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By clare, August 28, 2009

I developed this gluten and dairy free pancake after experimenting with a pancake recipe that was based on tapioca flour from Rodah Lester’s African cookbook which can be purchased from www.lulu.com .  I’ve also added coconut flour, which can be purchased on the internet and in good health stores, reduced the sugar and replaced the milk with 60% content organic coconut cream.

Why do I mention the 60%, I hear you ask?  Labelling is confusing, and pure coconut extract (ie. 100% coconut cream) is labelled as Coconut Cream, as are other products, as I’m using here, which have far less pure coconut cream in them.  If you cook regularly with coconut milks and creams, it’s worth getting your head around such things, as otherwise recipes may turn out runnier or thicker than intended.

These are thin, light pancakes with beautiful texture and a golden crunch along their edges, and go well with both fruit and savoury fillings.  This recipe will be in my cookbook Tropical Cuisine: Cooking in Clare’s Kitchen. Try them out:

Coconut and tapioca flour pancakes

Makes about 9 pancakes

Ingredients

4 eggs

400ml organic coconut cream (60% content) plus 100ml water (ie. 500ml/2 cups total)

2 tbsp organic coconut oil

1 tsp sugar

large pinch salt

1 1/3 cups tapioca starch

2/3 cup organic coconut flour

2 tsp gluten free baking powder

Method

Mix water into coconut cream, then mix in coconut oil until it is well incorporated.

Combine well with eggs, then add sugar and salt.

Sieve flours and baking powder together then add to wet ingredients and blend with stick blender until smooth.

Heat frypan to a medium heat and add about ½ tbsp coconut oil then a ladle of mixture and swirl pan to distribute mix across pan.

Cook until brown spots form on underside (about 2 mintues), then flip and cook other side to similar state (about 1 1/2 minutes).

Pile cooked pancakes on a plate under a tea towel to keep warm.

Serve with sliced tropical fruits, some yoghurt or sour cream and if desired a drizzle of honey and lime or passionfruit.  Alternatively, use pancakes for savoury fillings, or serve as a bread with curries.

Tip: as your are preparing pancakes, place a square of nonstick baking paper between each pancake so they don’t get stuck to each other.  This is particularly handy if you don’t finish them all and want to keep them in the fridge to reheat the next day.

© Clare Richards 2009

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By clare, August 2, 2009

There are two versions of this soup I’ve encountered attributed to John Kotow; the first in the Radiant Living archives, and the second via a friend.  My experimentation with papaya soup began with a recipe my friend Simona gave me, which she had been given by her friend Dorothy, who had sourced it from John Kotow who was at that time chef at Frogs Restaurant in Kuranda.

The version I’ve developed leaves out cream, uses red onion, and uses mild lemon myrtle tea instead of stock.  It is a refreshing, aromatic soup which I prefer to make with the red papaya because of it’s deep salmon coloured flesh, sweetness and beautiful aroma.  The enzyme papain that is present in papaya is excellent for our digestion, so this is a great soup to serve prior to a meat main course.  This recipe will be in my cookbook Tropical Cuisine: Cooking in Clare’s Kitchen. Here it is:

Ingredients

1 tsp finely grated ginger

1 medium red onion finely chopped

30ml coconut oil

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp flaky salt

425g coconut cream

2 kaffir lime leaves

2 lemon myrtle leaves (or substitute with a bruised knot of lemongrass)

1 large or 2 medium ripe to very ripe papaya (about 4 cups pulp)

1 cup of mild lemon myrtle tea, or vegetable or chicken stock

2 limes

Method

Clean inside of papaya of seeds and membrane.  Heat coconut oil in a saucepan and add ginger and onion.  Sauté on medium heat until onion is soft.  Add coriander and sauté for a minute until aroma is released.  Scoop papaya pulp into pan and cook, stirring regularly for about 15 minutes until the papaya has thickened slightly and intensified in colour.  Add salt and kaffir lime and lemon myrtle leaves, torn along each side of leaf to release flavour.  Continue to cook and stir for up to 5 minutes or until you smell the kaffir lime and lemon myrtle.  Add coconut cream, and up to 1 cup of lemon myrtle tea or stock at this point if you want to thin the consistency of the soup, and heat through.  Remove from heat and push through sieve or food mill to create a smooth texture.  Taste for salt and add a little more if necessary.  Return sieved soup to reheat briefly.  Squeeze juice of ½ a lime into each bowl and pour soup over.  Serve.

