• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MsMarmiteLover

  • Food
    • Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
  • Travel
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Wine
  • Gardens
  • Supperclubs/Events
  • About
    • Published Articles
    • Books
  • Shop
    • Cart

Lackety yak in the yurt

November 21, 2010 5 Comments Filed Under: Food, Recipes, Uncategorized


“For christ’s sake: has no one in London got a milkable yak?” MsMarmitelover on Twitter.

Books like Tintin in Tibet and Seven Years in Tibet inspired me to travel there, hitching in the back of Chinese trucks, when the border with Nepal was opened in 1987. Three months later, descending to sea level, blessed suddenly with superhuman strength as a result of my thinned blood, I reflected that it was the most surreal country I had ever visited, like another planet.

Recreating a Tibetan and Mongolian meal in the Highgate Yurt last night was not easy. I spent months researching, emailing, tweeting, asking around for tsampa and yak milk. I wrote to London Zoo asking if they would mind milking their yaks for me. They replied that they didn’t have any yaks. Is it the sea level altitude in London? Is this not a cosmopolitan city? On the tsampa front I was luckier, I came across a website and went to visit Tashi at his home in the East End of London…he comes from the glamorous warrior like ‘Khampa’ tribe, and in my head I nominated him the title of ‘cockney khampa’.

Tashi not only sold me a kilo of freshly roasted tsampa (ground barley) he also prepared it for me Tibetan style and gave me a brick of Tibetan tea and a recipe for momos (Tibetan dumplings). Little vegetation grows in Tibet so the diet is limited. A high proportion of Tibetan males become Buddhist monks who are generally vegan hence they don’t even allow honey. Tashi showed me some recent photos of Llasa, I was shocked. When I was there it was dirt roads and no cars. Now the streets are paved and busy with traffic. Tsampa itself is very good for you, with an earthy smokey aroma.

The yurt has an intimate atmosphere and my guests were sat on cushions which again created a feeling of comfort and relaxation. Our waiter was 8 year old Raphy who was delighted at being allowed to stay up late. Eventually yawns got the better of him and he slumbered in a corner of the yurt, which rather added to the nomadic family ambiance.

The menu:
Champagne
Vegetable wrapped sushi
Mongolian Peanuts:This recipe, apparently authentic, called for the peanuts to be boiled then simmered in star anise and Sichuan pepper for 12 hours, then roasted and then fried. To me they still tasted like normal peanuts (a Mongolian joke perhaps?) but guests pronounced them the best peanuts they have ever eaten!!

Tsampa bowl: Tashi explained that you melt some butter in hot tea, then mix it with tsampa and grated cheese which you mush together with your fingers. You then pour tea over the top of the tsampa at the bottom of the bowl. A Tibetan delicacy is to wait until the tsampa forms a crust and then lick it off with your tongue.

Stuffed with Cavolo Nero, ricotta and mushrooms
Momos, steamed and fried. 
Fried noodles (plum buckwheat) with bok choi and lotus root

Fried chilli tofu (there was one restaurant in Shigatse that did this dish. It was so delicious I went back every day for lunch, however, it was difficult to enjoy your meal when surrounded by begging children at your table)

Another Mongolian recipe: Grilled leeks on skewers, done on an ingenious little barbecue called an Ozpig.
Seared tuna steaks.
Daikon and celeriac salad 


Mongolian hot pot with corn, beans and mushrooms cooked in a Dutch oven, which give unique flavour to food. Often hung on a tripod over a fire or can be placed on top of the fire where the shape of the lid enables the cook to also heap charcoal on top. Dutch ovens were used by American settlers, on the Great Western cattle drives and were passed down from generation. They were incredibly valuable and it was considered a great honour to inherit one. I’ve been reading the Little House in the Prairie books and they carried a Dutch oven on their wagon. An essential bit of kit if you are settling a new continent.

Cheeses being passed round on what became known as the ‘cheese canoe’
Matcha pannacotta with chocolate dipped physallis

Oolong teas from Jingtea. I’m becoming addicted to their Iron Buddha Oolong. The difference in taste between proper whole leaf tea and the factory floor shavings we get in our teabags is incredible.

The last guests left at 2 am.

Recent posts

midsummer supper club June 17th 2023 Msmarmitelover

My next supper club: midsummer June 17th

May 28, 2023

I organised a street party for the Coronation

May 10, 2023

The Seafood Shack in Ullapool, Scotland.

May 4, 2023

Previous Post: « The Underground Christmas Market on December 5th
Next Post: News! Lots of it! »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Robert Giorgione

    November 21, 2010 at 11:43 pm

    Looks very interesting!

