We caught up with last year's MasterChef winner, Nadia
Lim. She tells us all about what Christmas means to her, shares a
few foodie tips and gives us her favourite Christmas
recipe.
What does Christmas mean to you?
Lots of good food - obviously! Boxing day leftovers and being
allowed to eat trifle for breakfast. Catching up with family,
seeing the cousins, aunts and uncles. My family is Malaysian and we
have lots of Malaysian friends, many who don't have a lot of family
here, so we have a big Christmas and invite everyone, it's
great!
What's your earliest Christmas food
memory?
It would have to be at my Nan's house we always used to eat ham
and potato salad on the deck. I think strawberries make Christmas,
especially with whipped cream and icing sugar. And Aunt Pippa's
trifle, loaded with sherry - far too much for kids!
What's important in preparing a Christmas
meal?
Strawberries of course, and trifle. Some kind of roast - ham is
great. Our Christmas is a big lunch and a big dinner that's not
just traditional food but Malaysian as well, and quite often we'll
have a BBQ.
What's your favourite Christmas recipe?
The one I just created is really nice, a Christmas couscous with
five spice roast duck, cranberries, pistachio, parsley, orange,
mint and orange kumara roasted in duck fat.
View the recipe.
Mince pies, fruitcake or pudding?
Definitely pudding! With lots of cream and extra brandy.
(Laughs.)
How have your holidays/summers changed since
MasterChef?
The first Christmas after MasterChef, I was so enthusiastic about
cooking trials and challenges. At Christmas I prepared an
eight-course meal for 12 people, all individually plated, and spent
nine hours in the kitchen! I also prepared the pork belly that I
had made in the MasterChef final. This year won't be doing that…
It'll be more of a buffet style, although I am planning on making a
macaroon tower!
Will your family expect you to do the cooking
now?
I like to and I want to - I'd be guttered if I didn't get to
prepare the main Christmas meal.
What are your tips for keeping Christmas a little
healthy?
Just don't try to make it healthy, have what you like (it is
Christmas after all) but you can keep it light by adding some
options like salads to the meal. Have both alternatives, to balance
out the heavy food.
What are your Christmas foodie tips?
- Don't freak out or spend all your time in the kitchen. Be well
prepared and start a week before.
- Plan what you'll have and think about how the Christmas table
will look - it's great to consider the colours that'll be on the
table, like Christmas green and red. I love laying all the food out
on the table as it makes it feel so abundant.
- If you're having a BBQ, make sure meat is at room temperature
before cooking, it makes a big difference - you get a much better
result.
- Try smoking your food - salmon or muscles are great. You don't
need a smoker, a wok or large saucepan will do the trick and you
can smoke it on the BBQ, it's so easy. View the
recipe.
- Another idea I love is to make your own cocktails, or have all
the ingredients out so people can make their own. It means your
friends and family can have fun with it - you can have lots of
delicious juices and mixers: gin, vodka, pomegranate molasses, rose
water and orange blossom water. Then all you need is a
cocktail shaker or blender.
What summer foods are you excited about?
All the fresh summer produce like strawberries, plums, Central
Otago cherries. I'm looking forward to picnic type meals on the
beach, Granita and homemade sorbet.
What's your favourite season to cook in?
Summer is definitely my favourite season for cooking - it's really
fast to throw things like gourmet salads together, and you don't
need to spend much time in the kitchen. You always know someone
who's gone fishing so there's plenty of fresh fish and scallops,
plus the summer fruit selection is divine.
What's the epitome of NZ summer for you?
Going to the bach, lying on the beach in the sun, having a
snooze and enjoying an ice cream or two… within half an hour of
each other! Beer as well, although it usually goes warm in the sun,
but it still tastes good!
2011 was a big year for you and your cookbook is coming
out soon, how do you feel about it now?
I learnt a lot, it was a steep learning curve, a full on 6 months
but I've absolutely loved it. The book is a big achievement -
getting it done all by myself in five months with everything else
going on took a lot of time but it'll be worth it. I can't wait to
hold it in my hands!
What are your goals and plans for 2012?
Building the Nadia Lim brand and focusing on bringing out my food
philosophy. Coming from a dietician background and combining that
with good tasting and good looking food is what I'm passionate
about.
What are your favourite places to dine this
summer?
My parents-in-law started a restaurant called Chantellinis in
Hamner Springs. It's going really well and has had great reviews -
I'm dying to dine there.
What crazy foods have you tried that you never imagined
you would?
I've always had weird food, I used to eat jellyfish, squid ink and
frogs eggs as it's quite common during Chinese New Year. But since
working at Euro I've also enjoyed nitrogen freeze dried fruit,
which is amazing.
What would you have loved to do if it wasn't
cooking?
Nothing at all. This is what I love… I guess my other option
would have been being a professional beach bum!
- Nadia's book will be launched in April 2012.
- Nadia will be appearing at all three Food Shows next year.
- View Nadia's
recipes.