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INTRODUCTIONEAST MEETS WESTI’ve been lucky to have grown up with twovery different cultures, not to mentiontwo sets of taste buds! My mum is a Kiwiand Dad is Malaysian Chinese. Life inMalaysia revolves around eating, and isrich in social and cultural food rituals.BEGINNINGS OF ‘FOOD IN THE NUDE’Arriving back in New Zealand at the age of12, I discovered my natural flair for cookingand knew my future career could onlyinvolve food. I watched Jamie Oliver on TheNaked Chef and decided that was what Iwanted to do when I grew up. So I startedtelling everyone that one day I was going towrite a cookbook and have a show calledFood in the Nude (a spin-off from The NakedChef), my concept being that the food (notme!) was in the nude, not dressed up infancy packages with additives.LEARNING THE SCIENCE OF NUTRITIONFive years of studying nutrition anddietetics at Otago University taught me thescience of food, nutrients and how theyaffect our health. However, as esteemedauthor and one of my greatest influences,Michael Pollan, has said, food is more thanthe sum of its nutrient parts.The key to eating well is not somethingthat can simply be measured in a scienceexperiment; I believe the key to eating wellis enjoying your food.is to teach children to cook. If this generationlearns how to cook now, we will see positivehealth effects in 20–30 years time with lessreliance on processed food.THIS BOOKThe recipes in this book are divided intoseasons as my cooking has always beenlargely driven by the produce in front of me;I like to pick what is freshest and then decidewhat to cook. Most of the recipes in this bookare complete, balanced meals, rather thanjust a single component of a meal.Cooking should be fun and creative —these recipes are just a guide. Learn thebasics, and then start putting your owncreative spin on dishes by substitutingdifferent flavours and ingredients.Most importantly, remember to eat foodin the nude. Eat food that’s fresh and inseason. Eat real food. Eat for health andenjoyment in balance, after all the basicpurpose of food is to nourish our bodiesand be enjoyed.Enjoy!Nadia, 2012THE FUTURE GENERATION OF MASTERCHEFSOne of the best things about MasterChef hasbeen the surge of interest in cooking fromchildren and young people. I firmly believethat the best way to change a nation’s health6 NADIA’S KITCHEN Introduction

GINGER MISO UDON SOUPThis flavoursome noodle broth makesa quick, convenient meal, ready inless than 10 minutes. Miso, a mainingredient in Japanese cooking, ismade from fermented soy beans; itstaste is described as ‘umami’ (thefifth taste alongside sweet, salty,sour and bitter), which translatesas ‘savoury deliciousness’. You caneasily vary the protein — try salmon,mussels, egg or tofu. Dashi is a fishstock flavoured with bonito. SERVES 41½ litres chicken stock or dashi6 slices ginger350–400g dried or 700–800gpre-cooked udon noodles300g boneless, skinless chickenbreast, thinly sliced10–12 prawns, shelled with tails left on4 baby or 2 large bok choy, washedand quartered lengthways2 tablespoons miso paste, preferablywhite miso1 bunch spring onions, slicedto garnish2 carrots, cut into matchsticksto garnishBring stock to the boil in a large saucepan with the ginger.Meanwhile, cook udon noodles according to packetinstructions. Divide prepared noodles between fourdeep bowls.Add chicken to boiling stock. Add prawns and bok choyand cook for 1–2 minutes.Place miso in a small bowl with one ladleful of boilingstock. Whisk with a fork then add to main saucepanwith stock. Turn off heat.Divide broth and contents between bowls. Garnish withspring onions and carrot.Energy: 1246kJ (294 cal); Carbohydrate:35g; Protein: 22g; Fat: 8g; Saturatedfat: 2g28 SPRING Ginger Miso Udon Soup Ginger Miso Udon Soup SPRING 29

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SCALLOP AND SALSA SPOONSThese stylish canapés are melt-inyour-mouthsummer on a spoon.They go down a treat with a glass ofbubbly. For perfectly cooked scallops,have the pan sizzling hot and justsear the scallops briefly on each side.SERVES 6–8 AS A CANAPÉ2 roasted red capsicums (see page250), flesh finely diced½ ripe mango, finely dicedsmall handful chopped coriandersalt and freshly ground black pepperjuice of 1 limeknob of butter2 dozen fresh scallops50g crème fraîchejuice and zest of 1 limeChinese spoons to serveMix diced capsicum with mango and coriander. Seasonwith salt and pepper and first measure of lime juice.Heat butter in a frypan until just starting to brown andcook scallops in two batches for 45 seconds on each sideor until scallops are just cooked. Season with salt andpepper while in pan.Mix crème fraîche with lime juice and zest.To serve, place a teaspoonful of salsa on a Chinese spoon,top with a scallop and a small dollop of lime crème fraîche.Serve immediately.Energy: 332kJ (79 cal); Carbohydrate: 5g;Protein: 8g; Fat: 35g; Saturated fat: 1.4g68 SUMMER Scallop and salsa spoons Scallop and salsa spoons SUMMER 69

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BUTTERMILK PUDDINGS WITH PINOT NOIR CHERRIESThe name buttermilk implies it ishigh in fat and contains butter, but infact it is neither! Buttermilk is verylow fat — lower than standard milk— but is creamier and more viscousdue to the addition of culture (likeyoghurt), which gives buttermilk itssubtle tangy taste. It makes delicious,nutritious desserts and smoothies(see the refreshing Mango Lassi onpage 56).Ripe, summer cherries in sweet pinotnoir syrup are so delicious, it’s easyto devour a whole bowl of them. Thesyrupy liquid can be re-used to cookmore fruit, or reduced down to makedessert syrup to drizzle over fruitand ice-cream. Grapes and smallplums can also be cooked in this way— bottle them in the syrup to giveaway as gourmet gifts. SERVES 4–61 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanillaessence1 cup milk or cream½ cup sugar or honey2½ teaspoons powdered gelatinedissolved in 3 tablespoons coldwater2 cups cultured buttermilkPINOT NOIR CHERRIES1½ cups pinot noir1½ cups water¾ cup sugar500g ripe cherries, stems onSplit vanilla bean, if using, in half lengthways and scrapeout seeds. Put seeds and bean or vanilla essence in asaucepan with milk or cream and sugar or honey. Heatuntil almost boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar. Take offheat and whisk in soaked gelatine until dissolved. Leaveto cool a few minutes before whisking in buttermilk (toavoid it curdling).Strain mixture through a sieve and pour into 4–6 teacupsor glasses. Chill in fridge until set, 2–3 hours.To make the pinot noir cherries, boil pinot noir, water andsugar together for 10 minutes until slightly syrupy. Addcherries and boil for a further 2–3 minutes. Turn off heat,cover and allow to cool in syrup.Serve puddings with pinot noir cherries.Energy: 1081kJ (255 cal); Carbohydrate:44g; Protein: 6.5g; Fat: 2g; Saturatedfat: 1.3g (+calcium 199mg)122 SUMMER Buttermilk Puddings with Pinot Noir Cherries Buttermilk Puddings with Pinot Noir Cherries SUMMER 123

HEALTHY TIP144 AUTUMN Healthy tIP