I think you'd be surprised at how simple a lot of my meals are, especially when I'm cooking just for me. However they're never without flavour and interest because I'll always have a few of my homemade FLAVOUR MAKERS on hand!
FLAVOUR MAKERS = my secret weapon to creating amazing meals with very little effort. It's amazing what a good sauce, chutney, salt or sprinkle can do to an otherwise lacklustre meal. These are investment recipes - make them when you've got a little extra time on your hands and enjoy the rewards for months to come as they add an injection of flavour to so many dishes. This is one of the areas the thermie really shines, powerfully grinding and whizzing or slowly stirring and perfectly controlling temperature.
Let's shine the spotlight on kasoundi - Indian flavours of cumin, turmeric, ginger and garlic in a spicy tomato base. Spread on toasted sandwiches, dollop on eggs and steamed greens, toss through roasted veggies or chickpea salads, stir through hummus, add extra oil to thin and use as a pasta sauce or a coating to roast tomatoes, stir through soups, ragus and curries for extra flavour and heat. It's SO versatile, and so flavoursome! I've always promoted it as an edible gift for Christmas (hence the holly in the photo!), but really, this recipe deserves airtime all year round!
Free kasoundi recipe here.
My other favourites at the moment are my flavour bomb salt, mango chutney and my balsamic reduction. I'll sprinkle my flavour bomb salt on literally everything in place of the usual plain salt seasoning (it's magic!), my mango chutney is the best dipping sauce for anything pastry-related and goes perfectly dolloped on top Indian dishes (chickpea curry and coconut rice my favourite!) and I liberally drizzle my balsamic reduction over salad, pasta, frittatas, tarts, ragus and more. My salt, mango chutney and balsamic reduction recipes can all be found in Everyday Thermo Cooking.
Another great flavour maker is my chilli chutney and the recipe is FREE right here, and also my moreish mushroom salt recipe which is FREE here.
Now's the time to be making your flavour makers, as (in Australia anyway!) so much of this produce is in season! Meaning it's cheapest, readily available, full of flavour and (usually) travelled minimal miles. Better for you, better for the environment. Stock up now, and it'll carry you through the winter months. Reuse glass jars to store them all in, and if you need help removing the old sticky labels, I've got just the solution - watch me show you here!
