KIWI博客

When it comes to dumplings, no one's fussy: fried, boiled or steamed; we wont(on) them all. We love them, you love them, is it possible to not love dumplings?

In Hong Kong, they often feature pork or prawns, but for the most part, they involve dough with vegetables along with a few other basic ingredients. It's the humble nature of dumplings that steals people’s hearts - so simple, so perfect. 

When buying dumplings to cook at home, things get a little trickier though. Suddenly the trust we have for the faithful dumpling diminishes. Whilst they're a tasty snack, how healthy are they? Where were they made? Do they contain msg, colours, preservatives and additives? Let your worries be put to rest...

Leanne's Dumplings use fresh, NZ sourced produce. 

They're what we called 'nude' dumplings, made without the use of msg, colouring, preservatives or any other additives - just fresh Kiwi goodness. 

They are a satisfying snack or part of a meal. Perfect for little ones too, with no spice and natural ingredients only.

Simply steam, pan fry or boil and serve with your favourite condiment. There are 6 flavours available, click here to see.

In New Zealand, Fish and Chips are a national treasure.

On any given Summer night, you are guaranteed to find a Kiwi family on the beach, huddled around a pile of a newspaper - they're enjoying fish and chips. While traditional Fish and Chips are battered and deep-fried, we've put our own healthy spin on the favourite that we think you will love!

Imagine a juicy portion of oven-baked salmon, accompanied by crispy homemade kumara (sweet potato) wedges and fresh salad.

This recipe is a favourite of ours, we can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

A healthy spin on a Kiwi Classic - Fish and Chips. 

Recipe Serves 4

Salmon

King Salmon Fillets – 1 per person (your little ones will only need half)

3 tbsp Lemon Juice

¼ cup Avocado Oil – We like the Garlic infused flavour

1 Lemon – sliced

1/2 Red Onion – thinly sliced into rings

Wedges

800g Kumara (Sweet Potato) – Regular potatoes can be used instead, try agria. 

¼ cup Avocado Oil

Salt

Salad

100g Baby Spinach

100g 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes – sliced in half

1/2 Red Onion – diced

80g Feta – Optional

Method

Preheat the oven to 180^oC, fan-bake. Line oven tray with baking paper. 

1. Cut kumara into chunky wedges and place on oven tray. Drizzle with oil and season with salt. Bake for around 35-40 minutes until the wedges are fluffy on the inside with a golden crispy outside.

2. While the wedges are baking, place the salmon fillets on individual pieces of oven foil. Rub the salmon fillets with the lemon juice and oil, then top with red onion rings and lemon slices. Wrap the fillets into tight packages and place alongside the wedges for the last 12-15 minutes of baking. The fish will flake when done. We like it slightly undercooked - check it after 12 minutes to see if it's cooked to your liking. 

3. Finally, prepare the salad by tossing the greens, cherry tomatoes, red onion and feta with a dressing of your choice (we like mixing a little dijon mustard, mayonnaise with avocado oil and lemon juice). 

Plate it all up and prepare to enjoy an explosion of fresh, nutritious and delicious flavours.

Don’t forget to let us know if you give this recipe a go and tag us on Instagram @eatthekiwi_hk or Facebook @eatthekiwi. We can’t wait to see your creations!

Image credit to olivemagazine.co.nz

 

Ingredients:
2 cups raw cashews
100g Medjool dates*
150ml Raglan Coconut Yoghurt (Lemon)
2/3 cup lemon juice (approx. 3 lemons)
20g lemon zest (approx. 3 lemons)
100g shredded coconut
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon of poppy seeds
a pinch of sea salt

*Note: If you can’t get your hands on Medjool dates, you can soak your dates for about an hour in warm water – this will soften them up so that they blend more easily.

Method

1. Grind the cashew nuts in a blender and set aside.
2. Remove the pits from the dates and combine with the lemon juice, coconut yoghurt and coconut oil in the food processor or blender. Blend until a creamy mixture is formed.
3. Transfer to a bowl and add the ground cashew nuts and sea salt.
4. Place the mixture in the fridge for an hour until firm. 
5. Using your hands, roll the mixture into about 20 balls. You’ll notice that this isn’t easy due to the fact that the mixture is quite soft. Try your best!
6. Roll the balls in grated coconut and lemon zest and sprinkle poppy seeds (poppy seeds optional). 