    Reply
  2. Sally - My Custard Pie

    November 22, 2010 at 4:59 am

    Priceless- have you any yaks I can milk London Zoo keeper?! Your imagination and resourcefulness and downright bravery know no bounds. You are the Tin Tin of the restaurant world.

    Reply
  3. Plum Kitchen

    November 22, 2010 at 6:20 am

    That looks amazing, your attention to detail is phenomenal:) I have just got my Little House books back from Mum & Dad, my all time favourite was when they all came together to kill the pig (sorry!) and when Ma made butter. I had to try this myself, colouring it with grated carrot juice (goodness knows what colour I was aiming for….)I so wish I could come to the Thanksgiving, what a highlight!

    Reply
  4. theundergroundrestaurant

    November 22, 2010 at 11:13 am

    Thanks for your comments: it really was a very special night.
    I think I will do a Japanese night in the yurt next time.
    Plum: Just spent a fortune on importing grits and hominy from the states for the Thanksgiving meals.

    Reply
  5. Gerry Snape

    November 22, 2010 at 4:34 pm

    I'm almost speechless at the amount of prep needed for all the goodies that YOU PREPARED.
    Best I've seen so far!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

Subscribe to my mailing list

msmarmitelover

Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
My next supper club 17th June london tickets £50 My next supper club 17th June london tickets £50 BYO book here: https://msmarmitelover.com/product/midsummer-supper-club-tickets-june-17th #london #supperclub #msmarmitelover #midsummer
For tonight’s event I had to push the boundaries For tonight’s event I had to push the boundaries. Here is how to prepare goose neck barnacles or percebes which are a very expensive and rare delicacy, hunted down from cliffs. It’s quite dangerous to forage them. #canapes #eventcatering #satanicfood #percebes #grossfood #seafood #devilsfood
Midsummer supperclub 17th June book tickets here h Midsummer supperclub 17th June book tickets here https://msmarmitelover.com/product/midsummer-supper-club-tickets-june-17th at London’s pioneering supper club. Tickets £50 BYO. Scandinavian inspired summery food. #supperclub #msmarmitelover #midsummer #northwestlondon #londonevents #popups
Tina sweating through a gig at Brixton academy cir Tina sweating through a gig at Brixton academy circa 1987 pic: kerstin Rodgers #rip #tinaturner #rockphotographer #kerstinrodgers #teenagephotographer
Attended an incredible talk with @frenchpete_1 on Attended an incredible talk with @frenchpete_1 on war photography in the Ukraine . Go to the exhibition @thebppa @thebargehouse in SE1 last few days 
Had to stop filming cos I was told off. The photographers would be less forthcoming if they were filmed I was told. 
Anyway @frenchpete_1 should be followed by a camera crew cos he’s a star.
For yesterdays lunch I made a blue cheese puff pas For yesterdays lunch I made a blue cheese puff pastry quiche and a little one with less blue cheese & no salt for my 7 month old granddaughter. She absolutely loved it. I’m enjoying seeing her experience and explore new foods with baby led weaning. Avocado, strawberries, kiwi & buttered crumpets are a hit. Pasta less so. Who is this child? Are we even related? #babyledweaning #quiche #homemadepuffpastry
Nice to be featured as The Great Read in The natio Nice to be featured as The Great Read in The national newspaper again. These are the stories I love to do: I go off on an adventure, take my time, interview people (especially women), photograph them in their environment and create recipes on site. This story cost me a lot more than I made as I had an accident and lost my excess. My own damn fault though! Loved loved loved having a campervan. Thanks for lending me it @camperdays.international and sorry about the hole in the side.  https://www.thenational.scot/news/23505593.foraging-seaweed-western-isles/
My terrace on a sunny May morning. The builders @l My terrace on a sunny May morning. The builders @lk.general.building left yesterday. They’ve been working since January. I had the awning installed, the encaustic Minton tiles removed and put back with green grout. The terrace was causing damp so this had to be done. My calamondin plant is looking lovely. The benches which I repaired with hard wood & I repainted using a mix of 2 colours. The marble table I bought in Suffolk at a car boot. Everything is still dusty & I’m waiting for the window cleaner to arrive.
Last but very heartfelt thankyou to @cideriswine f Last but very heartfelt thankyou to @cideriswine for their contribution of these beautiful dry ciders for the coronation street lunch. Gorgeously illustrated labels. #stcuthbertsrd #kilburn #london #cider #artisanaldrinks
When it comes to vodka I much prefer potato vodka. When it comes to vodka I much prefer potato vodka. It’s smoother. Artisanal distillery @devoncovevodka contributed some bottles to my coronation lunch which gave everyone a feeling of being at a classy party. Thanks so much. And also @rawfoodanddrink for arranging. If you want to read my blog post about how and why I organised this event, copy and paste this link: https://t.co/GWNNW2XKba #coronationstreetparty #biglunch #community #kilburn #london #forthepeoplebythepeople
