Inventive recipes. Global flavors. Advanced techniques. Wonderful cookbook! I have loved testing recipes from Michael Natkin’s cookbook, which has advanced my cooking as well. Click here for my review of Herbivoracious: A Flavor Revolution with 150 Vibrant and Original Vegetarian Recipes. This is our last giveaway until fall! SWEEPSTAKES IS NOW CLOSED.
Here is this week’s question:
What’s the most unusual ingredient you have ever bought for a recipe? How did it turn out?
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Today’s post is part of our mission to help you rebuild your health through food and lifestyle choices. Look for posts on Mondays featuring gluten-free, sugar-free recipes made with healthy plant-based ingredients, Wednesday essays, and Friday giveaways (when available).
Here’s Michael’s wonderful book:
The most recent thing I’ve purchased which seems “exotic” to me is a bottle of Amino Acid, which I understand is a salt substitute, something akin to Soy Sauce? As I’m baffled on it’s uses, I still haven’t used it … but will try it as soon as I work up the courage! Also, I like the taste of curries, but after reading some mysterious and complicated recipes and buying a couple off the shelf, I STILL don’t know how to use them, especially WHEN COOKING FOR ONE!
I feel like my cupboard is just one giant collection of unusual ingredients. Guar gum. Rosewater. Kelp noodles. Several different types of grains. Pomegranate molasses. The list goes on…
The most unusual ingredient I ever purchased was Sea Spaghetti (a type of sea vegetable that is thin like wheat pasta). I found some unfavorable reviews online after I ordered it. . . and it’s sitting in the cabinet. I’ll try it one day.
This is a tough one because I buy many unusual ingredients but they be normal to many people! One of my new favorites is mentaiko (spicy seasoned cod egg roe) which I used primarily for pasta sauce. I recently visited my grandparents who are European and live in Omaha, and prepared for them mentaiko pasta after dragging my grandmother around her first trip to an Asian market. I mixed mentaiko with citrus juice and olive oil, added cooked spaghetti, chiffonade of sesame leaves (also one I had never had to substitute for perilla/shiso), and hand grated daikon. They loved it!
Pinned!
http://pinterest.com/pin/232357661997506443/
Once I bought green tea flavored soba noodles for an Asian recipe. They turned out great! Just a little hint of tea flavor, but not overpowering.
Hmm… I have bought some doozies. Since I am not experienced with Asian cooking, my most exotic ingredients were purchased at the Vietnamese market. I bought quail eggs once, but then the family got sick and they went bad before I could experiment with them!
don’t laugh but for me at the time i did it balsamic vinegar was unusual. how did it turn out? i love it and use it all the time.
the most exotic item i have used would be jack fruit in a salad. very interesting flavor but i don’t think i would use it again!
I have to go with fresh curry leaves. I can’t even explain their slightly citrus, slightly smoky flavor but I love it!
Tweeted for my final share: https://twitter.com/Deedeethatsmee/status/351897234331275264
Shared on Twitter, too. :) https://twitter.com/LifeIsGoodkd/status/351732563871678465
Entered on Pinterest! http://pinterest.com/pin/115615915406537491/
Chestnut flour and (jarred) chestnuts for Gina DePalma’s chesnut brownies from “Dolce Italiano.” Brownies were great!
Dried Lilly Buds for a soup and it actually turned out fabulous!
Rosewater. It was used in a recipe for scones, and it was delicious. Now, this was before the widespread use of computers for finding ingredients or groceries. I live in Louisiana, and had to mail order from Pennsylvania. Quite an endeavor in “those days”.
Doesn’t sound unusual but I recently searched high and low for fava beans. Couldn’t find fresh. Finally located packaged. Interesting time removing the outer skin!
https://www.facebook.com/kathy.y.dean Shared!
Spelt flour. This is probably not an unusual ingredient to most, but I’m still in the early stages of eating healthier foods! I made buckwheat/spelt banana pancakes. They turned out great! :)
Pinned – http://pinterest.com/pin/246009198368171150/
Shared on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jessi.h.peterson?hc_location=stream
I bought capers for a recipe that involved cucumbers served hot. Not sure if it was the capers or the hot cukes I didn’t like, or the combo, but I have avoided capers ever since.
I’ve bought star fruit before which was really hard
To find! Jicama is another odd one I’ve used
in a slaw before.
I remember the first time I bought ginger for a recipe. I couldn’t believe how much it cost for such a small piece! But now I know it’s well worth it. Yummy!
Im always checking his website for new idea’s. To have a hard copy would be a dream come true!
I’ve bought lavender for baking, which I guess isn’t that unusual, but it’s not something I keep on hand.
https://twitter.com/Townhouselady/status/351058295118757889
At the time Amaranth. It was a few years ago and I had to send away for it. Now it’s everywhere.
The recipe? It didn’t turn out great. It was totally over herbed. I make my own version now, still with Amaranth and it’s great.
Live, learn and try again!
At the time quinoa was unusual because I’d never used it nor did I know anyone that had. It turned out well so now I throw it in all kinds of dishes to add grain.
Sorrel… never tried sorrel until I was 22 years old.
Chrysanthemum buds for a mu shu dish, it also included tree ear fungus/mushrooms and I don’t like mushrooms. It was really good!
Last year I had a recipe for stir fry with Kohlrabi. Turned out great – my kids love it! Both raw and cooked!
Nutritional yeast…turned out pretty good in a salad dressing
I guess it’s not too unusual, but my mom thinks it is! I put a big piece of dried kombu in all of my vegetarian homemade soups. Adds depth and plenty of minerals.
Tweeted the post for a second entry: https://twitter.com/alisonrose711/status/351021489341997056
They’re probably not all that unusual to some folks, but years ago I was at the farmer’s market getting stuff for a veggie stir-fry and one booth had these beautiful purple carrots! I was a little hesitant but went for it, and they were amazing :) Plus they made the dinner so much prettier, haha
Smoked Paprika (inspired by the very Michael Natkin who authored this book). It’s been a fixture in my kitchen ever since!
Ghost peppers. Big mistake!
Tweeted for my last share of the day: https://twitter.com/Deedeethatsmee/status/350707661521682433
I shared the giveaway on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deb.dianne/posts/279869548824379
Guar gum for thickening. It can lump up so it’s tricky but it really works for gluten free thickening.
Xanthan Gum (long time ago).
Nutritional yeast, turned out awful, think maybe the nutritional yeast I bought went bad, threw it out : (
kumquats, came out OK
One of my favorite cookbooks in the last year! (I am not entering…I have the book.)