Store the balls in the fridge.

Recipe credit to our friends at Raglan Coconut Yoghurt. 

1. Slice each feijoa in half and scoop the flesh from inside using a teaspoon. Quickly place into a bowl of cold water with a squeeze of lemon juice - this helps to prevent them from going brown.
   
   
2. Slice feijoas into thirds or halves (depending on size - you want them to be equally sized so they cook evenly) and add to the simmering pot juice mixture. Simmer for 5-8 minutes or until fruit is just tender. It should still hold its shape.
   
   
3. Tip cooled fruit and liquid into a glass bowl, cover and refrigerate (it will keep for up to two weeks.
   
   
4. Serve with vanilla ice cream or over your breakfast cereal or porridge – they're delicious either hot or cold.

Spaghetti squash, also called vegetable spaghetti, noodle squash, and spaghetti marrow, is a unique vegetable that can make a funky substitute for pasta. 

When raw, the flesh is solid much like a pumpkin; but when cooked, the flesh falls away in strands, just like spaghetti!

If you've never cooked spaghetti squash before, rest assured it's actually very easy. The preparation and cooking method below will help you achieve perfectly al dente spaghetti squash strands. 

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).

1. Cutting of spaghetti squash requires special care, first dampen a tea towel with water, squeezing out the excess. Place flat on the bench and lie a chopping board on top, this will prevent the board from slipping. 

2. Using a large, sharp knife, place one hand on the squash to steady and place the point of the knife halfway down the centre of the squash. Bring the heel of the knife down slicing the squash completely through, bringing the knife down to the left or right of the stalk. Turn the squash around and repeat the process on the remaining half.

3. Scoop out the seeds and drizzle the inside of the squash with olive oil or avocado oil. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Place the spaghetti squash cut side down on a baking tray. Roast for 30 - 40 minutes or until the skin is lightly browned. It should be tender when prodded with a fork, but still a little firm. 

5. Remove from the oven and flip the squash over so it’s 'cut side' up. Once it's cool enough to the touch, use a fork to scrape the strands from the squash.

6. We'd recommend serving with your favourite bolognese sauce. 

Image credit to loveandlemons.com

ABOUT PONG'S CREEK

Deep in New Zealand's South Island, bound between the Pisa Mountains and the Clutha River, lies Pongs Creek. It is named after Pong Woo, a village in the Guangzhou province where many Chinese gold miners came from during the Central Otago gold rush in the 1870s. Pong's Creek's fresh and pristine glacial waters travel through the Robert family’s property giving their small cherry orchard life, the ability to thrive and of course, its name.

PRECIOUS METALS TO PRECIOUS FRUITS

From panning to picking, thePong’s Creek soils continue to be a source of wealth.

The spectacular but short-lived yield of gold served to open up the region to those who appreciated that the soils could yield much more than just a metallic harvest.

The soils, among other factors, now create the perfect environment for today’s red gold; World Class Cherries.

A PREMIUM CNY GIFT

Pong’s Creek Orchard was once a glacial bed. It now forms part of an extensive river terrace with of free draining healthy soils. The temperate climate, cold winters, short and intensely hot summers with low humidity create a paradise for cherries to flourish. They grow slow and have especially an high concentration of sugar, firm flesh and a rich red exterior. Pong's Creek Cherries are of premium, world class standard making them ideal for gifting.

 

CHINESE NEW YEAR GIFT BOX

The Pong's Creek Cherry season aligns with Chinese New Year. Our Pong's Creek Cherry Gift Box makes for a unique and special gift. The box is made from eco-friendly and food safe materials and contains insulated compartments to keep each and every cherry safe.

Each CNY Gift Box contains 18 x 32mm Premium Cherries.

Available again in Jan 2020. 

Each year, approximately 30,000 tonnes of fresh kiwifruit are rejected in New Zealand. Although this fruit is 100% pure, export-ready, stringently audited and EUREP Gap approved, it is a little short, a little odd, or a little wonky. Kiwi Bites believe every kiwifruit is beautiful, so they rescue the perfectly natural kiwifruit from local Kerikeri pack-houses and cool-stores.

