KIWI博客

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.

• 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 

• 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. 

This black garlic butter is so easy to whip up! It's delicious generously slathered on warm fresh bread but can be used in place of regular butter to jazz up recipes too. 

Basically, make a lot and use it regularly. It'll keep in the fridge for as long as regular butter would but we challenge you to keep it there for that long. No doubt you'll find yourself reaching for it whenever possible. 

The taste is intense, slightly resembling marmite. It's a little bit liquoricish and finishes sweet. If you think it needs more salt, go for it!

The recipe is simple, the ingredient list short and you can make as much as you'd like. Just use 14 cloves of garlic to every 100g of butter.

We've used our Lewis Road Butter with Sea Salt and our Marlborough Garlic Noir. You'll also need a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and some salt (we've used sea salt flakes). 

1. In a small sauce pan add a drizzle of olive oil and black garlic. 
2. Cook on low for 2-3 minutes to soften the garlic. This helps it to emulsify with the butter. 
3. In a bowl add butter and garlic (leave the oil behind though). Mix together using a food processor or a handheld beater. Add salt to taste. 

Try it on sweet corn, roast baby carrots or use it to make garlic bread. You could also try rubbing it under the skin before roasting chicken or use to baste steak too. If you make this Black Garlic butter let us know how you use it! Pop us an email or tag us on instagram @eatthekiwi 

Enjoy!

Kiwi Summers are sweet as. It's all about relaxing, taking time off work for BBQS, spending extra time at the beach and just generally enjoying the great outdoors. Everyones especially laid back and there are tonnes of simple pleasures to enjoy from the company of friends and family to the fruits (and vegetables) that the sun brings with it. 

Some you love, some you hate. There are classics, while others are a little weird or somewhat familiar. They come in many forms but one things for sure, NZ soils are magic and produce some darn tasty goods, especially in Summer. 

This week there are a few new fresh products joining our basket of Kiwi goodness. Check them out below. 

THE CONTROVERSIAL.

The most controversial vegetable of them all is now in season. These miniature cabbages are packed with goodness and when cooked right, can taste pretty darn good. If you're not so sure about Brussel Sprouts, check out our Instagram story! Maybe we can sway you over to the green side. 

THE UNKNOWN. 

This is a Kiwano. It's also known as a Horned Melon, isn't it glorious. Despite looking like something from space, the Kiwano is grown in NZ. It has a subtle taste resembling cucumber and kiwi fruit and a jelly like texture. They're great for garnishing exotic drinks and making salads a little fancy. 

THE FAMILIAR.

Just like a kiwi fruit, only tiny and furless! These are Kiwi Berries and they've just come into season. Bite sized poppers packed full of kiwi goodness, literally. They won't be around for long so treat yo' self while you can. 

If you use any of these fruity delights be sure to share with us how you're using them! Whether its in a cooked creation or your enjoying as is, we'd love to see what you create, just #eatthekiwi to show us how you eat the kiwi. 

Kiwi Berry photo credit to: Champagne & Paper Planes (whose written an excellent mini guide on Kiwi Berries, check it out!)

Shop our delicious range of sustainable, organic vegetables in Hong Kong with online delivery of all groceries available countrywide!

VENISON
~400g venison tenderloin (at room temperature)
1 tbs butter

CHOCOLATE RED WINE SAUCE
2 x shallots (roughly chopped)
2 x garlic cloves (roughly crushed with back of knife)
1 tbs black pepper corns (crushed, the bottom of a pot works well)
2 x fresh bay leaves
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
200ml red wine
250ml Green Mount 1/6 beef reduction
2 strips of orange peel
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
10g (about 2 squares) of Whittakers 72% Dark Ghana Chocolate, finely grated. 

1. Pat venison dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. 
2. Heat a little olive oil in a pan over a medium - high heat. Sear the venison for 3-4 minutes. Flip and add the butter. Spoon the melted butter onto the steaks to baste. Continue to cook for another 3 minutes for medium rare (this will depend on the thickness, keep a close eye).
3. Set venison aside, cover and leave to rest.
4. Add a dash of olive oil, shallots, garlic, pepper corns, bay leaves and thyme. Cook for 1-2 minutes until soft. 
5. Add red wine and orange peel to deglaze pan. 
6. Reduce by half (this will happen quickly) then add beef reduction. 
7. Simmer on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until sauce thickens - you want a consistency that nicely coats the back of a spoon. Add orange juice, stir, cook a further 30 seconds. 
8. Strain and gently whisk in chocolate.

TO SERVE
The snappy crunch and freshness of blanched, fresh green beans and simple sweetness of kumara mash go perfectly with this rich, full bodied red wine and chocolate sauce. 

serves 2-3 people.