soul salad {№1}: thai mango

i'm challenging myself to make one new salad each week to get out of my arugula-and-goat-cheese rut.

while in manhattan last month, i ate thai food like every other day.  the abundance of amazing thai cuisine in the city is overwhelming.  i was particularly fond of the mango salad or yum ma-muang at aura / zoob zib in hell's kitchen.

we have two thai restaurants back home in the 'burg.  both make a decent pad thai, but neither makes papaya or mango salad.  so i made my own version at home sans shrimp.  it's a gorgeous color burst of flavor:  the mango is sweet, the avocado is buttery and the dressing is (super!) spicy.  mangoes are quite challenging to julienne; i think mine were transitioning from green to ripe and they were a little hard to handle.  says the girl with two bandaged fingers.

thai green mango salad 

• two green mangoes, julienned (they need to be firm, not yet ripe; you might not need two if you are more skilled with the knife than i.  aura puts the mango through a pasta cutter set to spaghetti instead of the julienne.  mango noodles!)
• 1/4 red pepper, diced
• 1/4 purple onion (i used the last of my pickled onions from last week)
• fresh cilantro to taste (i like a lot)
• fresh basil to taste
• one avocado, sliced
• cashews, toasted

the dressing

• juice of one lime
• one tablespoon fish sauce (i used vegetarian fish sauce that i purchased in nyc)
• one tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 thai chili, seeded and finely diced
• pinch of red pepper flakes

combine mango, red pepper, onions and cilantro and set aside.  mix dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well.  dress mango salad lightly.  slice or dice avocado and top salad or mix in.  garnish with basil ribbons and cashews.  

colorful food just makes me so happy.

i've been playing around with making cocktails with my home brewed kombucha, since i always seem to have a lot on hand.  i love this one in particular.  

i call it the lotus.

• 1/2 lime, sliced and muddled with a bit of sugar in the glass
• pour one inch st. germain elderflower liqueur
• add crushed ice (i have a hand crank ice crusher and was summer-afternoon-lazy, so cubes are pictured above.  crushed is better.)
• fill to top with lavender kombucha (hibiscus would work nicely too)
• garnish with edible flowers

possibly a little over the top with the flowers but so so good!

the super simple miraculous elixir of love

i am so grateful that my yoga teacher sarah demystified the kombucha home-brewing process for me and gifted me with my very first scoby.  i've kept a continuous brew since november.  i drink at least a cup of kombucha every day.  my skin is clear, my tummy is calm and i've felt protected from the nasty colds and flus that seem to be devouring everyone else.

i've refined my process and want to share it with you here.  once you get into the swing of it, you'll have a continuous supply of kombucha that costs a small percentage of bottled brews (although i still love a bottle now and then).

to start a batch you'll need:

• a one gallon glass jar
• a kombucha mushroom (scoby)
• one cup brewed kombucha
• eight tea bags (use organic black tea, not flavored tea)
• one cup sugar
• boiling water to brew your tea
• cotton, breathable fabric (not cheesecloth) and rubber bands

instructions:
start with an empty clean glass jar.  pour boiling water over your tea bags and let them steep for 10-12 minutes.

add the sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until dissolved.

let it cool to room temperature.

once it's cooled, add one cup previously-brewed kombucha and your scoby.  pour in filtered water to fill the jar and stir gently, avoiding hitting the scoby with your spoon.

cover the jar with cotton fabric and secure tightly with rubber bands.

place jar in a clean quiet place.  it will need peace to work its magic.

leave it for a week (you'll need to experiment with the time, brewing times differ with temperature).  if you pass by, say hello and give it some love.  it's a living thing.

after a week, you should see a scoby has formed on the top of your brew (above).  remove the fabric and slip a straw beneath the scoby to have a taste.  if it still tastes sweet, it needs more time.  if it tastes too vinegar-y, it's gone too long.  it should have a nice balance between sweet and tart...kind of like apple cider.

note:  little brown floaty cultures should also be visible.  these freaked my out at first because i thought they were mold.  mold looks like mold (green or black) and smells like mold.  healthy kombucha cultures look kind of stringy and floaty and mucas-y.  it sounds gross, but it's all good.  if you see or smell mold, throw out your brew.

when your kombucha is ready, bottle it in glass bottles or jars.  it may or may not be effervescent.

save your scoby and at least one cup of kombucha for your next batch.

once bottled, your kombucha needs to enjoy a second fermentation.

place the bottles in a quiet dry place for a few days.  the effervescence should grow.

you can also add flavors during this second fermentation.  i've experimented with ginger, hibiscus and juniper berries.  but i really prefer it unflavored.

