Tag Archives: Spice

Garam masala

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Posted in: DF, LF, S, SF, V, WF

Indispensable for curries, lentils, BBQ fish and chicken. I even put it in my tea!

Ingredients

2 tsp ground cardamom seeds (20 cardamom pods)
10 cloves
5 cinnamon sticks
5 tsp black peppercorns

Method

Remove the cardamom seeds and discard pods. Add to a coffee grinder or pestle and mortar with all the other spices and grind until resembling a fine powder.

Store in a sealed container, ideally for up to 3 months. The mix will keep for 6 months but the flavours won’t be as strong.

Tip: Lightly pound the cardamom in a pestle and mortar to split the pods. Remove the seeds and grind. Toasting the cardamom first makes removing the pods easier.

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Labneh (a kind of yoghurt cheese)

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Posted in: LF, S, SF, V, WF

This Middle Eastern strained yoghurt calls for a little patience; loading the piece of muslin first time can be a faff. But that’s pretty much the extent of this recipe, and once you’ve tried it on curries, salads or even toasted rye bread you’ll see exactly why I always have some in the fridge. And why it’s good enough for Mr Ottolenghi and Baker & Spice.

MakingLabnehWholesomeSeduction

Ingredients

250g natural full fat bio yoghurt
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp za’atar – optional. You can also swap for black pepper or dried chillies (½ tsp max).

Method

Mix all ingredients together and transfer to bowl lined with muslin. Tie the muslin into a sack and suspend over the bowl (I use a chopstick as a bracket).

The idea is to strain all the excess liquids from the yoghurt, so it’s best to keep the sack from touching the bottom of the bowl if possible. Alternatively, you can strain more recently.

Leave in the fridge for 24 hrs (or longer, depending on how thick you want the labneh to be). Drain the bowl daily.

Store in a jar in the fridge and keep as per the use by date on the yoghurt.

Tip: Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice mix of thyme, sesame, sumac, cumin, coriander, fennel and salt.

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