Sweet ‘n’ Sour Skewers

Natalie’s sister, Sue, never hesitates when asked what her favourite Earthshine creation is – ‘That goji sauce, hands down!’ This recipe has two aspects that can be used independently, but together, they make the taste buds sing! Classic Chinese flavours are given a new lease on life with natural ingredients.

Goji berries add super nutrition and super colour as you might expect from Chinese food.

Equipment – High-speed blender & (dehydrator – optional)

Timing – 30 min prep, (2-4h drying – optional)

Ingredients

Sauce:

1/2 C honey
1/4 C tamari
1/4 C goji berries
1/4 C tamarind pulp – see note below
2 T light sesame or macadamia oil
1 t fresh garlic, minced
1 t fresh ginger, minced
1 pinch of salt

skewers:

10 mini bamboo skewers
100 g broccoli – 50 small florets
100 g soft, dried apricots – soak for a few hours if hard
100 g daikon radish, chopped

Method

Blend all the sauce ingredients together until smooth for about 1 minute.
Cut all the skewer ingredients into pieces, about 20 mm thick.
Skewer broccoli, apricot and daikon radish together, alternating as you go.
Baste the skewers in the sauce until well coated.
You can serve at this point, or dry for 2-3 hours to make sticky and warm.

Makes about 15 mini skewers.

Preparing tamarind pulp:

Take about 1/4 C tamarind – it usually comes seedless in a block. Pour over a 1/4 C of hot water and mash with a fork until loose and softened. Remove the hard, fibrous pieces by hand and use the remaining pulp in your recipe. You can also use a spatula to push this pulp through a wire strainer if you prefer a finer consistency.