green chickpea salad, pickled black radish and turmeric root, turmeric almond cream in a wrap

A lot happened last week, such as the moment I found out that I hadn’t been losing my hearing capabilities for the past few months. Turns out I had blocked off part of the earpiece on my new iPhone with the screen protector. I ate my weight or more in blood oranges and would happily do it again. 

We took a trip to a spice plantation when we visited Goa last month. I can happily say that this was one of the highlights of the trip because it was exciting to see how some 99.99% of the occupants of my spice cabinet look in their native habitat. In an ideal yet hypothetical scenario, it would be nice to walk outside and pull spices off plants as needed but in my reality, I make do with a shelf that’s lined with little jars and bags of ingredients (I’ll share more of that trip in the days to come ahead). This recipe with the rather long name is inspired by some of the flavors we experienced at the spice plantation.

This kitchen uses turmeric a lot but to be honest, I use the powder more often than that root, honestly I think it might be due to the convenience factor. Both the powder and root, Each have their own own pros and cons and I feel they each bring their own unique flavor to the table. I’ve been wanting to try my hand at infusing nut butters and make savory flavored creams ever since I read Laura’s delicious post on her goji berry tahini cream , a few months ago. This almond based cream has fresh turmeric root and a helping of hot pepper to make one bright nutty cream, I mean if you’re going to do this, you might as well go all out and make it colorful and spicy!

I prepared a simple salad with the young green chickpeas and mache lettuce flavored and added a little roasted coriander with fresh lemon juice. Young green chickpeas are creamier and frankly in many ways, I think, sexier than their adult forms. There’s no need to presoak the fresh beans, just use them as you would a fresh vegetable. To double up on the dose of turmeric, I ended up making a quick pickle with the spicy black radish and turmeric root to give a little bit of a crunch to the salad stuffing in the wrap. I use a little amount of the infused cream and the pickles in the wrap because a little bit of fresh turmeric flavor goes a long way!

Stay warm and cozy, friends!

Here are some of my kitchen tips when preparing these wraps;

• Go with whatever flatbread you like to prepare your wraps at home with. You can use a gluten-free version too. I normally like to use left-over whole-wheat rotis. 
• Each of the components can be made ahead of time and then assembled right before serving. 
• Young green chickpeas are chickpeas that are picked off the plant while the chickpeas are at their peak. You can use regular chickpeas if you can’t find them but adjust the cooking time accordingly based on your source.
• Black radish is spicier than the regular varieties of radish and the flesh is rather creamier and tender. 
• I used my Cuisinart food processor to prepare the almond butter. It takes a little bit of time but if you heat the almonds before it helps to release the oils from the nuts. Since the nuts will naturally heat up from the friction during grinding, preheating them just helps to hasten the process of the butter formation (this is also why I think almond butter isn’t really raw since it gets cooked a little during the process). I haven’t tried this but I think using unsalted almond butter directly and blending it with the ingredients will work as well.

green chickpea salad, pickled black radish and turmeric root, turmeric almond cream in a wrap

yields: around 4 wraps

green chickpea salad

yields: about 4 cups

ingredients 

2 cups fresh young (green) chickpeas

1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds

2 cups mache lettuce or any of your favorite salad greens

1/2 cup red onion, finely diced

1 tablespoon cilantro leaves, freshly chopped (or fresh parsley)

1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

1. Place the chickpeas in a medium-sized stockpot. Cover the chickpeas with water and bring the contents to a boil on a medium-high flame and then reduce and cook for about 5 minutes or until the chickpeas are cooked and completely tender. Allow to cool to room temperature before using.

2. Heat the coriander seeds in a small skillet on medium-high heat for around 35-40 seconds until they just begin to release their aroma and start to turn brown. Remove and transfer immediately and grind to a fine powder with a mortar and pestle. Keep aside until ready to use. 

3. Place the chickpeas, mache lettuce, coriander seed powder, onion, cilantro, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Toss gently to coat and taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Keep the salad aside until ready to use. 

quick black radish and turmeric root pickles

yields: around 1  1/2 cups

ingredients 

1 cup black radish, cleaned, peeled and cut into 1 inch long strips

1/2 cup turmeric root, cleaned, peeled and sliced into 1 inch long strips (depends on the size of the root)

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher sea salt

1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. Transfer to an airtight ziplock bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before using. 

turmeric almond cream

yields: about 1 cup

ingredients 

1 cup almonds with skin

1/2 cup turmeric root, cleaned, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon serrano pepper, chopped

1/2 teaspoon kosher sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground 

1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1. Preheat the oven to 300F and place the almonds on a baking sheet lined with paper. Heat the nuts in the oven for 5 minutes on the middle rack. Remove immediately.

2. Place the hot almonds and all the ingredients except the lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor or blender and pulse for around 15 minutes until completely combined and the almond seeds have turned into a smooth butter. You might need to stir the contents of the bowl to ensure things move around. 

3. Stir in the lemon juice, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Preparing the wraps.

yields: 4 wraps

ingredients 

4 whole-wheat rotis or tortillas, lightly warmed (or any other type of wrap you like, lettuce or collard greens will be great too) 

1. Take 1 roti/tortilla and spread a generous teaspoon of the turmeric almond cream. Add 1 cup of the salad and about two tablespoons of the pickles across the length of the tortilla. Roll the flatbread from one end to form the wrap. Prepare the rest of the wraps in the same manner and serve each with an extra side of the pickles and turmeric almond cream.