Author Archives: Helen Jackson

Be Part of the Inaugural Oustanding NZ Food Producers Dinner Series

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We’re thrilled the first winner dinner is at La Pancetta, the restaurant of Wairarapa’s charcuterie specialist Rachel Priestley, winner of the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards Paddock Crafted for her Spicy Sicilian Sausage.

Not only is Rachel the ‘queen of charcuterie’ she is also chef/owner at Greytown restaurant, La Pancetta and our host for the first Outstanding NZ Food Producer Dinner on Friday 21 July 2017.

Rachel aka The Prodigal Daughter, makes fresh salsiccia (sausage) and cures whole cuts for Pancetta, Prosciutto, Coppa and Bresaola. In April The Prodigal Daughter Spicy Sicilian Sausage was awarded Paddock Crafted Winner in the inaugural Outstanding Food Producer Awards. The Prodigal Daughter’s Spicy Sicilian Sausage uses free range Longbush pork coarse-cut and enhanced with back fat spiced with cumin, coriander, chilli and paprika – Rachel’s promising it will feature on the dinner menu. We’re hoping we can twist her arm and encourage her to serve The Prodigal Daughter Coppa and Bresaola. which were also finalists.

Rachel’s cooking philosophy is using quality, organic local ingredients and she is planning a menu which celebrates the Wairarapa and its surrounds. Expect to enjoy produce from The Prodigal Daughter, The Clareville Bakery and winners produce such as Absolute NZ Meat, Jersey Girl Organic Milk, Paneton Bakery, Whitestone Cheese, Fix & Fogg and more.
6PM for 6.30PM Friday 21 July
La Pancetta, Wakelin House, 123 Main Street Greytown
$110 for four courses matched with Ara wines

Lovely Faces of Vietnam

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Vietnam is a land of fabulous food, beautiful flowers and lovely people.
I don’t pretend to be a photographer but I couldn’t help but try to capture some of the faces we saw along the way.
I love the man with the cigarette who quickly had to extinguish his fag and then roll up the brim of his hat so I could see his face better.

This gorgeous lady was working hard harvesting rice in the fields outside Hoi An.

 

 

Photo one and two at the request of the model!

This little poppet is so sweet. I am sending a copy of her photo to our tour guide in the hope that he can pass it on to her parents in the cafe that they work in.


This lovely fellow is watering his crops in an organic garden on the outskirts of Hoi An.
There are acres of vegetables grown on small allotments.

 

Street Food Hanoi Style

Essential Asian Ingredients

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The flavours of SE Asia are popular and many of us like to cook Thai, Vietnamese etc… at home yet don’t have the space or inclination to buy loads of extra ingredients.

What essential ingredients do you need to get by and where do you find them?

Here is our simple list of essential Asian ingredients, how does this compare to yours?

PANTRY

Tamari Soy Sauce – good flavour and perfect for dipping sushi, also generally gluten free.
Rice Wine – Predominantly used in Chinese cooking and is usually found in master stocks where meat is poached in a liquid that is then reused.
Fragrant Fried Chicken
4 1/2 Cup Chicken
Sticky Asian Oxtail

Rice Wine Vinegar – Used in dipping sauces and dressings this vinegar is much milder than most other vinegars.
Sesame Soy Dressing
Soba Noodle and Salmon Salad
Asian Slaw

Sesame Oil – Generally used in conjunction with other oils sesame oil has a rich strong sesame flavour and is generally used sparingly.
Aromatic Salmon
Sesame Chicken Salad

Fish Sauce – An essential ingredient, fish sauce is made from fermented fish and salt.  It doesn’t need refrigeration (even after opening) and is used as both a condiment and ingredient.

Srirachi Chilli Sauce – Fiercely hot and totally addictive.  As well as being a great condiment for Asian recipes try a few dots on your bacon and eggs….

Neutral flavoured oil e.g rice bran,  canola – Oil is needed for frying and also dressings.

Coconut Milk –  Much thinner than coconut cream, coconut milk is great for curries and also poaching chicken or fish.  We use Kara brand due to the fact that it has a consistent texture and good colour.
Chicken Poached in Coconut and Lime

Coconut Cream – Thick and creamy, coconut cream can be used along with coconut milk in curries.  Once again my preference is Kara brand.

Peanuts – great for satays or for providing texture to stir-fries and salads.

Cashew Nuts – Add texture to stir-fries and salads.

Coconut – Toasted coconut provides flavour and texture

Sesame Seeds –  Often used to coat chicken or sprinkled over stir-fries.

Crisp fried Shallots/Onion – These may have to be bought at an Asian supermarket.  They are packaged in sealed bags or plastic jars and are used for adding crunch and flavour.  Sprinkle over curries, stir-fries, soups and salads.

