brown sugar - Travels for Taste

Its been a very hectic year and I was really looking forward to a festive break. In the run up to Christmas I was gifted some really tempting edible gifts. I then took to Pintrest to find something that called out to me and ask me to make go make it ! I found a beautiful photograph of Chai Concentrate here . It was an easy to prepare recipe and so I started to get all the ingredients together and wasn’t able to get my hands on orange pekoe tea bags so I decided to make a few modifications of my own.

Ingredients:

6 cups water
5 English breakfast tea – tea bags
5 mulled wine spice bags
1/2 cup brown sugar
12 whole cloves
9 cardamom pods split open and the seeds powdered
8 coriander seeds or 1/4th tbsp of ground coriander powder
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise pods
1 vanilla bean sliced in half
1.5 tbsp orange zest
1 inch piece of ginger,skinned n cut into thin strips
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp black peppercorns

Method:

In a large sauce pan bring the water to boil and reduce the heat to a minimum
Add the spices, tea bags,orange zest and ginger and cover with lid and let it simmer for 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes take the saucepan off the flame and let it stand for 10 -15 minutes.
Then add the honey and stir it in along with all the beautiful spices which have steeped in well into the mixture.
Let this cool completely , the strain the chai concentrate through a large sieve lined with a fresh cheesecloth. The spices are to be discarded.
Add the strained chai concentrate into clean glass bottles.
Decorate the glass bottles with pretty tape and add a small name tag with a bit of coil.
This mixture stays for 2 weeks in the fridge and can be had as hot winter drink with 1/3rd parts concentrate and top it off with hot milk, it also is good with a glass of cold milk and ice with a dollop of honey stirred in!
I loved the idea that the chai concentrate can be added into cookie dough for an extra zing – I am going to try that soon!

After making this gift I feel so good inside that I have taken an extra effort to actually create something unique, I think am going to make a habit out it and make delicious little treats for birthdays and anniversaries too!

On a trip to one of my favourite supermarkets I purchased my first jar of caramelised red onion chutney. Coming from India my palate is well -acclimatised to red onions and their sharp sweet taste. The tangy taste and deep rich colour and versatility of this chutney got me hooked on this dish and I was using it ever so often.

Since then I had been planning to make this chutney at home and after scouring for recipes online, I found this interesting recipe by Fraser Doherty – The Super Jam Cookbook. It’s a basic and simple recipe yet perfect in proportion and that’s exactly what a great recipe should be.

It’s a perfect accompaniment for a good roast or in toasted sandwiches with a light soup during a cold wintry day. This chutney goes well with feta cheese and chickpea salad as it does with cheese and crackers. This is also my way of using all those empty glass jars that have been stacked behind various shelves in my tiny kitchen.

Averse to consuming chickpeas in popular Indian fare like ‘’Chole Bhature’’( a chickpea masala gravy with ‘’Bhature’’ which is huge, puffed fried fermented wheat bread). I find this a much healthier alternative to get my husband to eat chickpeas and get a nod of approval from my biggest critic 😉

Caramelised Red Onion Chutney

Ingredients:

8 red onions
1 red chilli
2 bay leaves
25ml olive oil
200g brown sugar
150ml balsamic vinegar
150ml red wine vinegar

Method:

Chop the red onions into fine long slices. Slice the chilli into long thin slits. Heat the olive oil in the saucepan and add the bay leaf and chilli followed by the red onions. On a low flame stir continuously and cook for about 20 minutes.

The onions will change colour now and turn dark and the mixture will have reduced in volume. Now stir in the sugar first followed by the vinegar, I used dark muscovado sugar as I love the rich dark smoky flavour. Simmer this mixture for 30 minutes and the chutney now turns sticky and thick.

While this is simmering, sterilise all those glass bottles and store the chutney in them. It takes a month for the flavour to mature fully.

Chutney close up in tiny bonne mamon jar

Feta Cheese and Chickpea Salad

Serves 4 as a side with a main meal

Ingredients:

120g chickpeas (That’s half a can of tinned chickpeas ready to eat)
120g packet of crunchy salad leaves
100g feta cheese
A pinch of Maldon sea salt
Half a red onion sliced thin and lengthwise
Few cherry tomatoes
Few small boiled potatoes
Some slices of colourful peppers

Method:

Create a bed of leaves and throw in the chickpeas and other ingredients. A generous dollop of the caramelised red onion chutney in this salad will offset the feta cheese beautifully. It’s great for a meatless Monday lunch or a perfect accompaniment for a big family Sunday lunch.