I’ve been a fan of @luscombedrinks for years now I’ve been a fan of @luscombedrinks for years now. They sent a selection: elderflower bubbly, st. Clements orange 🍊 Sicilian lemonade, @belvoirfarm_uk lemonade, which were all delicious and just the tickets for the fortuitous mini-heatwave that occurred on the Sunday coronation lunch. #thankyou #community #coronation #streetparty #biglunch
Our street party. Double page spread in The Sun! T Our street party. Double page spread in The Sun! Tiny bit in the guardian. Decent pic in the Mail and The Star credit @asproider #coronationlunch #kilburn #stcuthbertsrd #kingscroftrd #fordwychrd #templarhouse
My coronation quiche with Broad beans, tarragon, s My coronation quiche with Broad beans, tarragon, spinach, cheddar. I used crème fraiche and blind baked puff pastry shells. I was up at 11 last night making these for todays street party, which featured in the mail, telegraph, mirror, metro courtesy of photographer Gavin Rodgers @asproider
Seaweed foraging at Spring tides in the Outer Hebr Seaweed foraging at Spring tides in the Outer Hebrides with @outerhebrideanforager Fi bird. She’s cutting sea spaghetti. I drove my campervan @camperdays.international from london to the Hebrides- using my gas stove to cook foraged and local ingredients. A real food safari. With the sea spaghetti I made a sea spag vongole with giant parlourdes picked up from the sand at the same time. Great fun, beautiful weather and, the day of the full moon, a wonderfully low tide. This was on south Uist.
More flavours, the flavour thesaurus is a plant-ba More flavours, the flavour thesaurus is a plant-based version of the original. Beautifully constructed, designed and written by @nikisegnit it’s vegetarian rather than vegan but recommended for both. She widens the sensory vocabulary around plant flavours in this book- encouraging new delicious sounding combinations. Now she includes new categories such as flower & meadow, caramel roasted, zesty roost- just the words make me salivate. #foodbooks #bookstagram #newbooks
Yesterday I attended @marmaladeawards @dalemainman Yesterday I attended @marmaladeawards @dalemainmansion I found out so much about marmalade. I’m going to make it this winter. I found out the worlds best maker is Japanese, in fact I was most impressed by the Japanese marmalades in general. Everyone wore orange. I must have tasted 50 marmalades. I met Paddington’s sister, karen jankel who is michael bond’s daughter, born in the same year as Paddington. She gave a charming talk on Paddington, mentioning how the queen insisted on having real marmalade sandwiches in her @launerlondonofficial handbag during the shoot. The house itself is Tudor and Georgian. I stayed in my campervan from @camperdays.international in the car park, cosy in the rain. Another freewheeling adventure. #yorkshire #marmalade #travel #food #ontheroad #campervan
I had a piece in @thetimes on Sunday about being a I had a piece in @thetimes on Sunday about being a vegetarian rather than a vegan. How I still need butter. And how restaurants & plane meals are now vegan rather than vegetarian. But, there are still more the double amount of vegetarians as vegans in the UK. I’ve written a vegan cookbook V is for vegan (link in bio) and am a big fan of vegan foods. I’ve not eaten meat for over 40 years. This is a sustainable diet, in terms of longevity. Vegans that I knew from the early noughties have reverted to meat eating. #newpuritanism? #vegetarian #vegan #foodwriter
Scrambled croft eggs (bright yellow yolks) with a Scrambled croft eggs (bright yellow yolks) with a seaweed that tastes just like truffle. Just done a little kelp foraging at low tide with @thetempleharris’ Amanda Saurin. Isle of Harris. Turquoise sea, white sand, cloud hovering just above. @camperdays.international @roosterpr
I went to Wembley in north west london to talk to I went to Wembley in north west london to talk to Sophie of @tobia.teff she uses the iron-rich, gluten free teff grain from her homeland Ethiopia. She showed me how to make injera, the Ethiopian flatbread which is fermented. She also talked about the coffee ceremony, 3 cups, which they pair with toasted barley or, currently, popcorn! I’d love to visit Ethiopia and find out more about their ancient food culture, history, 3.5k year old monarchy and religions.
Doing a spring budget recipe cooking demo for @bre Doing a spring budget recipe cooking demo for @brentcouncil Willesden library. I’ve been doing this a few times a year for the last few years. Wouldn’t it be great if they had a kitchen set up permanently. Libraries are community centres and could be used to teach how to cook from scratch.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Archives

Copyright © 2023 msmarmitelover