© Clare Richards 2009

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By clare, August 1, 2009

I am hooked on my black sapote red wine gravy.  Last night we had it with roast chicken, and this morning I quickly pan-steamed a pile of Brazilian spinach then added the remaining gravy, and served it with bantam eggs, grilled Roma tomatoes from the Atherton Tableland and crispy bacon from Northern Smallgoods, butchers in the small town of South Johnstone.

Before my Hunter Valley mates Shaun and Doug left at lunch we had crisp breadfruit chips, served simply with flaky salt and freshly ground pepper.  Well cooked until crispy and golden, the chips have the capacity to soak in the lime juice and remain crisp.  I prick them lightly with a fork to assist the lime juice to soak into the centre of the chips.  There was no more gravy in which to dip them, but I did it last time I made them and it was divine.  Here is my black sapote red wine gravy recipe, and the general directions for making crisp breadfruit chips:

Black sapote red wine gravy

The brilliant gel texture of black sapote and the ease with which it develops caramel flavours when pan cooked makes it a great base for gravy.  Unlike red wine jus, this will ‘sit’ on the meat and so end up in your mouth, and not be left on the plate or down your shirt front!  This gravy only takes a few minutes to make.  Have your black sapote pulp ready, and cook the gravy once your meat is cooked and resting.  We love it with steak, and it will go well with roast beef and game meats such as duck, venison or kangaroo.  This recipe will be in my cookbook Tropical Cuisine: Cooking in Clare’s Kitchen.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large clove of garlic (or 1 med and 1 small clove), sliced finely

½ tsp Australian flaky salt

1 cup black sapote pulp

½ cup red wine

freshly ground black pepper to serve

Method

Heat a fry pan over medium heat and add olive oil.  Once oil is moderately hot, add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just enough to release aroma but not brown.  Immediately add black sapote pulp and salt and squash around pan, mixing into oil/garlic mix.  Keep stirring and squashing black sapote pulp for another 1 to 2 minutes until the gravy becomes a bit more liquid and smooth in appearance.  Add the red wine and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until the wine is incorporated and the gravy is bubbling slightly.  Mix in any juices drained off resting meat and cook for another 30 seconds or so.  Serve gravy separately, or spoon over meat and finish with a grind of fresh black pepper.  Serves 2 to 3 people.

Notes

This is very more-ish so err on the generous side.  If you are serving 6 people I would suggest that you triple these amounts.  If you want a flash finish, rub the finished gravy through a sieve with a spoon before serving.

© Clare Richards 2009

Crisp breadfruit chips

Serves 3 – 4

Use a mature but green firm breadfruit.  Slice off the skin layer, cut around the stem, slice into four quarters through to the core, then insert the knife along one of the cuts and prize that section away from the core, after which each section can be removed from core and stem.  Slice each quarter into slices of even thickness, about 5mm thick.  Heat about 4 cm of oil in a pan or fryer.  It is hot enough when the tip of a slice inserted into oil sizzles and bubbles.

Gently place slices into oil so that each has room to float.  Turn slices every 1 – 2 minutes.  Oil should be bubbling consistently but not wildly.  Cook slices until they are golden with golden-brown edges and have dehydrated in thickness slightly.  Remove chips to a plate lined with several layers of absorbent paper and sprinkle immediately with flaky salt and cracked pepper.  Drizzle with lime juice if desired just before eating.  Great as a snack on their own, with dips, or as an accompaniment to meals where you would usually serve potato chips.

© Clare Richards 2009