Kai

Give it a Go!

Christine Te Kanawa ‘s recipe. The beauty with this recipe is the ease in which to prepare and cook and it can be eaten with Rewena or Fried Bread, or served alongside a delicious T-Bone Steak.

Preparation of Puha and/or Watercress Prepare Puha and/or Watercress (or choice of green leaves) immediately before use to maintain their freshness. Will need a large size bowl (in the least) to feed a family of 6. When cooked, Puha & Watercress shrink considerably – as do most green leaves. Watercress - Cut away & discard the bottom of the stems then wash the remaining stalks thoroughly, set aside. OR Puha - Cut the heads off the Puha, any flowers and the bottom of the stems. I like to leave as much stem on as possible to add more flavour. Rinse thoroughly several times and change the water with each rinse. I prefer to wash individual stems, but that will be dependant on how much Puha one is preparing. At a Hui (large gathering) sacks of Puha can be prepared in one go. Under running cool water place all cleaned Puha into the sink and rub together really well; this helps to take the bitterness out of the Puha. Repeat this 2-3 times, set aside. INGREDIENTS:

Butter (preferably salted butter)Watercress or Puha (as prepared above)

METHOD:

In a large Frying Pan melt the butter and add Watercress and/or Puha. Toss in butter until cress or puha is cooked through. Serve hot with bread or as an accompaniment to a main dish. Dipping ones buttered bread into the puha and eating it straight from the pan proves just how delicious & quick this dish is!

Roroi Kumara - Maori Pudding

The following is a recipe for a pudding which is perhaps the only original Maori pudding known. When the Roroi is cooked it is similar to steam pudding and can be served with cream or custard. When the Roroi is cold it may be sliced like bread and spread with butter.

INGREDIENTS: Kumara – 600gms Fresh from the garden Sugar - sufficient to sprinkle over kumara

METHOD: Preheat oven to 180c (350F) Wash the kumara thoroughly and grate. Place in a lightly greased shallow baking dish and sprinkle with sugar. Spread over the top of the grated kumara thick slices of kumara to prevent the mixture from hardening in the oven. Bake for one hour. Serve hot or cold as preferred.