I feel like a magpie. I have been distracted by many shiny new things this month, with most of them finding their way into my kitchen. Spurred on by The Homemade Flour Cookbook I featured last month, I went on the hunt for sorghum flour. Sorghum flour is a gluten free, wholegrain flour that I am eager to try in baking. As you know, when you are actually looking for something you can never find it. The minute I found the sorghum flour I started seeing it everywhere. The only brand I could find was Bob’s Red Mill but if you are aware of another source I would love to know.
Whilst paying for the sorghum flour, I saw sample size packets of chocolate Raw Protein Powder on the counter. This protein powder is made from sprouted seeds and legumes. Although not a huge fan of protein powders I was intrigued enough to find myself walking away with a packet. It will be mixed into some muesli bars for The Princess. Always on the lookout for honey substitutes, I was happy to stumble across this Coconut Nectar. Although I have no firm plans for its use, I will initially try it as a substitute for maple syrup in my toasted muesli.
I try my very best to avoid supermarkets. However on those occasions that the toilet paper stocks run low I succumb, and always find myself wandering the aisles looking for new products. I bought the chia seeds to take with me on a recent trip, as they are handy to slip into your purse and can be poured into juice or smoothies to keep hunger at bay. Unfortunately I forgot to take them with me so will just have to make chia pudding instead. What a shame. The freeze dried pomegranate seeds will be worked into a bar or cookie, but I have had to hide then from The Princess in the mean time. She was ready to eat them then and there.
The Princess recently revealed she loves miso soup, a fact I was previously unaware of. Unfortunately many of the instant miso soups on the market contain MSG, so I was happy to came across these instant soups that are free from MSG. Now I don’t have to make miso soup from scratch, and The Princess has been enjoying soup as an afternoon snack. I am more than happy with that. The packet of miso will be used to make miso pickles from my new Asian Pickles book (see below).
I have three new books this month. Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It is full of fabulous Do It Yourself kitchen projects. From homemade tortilla chips to Worcestershire sauce, it is full of foods and condiments that are simple to make at home. I want to grow jalapenos this summer so I can make my own chipotles in adobe sauce. Asian Pickles, by the same author, has many fermented and quick pickle projects that I am eager to try. Whilst we are not gluten free, I find many new books on gluten free baking use a variety of alternative wholegrain flours and nut meals to replace the gluten, which sits well with the way I cook. Flourless is no exception and is my newest addition. I have my eye on the Almond Cake with Balsamic Roasted Strawberries to make good use of the new season’s strawberries.
I had a brief trip to Singapore last weekend, and fortuitously found a supermarket right under my hotel. After all my hunting for sorghum flour, there on the shelf was sorghum grain. Apparently sorghum will pop like popcorn so I look forward to trying it. The rest of the grain will be ground into fresh flour. I also found some blue cornmeal, so I am looking forward to making blue tortilla chips. There was much discussion with the Customs Officers at midnight as to whether these would be allowed in, but eventually they let me keep them. Unfortunately they confiscated my flagelot beans. A heads up for Australian travelers. Customs will allow grains (although not wheat) through but no beans of any sort are allowed unless you have a permit.
My happiest find this month, also from Singapore, is kombu. Kombu is the crucial ingredient in dashi stock (for miso soup). I also slip in a small piece when cooking beans to improve their digestibility. Kombu is no longer available in Australia but I now have a small stockpile that should last me quite a while. Happy dance!
That is about it for my kitchen this month. Head over to Celia’s at Fig Jam & Lime Cordial to see what is happening in other kitchens around the world.
Wow, there are so many good things in your kitchen this month… I’ll be watching with interest as you experiment xo
Thanks Liz. Fingers crossed the experiments don’t go horribly wrong or the only one enjoying them will be the chooks 🙂
Three new cookbooks in one month is pretty impressive Tania.
All your new stuff looks interesting. I dried some pomegranate seeds in my dehydrator but haven’t got around to using them. I will be interested to know how yours go.
I know Glenda, I’ve made up for the drought in previous months 🙂
As I understand it, the freeze dried fruit can be blitzed to a powder quite easily as well. I would be interested if you could do the same with dried because that would be a cheaper option.
I didn’t know that Kimbu wasn’t available in Australia- that’s how long I haven’t made Dashi for. I always hand over anything remotely foody- the customs officers let in vanilla beans this year, sometimes they don’t. Having grown up in a Customs household, I think it as absolutely crucial that we just show all our suspect stuff at the gate!
