Prepare your Matarikikai with Uncle Pare. Photo / Te Papa
Matariki cuisine that you can cook with your family.
Matariki is a time when people say goodbye to their dead, spend time with loved ones, share kai, stories and waiata and come together to celebrate the Māori new year.
The theme of Matariki 2024 is “Matariki Heri Kai” – the Feast of Matariki, which comes from the Māori proverb “Matariki whenu heri kai”, where Matariki means food bringer.
To celebrate this year’s theme, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is sharing some special Matariki recipes from Uncle Pare for you to cook with your family.
read more: Matariki 2024 theme announced – “Matariki Heri Kai”
Uncle Pare’s earliest memory of kai is palaua koloa (“old man’s bread”) baked over hot charcoal. Growing up, he was influenced by many of his kai primarily from the women in his village – his aunts and grandmothers.
Follow the simple recipe below to learn how to prepare his favourite kai or watch him demonstrate and explain how kai has impacted his life at tepapa.nz/matariki
___
One day you too will be happy. He is the King of Rongowhakata.
Ko Manutuke is protecting the Earth, not protecting the Earth.
___
Palaoa Koloa: Recipe for “Old Man’s Bread”
material
- 1 cup flour
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- In a small bowl, combine 1 cup flour, a pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar.
- “Cut” the flour with a knife. Add enough warm water (usually half a cup) until you get a soft dough.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured cutting board and use your fingertips to pull the dough from the outside to give it shape.
- Flatten until desired thickness.
- Transfer to a floured baking tray and place in the hot oven. Cook for approximately 8-10 minutes.
- You may need to flip the bread about three-quarters of the way through to get a crispy top.
Note: This basic recipe can be doubled, tripled or quadrupled – just adjust cooking times accordingly.
Chicken everything soup recipe
material
- 1 whole chicken (I used size 22)
- 1 box of liquid chicken stock (I used Campbell’s)
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
- 4 celery sticks (cut into large pieces)
- 1 onion, quartered (I used a large red onion)
Method
- Before you go to bed or work, put all the ingredients in a slow cooker and turn it on low.
- The next morning, or after work, remove the skin and bones from the chicken. Put the chicken back into the soup and shred it. (Optional: add some vegetables like parsnips, swede, kumara, fennel, corn kernels, etc. Add at least half a box of liquid chicken stock to top off the broth. Return to high heat and cook until the added vegetables are tender.)
- Finally, add the coriander, spinach, puha or watercress.
Suggested serving: Serve pa’oa koloa or your choice of crust in a large bowl as is, or with freshly ground pepper, or with olive oil and lemon zest, your choice of flavored olive oil, chili oil, or kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) with fried shallots, or overcooked ramen noodles.
Cake Ingredients
- 375g butter, softened (or you can use Olivani or similar – I use Olivani)
- 1¾ cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons lemon, orange, or lime zest (or a combination)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups sour cream or yogurt
- Preserved fruit, garnish
Ingredients for the syrup
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
- Grated citrus peel
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Prepare a large cake tin.
- Cream the butter (or margarine) and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue beating. Grate the zest and add it to the mixture. (Optional: If you have lemon or orange extract, you can add a few drops for extra flavor.)
- Add vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, combine the plain flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift or stir with a whisk until combined.
- Mix half of the dry ingredients into the wet cake batter along with half of the sour cream/yogurt. Mix remaining dry ingredients with sour cream/yogurt.
- Spoon into prepared cake tin and place in hot oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown. To cool, invert onto a serving plate.
- For the syrup, I heated up some saved tamarillo syrup and topped it with toffee almonds, or you can make your own citrus syrup by heating all of the syrup ingredients to boiling point over medium heat (2-3 minutes).
- Pour the hot syrup over the cooled cake.
- Serve sliced with whipped cream or yogurt and fruit jam.
Contractor: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa TongarewaMatariki’s homeland.
