Amchoor Chana

My local health food shop, Earthfare in Glastonbury, has a cornucopia of herbs and spices.  Last time I was there I bought a small packet of mango powder, which is also called amchoor.

Mango powder or amchoor is made from raw green mangoes that are cut, sun-dried, and ground into a pale beige powder.  Mango powder is used much like lemon, but it gives food a tangy, sour taste without adding moisture.  Its tart flavour is used as a souring agent in soups, dals, vegetable dishes and chutneys, especially in northern India.

I had never cooked with mango powder before so I decided to experiment.  As it has a sour flavour, I wanted to balance it with something sweet.

Winter squash is currently in season and has a beautifully sweet taste when cooked slowly, so I decided to combine this with onions, tomatoes, chickpeas and some spices to create a subtle sweet and sour dish.  It was delicious.  So here is my recipe for Amchoor Chana - Chickpeas with Mango Powder.

Amchoor Chana
(serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 2 medium onions (finely chopped)
• 2-4 cardamom pods, crushed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon mango powder (amchoor)
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ winter squash (cut into cubes)
• 1 can chickpeas (drained) or 2 cups freshly cooked chickpeas
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 dessert spoon white (shiro) miso (dissolved in a little water)

Method

1. Add olive oil, salt and onions to a cooking pot and sauté gently until the onions are soft and translucent.
2. Add the spices and stir for 1 minute
3. Add the winter squash, chickpeas and tomatoes, cover the pot and simmer gently for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.  You may need to add some extra water.
4. Add the white miso.  Taste to check whether the seasoning is to your liking and adjust if necessary.
5. Serve hot with brown rice cooked in turmeric and garnish with fresh coriander.

If you like your dishes with hotter spices, you can also add a whole mild fresh chilli (finely chopped) or half of a bird’s eye chilli (seeds removed and finely chopped).

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Recipe for carrot and onion dip

One of my children claims to hate onions and isn't wild about carrots but he loves this recipe, which he frequently requests for supper.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
• 2 medium carrots (chopped)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 100-200 ml water
• 1 tsp shiro (white) miso
• 1-2 tbsp ground almonds

Method

• Heat the oil in a cooking pot, add a small pinch of salt, the onions and carrots and saute gently until the onions are soft and translucent
• Add the water to the pan, cover and simmer gently until the vegetables are soft. You may need to add more water to prevent the vegetables from drying out, but don't add too much otherwise the sauce will become too runny. If there is excess liquid in the bottom of the pan after the vegetables have cooked, drain it into a jug and reserve it for later.
• Add 1 tsp white miso and 1-2 tbsp ground almonds to the vegetables and puree using a hand blender. Taste and add another tsp of white miso if necessary. If the mixture is too runny, add a little more ground almonds. If the mixture is too thick, add some of the reserved vegetable cooking water from earlier.
• The resulting sauce should have a similar consistency to a dip such as hummus or guacamole

Enjoy!

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Cooking with miso

Different types of miso
www.cookingforhealth.biz

Miso is a traditional Japanese food produced by fermenting rice, barley and/or soybeans, with salt and a microbial culture called koji.

It contains living enzymes which aid digestion, beneficial bacteria essential for enhancing gut flora and digestive health, and provides a nutritious balance of natural carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and proteins. 

Miso also contains phytonutrients in the form of soy isoflavones, including genistein and daidzein, which are known to be protective against cancer.

The most typical miso is made with soy. The typical result is a thick paste used for sauces and spreads, pickling vegetables or meats, and mixing with soup stock to serve as miso soup.

In Japanese, the word miso literally means “source of taste”. Miso is typically salty, but its flavour and aroma depend on various factors in the ingredients and fermentation process. 

Different varieties of miso have been described as salty, sweet, earthy, fruity, and savoury, and there is an extremely wide variety of miso available. The most common ones available in the UK are:

• Shiro or white miso – fermented for 2-8 weeks. High in carbohydrates and koji but lower in soybeans than the dark varieties

• Mugi or barley/soy miso – fermented from one summer up to 3 years

• Genmai or rice/soy miso – fermented from one summer up to 3 years

• Hatcho or soy miso – fermented from one summer up to 3 years

Some of the health benefits of miso:

• For stamina: miso contains carbohydrates which give us energy
• For proper body metabolism: miso is rich in minerals
• For proper digestion: miso contains living enzymes and beneficial bacteria for enhancing the health of the gut
• For beauty: miso nourishes the skin and blood, thus promoting cell renewal and the building of skin tissues
• For the heart: miso contains linoleic acid and lecithin, which are helpful in preventing heart disease

You can use miso to season dishes instead of stock cubes. It is salty, so care must be taken not to use too much, but unlike stock cubes it contains many other beneficial nutrients.

White miso is sweeter than the darker varieties, so is used in sweeter dishes and when using light-coloured ingredients. Mugi, genmai and hatcho miso are rich and dark and are used in nourishing casseroles.

For a typical recipe for a soup or a casserole to serve 4 people, mix approximately one dessertspoon of miso in a little water and add to the dish about 2 to 3 minutes before the end of the cooking process, and simmer gently over a low heat.

Adding the miso at the end helps to minimise damage to the enzymes and live bacteria it contains. 

Miso can also be used to season recipes such as croquettes, bean burgers and fish cakes. In this case, you do not dilute the miso in water, otherwise the grain becomes too soggy and will not bind together.

You must always taste your dish before serving and adjust the seasoning accordingly, because the amount of miso required depends very much on the quantity of food present and on personal taste.

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