The Kiwi Bites team capture the goodness of fresh kiwifruit by slicing & drying them over 16 hours at low temperatures to lock in and concentrate all the nutrients, enzymes and vitamins. A great way to get your 5+ a day!

By drying pure New Zealand kiwifruit, 1000kgs can become 100kgs, saving on land, storage space, refrigeration, shipping and carbon miles. Concentrating all the goodness of kiwifruit into small but mighty Kiwi Bites is a healthy solution for our communities and our environment.

Your Kiwi Bites snack is ready-to-eat in compostable packaging - waste not, want not – going all the way looking after ourselves and our planet.

The turkey is a classic Christmas feast centerpeice so, you want to do it justice. All too often Turkey is dry, overcooked and bland paired with an average stuffing. It's your responsibilty to put a stop to this, with such a low standard your starting in a great place to cook the best roast turkey you and anyone else has ever had (unless you are already very good at cooking turkeys then, well done). 

We've got a few tips that will help you acheive fame amoung your friends and family this festive season. It doesn't take any extra effort, just a little extra love and care. 

1. Brine. During brining, the turkey absorbs extra moisture, which in turn helps it stay more tender and juicy both during and after cooking. Since the turkey absorbs salt along with the water, it also gets nicely seasoned from the inside out. Great news, our Free-Range Turkeys are already brined so you can skip this step!

2. Defrost (properly).  Tip 2 is quite a handy for Hong Kongers with little to no freezer space. A 3.5kg -4kg turkey will take 2-3 days to defrost in the fridge (or a day on the bench). This seems simple step is of utmost importance. A fully defrosted turkey with cook evenly. But wait, there's more! A room temperature turkey, will cook even more evenly! So, if your own of the organized ones whose defrosted their turkey slowly in the fridge - let it sit on the bench for an hour before cooking.

3. Stuffing. It's best to stuff the turkey just before you po pinto the oven. Using fruit like fresh apple or apricot in your stuffing helps with extra juiciness! The apple will sweat putting extra moisture from the inside out. 

4.Upside down. Start cooking your turkey by placing it upside down in the roasting dish and covere with foil. With the breast facing down the internal fat will help to baste the breasts. After 1 hour, flip the bird over to colour the top side.

4. Don't overcook it. 
Tip 3 seems obvious but it's a tip that's often not given enough attention.
Brine the turkey, defrost the turkey, cook the turkey, watch the turkey, check the turkey, love the turkey, please don't forget about the turkey.

Turkey is lean, it's tendancy to dry out is high so, be on high alert. At 175degC. a 4kg turkey (once fully defrosted) will only take about 1 hour 45 minutes - 2 hours to cook through and upon resting it'll cook a little more. A good rule is 15 minutes per 500g. 

5. Rest. This final step could be said to be the most important of them all in your mission to cook a tender turkey. Think your turkeys ready but not sure and nervous about under cooking it and making everyone at your entire Christmas dinner sick and oh what a terrible event that would be and everyone would hate you forever?

It's ok, we've got you. 

With a sharp knife, pierce the point where it’s thigh meets it’s body, there should be no red blood. Note that, sometimes the meat close to the bone is darker and maybe slighgly bit pink – don’t worry,  the meat is safe to eat, take a breath its ok. Younger turkeys have more porous bones allowing red pigmentation (haemoglobin) to run into the meat. So, while mostly clear, the juices may have a slight pinkish tinge. After the test, take the turkey out of the oven, cover it with tinfoil and cover with a couple of tea towels to keep it warm. Let it rest for 20 minutes – it will continue cooking a little more, and the juices will reabsorb back into the meat keeping it nice and tender.

If you have any more turkey tips, or questions, be sure to get in touch - we love hearing from you. Pop us an email - hello@eatthekiwi.com or live chat us (press the green button in the bottom right hand corner. 

Super airy and fluffy, these souffle pancakes are the closest thing you'll get to eating clouds. This type of pancake is very popular in Japan, and more recently Hong Kong with the opening of Happy Pancake. With their popularity generally comes a long line, so follow this recipe to make them in your own home!

The ingredients are the same as regular pancakes, but the procedure is quite different. The secret to their height and soft texture is all in the eggs. To ensure maximum fluffiness, fresh eggs are best. That's why our FRENZ eggs are perfect - we fly them every week and deliver them directly to your door the next day.