Jasmine Rice

Noodles

Ground Cumin
Ground Coriander
Dried Chilli Flakes
Ground Turmeric
Sri Lankan Fish Curry

Whole Star Anise
Chinese Five Spice

Garlic
Shallots – A more gentle flavour than regular brown onions, shallots are ideal of SE Asian recipes but if none then use red onion.

FREEZER

Lemongrass – Buy frozen at Asian supermarkets and store in the freezer simply breaking off pieces as needed.  Pre- chopped frozen lemongrass is also often available.

Root Ginger – just grate straight from the freezer.  No need to remove skin.

Galangal – Difficult to substitute, galangal looks like ginger but actually has a peppery flavour that is also sour.
Thai Chicken and Coconut Soup
Fish Amok

 

Turmeric – More fragrant and flavoursome than dried turmeric.  Buy this when you see it and store in a sealed plastic bag in the freezer.

Small Red Chillies – forever useful but not always available so just buy when you see them and freeze in a resealable plastic bag.

Kaffir Lime Leaves – Providing a lovely citrus aroma and flavour to dishes without the acidity usually associated with citrus.  Those in mild areas can easily grow trees while others can store leaves in the freezer for use over the winter months.

GARDEN

 

 

 

Coriander – Easily grown in most of NZ but season dependent.  Grocery stores usually have this all year round.
Basil – Thai basil is great but you can also use sweet basil.
Mint – English mint is used in Vietnamese cooking as is, of course, Vietnamese mint.
Limes – Juice is indispensable.  Freeze some for the summer months when limes are not typically fruiting.
Lemons 
Lemongrass (or in the freezer) – A mild climate is needed for growing lemongrass, so is vigilant watering.
Kaffir Lime Leaves (or in freezer) – In warmer areas kaffir lime trees flourish.

Have I missed anything obvious that you think is essential for SE Asian cooking?

 

May 2017

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Having just hosted a tour to Vietnam I feel inspired to add more Vietnamese dishes to our usual repertoire and realise that my little herb garden needs to at least double in size.
Fresh herbs are an integral part of meals and are used by the handful, fresh and delicious.
We will have some new recipes published as soon as I can pin down Liz for a day of photography.
Our trip was loads of fun, we had an amazing group and I am now in the process of deciding where to next year.  Mexico is looking likely and if you have any interest in looking at this then please do email me and I will be sure to keep you posted.
Happy Cooking!

How to Make Vietnamese Pancakes – Banh Xeo

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After a few weeks of travelling Vietname enjoying light and crispy Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Pancakes) stuffed with masses of herbs, salad leaves, sprouts, prawns, crisp dried onions, a dash of fish and hot chilli sauces, my meals at home don’t have quite the same appeal.
For those who love fragrant, textured and great flavoured dishes then Vietnamese food is sure to be for you and Banh Xeo is a fabulous way to start or end the day.  These delicious wraps can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack in between.

Pancakes are of course universally popular but what sets these apart from others is their crispness (not so crisp that they can’t be folded), and a thin, light texture.

Mrs Mười Xiềm is one of the most famous Ban Xeo makers in Vietnam. From Cần Thơ, she has been making her pancakes for over 50 years and was skyrocketed to  fame after being invited to cook at a festival in the USA.  Since then tourists have flocked to her small humble cafe and the walls boast photos of both her and the celebrities that have eaten there.  Subsequently, the Muroi Xiem name has grown into a Ban Xeo restaurant chain.  There is some debate about whether Muoi Xiem herself is involved in the restaurant chain or whether she sold out her name. Thankfully we ate at the original, with her and her family, so know that what we ate is the recipe she approves of.

What you eat in your Banh Xeo depends on where in Vietnam you are, the time of year and also personal preference as sometimes you get to construct your own.

Skillfully wrapped and eaten by hand, sometimes the pancake comes with rice paper to wrap around the outside, some use large leaves and the rest of us do our best just to manage to wrap and eat without spilling.  :)

Banh Xeo are simple to make at home.  Some recipes found online will have the addition of an egg yet in my experimenting I think the best texture is achieved just from using rice flour, coconut milk, water and turmeric.  The egg makes a spongier pancake without the crispness that is so important.

In terms of filling, this, of course, is completely personal.  I overload mine with herbs and leaves and just a scattering of prawns whereas the kids in our house prefer meat with chopped cucumber and a few herbs.

Banh Xeo – Serves 4-5

1 1/2 cups rice flour
2 tablespoons cornflour
400ml can coconut milk
1 1/2 cups chilled water
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until smooth.
Set aside to rest for at least 2 hours.

