Do you make kombucha? It’s a wonderful healthy drink that restores gut flaura and helps with digestion. It contains B-vitamins, enzymes and pro-biotics. It is purported to increase the immune system, prevent cancers and ease joint pain. To read up on how to make this wonderful daily elixir, read https://www.instagram.com/p/BHjHLSFDLj4/
Kombucha is the product of using a scoby ( symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) which digests the sugar and black tea and creates a delicious fermented drink within 7-10 days. The scoby multiplies each time you make a batch of kombucha and because I hate to throw it away, and apart from gifting the scoby to every friend you know, what else can you do with excess scoby? Fear not! All is not wasted! A friend suggested I dehydrate the unwanted scoby (which can grow to about 2 cm thick disks) to create a “jerky” or dried snack. The result is a surprisingly good, chewy, taste-lingering, pick-me-up snack.
Method:
- Marinate the scoby for a couple of hours in tamari (soy sauce).
- Carefully slice your excess scoby into thin slices with a sharp knife. (This is a tricky business as the scoby is squidqey to cut!)
- Finely chop garlic and ginger (as much or as little as you like). I used about a teaspoon of each.
- Sprinkle slices of scoby with ginger and garlic, and a smidgen of sesame seeds.
- Place slices onto dehydrator trays and dehydrate for 3-4 hours. Slices should be shrivelled and not-quite crisp.
Do not be alarmed by the result! It’s not a pretty sight (but then neither is biltong or jerky made from raw meat!). The taste is a tangy treat! What a great idea! Keep sealed in an air-tight container, if you can resist eating them in one sitting!
Enjoy, Arohanui!
