The Azolla Cooking and Cultivation Project at Halinkonlahti Green Art (2011)

[Installation at Salo Art Museum 2011. Photo: Erik Sjödin.]

For the Halinkonlahti Green Art exhibition at Salo Art Museum the gardener Tiia Paju cultivated Azolla during the summer. The Azolla was harvested and frozen, and eventually used during the exhibitions opening weekend in September for an “open kitchen” where people could drop in and experiment with cooking Azolla-food.

[Azolla Pancakes and Azolla Balls. Photos: Erik Sjödin]

AZOLLA PANCAKES

100 grams fresh or frozen Azolla
1 egg (preferably a duck egg)
4 deciliter milk (preferably soy milk)
1/2 teaspon salt Oil

1. Mix the pancake batter and let it swell for a while.
2. Rinse and fry the Azolla, chop it up and stir it into the batter.
3. Bake thin pancakes in a frying pan.

AZOLLA BALLS AND AZOLLA BURGERS

100 grams fresh or frozen Azolla
Breadcrumbs
Salt, pepper
Oil

1. Rinse the Azolla and fry it in a pan.
2. Chop the fried Azolla and mix it with the spices.
3. Add breadcrumbs until it is possible to form balls or burgers of the mince.
4. Fry the balls or burgers in vegetable oil.

The balls or burgers are preferably served with rice noodles or rice.
Fresh herbs and spices can be used to improve the taste.