Teff Polenta With Toasted Hazelnut Oil Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should teff be soaked before cooking? ›

Soaking your Teff helps convert the phytic acid naturally occurring in all grains, nuts and seeds into phosphate. Phosphate is a mineral crucial to metabolism. If you've got slow digestion and other gut health issues releasing phosphate into your gut is super important.

Food: Hazelnut oil has a decadent flavor and heart-healthy fat profile that can't be beat in the kitchen. It is super versatile, and can be used anywhere you would use olive oil (roasting, baking, dressings, etc.), but with a 30° higher smoke point that allows you to safely sauté without releasing free radicals.

Dry fry teff in a pan for five minutes and then soak in boiling water for five minutes (uncovered) for a slightly crunchy texture that makes a nice topping for vegetables, soups or stews. Cook 1 cup of teff in 3 cups of water for 20 minutes for a creamier texture.

Teff is available as flour for baking or as a whole grain. In its whole grain form, it can have a gritty texture. It's useful in recipes that require chunky ingredients such as nuts or oats, or it's especially tasty in recipes requiring chocolate.

Because of teff's high fiber content, it helps regulate the digestive system — working to naturally relieve constipation, bloating, cramping and other gastrointestinal issues.

Hazelnut oil, sometimes known as hazelnut seed oil, is a fragrant gourmet oil made from roasted and pressed hazelnut kernels. It can be used to add an intense, nutty flavour to dressings and baking, and also works well in hair and skincare products, thanks to its high vitamin E content.

Laurel Oregon Hazelnut Oil leads the pack in quantity of monounsaturated fat, has more polyunsaturated fat than olive oil, and has one of the lowest quantities of saturated fat of all cooking oils. Why do these fats matter? A diet high in saturated fat is linked to heart disease, stroke, and high LDL cholesterol.

Compared to other cooking oils, hazelnut oil has really strong good fats, creating a healthy cooking oil alternative. It has been scientifically proven that a balanced intake of omega 3 and 6 along with a high level of omega 9 reduce the risk of cardiovascular related disease.

Teff accounts for about two-third of the daily protein intake in the Ethiopian diet and is mainly used for making different kinds of enjera (pancake-like flat bread), porridge and feed. Enjera is eaten in most households but it can require up to three days for the teff flour to ferment.

How do you know when teff is done? ›

Since teff is packed with nutrients, this might be a safe and more nutritious option to add to your diet. Teff is high in dietary fiber, with high levels of insoluble fiber in particular. This type of fiber stays mostly undigested in your gut. This causes your stool to bulk up and can help with regular bowel movements.

Fitness: Teff is a great source of protein, which supports lean muscle mass. Copper, found in teff, also helps relieve muscle and joint pain while also minimizing inflammation.

Teff has a low glycaemic index. This is thanks to its high-quality protein and fibre content, which ensures energy is released into the bloodstream slowly, preventing spikes in glucose. That helps maintain steady blood sugar levels, and as such teff is good for controlling and preventing type 2 diabetes.

Teff is well known by Ethiopians and Eritreans for its superior nutritional quality. It contains 11% protein, 80% complex carbohydrate and 3% fat. It is an excellent source of essential amino acids, especially lysine, the amino acid that is most often deficient in grain foods.

While teff has lots of good nutrients, it also has a lot of phytic acid. This is a plant chemical that can bind to its nutrients and stop you from absorbing them. Fermenting teff can help lower some of the phytic acid.

Soaking is not necessary but it does appear to make it easier to digest and breaks down the phytic acid that blocks absorption of some nutrients. See this article from Food and Nutrition Magazine for more information.

Many of the bigger/tougher ones — barley, rice, farro and the like — will start to ferment and/or sprout long before they are tender enough to eat raw, so those require cooking. As it happens, there's plenty of evidence that pre-soaking improves the digestibility and cooking of whole grains.

After emergence, teff is irrigated similar to any other grass crop. Teff is drought tolerant, but highest yields and quality are achieved with plenty of water. The amount of water required per cutting depends on irrigation method and location, but Utah farmers report an average usage of 6 to 12 inches.