What's even better is that they're Free-Range, Organic (and well priced). When you choose Frenz eggs, you’re choosing to join a growing number of people, like us, who believe our food is better the way nature intended. Caring for their genuinely free-range chickens is only the beginning of the story...

Let's get one thing out of the way - souffle pancakes definitely require extra time and effort, but after that first bite, you will know it was all worth it.  It's said these fluffy "Fuwa Fuwa" pancakes used to be served at weddings, and that this is where their name comes from. So, although not an everyday breakfast they're perfect for when you've got a little extra time on your hands or a special occasion. 


The traditional Japanese recipe doesn't contain baking powder, but we've found they're a little harder to make without this ingredients (unless you're a pro at making souffle and meringue). The baking powder helps to ensure they stay puffy and don't collapse when flipping. Here are a few extra tips to help you reach pancake perfection:

-  BEAT
You're looking for stiff peaks (you should be able to lift the bowl upside down above your head). If you're feeling this is a bit risky, you'll find that when you lift your whisk the egg whites should go straight up and the tip of the peak should gently fall. If you under-beat, the egg whites won't have enough air bubbles and the pancakes won’t be fluffy. The addition of vinegar and cornflour help to hold the whites together firmly, ensuring your pancakes stand tall. Ensuring your eggs are at room temperature will also help - they whip up a lot faster and with greater volume.

- BE GENTLE
When folding the batter and meringue, use soft and gentle movements. You need to keep as much air in the mixture as possible. Over mixing will knock out the air too so take it easy! 

- BE PREPARED
Pre-heat your griddle or pan in advance on a low heat - this will ensure even cooking. 

- BE PATIENT
Because of the height on these pancakes, they take a little extra time to cook. Adding a little water and covering them helps them to cook through. 

SOUFFLE PANCAKES WITH CINNAMON BUTTER AND BLUEBERRY SAUCE

Serves: 2 (makes 6 pancakes)

CINNAMON SUGAR BUTTER

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Using an electric beater, whip all ingredients together until light and fluffy and all sugar has dissolved. 

BLUEBERRY SAUCE

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen blueberries
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Method

1. Place blueberries, water, sugar, and lemon juice in a small pan. Cook it, stirring occasionally, in medium heat. Let it come to a boil.

2. Reduce to simmer for 10 minutes or until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

3. While blueberry sauce cooks, prepare pancake batter. 

SOUFFLE PANCAKES

Ingredients

• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 2/3 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch salt
• 1/3 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 egg whites
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 2/3 teaspoon cornflour
• 1/3 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/4 cup water

Method

1. Batter: In a large bowl, add yolk, sugar, milk and oil. Beat until well combined.

2. Sift in flour and baking soda, add salt and vanilla. Beat until thick and sticky. Set aside. 

3. Meringue: In a separate bowl, add egg whites and beat on low until white and foamy. Slowly add sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form and mixture is thick and glossy - about 5 minutes. Add cornflour and vinegar and beat for a further 30 seconds to combine. 

4. Add 1/3 of the meringue mixture to the batter. Use a spatula and gently fold to combine. Add next 1/3 of the meringue mixture, gently fold. Add final 1/3 of the meringue, gently fold to until combined. 

5. Lightly grease an electric griddle or large fry pan with vegetable oil, using a paper towel to spread evenly. Set on a low heat. 

6.  Using a large spoon, scoop pancake mixture into pan (aprox. 7cm in diameter). Add a second scoop on top after 30 seconds. Add a teaspoon of water to the pan and cover with a lid. Cook, covered for about 1 minute. Add a little more of the mixture on top and cover for 1 more minute.  

7. Gently flip the pancake, the surface should be lightly golden. Add a teaspoon of water to the pan and cover. Cook for 2 minutes. Once cooked, the pancake should be soft to touch and slightly wobbly when shaken. 

