Category Archives: Carbohydrates

Tsampa – Tibetian Porrigde

tsampa

Feeling experimental for breakfast? Try making some tsampa!

This roasted, ground barley porridge is tasty, filling and can be eaten sweet or savoury. You start by soaking and rinsing the barley grains. Then you dry them on a cloth or in the oven. Now roasting it in a fry pan (without oil) is the fun part, it just smells great. Once the air is all nutty and the barley slightly roasted it is ready to be ground. I use a coffee grinder and it is rather coarse. The tsampa you can buy in health food shops is very fine however I like the coarseness. Now the traditional way is to have tsampa with black tea, butter and some salt. I prefer it with hot water & fruit or olive oil & herbs like rosemary or thyme. It really depends on what I feel like or have around the house.

This is also a great food to take camping – nutritiousness, filling and tasty. Tibetans take it up the mountains when hiking and more often than just for breakfast. Here are some great thoughts on the art of eating tsampa http://tsampa.org/tibetan/tsampa/theory_and_practice/

Enjoy your journey to Tibet in your own kitchen!