Lemongrass Ginger Veggies The fresh flavours of Spring

Lemongrass and Ginger Veggies. 

Finally got around to harvest the ginger from the aquaponics yesterday. It smelt so sweet and fragrant I had to use some in dinner last night so made up a quick veggie dish on the spot. 

Posted a picture of the meal to our Facebook page where a friend ask for the recipe (Cheers Sarah) so thought Id share it here too.

The dish was made using all home grown ingredients except for the oil, garlic, sugar and mountain sauce.
The rest of the ingredients included some freshly picked snap peas from the aquaponics as well as a carrot and a lemongrass stalk from wicking barrels. Some leftover cauliflower and broccoli harvested on the weekend were also used.




Some of the measurements and cooking times are just guesstimates as I tend to add things as I go but am sure theyre fairly close to the mark ;-)  It was enough to give us 3 adult and one child serves. 

1 lemongrass stalk, chopped VERY finely as it can be very stringy

1 thumb size piece of ginger, chopped finely

3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/3 head of cauliflower, broken into small florets and stems sliced

1 large carrot, sliced 3mm thick
2 Tbsp Thai Golden mountain sauce (soy or Ketjap manis would work well too)
1/4 - 1/3  cup of chicken stock

About 1 tsp of raw sugar or honey (I find a bit of sweetness helps to bring out the flavour of the lemongrass)
1/3 head of broccoli, broken into medium florets and stems sliced

A few small handfuls of snap/snow peas

• Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in hot wok then add garlic, ginger and lemongrass, stir for 2 minutes
• Add in cauliflower, carrot and sliced stems, stir fry for 2-3 minutes
• Add in sauce and ½ the stock and cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring
• Taste sauce in bottom of wok (careful not to burn yourself) and if it needs sweetening add sugar/honey to taste (probably wont need any if using  Ketjap manis)
• Add in in broccoli and peas, Stir and add in more stock if wok is drying out
• Cover for a few minutes to lightly steam broccoli and peas
• Toss veggies through the sauce in the base of the wok and serve.

The fresh flavours of the lemongrass and ginger together make a fantastic combination. Must say that I impressed myself with this one and will be making it again very soon. The one stand out flavour that was missing for me was Thai basil. The girls have suggested that I add some finely sliced beef and chopped green onion stems to the next batch too.  





Would love to know what you think if you have a crack at making this yourself.
Cheers and have a great one.
Rob.

  

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Fermenting Addiction and Best Ginger Beer Ever!

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Our latest fermenting class, Crazy About Kraut, was a success.  And now I am hearing from students who are addicted to kraut, beet kvass and fermenting in general.  It really is so easy and rewarding to make your own homemade ferments.  Our favorite sauerkraut recipe includes green cabbage, fresh burdock root, ginger root, fresh turmeric root, and daikon radish- yum and super good for you!

In our home we have recently been making loads of ginger beer which is a wild fermentation.  Our most current batch is turmeric root beer (an idea I borrowed from a student- thanks Amy!). The end product turns out a hundred times better than any store bought ginger beer and you can experiment with any roots or herbs you might want to add.  Tweaking the recipe each time is the fun part.  I am interested in trying elderberry/ginger beer- for immunity, hawthorn/ginger beer- as a heart tonic, astragalus/schizandra/ginger beer- for adaptogen benefits...the possibilities are as broad as your imagination. 

Basic Ginger Beer

Ingredients:
Fresh organic ginger root
Organic sugar
Raw honey
Filtered h2o
(we also add a bit of sarsaparilla root for that root beer taste)

-Per liter: 1/3c organic cane sugar and 1/3c raw local honey.
-Boil grated ginger (2-3" root per liter) with the water and sugar for about 15 minutes or until it has reached desired spiciness.
-Let cool, add the honey and strain into bottles or mason jars and add about 1/4-1/2c of the previous batch as a starter.  If this is your first batch, go here to learn how to make your own ginger bug. 
-Leave them at room temp for 2-3 days until they are very carbonated (check after 24 hours) and then put into smaller bottles and refrigerate.  Enjoy!

*Make sure to check the bottles or jars each day, you may need to open the lids to let out a bit of pressure or you can use an airlock lid.  If you are worried about the bottles exploding (which should not happen if you are checking them!) you can put them aside in a Rubbermaid bin with a lid.

Happy fermenting!

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