Hi there! Welcome to Sourdough and Spice
My name is Asia, and I’m a health-conscious millennial cook weaving together my German-Indian heritage into flavorful, budget-friendly, plant-based recipes.
I’m deeply passionate about
- crafting from-scratch recipes,
- fermenting foods,
- and exploring heritage cooking.
Embracing a love for sourdough baking and an affinity for Asian cuisine, I love vibrant flavors and tweaking recipes so they work for my partner, Armindo and me. We try to minimize animal products and avoid processed foods altogether.
My Cooking Philosophy: Plant-Focused & Budget-Friendly
I’ve found that I tend to cook things that are
- plant-focused
- budget-friendly
- Asian inspired
Join me on this journey where I merge traditional recipes with a modern twist, sharing health-conscious fusion delights that celebrate culture, sustainability, and the joy of homemade meals.
Sourdough and Me: A Baking Journey
Hindered by a horrendous oven in my last rental and many failed baking experiments, I wasn’t much of a baker until I moved into my current home. Like many others’ I discovered sourdough during the last pandemic. On a whim, I ordered my starter online and received ‘Henry’ in the mail a few days later. In the beginning, I was far too intimidated by baking to attempt cakes or breads. I started with the humble sourdough scallion pancake, which has stayed a favorite ever since.
It’s not perfect, but it’s beautiful all the same: Sourdough Sandwich Bread straight from the oven.
Since then, sourdough has become a staple in our household. During a typical week we’ll eat two sourdough breads with honey or hummus, sourdough pancakes for breakfast on the weekends and multiple sourdough banana breads and crackers.
After mastering the basics of sourdough baking, I’ve been intrigued by using sourdough to create South and East Asian staples. Join me on this wonderful journey, exploring the rich opportunities of sourdough fusion cuisine!
Plant-focused & Plant-based meals
A few years ago, I began to learn about the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle. I went strictly plant based and started really experimenting with food. This is when I started appreciating both South Asian and East Asian cuisines for their strong flavours and reliance on affordable ingredients and plant based staples. Since, I have adopted a flexitarian lifestyle, relying almost solely on plant based alternatives in my home cooking. I do stray here and there, using honey, the occasional Parmesan or kefir.
My Take: Substituting plant based alternatives only works some of the time. Plants don’t taste like animal protein or fat, and they don’t need to. There are plenty of tasty things to make with plants, and if substituting plants for dairy or meat doesn’t work for this recipe, I won’t recommend it. I’ve tried finding plant-based substitutes for all my recipes and if I do use dairy, it’s because the alternative didn’t taste good – at least to me. If you do find a wonderful plant based alternative, do let me know!
The flavors that shaped me
As a third culture kid growing up between Germany and the States, I was introduced to Japanese, Chinese and Korean flavours early on. This was the food my family ate when we had occasion to celebrate! I vividly remember learning to use Chopsticks at a Korean BBQ place, when I was five or six years old. My father ate Korean Sweet Potatoes “goguma” (고구마) for breakfast and added dried Korean anchovies “myeolchi” (멸치) to our everyday cooking. My mom’s cooking was European with a base of Italian classics. Her signature dish was “Ossobucco” which is an Italian Ox-Tail Casserole with fresh garlic, parsley and lemon zest.
Each Summer, my father took me to South India to spend time with my extended family. From there we travelled through the South Indian States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. As a child and teenager, I was often overwhelmed with the heat and spice of South Indian food. Today, I am passionate about reacquainting myself with the distinct coconut and chilli of South India.
The classical South Indian Thali, served on a banana leaf. Featuring assorted vegetarian curries, aromatic chutneys, and crispy pappadum.
A disclaimer on cultural appropriation
Despite these early introductions, my fluency in East Asian flavors is far from that of someone who exclusively grew up with them. While they were a part of our family celebrations and daily meals, my experience was a blend of cultures, where these flavors added richness to our table rather than being the sole culinary foundation of my upbringing.
I’m thrilled to receive suggestions and notes on recipes or the traditional use of ingredients. While I want to pay homage to traditional recipes, my recipes aim to be budget-friendly for those living in the Northern Hemisphere and as sustainable as possible – that may mean swapping out certain ingredients for those more accessible and native in the Northern Hemisphere. This is always done with great respect and reverence for the cuisines of origin which inspire my fusion food. Please reach out, if you have any tweaks or recommendations to enhance recipes or this blog in general.