Enzyme Concentrates: A Versatile Addition for Any Kitchen - My Favourite Mulberry Enzyme

A favourite multi-functional Mulberry Enzyme.



Nowadays one of my favourite way to supplement the diet is to use high quality functional foods. Enzyme concentrates are one of these.

I used to make my own enzymes using natural lacto-fermentation, but it not easy to control the quality of the ferment and know the strains of the microbes that you are consuming.

So those that are made by good companies are very much treasured because they are so versatile. I drink them neat, add water to them to make a cocktail, use them as dips, starters for other kinds of fermentation e.g. kimchi and in all manners of dressings. The family does not know what magic hit their guts.

I like this by Straits Wholefoods Company very much. They are smooth, silky and sweetly tangy. They also use oligo - a mono sugar -which is perfect:

Tacos Pink Flamingo

Another way of eating high raw for people transitioning into the raw food diet. Filling a wholemeal wrap with herbs and veggies and homemade pickles and kimchi. 

Cashew cheese

This is a very versatile recipe full of probiotic goodness. I use kefir milk to ferment the nut cheese but a capsule of acidophilus can do the trick as well. Many variations can come out if this recipe e.g. fruit cheese, seaweed cheese...the possibilities are endless.

What you need is a piece of muslin cloth, and optionally little bamboo or plastic basket to hold the shape and drain the whey.

Ingredients

4 cups of soaked cashews
1 cup of kefir or the grains from an acidophilus or probiotic capsule
Two tbs of nutritional yeast for that round cheesy flavor (another option is to use a tbs of miso but you will have to skip the salt)
One tsp of salt

method

Put the cashews into the blender with the cup of kefir milk and blend. If you are using capsules, then pop in the grains and add a cup of filtered water. Add in the nutritional yeast and salt/miso. Blend till absolutely smooth.

lay the muslin over the basket and pour out the nut blend. I like to tie up the muslin and hang it over the sink overnight. If you are standing the cheese in a basket, make sure there is a bowl to catch the whey and space to drain the whey.

After at least eight hours, harvest the cheese into a container and use in a variety of recipes. I use it as a spread, for cheesecake, for salad dressings, noodle dressing, dressing for vege chips etc....let your imagination run wild. Let me know how you use your cheese too ;-).

Fermented Bananas

First ate these at Kampung Senang a year ago. There it was, a big jar filled with banana pieces bubbling away in active lacto fermentation. They served it neat with a topping of chia seed gel. They tasted fizzy, tart and sweet.

I figured that this is a great way to use your banana if you've got too much to handle. Besides getting the goodness of the 'happy' fruit plus loads of living enzymes into system. I call the banana a happy fruit because it is loaded with tryptophan, the chemical that gives a positive mood boost to the brain makes you on overall, a better person.

Moreover, fermenting bananas makes it go a longer way. When we do raw foods, it is sometime inevitable that you buy in the bulk. You don't buy a few bananas right? And you can't have banana smoothies everyday! The fermentation can also be slowed down when you place the bananas into the fridge.

So, I can add a scoopful of fermented bananas to my smoothie instead of the good ol' fruit neat from the bunch - and I'm getting additional goodness of the lactobacilli and other nutrients that fermentation creates.

Don't get queasy about fermentation ;-). Here I use raw apple cider vinegar with the 'mother' to inject a known fermenting agent....do a very small jar and you will be surprised.

Here goes:

• Get your glass jar sterilised with hot water
• Cut up your banana into pieces and fill the jar leaving at least 4 inches from the jar lid - (you don't want it overflowing when it starts to come alive)
• Cover with black/molasses sugar or agave if you can afford to ration is 1:3 (1 part sugar to 3 parts of banana)
• Pour in half a cup of apple cider vinegar with the "mother" (e.g. Braggs or Eden organic apple cider vinegar)

Cover the jar and let it stand for one and a half days before you eat it.

Enjoy!