If you don’t consider yourself a great condiment-maker, you could at least pause to consider the condiment as a magnificent concept. In Boustany: A celebration of vegetables from my Palestine, Sami Tamimi discusses Mooneh, or ‘pantry’ in Arabic—“preserving seasonal goods”, which “plays a significant role in maintaining the region’s cultural tradition”. Taking something fragile and making it last, to feed many mouths long after the emphemeral ingredients should be occupying the realm of memory; the condiment is both practical and beautiful. In the case of this Basal bil Sumac, it’s also monumentally quick—just chop some red onions, pour some water-diluted vinegar and salt over them, spike with sumac, and try not to watch the clock for an hour or so while the carmine cellular bitterness breaks down.

I saw a clip of an interview with the chef Fadi Kattan recently where he described sumac as “essential” to Palestinian cuisine; and you don’t need to get far into any cookbook from this country before meeting this glorious spice. Sumac provides a certain vigorous, fragrant near-sourness that, while having some echoes of lemon, truly stands alone.

In this recipe the sharpness of the onions is bled away by the salt and vinegar, providing a mellow backdrop for the sumac to come in and point it back up again. The acid reacts with the onion, making it even more vividly lipstick pink, but the sumac’s deep, dried-blood colour seems to help the visual proceedings.

Although you probably already know where you like pickled onions to appear, I must guide your hand towards flinging a few slices over:

• Toasted bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon—sharply enlivening the richness below
• Lentil soup or stew—the zing of the onions against the earthy pulses is spectacular
• Scrambled eggs
• A warmly spiced pilaf

And be not afraid to get your spoon into the pickling liquid too for a briny addition to salad dressings or a finishing spoonful here and there—it’s not so salty as to be off-putting and has a further complex pickle-onioniness of its own.

As I noted in the recipe, the only real alteration I made was to increase the quantities—these last exceptionally well in the fridge. It’s odd, I’m not someone who enjoys raw onion, finding it caustic to the throat, but the brining brings any unpleasantness to its knees swiftly, leaving behind only depth of flavour, sourness and crunch. I could, in all honesty, eat a small bowlful of this like a salad, it’s that de-fanged.

For more condiment consideration, I recommend this Hetty McKinnon Coconut Oat Chilli Crisp; this Roasted Plum Harissa, and this Vegan Gochujang Bokkeum. And if you need further prompting to pick up this wonderful cookbook, I recommend this Sha’aktoura and Silek ma’Basal, both from Boustany.

Also—hungryandfrozen.com recently celebrated its 18th birthday; which I missed completely. After frantically trying to come up with an ice cream flavour that encapsulated the entire journey so far, I panicked and decided to save it for the 20th birthday, which will come around at pace anyhow. Though I may try to do something to mark the occasion should I have time. Nonetheless, eighteen years is a significant commitment and I thank everyone who’s been here for any stage of it all.

And if I may, a reminder that my debut novel Hoods Landing will be published by Āporo Press on 31 October which is THIS MONTH; the launch parties will be that same day in Wellington and on 13 November in Auckland. If you’re not going to buy it at the launch, you can also, thrillingly, pre-order Hoods Landing worldwide and locally for delivery or pickup—tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell your therapist! Bring them along to get Hoods Landing signed at the launch parties! Find out more, which you probably already know, at my official author website. Having sighted an in-real-life copy, I can assure you it’s a beauty.

Basal bil Sumac (Sumac quick-pickled red onions)

Fantastically fast and versatile. Unsurprisingly, these just taste better as time goes by, with a gentle tanginess from the sumac. As always, before going shopping for these or any ingredients, I recommend checking out the Boycott Aotearoa zines so you know which brands to avoid. Recipe adapted barely from Sami Tamimi’s cookbook Boustany—I increased the quantities somewhat, with no regrets.

• 500g red onions—this is about four medium-sized
• 1 heaped tablespoon sumac
• 150ml apple cider vinegar
• 150ml water
• 1 tablespoon salt (I used Himalayan pink salt)
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

1: Grab a large sealed jar—I used one of those ones with a lid that clamps shut with a clip—and make sure it’s very clean and dry. Peel your 500g red onions, cut them in half, and then finely slice into half-moons, as thin as you can manage. As you can see, I did not manage very well.

2: Pack the sliced onions into the jar and pour in the heaped tablespoon of sumac.

3: Whisk the 150ml each apple cider vinegar and water, the tablespoon of salt, and three tablespoons of lemon juice until the salt is dissolved, then pour into the jar. Press down on the onion slices with the back of a spoon to further submerge them.

4: Close the lid on the jar, give it a swirl to move the sumac around, and refrigerate. You should wait a day, but they taste pretty good after even just half an hour.

You’re advised to store them for up to three weeks but I’ll be leaving them in the fridge indefinitely until I get through it all—which I can’t imagine will take much longer than that.

Note: If, due to the shape of your jar or whatever, the liquid doesn’t quite submerge the onions, simply mix another 50ml each water and apple cider vinegar and pour it over. If that’s still not enough then repeat, and add a little more salt.

music lately:

No Stars by Rebekah Del Rio from the third season of Twin Peaks, so moving it practically makes your bones commit an act of Pangea. Truly gone too soon.

Untitled by D’Angelo, another legend gone. This was the first song of his I heard—and saw—it’s mesmerising. The simplicity of the “how does it feel” and the way it bends, builds, provides so much drama without ever compromising on speed or control. A modern masterpiece.

Bullet Proof Cupid by Girls Against Boys. Sinister and droning, that’s the ticket!

PS: Feeling hopeless is a luxury that serves no one but those perpetrating the hopelessness. Despite the ceasefire announcement, families in Palestine need us now more than ever. You can donate to ReliefAid’s Gaza Appeal, who are connected with teams on the ground in Gaza; you can donate to Convoys of Good, another registered NZ charity distributing aid. As I’ve already mentioned, you can also demonstrate your control and power through the absence of your dollars. Boycott Zine Aotearoa has helpfully put together two comprehensive free zines so you can quickly see who to studiously avoid when buying food, drinks, household items and beauty products.