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Some of the world's most enduring, culturally rich recipes were born out of necessity and hardship, and Irish Soda Bread is a fine example of this. For 200 years it's been a staple of the Irish diet, as well as a cornerstone of Ireland's culinary history.
Traditional Irish Soda bread is a fabulous recipe to have on hand. It has no yeast, making it one of the fastest breads to get on the table - just 1 hour from start to finish! The taste is really moreish and not dissimilar to a scone or damper, although the addition of wholewheat flour gives it a bit more grunt and texture. The raising agents are bi-carb soda and buttermilk. It's that classic chemical reaction of sodium bicarbonate mixed with an acidic liquid that creates bubbles of carbon dioxide, and it's these bubbles that produce the lift needed for a high, light loaf. There are two important factors that will help deliver the perfectly risen loaf: Firstly, the buttermilk needs to be cold. And secondly, once the buttermilk is added to the dry components of the bread, don't dilly-dally - get it into the oven straight away, ideally within 10 mins of mixing your dough. No buttermilk, no worries! If there's no buttermilk in your fridge it's a cinch to make. All you need is cold, full cream milk and a dash of white vinegar or lemon juice. Combine the two (½ tsp vinegar or lemon to 1 cup milk) and leave to sit for up to 10 mins - you'll notice it will turn the consistency of runny drinking yoghurt. It's a fool-proof solution and works for pancakes, dressings and anything that requires buttermilk. Enjoy soda bread fresh from the oven spread generally with butter. Honey and golden syrup are delicious topping options. Use soda bread to mop up stews and soups, serve slices of it alongside a ploughman's lunch, or with butter and jam for morning tea. Sliced and frozen soda bread can be warmed quickly in a pan or microwave, or pop it still frozen straight in the toaster for the ultimate toast and butter experience.  I am often drawn to Indian flavour profiles when I'm cooking with pulses because what other cuisine is so adept at turning humble legumes into such a rich variety of dishes?
We're calling these delicious morsels fritters. In India they go by many names like pakora,vada and bora depending on the region. These are somewhat like a falafel, although the outside is much crunchier and the inside lighter and fluffier. Whereas a falafel is made of Chickpea flour (aka Besan), these use split chickpeas - Chana Dahl that are simply soaked, blitzed and fried. Another selling point is there's no need to pre-cook the chana dahl. I like to serve these with a variety of accompaniments for dipping. For a quick meal, chutney and natural yoghurt are an excellent, no fuss choice, or you can go accoutrement crazy. Think palak (spinach curry), coconut chutney, tomato and tamarind chutney, mint and coriander chutney and lime pickle. I served mine with tomato and tamarind chutney, mint and coriander sauce and spinach curry. (pictured above) |
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