershire and HP Sauce, for instance.
Tamarind has been a trendy buzz word on many menus, although at home you may not know how to use it. You can find this ingredient in Asian or Indian shops. Chick pea fritters are an Indian inspiration from a cook I worked with many years ago. He used to sneak secret spices for his soups and dishes into the kitchen. Max’s special touch and love went into everything he made. To say that he was well-liked in the kitchen was an understatement. His passion for Indian cookery was contagious and, just like any good chef, I was willing to learn from him. Together we made this fritter recipe and we have enjoyed it in many cooking classes.
Never Enough Thyme’s recipes are inspired from the wonderful people I have worked with over the years. Spending so much time with a team with many excellent cooks coming and going, means lots of learning and refining, including exposure to new ingredients. This fuels our passion and keeps us learning and interested. Feeling bored? Open up a book, laptop, magazine or newspaper and try something new. You never know what part of the world you will end up in.
Savoury Vegetable Fritters
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 2/3-cup water
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 small sweet potato diced
- 1/2 onion julienned
- 1/2 granny smith apple diced
- 1 tsp of cumin
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 3 sprigs of thyme chopped
Prepare all vegetables, sauté starting on med high with sesame oil, herbs and spices. Add diced apple. Allow to cool;
Mix in bowl chickpea flour, baking powder, S&P, with water, fold in veggie mix;
In vegetable oil on med-low, carefully drop in 1 tbsp of fritter mix. Once golden and floating, pull out with tongs on to paper towel-lined plate.
Tamarind Chutney
- 1 piece of tamarind (size of a clementine)
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp sambal oelek
- 3 bananas
Soak tamarind overnight in 2/3-cup of hot water in non metallic container. Break up the lump and strain through mesh strainer, then use a wooden spoon and push through the mesh;
Combine all other ingredients and allow sugar to dissolve.
