Stir Fried King Prawns with Broccoli & Macadamias

Stir Fried King Prawns with Broccoli & Macadamias – Serves 2

Ingredients
200g uncooked long grain rice
400g broccoli
1Tbsp macadamia oil
2 tsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp cornflour or potato starch
1 1/2 cup water
16 King Prawns with tail on
1/2 tsp ginger
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 cup dry roasted macadamias

Method

In a small saucepan rinse the rice in cold water until the water runs clear. Fill the water up to the level of the first knuckle of your index finger, when the tip of the finger is placed upright just touching the rice. Dry the outside and bottom of the saucepan and place on the stove element on high, without the lid. When the rice comes to a rolling boil turn the element down to low.
Wait for more of the water to be absorbed into the rice before placing the lid on the saucepan. Leave to steam.
Meanwhile cut the broccoli into bite size florets
In a small bowl or jug, add the soy sauce, cornflour/potato starch and water, and mix until well combined.
Heat a large non stick frying pan or wok on high heat and add the macadamia oil. When the pan or wok is hot, add the king prawns and ginger. Stir fry until the prawns are just starting to turn pink but not cooked through.
Add the broccoli florets and the oyster sauce to the prawns.
Stir fry until the broccoli is just cooked.
Stir the soy sauce and cornflour/potato starch mixture to recombine the ingredients. Add the mixture to the broccoli and continue to stir fry until the fluid is nearly all absorbed.
Add the macadamias and mix until just combined. Remove from heat.
Serve with the steamed white rice.

Chicken Waldorf Salad with Macadamias

Chicken Waldorf Salad with Macadamias – Serves 4

Ingredients
4 x single chicken breast fillets (about 200–225g each)
2 litres chicken stock
2/3 cup whole egg mayonnaise
4 Tbsp apple juice
4 small crisp red apples such as Pink Lady or Fuji
1 Cos lettuce
3 celery stalks, trimmed and stringy fibres removed
100g dry roasted macadamias

Method

Trim excess fat from the chicken breast fillets and place in a pot with the chicken stock. On high heat, bring stock and chicken to the boil then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes or until chicken flesh is white when the thickest part is cut through with a knife.
Remove chicken breast fillets from stock and set aside to cool. Discard stock.
In a large medium size bowl add the mayonnaise and apple juice and combine until smooth. Set aside.
Slice the Cos lettuce and divide among four serving dishes.
Slice the celery stalks into bite size pieces and divide into four serves, adding to the Cos lettuce.
Core and dice the apples and divide into four, adding to the Cos lettuce and celery.
Dice or shred the chicken breast fillets into bite size pieces and divide in to four serves, adding to the Cos lettuce, celery and apples.
Divide the macadamias into four and scatter add to each salad bowl.
Divide the mayonnaise mixture between the four bowls of salad ingredients. Mix together until all the salad ingredients are well coated with the mayonnaise. Serve immediately.

Sweet Potato and Feta Salad with Honey Roasted Macadamias

Sweet Potato and Feta Salad with Honey Roasted Macadamias – Serves 2

Salad Ingredients

1 large (500g-600g ) sweet potato
1 Tbsp macadamia oil
100g mixed salad leaves such as spinach, rocket, fancy lettuce
1 Lebanese cucumber
100g Danish feta
100g honey roasted macadamias

Salad Dressing Ingredients
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
3 tsp macadamia oil

Method

Pre-heat oven to 200oC (180oC fan forced).
Peel the sweet potato and cut into 1.5cm cubed pieces. Add 1 tablespoon of macadamia oil and toss to coat all the sweet potato pieces in the oil.
Transfer to a small roasting tray and arrange in a single layer. Roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through, testing a piece with a small knife. Set aside to cool.
In a small bowl mix 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar and 3 teaspoons of macadamia oil together and set aside.
In a large salad bowl, add 100g mixed salad leaves such as spinach, rocket and fancy lettuce. Slice the Lebanese cucumber and quarter the slices. Add to the salad leaves.
Cut the feta into 1cm cubes and add to the salad bowl.
Add the cooled roasted sweet potato pieces.
Stir the balsamic and macadamia oil dressing and drizzle over the salad. Lightly toss to combine.
Scatter over the honey roasted macadamias and toss lightly
Serve as a light meal on its own or as an accompaniment to grilled fish or grilled chicken.

