Jicama

Jicama (pronounced ‘Hikama’) or Yam Bean is native to Mexico but has spread to South America, the Pacific and Asia. The turnip shaped and size tuber root has a yellow brown skin that can be easily peeled to reveal a creamy white interior.

Jicama’s crisp crunchy texture is similar to an apple or raw potato and has a lightly sweet and starchy taste. More often eaten raw it makes a great crispy addition to salads or stir fry when thinly sliced or julienne. Peeled and cut into wedges it goes well with a squeeze of lime juice or as a crudités in dips.

Jicama is sometimes used as a substitute for water chestnut in Chinese dishes, and added just before serving. It can be juiced or used in stuffing and a variety of other recipes. In addition to having a unique flavour and texture, Jicama carries flavour well, making it well suited to culinary experimentation.

Harissa

Harissa is a spicy sauce which features in Tunisian, Libyan, and Algerian and other North African cuisines. It is generally made from a grind of chilli peppers, cumin, coriander, caraway seed, garlic, and olive oil, although there are many variants. Freshly made harissa is generally spicier, as you can control the ingredients and use fresh chilli. Roasted chilli can give a smoky flavour.

Used as a condiment, in a small dish on the table to accompany North African traditional meals, it is also a major ingredient in many soups, stews, and curries. The spicy sauce may be used to rub meats before roasting or barbecuing, and is often paired with couscous since the starch of the couscous helps to cut the spice of the harissa.

When purchasing a packaged harissa, always check the expiration date, as it will get progressively less hot the older it is. Harissa by Suzanne Quintner Fine Food has been chosen by Gordon Ramsay’s Maze restaurant in Melbourne for a soft shell crab recipe.

Brighten up a carrot dish with this simple recipe from Suzanne Quintner’s website www.suzannequintnerfinefoods.com

Tunisian carrots

What you need:-

1kg carrots, washed and sliced

2 tablespoon olive oil

3-6 cloves crushed garlic

1 teaspoon (or more!) harissa

3 tablespoon red wine vinegar

3 tablespoon brown sugar

salt to taste

What to do:

Saute carrots in oil, then add garlic and other ingredients and cook uncovered until carrots are tender and caramalised (you can do this in the oven as well).

Serving Suggestion:

Sprinkle with carraway seeds or sesame seeds

Tropical Health Loaf

What you need:-

1 cup All Bran cereal

1/2 cup chopped dried mango
1/2 cup chopped dried papaya
1 cup low fat milk

1 cup wholemeal self-raising flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 cup raw sugar

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

1/2 cup wheatgerm

3 bananas

2 eggs

What to do:

Place All Bran, dried mango and papaya in a bowl, cover with milk and allow to stand 10-15 minutes.

In a large bowl combine flour, bicarbonate of soda, sugar, coconut and wheatgerm. Stir well.

Mash bananas thoroughly, break in eggs and stir to combine.

Add banana mixture and soaked All Bran to dry ingredients. Mix well.

Pour mixture into greased and lined loaf tin and bake at 170C for approximately 1 hour or until skewer inserted in the centre comes out cleanly.

Turn onto a cake cooler and allow to cool.

Slice and butter if desired.

Avocado and Mango Temaki

240g prepared sushi rice

6 nori sheets

1 ripe avocado, peeled and cut into 6 wedges

1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into 6 wedges

Pickled sushi ginger

Roasted sesame seeds

Place a small handful of sushi rice on the nori sheet. Add avocado and mango slices. Fold into a cone shape and top with some sesame seeds. Repeat to make 5 more rolls. Garnish with pickled sushi ginger.

Tuna & Cucumber Rolls

Prepared sushi rice

Nori sheets

Wasabi paste

Tuna – cut into narrow strips

Cucumber

Prepare the sushi rice. Slice the cucumber into narrow strips.

To make the rolls, lay sheet of Nori (shiny side down) on the bamboo rolling mat. Moisten your hands with water, spread sushi rice on the nori and cover the edges, leaving the tops 2 ½ cm uncovered. Dab a very small amount of wasabi on rice in a line along the centre of the rice. Lay thin tuna strips and half the cucumber onto the wasabi.

