Instructional &
Informational Posts
Cheese, wine, bread, sausages, beer. What do these traditional foods have in common? Other than being delicious, they’re all fermented. It's a special way of "rotting" foods to preserve them and make the original product taste better and offer more nutritional benefit. Aging makes a comeback in The Live Kitchen.
So you like fermented things, but this time of year you’re too busy cooking, cleaning, wrapping, and squeezing in a daily run.
Don’t fret. I’ve got a quick whip-up jar of pickled carrots sure to please the in-laws.
It’s an Indian recipe and part of the Ayurvedic tradition, which beautifully brings out all six tastes - sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. Plus it’s so quick, you can share the fermented goodness the very next day.
In Chinese traditions it’s recommended to have a small amount of a pickled something in addition to your main meal as a digestive aid. But be sure not to overdo your fermented consumption! Though they are delicious; fermented foods such as pickles (as well as yogurt, miso, sauerkraut, vinegar, etc) have a tendency to increase heat in the body. It’s this heat that helps stoke “the fire” of digestion– but, in excess – well you know the saying: Too much of a good thing…
There’s no need to get out the canner and no special tools are needed except for the ingredients and a jar with a good fitting lid. These pickled carrots can be served with hummus or alongside Christmas dinner.
Ingredients:
Super Duper Quick ‘n Easy Directions:
Combine all ingredients in jar with lid, shake well, and then refrigerate for 2 hours (minimum) before serving. Shake jar from time to time. It keeps 1 week!
Told ya it was a breeze.
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Raina Dawn is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and yoga teacher, teaching and consulting out of Get Bent in Penticton. Having found a niche and love for experimenting with aging foods in her biochemical powerhouse of a kitchen, she loves to share her knowledge and experience of making old things new again! Visit her website at www.simply-love-food.ca.
