Hands-on deliciousness
For some reason, food that you can pick up and eat with your fingers always tastes the best, says NZ House & Garden’s Sally Butters.
Grilled tandoori prawns on skewers
This is a perfect dish for a barbecue or party – you can marinate the prawns in advance and all you need to do on the day is grill them. The smell will make everyone ravenous!
12 banana prawns
5 tbsp plain unsweetened yoghurt 1 tsp lemon juice
1⁄2 tsp grated or minced garlic
1⁄2 tsp grated or minced ginger
1⁄8 tsp roasted and ground
cumin seed
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
leaves
3 tbsp tandoori masala*
1⁄2 tsp fine salt
25g butter
Lemon wedges for garnish
Use scissors to cut the back of each prawn so you can remove the vein without de-attaching the head and shell. Rinse under cold water and pat dry.
In a non-reactive bowl (such as glass), combine yoghurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, tandoori masala, and salt.
Add prawns and stir to coat with marinade mixture. Cover bowl and place in the fridge for at least
1 hour, but overnight is better.
Heat grill to about 200C. Thread prawns onto skewers (I insert just underneath the tail) and place on a lined baking tray. Scoop up any remaining marinade and put it on top of the prawns. Grill for 8 minutes or until cooked.
Take prawns from oven and dot with knobs of butter. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.
* Tandoori masala is available from Indian food stores. Some brands are more fiery than others. Try Mangal or Everest brand tandoori chicken masala.
Makes 12
Sachie’s five-spice chicken nibbles
Five-spice mixes vary a lot. Making it from scratch, using whole spices and grinding them, gives the best flavour. This recipe is the special blend of Sachie Nomura (of Auckland cook school fame – sachieskitchen.com). You will end up with more than is needed for the chicken but it keeps well in an airtight container. Sachie’s five-spice mix
1 tbsp ground star anise
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground fennel seeds
2 tsp ground sichuan peppercorns 1 tsp ground cloves
Chicken nibbles
1kg chicken wings or nibbles 20g grated or minced shallots 1 tsp grated or minced fresh
ginger
3 tbsp Japanese soy sauce 3 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine 3 tsp Sachie’s five-spice mix 2 tsp fine salt
1⁄4 tsp ground white pepper
For the five-spice: Combine fivespice ingredients. Store in an airtight container.
For the chicken: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Heat oven to 180C. Arrange chicken pieces in a lined dish and bake for about 20 minutes or until cooked though. Serve hot.
Cook’s tip: To make the spring onion garnish, cut the white part of a spring onion lengthways into fine julienne and soak in cold water with couple of ice cubes – they will curl up.
Serves 4
Ham, gruyere & mustard pull-apart bread
This delicious bread is still good the next day (if it lasts that long) – just warm it in a microwave. Using an electric mixer with a dough hook is the easiest – and least messy way – to handle the eggy dough.
3⁄4 cup milk
50g butter, chopped 3 tsp caster sugar 3 tsp active dry yeast 375g plain flour 1⁄4 tsp salt
2 eggs
250g ham, chopped into
small pieces
1⁄2 red onion, finely sliced
11⁄2 cups grated gruyere cheese
1⁄2 cup fresh sage leaves, chopped
1⁄4 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
Place milk and butter in a small saucepan and place over a low heat until the butter has melted. Take off heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
Add sugar and yeast to cooled milk and whisk to combine. Leave about 15 minutes or until the surface is foamy.
Place flour, salt, egg and yeast mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer with a dough hook attached and beat for 5 minutes or until mixture is smooth.
Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
While the dough is rising, prepare the remaining ingredients: chop the ham, slice the onion, grate the cheese and chop the sage. Combine the mayonnaise and mustard in a small bowl.
Roll out the dough onto a floured surface to a 30cm x 25cm rectangle.
Spread the mustard mixture over the dough then sprinkle over the ham, red onion, cheese and sage.
Roll up the dough, starting from the longest edge. Cut into 10-12 rounds and place into a lightly greased baking dish – we used a 30cm round dish but a rectangle or even a baking tray is fine.
Cover with plastic wrap and leave for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Heat oven to 200C.
Remove plastic and bake bread for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through and golden. Serve warm. Serves 6-8