Flourless Macadamia & Orange Cake with Chocolate Ganache Icing

Flourless Macadamia & Orange Cake – Serves 10

Traditionally this flourless gluten free cake is made with almond meal, and served with a dusting of icing sugar. In this recipe I have substituted the almond meal with macadamia meal and topped the cake with a chocolate ganache icing. The result is a beautifully moist and light, but rich ‘jaffa’ flavoured cake. Serving it with cream takes the edge off the cake’s richness.

Ingredients:
2 navel oranges with unblemished skins, 250-260grams each
5 eggs
1 cup (225grams) castor sugar
2 1/2 cups (300grams) macadamia meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
200grams dark chocolate
1/4 cup thick cream

Method:
1. Place the two whole navel oranges in a pot and cover with water. Bring water to the boil, then turn down heat to simmer the oranges for one hour. Ensure the oranges are covered with water the for the entire cooking time. Drain oranges and leave to cool.

2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced) and grease and line the bottom of a 22cm round spring form cake tin.

3. When oranges are cooled, carefully peel one orange.

4. Cut each orange into 8 pieces, removing any seeds. Place all orange pieces in the food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

5. Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl and add sugar.

6. Using a hand held mixer, beat until thick and pale.

7. Add the pureed orange, macadamia meal and baking powder and using a wooden spoon, mix until well combined.

8. The resultant mix will be runny. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and bake for 55–60minutes. The cake is ready when tested with a skewer and it comes out clean.

9. Remove cake from oven and leave to cool for 30 minutes. Remove baking paper and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

10. In a small saucepan over low heat, break the dark chocolate into pieces and add the thick cream. Stir continuously until melted and smooth.

11. Set aside for 5–10minutes to cool and thicken slightly. Spoon over cooled cake and smooth with an icing wand or spatula. Serve with cream.

Corn & Zucchini Fritters with Macadamia Dukkah

Ingredients
2x 400g cans of corn kernels
2 medium zucchini grated
1 medium onion finely diced
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
2/3 cup plain flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup Sandy Creek Macadamia dukkah
Macadamia oil for frying
Tomato relish to serve

Method
1. Drain corn kernels and place in a large mixing bowl. Grate zucchini. Taking one handful at a time, squeeze as much water out of the grated zucchini as possible, and place in the bowl with the corn kernels.
2. Add the finely diced onion and crumbled feta to the corn and zucchini mixture. Mix well until combined.
3. Sprinkle over the flour and mix until combined. The resultant mix will be quite dry.
4. Beat the eggs with the salt and add to the corn and zucchini mixture. Combine well.
5. Sprinkle over the macadamia dukkah and mix well. The resultant mixture will be lumpy.
6. Add a tablespoon of macadamia oil to a large frypan on medium heat. Drop large heaped tablespoonfuls of the mixture into the hot pan. Flatten down each spoonful with the back of the spoon and cook for about 4 minutes. With a fish slice carefully turn fritters over, and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.
7. Keep cooked fritters warm and repeat with remaining mixture.
8. Serve with tomato relish and a green salad.

Chinese Style Crispy Roast Pork with Sticky Macadamia Sauce

Chinese Style Crispy Roast Pork with Sticky Macadamia Sauce – Serves 4

Roast Pork Ingredients
1kg pork belly with skin on (if the skin is scored, make sure the cuts do not go through to the meat underneath).
2 teaspoons five spice powder
1 cup table salt
Salad or steamed rice and Asian greens to serve

Sticky Macadamia Sauce Ingredients
1 Tbsp macadamia oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
1 cup castor sugar
3/4 cup water
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup dry roasted macadamias, chopped

Equipment
Deep roasting tray and wire rack which sits well above the bottom of the roasting tray. The tray and wire rack must be large enough to hold the pork in a single layer

