Did you know you can enjoy curries cold? In fact, you probably did not know that spicy food helps to cool you down on hot summer days. Our bodies thermodynamically regulate themselves metabolically, i.e., through the consumption of food. Eating spicy peppers or sipping hot tea will raise your body temperature. These spikes cause us to sweat rapidly. The heat from our bodies is carried away when the sweat evaporates, thereby cooling us down. It is no wonder that chilli peppers and hot beverages remain common in the diets of people living in warm countries.
This is why I was so delighted to receive this serving suggestion from a friend and local chef, Monica Kelly of Miss Mo’s Vegan Kitchen. Monica has been a fan of Tiffinday stews since we started selling them in 2014. She was a regular customer at farmers’ markets and has continued to support our small business by purchasing them from local stores, even after we stopped selling them at markets.
Her favourite flavour is our Chickpea Curry Stew, and if your tastebuds love hot spices, then you can also use our Kidney Bean and Rhubarb Stew. Monica claims she can eat our stews anytime and anywhere. In hot weather, she enjoys them like chips and dip, but with a twist. She substitutes chips with slices of crisp green apples and serves the “dip”, the stews, chilled and straight out of the fridge and jar.
We tried her suggestion and discovered that the tartness of the apples goes amazingly well with the savoury flavours of both our products both of which also feature hints of sweetness from the caramelized onions in the gravy. Without a doubt, Monica’s creativity as a chef came through brilliantly with this serving suggestion and she was only too delighted to have us share it with you!
This simple combination of green apples and curry stew is the easiest dish you could take to a pot luck summer picnic. And it will take care of the protein content for any vegan showing up at your annual barbeque. In fact, we are sure you will impress even the most discerning of non-vegans with it.
And there you have it. Now you can stay cool over the dog days of summer with Tiffinday. Bon appetit!
