Don’t get fed up of Deliveroo! You’ve had enough sourdough bread to last a lifetime. Then revive palates jaded by another year of takeout stodge and start home cooking with the latest food trends for 2022 — a larder of new flavours, textures and, in many cases, nutritional benefits, too.
You can kick-start the taste buds with these six top-of-the-line ingredients, which range from Japanese citrus pesto and floral yoghurt to Japanese pineapple sauerkraut. . .
PEERLESS PINK HIBISCUS
Gorgeous good looks add to the hot trend status of hibiscus, which also has high levels of vitamin C — good for boosting immune health.
It has delicate, floral, and fruity flavours. It has long been enjoyed in fruit tea — and as it’s calorie-free, is a good way to make you feel full and help weight loss.
The popularity of hibiscus in spreads and yoghurts as well soft drinks and mocktails are increasing.
You can buy it pre-mixed in drinks such as Something & Nothing’s Hibiscus & Rose Seltzer (£1.49 per 330 ml can, thevegankind.com). Plus, check out Lakeland’s Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup (£9.99, lakeland.co.uk); or buy them dried — Dried Hibiscus Flowers (£1.50, souschef.co.uk).
Make a hibiscus cocktail with lime juice, bitters and hibiscus syrup. Add a slice or sprig mint to the mix. It is also used by chefs in baking to give it a lemony flavor and make the icing pretty pink. Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown recommends orange and hibiscus madeleines in her book Comfort (£16.31, amazon.co.uk).
EDIBLE MORINGA
You may have heard of moringa in your moisturiser — it has been a beauty ingredient for a while. This miracle plant can be eaten from the root up to its bark.
It is widely grown in India, South-East Asia, and East Africa. This plant has seven times the vitamin C of oranges, and fifteen times as much potassium as bananas.
Although it can be difficult to taste in teas, health food shops sell the powder as a powder for smoothies, sauces and desserts.
Sameer Taneja, executive chef at the Michelin-starred Benares Restaurant in London’s Mayfair, uses moringa leaves to flavour dishes with their earthy, spinach taste. He says: ‘It has been called the world’s most nutrient-rich plant. I’m currently working on several new dishes, including a moringa-marinated celeriac kebab with celeriac malai and moringa oil.’
At home, try Natur Boutique’s Organic 100 per cent Moringa Tea made with leaves and stalks (£4.45, planetorganic.co.uk), Aduna Moringa Cleansing Tea with nettles and mint (£9.18, amazon.co.uk), or Aduna Moringa Powder (£8, ocado.com).
FAB PICKLED FRUIT
This ancient method of fermenting has been gaining popularity. A variety of fruits including watermelon and pineapple as well as plums, blueberries and apples are now being pickedled in a brine with sugar, vinegar and salt. Pickled fruits are kind to your gut — and great for serving with cold cuts and cheeseboards, over roast chicken or in a breakfast yoghurt.
It is possible to make your own. For 500 g fruit (e.g., cherries) you’ll need 150 ml moscatel vinegar, 50 ml white wine vinegar, 75g caster sugar, 1 bay leaf, a few sprigs of thyme, 1 tsp sea salt and 2 tsp black peppercorns. Combine all of the ingredients with 200ml water in a small saucepan. Stir to dissolve salt and sugar. Place the fruit in a one-litre glass jar. Allow the pickling liquid to cool in the container, seal it, and then let it chill. It’ll be good after a few days but best after a week, when the vinegar has mellowed a little.
Or, buy ready-pickled fruits at Planet Organic, such as London Fermentary Pineapple & Turmeric Kraut (£6.99 for 460g, planetorganic.com). Or try The Fine Cheese Co’s Pickled Cherries (£8.95, harveynichols.com).
DATE MOLASSES
Deep mahogany viscous syrup has a honey-like flavor. This thick syrup is traditionally made from Medjool dates boiled in water. The pulp can be strained and stored in the fridge for years.
You can use it as a substitute for sugar. The calories in a tablespoon of date syrup are about 1/3 of that of sugar. There is more potassium, calcium, and magnesium than honey or maple syrup. Also, it has up to ten times as much antioxidants, whereas refined sugar contains none. It also has a lower glycaemic index, so it won’t cause a blood sugar spike.
Sous Chef online supplier says that demand for date Molasses has increased by 390% year-on-year. It can be found in most supermarkets. Try Belazu Date Molasses (£3.99 for 250g, waitrose.com); or Basra Date Syrup (£3 for 450g, morrisons.com).
This can be used as a breakfast spread, as a porridge substitute, or spread on bread with pomegranate seed topping. You can mix it with tahini for a sweet spread or make a dressing by blending it with warm water, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice.
It is delicious with cheese, too: try it with a creamy burrata or halloumi, or spooned over goat’s cheese. It can also be used in sticky toffee pudding, a low-calorie option.
NEW YUZU ‘PESTO’
Yuzu, which is mostly cultivated in Japan and is a citrus fruit, has been gaining popularity. Tart and sour with a lemon-grapefruit-lime flavour, the tangerine-sized fruit is being used by chefs to accent salads, fish and desserts.
It is now being used as a Japanese condiment called yuzukosho. This contains fresh chilis, usually green or red Thai chilis, fermented in salt with yuzu juice and zest, which combine to give life to all kinds of foods, including sashimi and braised pork loin ribs.
Use it as pesto but less frequently. It’s great with pasta and mixed with lemon juice for dressing salads, vegetables, or rubbing into fish. I’ve even added a pinch of yuzu kosho to my breakfast scrambled eggs. You can also use it to make ramen or hot pot.
You can find milder, sweeter red chili and hotter green chili yuzu kosho online (£7.95-£13.50, thewasabicompany.co.uk).
It also sells yuzu kararin, with a light and fluffy, powdery texture and extremely complex flavour, which is very good for adding fragrant heat to soups and is spectacular in a Bloody Mary — it can be lightly dusted around the glass or mixed in (£16).