8.  Serve immediately with warm blueberry sauce and a scoop of cinnamon butter.

INGREDIENTS
1 kg Cloudy Bay Diamond Shell Clams
1 Red Onion
1 Red chilli (Thinly sliced)
3 Garlic cloves (finely sliced)
1 tsp Paprika
100ml White wine
70ml Olive oil
1 punnet Cherry tomatoes (halved)
Bunch of Basil (Torn)
2 Tbsp Chives (Finely chopped)
1 Lemon (Zest + juice)

METHOD

1. Place a heavy-based pot with a tight-fitting lid onto a Medium heat.
2. Add the olive oil, red onions, garlic, smoked paprika and chilli. Cook gently whilst stirring for 3 minutes. 
3. Add the white wine and bring to a boil.
4. Add the clams and cover. Let simmer for 3 minutes then remove lid to check. Remove any clams that have opened and place to one side whilst the rest continue to cook.
5. Once all claims are open, remove them from the pot and reduce liquid by ½. Add the cherry tomatoes, basil, chives, lemon juice and zest.
6. Add all the clams back to the pot and toss through the sauce. Taste and season if desired. 
7. Serve immediately with fresh bread to soak up the juices.

Recipe courtesy of Cloudy Bay Clams and Bradley Hornby of Arbour Dining, NZ.

 

Meatballs

• 1/2 brown onion (finely chopped)
• 650g button mushrooms (finely chopped)
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 1 tsp rosemary (chopped)
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme (chopped)
• 100g quick oats
• 1 tsp oregano (chopped)
• 1 tsp parsley (chopped)
• 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 6 tbsp water, leave to sit until it gels together)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 100g vegan breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• Pinch salt 

Coconut curry sauce

• 1/2 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup RCY yoghurt
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Fry the onion in a pan with a little coconut oil until softened. Add the mushrooms and cook until lightly browned. 
2. Add garlic, rosemary and thyme and cook for a minute then transfer mixture to a blender or food processor along with the oats. Blend until minced. 
3. Add in oregano, parsley, 'flax eggs', coconut oil, salt and the breadcrumbs and give it a quick blend, just until the mixture is well combined.
4.  Form the mushroom mixture into balls. Add a little coconut oil to a large fry pan on a medium heat. Fry mushroom 'meat' balls, turning regularly until they are nice and brown on all sides.
5. While the ‘meatballs’ are cooking... in a new saucepan begin the sauce by frying the onion and the garlic on a medium heat. Once softened, add the crushed tomatoes and stir. Simmer for 2 minutes until slightly thickened. Turn to medium/ low heat and add in the coconut yoghurt. Cook until it begins to bubble a little. Bring down the heat and add the curry powder, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper.
6. Once the sauce is made and the ‘meatballs’ have browned, either add together and let simmer. Serve the meatballs on rice, spaghetti or zucchini noodles. 
7. Serve while nice and hot : )

Kale chips are the perfect snack. Not only do they taste great but they're super healthy! This 'Queen of greens' is packed full of goodness. With more nutritional value than spinach, it’s debatably one of the healthiest and most nutritious foods. Did you know it has more iron than beef per gram! 

Kale can be a little intimidating with it's naturally tough texture and bitter taste. When given a little love though it'll become something you'll find yourself going back for seconds for. 

Our recipe for Kale chips is sure to become one of your favourites, we have no doubt your little ones will love this healthy snack too.

Unlike deep-fried potato chips, these are oven baked . This makes them a much healthier option! Rest assured, just like potato chips they've got an excellent crunch!

You can add flavouring too. We like keeping it simple by just adding a little salt. You can easily take them to the next level though by adding a sprinkling of balsamic vinegar. Try tossing in hot sauce before cooking or perhaps a dusting of garlic powder? If you make some kale chips, be sure to let us know! We love seeing your creations. 

INGREDIENTS
150g Curly Kale
1 tablespoon Olive oil or Avocado oil
1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 pinch sea salt

METHOD
Preheat oven to 175degC (350 Fahrenheit). Line a tray with baking paper.

1. Shred the leaves from the stalks of the kale. The stalk is very tough, you can discard this.

2. Roughly tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces (3-4cm) and pat dry with paper towels. Toss kale with oil and balsamic vinegar prepared baking tray. Season with just a pinch of flakey salt (they become thin and delicate, so go easy on the salt).

3. Lay on prepared baking tray in a single layer. Bake for 12-15 minutes until crispy! 

Their colour will become dark green and the edges a little brown – they nurn easily so be sure to keep an eye on them (burnt kale chips are bitter!). As soon as they seem done, whip them out!

Serve in a bowl, simple goodness, ready to eat.