Holding the filling in place with your fingers, lift the front of the bamboo mat closest to you and roll up. Just before reaching the end of the sheet, wet the exposed end with a little water. Press the mat around the roll to shape it, remove the mat and with a sharp knife cut the roll into six slices

Steamed Coral Trout with a pickled watermelon, cucumber and Asian herb salad

serves 4

Recipe by 2 Fish Seafood Restaurant Wharf Street, Port Douglas

Ingredients

4 x 180 g Coral trout fillets

½ small seedless watermelon

100ml white vinegar

100ml water

1tbsp coriander seeds

50g sugar

2 medium carrots

1 bunch shallots

1 continental cucumber

½ bunch coriander

½ bunch thai basil

½ bunch Vietnamese mint

Method:

Peel and dice the watermelon into 2 cm cubes.

Place the vinegar, water, sugar and coriander seeds in a pot and bring to the boil. Take off the heat and allow cooling slightly then pouring over the watermelon and stand aside to cool.

Julienne the carrots and peel, deseed and thinly slice the cucumber.

Thinly slice the shallots on an angle.

Tear the herbs being careful not to bruise them and then combine them with the prepared vegetables into a large mixing bowl.

Bring water in a large wok or large pot to the boil.

Place the coral trout fillet into a steamer and season with salt and pepper and place over the steaming water (Chef Tip - it helps to place the fish fillets on a small piece of grease proof paper so its easy to get out of the steamer after cooking).

Steam the fillets for 8-10 minutes; The fish fillets should be firm to the touch when done.

Strain the watermelon and add to the vegetable and herb salad in the mixing bowl. Lightly toss with a small amount of the pickling liquid and place a nice pile in the center of a bowl.

Place the steamed fish fillet on top of the salad.

Garnish with a sprinkle of fried shallots or if you like it a little spicier with chilli flakes.

Seared Scallops & Chorizo sausage with sweet Carrot Puree

Recipe by Leon Walker, Chef / Owner - Wink Restaurant in Spence Street and Wink II Restaurant and Wine Bar at Cocoa Amour on the Esplanade; Cairns.

serves 4

Ingredients:

8 medium size scallops

2 chorizo sausages

Salt

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 large carrot

100 g white vinegar

50 g caster sugar

salt & pepper for seasoning

mesculin salad for garnish or mix bean spreads

Herb oil for garnish

Method:

Slice scallops in half slice chorizo length ways in to 8 long strips

Place scallops on bamboo skewer with chorizo sausage

Heat medium size pan season scallop & chorizo with pepper of pinch of salt.

Leave for 1 min on hot pan & turn over for 10 sec

Squeeze juice from 1/2 lemon into the pan remove scallop from the pan to rest

Get 1/2 size pan medium heat peel & chop carrot small place into the pan with 3 tbsp white vinegar & 2 tbsp caster sugar cover carrot with water cook 10 min till soft.

Place in blender to puree for 2 min

Then add 2 tbsp of olive extra virgin oil salt & pepper for seasoning

place on the plate with scallops puree & garnish with salad or bean spreads

finish off with herb oil.

Hot smoked red emperor and pink pomelo miang with chilli, green papaya relish and salmon pearls

Recipe by Nick Holloway, NuNu Restaurant, Palm Cove

Serves 4

Ingredients:

12 betel leaves (also known as wild pepper leaves)

120gm picked, hot smoked red emperor wings

4Tbsp green papaya, shredded into fine threads

2 small green chillies (scuds), sliced into fine rounds

2 long red chillies, sliced into fine threads

12 tsp pink pomelo flesh

24 coriander leaves

3 kaffir lime leaves, very finely sliced

2 limes

6 Tbsp miang paste

12 tsp crispy fried shallots

12 slices of crispy fried garlic

1 tsp thai basil flowers

4 tsp yarra valley salmon caviar

Miang paste

200ml water

500gm pale palm sugar

30gm shelled peanuts

10gm galangal, peeled and grated

15gm hot smoked red emperor

60gm dry roasted coconut

3 small green chillies

2 cloves garlic

3-4 Tbsp fish sauce

3-4 Tbsp tamarind water (about ¼ of a packet massaged with the same volume of water and strained)

Method:

Slowly melt the palm sugar and water together in a pot with the lid on.

Roast the peanuts, galangal, and red emperor until fragrant at about 160C.

With a mortar and pestle pound the garlic, chillies with a little salt until smooth.

Add the roasted ingredients and continue to pound until a fine paste is achieved.

Introduce this paste to the hot palm sugar with the fish sauce and simmer until rich, thick and highly perfumed.

Once the caramel has a lustrous dark shine to it remove from the heat and stir in the tamarind water. Taste for seasoning.