That was my understanding Francesca, and I was told by a few people I consider reliable sources, and I also haven’t been able to source it of late. But then I just saw it on another blog so now I think I might just have to do some in depth hunting when I run out.
I always buy loads of foody things when overseas, but never anything I am not prepared to lose when I return. I always declare everything and the beans are the first thing I have lost in over half a dozen trips so my batting average is pretty good.
Hi there Tania. You had me ‘googling’ many of your purchases to find out more. I was especially intrigued with the coconut nectar and the blue cornmeal. Hasn’t coconut hit the shelves big time recently. So many coconutty goodies appearing of late.
Excellent to hear Kirsty. I love to educate people about new ingredients 🙂 You can buy blue cornmeal in Australia but I have only seen it online, so when I saw it right in front of me I couldn’t resist! I’ve been using coconut oil and butter for a while now but it is nice to see it becoming mainstream as the price on many items has come down slightly.
Hi Tania, great to see all the interesting products in your kitchen this month! I have blue cornmeal as well and it makes great coloured pancakes!
I have a few products from Bob’s Red Mill and it’s good to see them more widely available, for years we haven’t had access to most of the GF flours you can get in the states so it’s great to see that changing…
Thanks Beck. Pancakes. There is an idea 🙂
It is great that we are starting to see more of the alternative GF flours in mainstream stores. They taste so good and it is nice to use something different. I remember the first time I came across Bob’s Red Mill products on a shelf and now they are pretty commonplace (thank goodness).
We can’t buy kombu here any more? I didn’t know that! I’m glad you were able to stock up. Those freeze dried promegranate seeds sound wonderful, I think I’d eat them from the packet as well. And we made blue corn tortillas as well – lovely stuff. Isn’t Singapore amazing? I’m always astonished by the variety of goods they have in their supermarkets over there!
That is what I had been led to believe Celia, and I haven’t been able to buy any in ages. But then I saw somebody else had bought some in their IMK post so I have no idea what to believe now. Anyway I stocked up at a much cheaper price than I could get it here so I am happy. I was thinking of you when I bought the flour 😉 It was you that alerted me to the fact I could find blue cornmeal here. I spent a ridiculous amount of time browsing the supermarket and it was just a small one. Next time I am going to seek out a bigger one to see what they have on offer.
Thank you Tania for the heads up about bringing beans into the country – will keep that in mind when we go to Japan next year! I just love finding new goodies to keep my eyes open for when I head to the supermarket – loving the freeze dried pomegranate seeds. Look forward to seeing you next month for IMK
Pleasure! It’s unfortunate because I love all the different beans you can get but it is what it is. I look forward to seeing your Japanese finds. That will be interesting.
the coconut nectar looks interesting. what do you use it for? just a replacement sweetener? i like the look of the DIY kitchen book. have always wanted to make my own Worcester!
I just use the coconut nectar as a replacement for honey as I am extremely allergic to honey (unfortunately). I used it recently in my coconut apple tarts and am going to try it in some muesli bars at some point. I am a sucker for a DIY book 🙂
I love your blog and am so happy I found it . . . we seem to be converging in our finds right now . . . . with sorghum . . . although I have not blogged about it yet I have been using Bob’s flour in all kinds of beautiful and delicious creations including a butternut squash cake; also got some sorghum syrup from Muddy Pond which is fabulous. I love kombu, it’s so useful in broth and cucumber salad . . . lots of beautiful stuff going on in your kitchen!
Thanks Sue. I love the sound of the sorghum syrup. I haven’t seen it here … yet. I am sure it will come. I love the sound of the butternut squash cake. I will have to keep an eye out.
G’day! Great post that brightened my day! I also have the freeze dried pomegranate seeds and wonder what other than snacking on …with them I can do and and thanks for this month’s kitchen view also!
Cheers! Joanne
I’m still pondering the pomegranate seeds Joanne, but they are safely hidden from the child so they don’t get eaten before I work out what to do with them. Thanks for stopping by.
Wonderful things in your kitchen. Curious why kombu isn’t available in Australia anymore? I’ve seen it here in the states.
It’s so interesting to see all the different ingredients in kitchens around the world!
Thanks Liz. I was given to understand that it had been banned yet I have seen it in other kitchens. There is more information in this article. It appears that it is available sporadically but it is difficult to find and I haven’t seen it in Perth for ages. At least I have a supply for a while 🙂