Mayonnaise

[Guest guest]

Someone asked me to post the recipe for this and I've been meaning to dig it

up so that I can give proper quantities, but I just can't find the time at

the moment (working today as it s). So here's an imprecise version which is

actually how I've been doing things for years:

 

Use 4 tablespoons of either soya flour (heat treated to get rid of whatever

the enzyme thingy that screws with absorption is called - most soya flours

now are) or gram (chick pea) flour. Mix the flour with warm water in pot

to make a thick paste and then add a little more water, simmering it for

around 15 mins at least to form a thin paste. Let the paste cool completely,

then pour it into a liquidiser (don't worry if it is a bit thicker when

cool). It is important for the paste to simmer and be cooled. Then add the

juice of half a large lemon, squeezed through a tea strainer to catch the

pips (or use a citrus press). Then switch the liquidiser on low and very

slowly add the oil one drop at a time. The whole thing will then gradually

thicken into a mayonnaise, after which you can transfer it to a jar and pop

it in the fridge. Variants are to add vinegar instead of oil (I hate

vinegar), and/or to add garlic or lemongrass etc. You can also use egg

substitute for the soya flour if you can find it. You can also of course do

the whole thing by hand using a bowl and a whisk, but it's more difficult

that way. You must be very careful not to add too much oil at a time and not

to over whisk.

 

Here's an alternative and less fussy recipe (the one above, which is the

closest to egg mayonnaise, is a little temperamental - if the paste hasn't

been simmered nicely or is warm or gets too hot in the liquidiser the

mayonnaise might not set). Pop around half a pint of cup of soya milk in a

blender with a squeeze of lemon, then put the blend on low and add a little

oil again very slowly until it thickens nicely. Apart from the fact that I

can't find my recipes, the amount of oil you need to add can vary quite a

lot from batch to batch, so I just watch how it goes.

 

That said, with the time I don't have nowadays, I often buy it in jars from

my local health food shop, but I also eat much less of it than I used to.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Cheers

 

Mike