The miang paste should taste decadent and balanced. Too sweet. Too salty. Too sour. And yet just right. Add more fish sauce, tamarind or sugar as your personal tastes dictate.

In a bow Add the green papaya and chillies and gently toss together.

Add the pomelo, coriander and kaffir lime leaf and massage lightly with your fingertips.

Squeeze in half of the lime juice and taste for seasoning. It should taste spicy, sweet, salty and sour all at once. Add more lime juice or extra chillies if desired.

Spread the betel leaves out across your work surface and top each with an elegant pile of salad. Sprinkle over the crispy fried shallots, caviar, garlic chips and finally the thai basil flowers and serve immediately.

Eat with your hands by wrapping the leaf around the salad and offer finger bowls with a slice of lemon in each to refresh between bites.

Blue Swimmer Crab and Avocado with Sweet corn Gazpacho

Recipe by Lewis Taylor, The Sebel Cairns

Serves 4

Ingredients

Sweetcorn Gazpacho-Corn Kernels (300gm Tin)

2 Yellow Peppers (Roasted, de-seeded & Skinned)

1 Brown Onions (Diced)

100ml Champagne Vinegar

250ml Fish Stock ‘Campbell’s’

2 Garlic Clove Sliced

Crab Mix-Blue Swimmer Crab Meat

200ml Mayonnaise (Thomy)

1pc Lime Juice

1pc Lemon Zest (Grated)

2each Avocado Puree (Seasoned)

1/2 Cucumber (Sliced into Discs/Rounds)

pinch Cayenne Pepper

3 Tbsp Chopped Chives & Coriander

Sweetcorn Gazpacho

Sweat Onions & Garlic in little butter until transparent

De-glaze with Vinegar & reduce till dry

Add Corn Kernels with juice & Yellow Peppers & simmer for 10min’s

Add Fish Stock and reduce by 1/3

Puree in a blender & pass through a fine sieve

Add seasoning, a pinch of Cayenne Pepper & a squeeze of Lemon juice to taste

Chill immediately & keep cold till required

Crab Mix

Squeeze out excess moisture from Blue Swimmer crab meat.

Place Blue Swimmer Crab meat in a cold bowl. Add Cayenne Pepper, Onion chives, Coriander, Salt & Pepper, Lime Juice, Lemon Zest and a spoon of Mayonnaise. Fold to incorporate. Should not be too soggy. Correct Seasoning to taste

To Assemble

Using a round mould/cutter (approx 50mm diameter). Place in centre of service bowl/plate, place a Cucumber disc on bottom & Spoon some Avocado Puree into mould to accommodate approx 1/3 of volume.

Next place another Cucumber disc on top of puree & lightly press down to make surface flat. No need to push too hard.

Spoon Crab mixture in next to fill.

Next, sauce with chilled Sweetcorn Gazpacho, garnish with Cucumber ribbons and serve immediately.

Mangrove Jack with Lemon Beurre Blanc

Recipe by 2 Fish Restaurant, Port Douglas

Ingredients:

2 x 180 gm Fresh Mangrove Jack

50 gsm Kipfler Potatoes

50 g Snow Peas

50 g Green Beans

50 g Asapargus

1 Portion lemon Beurre Blanc sauce

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Method

Heat a small pan and cook fish finishing in oven. Slice in half and fry off kipfler potatoes in deep fryer until crisp (2-3 mins) Blanche vegetables in hot water, strain and season

Place deep fried Kipflers and Blanced vegetables into centre of plate. Place fish on top and spoon over heated lemon beurre blanc sauce.

Lemon Beurre Blanc Sauce

Ingredients:

50 ml lemon juice

200 ml white wine

100 ml thickened cream

500 ml butter unsalted

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

(Used on seafood plate)

Bring white wine, lemon juice & Cream to boil

Reduce by 50% and turn to very low heat

Slowly whisk in diced butter until emulsified

Add salt and pepper to taste

Coconut & kaffir lime panna cotta

Recipe by Kurt Goodban, Executive Chef, Elandra Resort, Mission Beach

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 x kaffir lime leaves

1 tin coconut milk 400ml

350ml milk

125gr sugar white

3 1/2 x gelatin sheets

Pineapple soup

2 pineapples

Star anise x 3

500 ml water

350gr sugar

Method

Put your milk, coconut milk, lime leaves & sugar all together bring to a light simmer. While that’s on put your gelatin sheets in to some ice water just to soften them. Once they are soft squeeze off any extra water then place them in your pot let them dissolve. Remove from the heat and strain it through a fine strainer, once that is done you just pour your mix into 8 x 100ml dariole moulds. Then place in fridge for 5 hrs to set.