 

after a few days of second fermentation.  your kombucha is ready to be enjoyed.  you may notice new little scobies formed and that's okay.

put your bottles in the fridge at this point.

enjoy at least one cup each day.

for some, it's an acquired taste.

you may experience detox symptoms when you start drinking it regularly.  i experienced headaches, malaise and skin breakouts for about ten days.  be sure to drink plenty of water to flush out all the gook your kombucha is removing.

be well.

(ok, now that i wrote all that, it does not seem "super simple" at all.  i guess it just feels easier now that i've done it for a few months.)

homemade kombucha with hannah

kombucha is a sparkly fermented tea.  you may have heard it called "mushroom" tea (it tastes nothing like mushroom).  i call it magic elixir.  it's an ancient probiotic brew that is detoxing and prevents all sorts of disease.  i just feel good when i drink it.  it took a really long time before i tried it but once i did, i loved it instantly.  i love it so much i am flirting with an addiction.  which is probably great for my health, but not so great for my budget given the cost of bottled kombucha in stores ($4-$5 per bottle).

my friend and yoga teacher sarah makes her own kombucha at home and sweetly offered to share a starter mushroom (scoby) with me and show me the steps to brewing my own batch.

meet hannah, sarah's daughter.  she is very talented in the kitchen.  she is already quite famous in our town for her healthy eating and mad culinary skills.  she is just a joy to be around.

we used 2-quart jars and the recipe from this beautiful book.

the recipe

(for each jar)

2 quarts filtered water

2/3 cup organic sugar 

4 organic black tea bags or equivalent loose tea leaves 

1 cup previously brewed kombucha

1 scoby (kombucha mushroom)

(you can find a thousand recipes online.  sarah says not to stress out about the precise recipe, she likes to experiment with different proportions and tastes.)

wash your hands and kitchen surfaces (cleanliness is pretty important in this process).

measure your tea into a clean, dry jar (or use teabags).

fill the jar about 3/4 full with boiling water.

add your sugar and stir well until the sugar dissolves.

(use a wooden spoon, not metal.)

repeat for each jar you are making.

allow the tea to steep.

seriously, how adorable are they?  a beautiful baby-wearing, kombucha-brewing yoga teacher and her amazing children.

kombucha...kombuda...kombuddha.  such a wise child.

let the brew cool to body temperature.  this is very important, you don't want to "cook" the scoby.  be patient.

remove the tea bags or strain the tea if you used loose tea.

add one cup of previously brewed kombucha (and cold water to fill the jar if necessary).

now for the scoby.

this is scoby (below):  symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast.  she is a culture therefore she is alive.  treat her right.  express your love and gratitude openly and often.

(she's quite a versatile substance, watch this to see how scoby is being used to make fabric.)

place one scoby in each jar.

once they are full, cover your kombucha jars with cotton fabric.  secure tightly with a rubber band.  they should look like they are in the sunday school christmas play.

they are now ready to be stored to "brew".

store them in a quiet warm space out of direct sunlight for two to three weeks.  (sarah suggested experimenting storing the jars in a cooler with a heating pad set to low.)

after three weeks, a new scoby "pancake" will have grown in your tea.   taste your tea.  it should be a bit tangy with a bite.  if it's sugary, it's not ready.  back in the cupboard.

(if any mold has grown in your batch, discard the entire batch, scoby and all.  you will know if there is any funkiness present.)

when it's ready, remove the scoby and save.  at this point you can flavor it if you like with hibiscus flowers, ginger, chai spices, etc.

pour off and bottle most of the brew, always leaving a cup or two of brewed tea and scoby for your next batch.  you can use glass jars or recycled drink bottles.

if you added flavors, you may want to store your bottled brew for one more week or so.  this will allow the flavors to deepen and promote effervescence.

speaking of effervescence...hannah likes to wait out the brewing process by star-stirring, cabbage hugging and making her baby brother laugh.

this is sarah's mothership scoby.  she is quite impressive, yes?

these are ready for storing.  in three weeks, i'll have my first batch of kombucha.  i'm going to add some hibiscus and ginger.

thank you sarah and hannah!  you completely demystified this process for me and i had a great time spending the morning with you.

if you haven't tried kombucha, i know it can look a little weird.  i encourage you to try it to see if you like it.  whole foods or your local health food store should carry a line.  you can also find local brewers at farmers markets.  if you are near southwest virginia, local brewer buffalo mountain makes amazing kombucha.  regardless of the source, there are a lot of varieties.  i suggest synergy trilogy or buffalo mountain hibiscus to start.  they taste great and you will feel awesome.

a few internet kombucha resources:
getkombucha.com
culturesforhealth.com
kombuchakamp.com