Method

Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Pre-heat oven to 200°C (180°C fan forced). Half fill the roasting tray with water and set aside. Wash the pork and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Place the pork skin side down on a board.
Rub all the meat sides of the pork with five spice powder.
Place the pork on to the wire rack with the skin side up and the meat side down. Layer salt on top of the pork skin evenly.
The salt should be about 3–5mm and even in thickness on top of the pork skin.
Place wire rack with the pork belly on top of the deep roasting tray so the wire rack and pork is sitting above the water in the roasting tray. Place in oven and roast for 1 hour. During roasting a hard salt crust will form and the pork will shrink away from the hardened salt crust.
After one hour carefully remove the roasting pan and wire rack with the pork belly sitting on it from the oven. Place the wire rack with the pork still on it, onto a board meat side down. Pull off the salt crust and discard.
Use a pastry brush to remove all the loose salt remaining on the skin. Add more water to the roasting pan if necessary and return the wire rack and pork to the top of the roasting tray.
Increase the oven to 240°C (220°C fan forced), and return the roast to the oven and roast for another 40 minutes or until all the skin has bubbled and crackled.
Meanwhile make the sauce. Combine sugar and water. In a small saucepan over high heat, add macadamia oil and onions and cook until soft. Add ginger, ground coriander and chilli and cook for 1–2 minutes. Add sugar and water mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add fish sauce and lime juice and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Place in a small serving bowl and set aside to cool. When cool add the chopped macadamias to the sauce. Prepare the salad or cook the rice and prepare the Asian greens if using.
When the skin has bubbled and crackled, remove pork from oven and leave to rest for 10minutes.
Cut pork and serve immediately with sticky macadamia sauce and salad or rice and steamed Asian greens.

Vietnamese Style Beef Vermicelli Salad with Salted Macadamias

With the warmer weather I have been making more salads, and below is my version of Vietnamese vermicelli salad, using roasted salted macadamias instead of the traditional peanuts. This salad has a lot of texture as well as contrasts of sweet and salty, hot and cold, cooked and raw, that is found in many Vietnamese dishes. The sticky macadamia sauce is the same sauce I’ve used in the recipe for Chinese style roast pork.

Vietnamese Style Beef Vermicelli Salad with Salted Macadamias – Serves 4

Beef Marinade Ingredients

1 tablespoon castor sugar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon finely minced ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons finely minced lemon grass

Sticky Macadamia Sauce Ingredients

1 tablespoon macadamia oil
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoon lime juice
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 cup castor sugar
2 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 cup dry roasted macadamias, chopped

Salad Ingredients
600g piece of rump steak
3 tablespoons macadamia oil
1/3 cup tightly packed fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup tightly packed fresh coriander leaves
1/3 cup tightly packed sweet basil leaves
1 carrot grated
2 cups iceberg lettuce chopped
250g rice vermicelli noodles
6 spring onions / shallots chopped into 2cm lengths
3 tablespoons macadamia oil
1/2 cup roasted salted macadamias, chopped

Method
1. In a medium size bowl mix all the marinade ingredients together. Place rump steak and marinade n a large zip lock plastic bag, ensuring the rump steak is completed coated in the marinade. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

2. Meanwhile make the sauce. Combine sugar and water. In a small saucepan over high heat, add macadamia oil and onions and cook until soft. Add ginger, ground coriander and chilli and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add sugar and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add fish sauce and lime juice and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Set aside to cool before adding the chopped macadamias.
3. Soak the vermicelli noodles in a large bowl, following packet instructions until softened.

4. Drain well. Transfer and arrange on to a large serving platter in single layer, snipping the long threads into shorter lengths as you go.

5. Arrange the iceberg lettuce and the grated carrot in layers over the vermicelli noodles.

6. In a large skillet on high heat, add 1 tablespoon of macadamia oil and add the spring onions. Stir fry until softened and starting to brown.

7. Transfer and arrange the spring onions in a layer over the lettuce and carrot.

8. Arrange and layer the mint, coriander and basil leaves over the carrots.

9. Pour over 1/2 cup of the sticky macadamia sauce. Any remaining sauce can be stored in the fridge for use another day.

10. Return the skillet to high heat and add 1 tablespoon of macadamia oil. Add the marinated rump steak and cook until rare, medium or well done as desired, turning once.

11. Transfer to chopping board and slice the cooked beef and layer over the salad.

12. Scatter over chopped roasted salted macadamias over the beef and serve immediately.