Heat a wok or large frying pan over a medium heat and drizzle with a little oil.
Pour in approximately 1/3 cup batter and very quickly swirl the pan to distribute the batter as thin as possible.  Little holes in the batter are just fine.
Cook until crisp on one side and then turn and cook the other side.
Fill and fold or roll into parcels.  Some pancakes will be too crisp to roll but should be able to be folded.

Filling Options

Chopped barbecued pork (I buy this from an Asian bbq shop)
and/or Cooked prawns
and/or Grilled chicken strips – not necessarily traditional but my kids like this.

mung sprouts
mint leaves
coriander leaves
basil leaves (preferably Thai basil but can use sweet basil)
salad leaves
sliced spring onion
sliced red onion

roasted peanuts
crisp fried onions

Dressing

1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon Vietnamese fish sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 small red chilli, seeds removed and finely sliced

Marshmallow Easter Eggs

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These Easter Eggs are fabulous, the texture of the marshmallow is soft and luscious and they are truly easy to make.
In our house they are more popular than store bought eggs.
You can make them as halves and then seal them together with melted chocolate once set but we are happy with them as is.

You will also need around 8 cups of flour to create the bed for the moulds and 1 egg to   make the indents in the flour.  The flour is not wasted, you just return it to the container afterwards.

Take them Food!

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6 weeks ago today (and counting) I had a fall outside at home (on wet concrete) which resulted in a gash to my head, elbow and also concussion.
For an A-type personality that is used to organising work, family and charity, the ongoing motion sickness type nausea and brain fog completely threw me as did the inability to look at technology screens for more than a few minutes.
In those first weeks (and even sometimes now) the challenge for Ed to cope with his day job plus managing kids AND putting a meal on the table each night was huge and it gave me a very real awareness of how absolutely AMAZING gifts of food are.

Forget the flowers but a lasagne would be fantastic!

Friends want to help but maybe the thought of cooking a meal for someone else (particularly someone who works in food) could be intimidating, yet for us on the receiving end a gifted meal is the best thing ever.

To the friends who delivered chicken pie, pasta bake, soup and slices, I truly could have smothered them with hugs and I am not a particularly huggy type of person.
I know that sometimes people worry about being invasive but I would say please don’t.  Even if you don’t want to engage in conversation then leave something at the door and text to say it is there.

For those that prefer not to cook yet want to be helpful then you can always look at places that make good quality meals to go that are able to be reheated at home.

This list is just a start of places that make quality meals to go.  I would love to hear some of your suggestions as well.

National
Angel Delivery Courier delivered meals to most places excluding RD addresses.
feedback from my friend Jeanette “it was literally as good if not better than homemade”.

Eat.co.nz  Simple honest fare that is great for sending to those recuperating or perhaps elderly family members that need some help with meals.

Primal Kitchen  With a focus on meals high in protein, fat and low in carbohydrates, Primal kitchen deliver around NZ.

North island

Feed Me Each Thursday the menu for the following week is posted.  Orders can be couriered throughout the north island with the exception of RD addresses.

Auckland

The Casual Foodie (Birkenhead), pick up or delivery.  This comes highly recommended and the menu selection looks delicious.

Ripe Deli (Ponsonby) is famous for its frozen fare in double or family sized servings.

Gingerbirds (Dominion Rd, Mt Eden).  A fabulous range of takeout meals in single, double or family sized servings.

Jess’ Underground Kitchen Jervois Rd.  Jess’ food is fast growing in popularity and her meals to go are receiving rave reviews.

Cook’s Night Off Food made with love is the byline and the love is certainly shared.  Every meal you buy provides a meal for a person in need through the Auckland City Mission.
Menu changes weekly, delivery covers the Auckland area.

Hawkes Bay 

Mylk Napier and Hastings.  Fresh and healthy salads, apparently the best lasagne, menu varies from week to week.

Wellington

 

Christchurch

Richards Real Kitchen.  If you have wondered where Richard Till has gone, he is busy cooking ready made meals from his kitchen in Christchurch.  There are several pick up locations available.

Traiteur (Merivale). One of the fabulous things about Traiteur is that you can customise your meals to suit.  Pick the protein and match with your preferred vegetables.
Menu varies from week to week and is healthy and delicious.

Wanaka

Fedeli Tucked in alongside popular cafe Federal Diner, Fedeli is the perfect place to pick up full flavoured meals such as Moroccan lamb, chicken curry etc… for nights when you just don’t want to cook.

Florences Foodstore and Cafe  Florences is well known for its cafe food but also has frozen meals to go. Coq au vin and Lamb tagine to name but a few.

Quick and Easy Courgette Noodles with Pesto Chicken

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This dish is light, satisfying and super healthy.
I am a late starter to spiralising but now that I have started I completely see what others like about it.  Great for those wanting to lower their carb intake but still enjoy meals that typically would have had pasta or rice bases.