U'ng Zao pork

U’ng zao (red lees or ang chao in Hokkein) is veritable red gold for any Foochow cook. U’ng zao is the sediment from making u’ng jiu, Foochow red wine. It is the seminal ingredient in the famous Foochow dish, zao cai hoon ngan (rice noodle with mustard green pickled in red lees), and also gives a very unique flavour to savoury dishes. The red lees is sweet, a little tangy and quite alcoholic, like the wine. U’ng zao can keep for many months in the fridge; a little goes a long way.

I guard my supply of u’ng zao jealously, though Mum now has a friend who makes these and she brings yearly supplies from Christchurch (a.k.a. the Foochow capital of NZ). I typically use u’ng zao to marinate pork belly or chicken before roasting.

The colour of u’ng zao is simply stunning, - vivid crimson, which this dish displays in all its glory. I grew up with this dish, but surprisingly, had never cooked it. A quick phone call home put an end to that.

Peach and pistachio crumble

Don’t you hate it when a simple dessert, hurriedly put together, trumps the main dish you slaved over? So do I, but at the very least, your guests leave mightily impressed (until they read this).

This crumble is superbly easy, and goes into the oven just as you are sitting down to the main course. The original recipe came from Nigel Slater’s Tender Volume II; I reduced the quantity and replaced the apricots with peaches (which I had in the pantry). I think this would be delicious with any canned fruit. I also used a food processor, which took the prep time down to around 10 minutes.

Blossom Court, Panmure, Auckland

Good things happen in threes. Blossom Court (135 Queens Road, Panmure, Ph: 09 – 527 7022) makes up the trifecta of Malaysian restaurants in Panmure along with Kopitiam at 139 Queens Rd and Sri Puteri’s at 59 Queens Rd. Blossom Court opened its doors a few months ago, and has quickly become a favoured lunch spot.

The menus of the three restaurants overlap significantly, and each kitchen has its strengths. With a menu this extensive (there are over 100 choices), trying to decide can test your mettle, so bring a group and try a bit of everything. The staff are happy to oblige with small bowls and extra cutlery. 

Fried bean curd ($8) is a mound of crispy tofu cubes drizzled with sweet chilli sauce and topped with julienned cooling cucumber and crumbed peanuts and sesame seeds. Just the dish to whet your appetite.

Banana pikelets

I was surprised how easy it was to make pikelets; there really is no reason is buy those limp, bland-tasting supermarket versions. These freeze amazingly well, and you can reheat them in the toaster or microwave whenever the craving hits you.

The recipe came from Cath, my manager, who got it from the Rally Cookbook (Every Boys and Every Girls Rallies). This is the perfect way to use up that last banana that has gotten just a bit too soft for the lunchbox. Luckily, I always have a stash of bananas in the freezer; I never manage to get to the last of the bunch before they over ripen.

NZ Food Bloggers Conference 2011

The New Zealand Food Bloggers Association’s inaugural conference took place at The Tasting Shed in Kumeu on the 12th November. 26 food bloggers from around NZ came together under the auspice of Alli Pirrie-Mawer (peasepudding.wordpress.com) to mull over food, writing, photography, and commentary over what makes us pursue this time-consuming, sanity-sapping, low-paying (and that’s for the lucky few who actually derive an income from this) craft.

Vietnam Café, Otahuhu, Auckland

There’s something about the fresh, honest taste of Vietnamese food that I crave on a regular basis. The flavours are simple, but so aromatic. 

Vietnam Cafe (38 Atkinson Ave, Otahuhu, Ph: 09 – 276 9014) was recommended by a staff at the Vietnamese grocer up the road, always a good sign. There is a cluster of Vietnamese restaurants in Otahuhu, and competition in proximity always makes for a better standard of food. The decor is a different matter altogether, the look is 80's canteen charm, with unnerving mirror panels lining the back wall.

Roast salmon with fennel, parsley and cherry tomatoes

After my previous cooking madness, I was more than ready to get back into my hacking stride. I had offered to cook dinner for my family (which includes some little people, - meaning I had to cook food that kids will happily eat) plus I wanted to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible.

You really couldn’t get easier than this dish. It looks great, takes hardly any time to prepare and tastes fantastic. Roasted fennel's herbaceous aromatics lifts the silky salmon flesh. If that wasn’t lazy enough, I served this straight from the roasting pan. This recipe is adapted from Jamie Oliver’s Cook with Jamie cookbook, and I’ve made it even simpler. The original recipe uses a whole salmon, but salmon fillet is easier to find, and serve up. Whole fish is surprisingly difficult to obtain in my necks of the woods.

Barbecued lamb on Le Puy lentil purée with garlic aioli, pickled red cabbage and hazelnut beignets

Try saying that three times quickly. Seriously, this dish is even more delicious than it sounds. This was the second dish chef Michael Van de Elzen demonstrated from his Molten cookbook during the Molten cooking demonstration at Nosh Mt Eden. The first was a potato tart with pickled fennel, green apple, sheep’s feta and wild rocket (and my version).

Tasting  at the Molten demo

Michael states that this recipe takes 80 minutes to prep and cook (not withstanding marinating the lamb). I beg to differ; it took me the better part of 2 ½ hours, true, I did have to repeat a couple of recipes, but do give yourself plenty of time. One big, no, make that huge lesson, - mise en place is crucial, weigh everything out beforehand. This will greatly reduce the cussing... 

This dish deviates from my 'hack-ish' mantra, but it does show how you can absolutely serve fine-dining style meals at home by prepping in advance. When your guests arrive, all you have to do is grill the lamb. While the lamb is resting, you can start plating.

And of course, this dish is visually stunning, and tastes wonderful. The tender lamb with the hint of citrus and garlic against the creamy lentil purée with the sweet, tangy crunch red cabbage pickle and the nutty beignet. You're getting the whole gamut of tastes and flavours.

Potato tart with pickled fennel, green apple, sheep’s feta and wild rocket

Molten (422 Mt Eden Rd, Auckland, Ph: 09 – 6387236) is an award-winning neighbourhood restaurant nestled in quaint Mt Eden village. Michael Van de Elzen, the chef of Molten is also known as the star of the TV series, The Food Truck, where he deconstructs common fast food to come up with their healthy and tasty reincarnations.

Recently, Michael released the Molten cookbook where recipes from the kitchen of Molten which have been modified to suit a home kitchen, and shows you how to create a fine dining experience to wow your guests.

The tasting at the Molten demo