Te Ringawera

Tu Tangata, Issue 21, 1 December 1984, Page 54

Te Ringawera

Aunty Huia

REWENA PARAOA (Maori Bread) 5 cups of Flour 1 tsp Baking Soda 1 tsp Salt Bewena

METHOD Put flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Put Rewena in and sprinkle baking soda over all. Add more water if mixture is too firm. Mix and knead lightly for about 10 minutes.

REWENA (Leavening for Maori Bread) (a) Starter Plant: From Rewena Paraoa dough take a tablespoon of dough and put into a jar. Feed one day with Vi cup warm unsalted potato water and the next day with 1 teaspoon sugar. Continue alternate daily feeds. (b) Original Starter; 2 cups Flour 1 tsp Sugar 3 slices medium size Potato Boil potato slices in 1 cup water to mashing consistency. Cool. When lukewarm, mix all ingredients together to a fairly firm texture. Add more warm water if required. Cover and leave in a warm place to prove.

PARAOA PARAI (Fried Bread) 2 cups of Flour Pinch of Salt Lard to fry bread Vz cup Rewena (leaven) 1 tsp Sugar

METHOD Mix all ingredients well by adding Rewena. Mix with warm water to a scone mixture and flatten into round shapes. Fry in lard and serve with honey or golden syrup.

ROROI (Maori Pudding) Here is a recipe for a pudding which is perhaps the only Maori pudding known. Take some very fresh kumara straight from the garden if possible. Wash thoroughly, then grate. Place in a shallow baking dish and sprinkle with sugar. Spread over the top of the grated kumara some broad slices of kumara. This will keep the mixture from hardening in the oven. Bake for an hour at 180°C (350°F). When cooked, this is similar to a steam pudding, and may be served with cream or milk custard. When cold it may be sliced like bread and spread with butter.

KUMARA KOTERO (Cured Kumara) Take 3 large rotting kumara from the pit (rua), skin and squeeze the juice from the kumara till a floury substance is left. Knead well into this 1 tablespoon of sugar and a knob of butter. Flatten out into small cakes and bake for Vi hour in a medium oven. Leave on tray to cool.

KUMARA PIE I.skg kumara 2 tsp brown sugar Vi tsp cinnamon 2 beaten eggs Butter Pineapple juice and rings or chunks Boil kumara, mash with butter and eggs, add pineapple juice. Place in fireproof dish and decorate with pineapple rings, sprinkle with brown sugar. Add seasonings. Brown about Vz hour in moderate oven before serving.

KOTERO (Cured Kumara) A bowl of fermented sweet potatoes 2 tbsps flour, cornflour and arrowroot Salt and pepper to taste. Mash the potatoes and add the rest of the ingredients. Shape into croquets and cook in ashes or fry in oil. These were always cooked in ashes, but frying is also delicious.

Mussels

Generations of Maori people have enjoyed New Zealand shell-fish that the pakeha has entirely neglected. In spite of the rich supply of pipi, paua and kuku, only oysters have really become part of the pakeha diet, and a major part of New Zealand’s fishing industry. Everyone knows that the old Maori dried the kuku on strips of flax and stored them away for winter food. Every housewife knows several ways to serve the kuku, in a salad, or raw, off the shells, or in a stew. When Mrs W. Paki, of Huntly, sent us her favourite recipe for mussel fritters, we decided to give a recipe of our own, for chowder, a soup that is particularly wellthought of in the United States.

Mussel Fritters 8 mussels, shelled, cleaned and cut in small pieces. 1 medium onion cut up finely. A few sprigs of pars ley, finely chopped. 3 cups of flour. Milk and water to mix. Salt and pepper to taste.

Method: Mix the mussels, onion, parsley in the flour and add milk and water to make batter of a very loose consistency. If it is stood over-night no baking powder is required, but if it is to be cooked straight away, add IVi teaspoons of baking powder. Drop by dessertsponful into boiling fat and fry to a golden brown.

Chowder 2 cups raw cleaned mussels, cut small 2 cups raw potatoes, cut small I Vz cups of water 1 cup of milk 1 onion finely chopped Some finely chopped parsley Salt and pepper to taste.

Method: Cook the potatoes, onion and mussel until potatoes are tender. Season with salt and pepper, add milk and heat just to boiling point. Serve sprinkled with parsley. This chowder can be made equally with pauas or pipis, and you can increase the quantity according to the size of your family and the number of mussels you have.

Recipes supplied by Glenfield College Home and School Association, ‘Maori Cookbook’. Copies available at $3.95 post free from P O Box 40176, Glenfield, Auckland 10. Readers are invited to sent in recipes to Aunty Huia, Cl- Dept Maori Affairs, Private Bag, Wellington.