Soup

Put the whole pineapples in the oven on 170 degrease for about 35 – 45 mins until soft to touch. Then pull them out let cool for 15 mins, peel & cut up pineapple into chunky pieces and put through a juicer .once you have all the juice and little pulp again strain that through a coffee filter so it is nice and clear. This will take about 1.5 – 2.5 hrs to strain.

Sugar syrup

Put sugar, water & star anise in a pot put on the stove bring it to the boil, remove from the heat let cool then add this to your pineapple soup.

To serve

Place panna cotta in a bowl pour chilled soup around it garnish with fresh strawberries or thinly shaved and toasted coconut & mint or a piece of star anise . But star anise not really edible

Garlic fried prawns on table lands golden scallop potato with spring onions, seedless lime dressing and tempura oyster

Recipe by Ajay Zalte Executive Chef Rydges Esplanade Resort Cairns

4 Entrée portions

Ingredients

3 Medium sized potatoes

12 Prawns with tail on

40 gm Crushed fresh garlic

1 Bunch Spring onions

1 Large Lime

200ml Canola/vegetable oil

3Tbsp honey

4 Rock oyster

1 Medium size onions

Batter Tempura

75gm Corn flour

75gm Plain flour

Soda water as required to make a dipping tempura batter

Salt as per taste

Pepper as per taste

Oil for deep frying tempura oysters

Method:

Peel and slice the potatoes and onion thinly.

Slice spring onions thinly.

Heat 60ml (four tablespoons) oil in a pan. Place potatoes,, onions, add salt, pepper and fry carefully till lightly brown without burning on high heat.

Lower the heat and cover and cook on a low heat till soft and cooked

Add spring onions to the potatoes and mix carefully to avoid breaking of the potatoes. Keep hot

Squeeze the juice of lime in a bowl, add salt, honey and mix thoroughly

Add in 100ml oil slowly, whisking through all the way till a dressing is formed.

Make a tempura batter by mixing through the ingredients listed above for the batter. Dip the oysters in tempura better.

Fry the oysters till crispy. Drain and season with salt and pepper.

Heat remaining oil in another pan; add garlic, prawns, salt, pepper and fry till cooked through.

Arrange scallop potatoes in the centre of a plate, place three prawns on top and one oyster on top of the prawn, garnish with spring of coriander or parsley

Drizzle lime dressing around and serve hot.

Fresh Spring Rolls with Rainforest Fruit Dipping Sauces

This recipe is from Geraldine McGuire of Rainforest Bounty

wwww.rainforestbounty.com.au

(Serves 8 people)

Ingredients

1 packet dried spring roll rice wrappers

150 gms cooked prawns, chicken or duck (chopped roughly)

2 cups cabbage (chopped finely)

1 carrot (grated)

50-100 gms fresh bamboo shoots (marinated)

100gm rice noodles (soaked in boiling water until soft – approx 10 mins)

Bunch Vietnamese mint (chopped finely)

½ cup lime (lemon) juice

1 teas fish sauce

1 teas soy sauce (or marinate from bamboo shoots)

1 tabs Rainforest Lemon Jus

Soak rice noodles until soft

Method

Mix all ingredients (except wrappers) together until well combined.

Soak wrappers, a few at a time in warm water until they start to soften.

Place two tablespoons of mixture at one end of wrapper, fold in sides and roll up.

Mix up rainforest fruit conserves with sweet chilli sauce, to use as dipping sauces.

Lime and Gin Mousse

Courtesy of Georgie Hinchley of Bingil Bay

Ingredients:

4 eggs, separated

½ cup castor sugar

1 tsp grated lime rind

2 tsp gelatine

1/3 cup lime juice

1 tbl gin

1 tbl sugar, extra

2/3 cup thickened cream

What to do:

Beat egg yolks, sugar and lime rind in a small basin with electric mixer until thick. Sprinkle gelatine over combined lime juice and gin, dissolve over hot water, cool to room temp. Gradually beat gelatine mixture into egg mixture. Transfer mixture to large basin. Beat cream until soft peaks form, fold lightly into mousse mixture. Beat whites until soft peaks form, beat in extra sugar until dissolved. Fold lightly into mousse mixture in two batches. Pour into 6 individual glasses and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Serves 6.