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Image: Tina Tiller
Image: Tina Tiller

KaiJuly 2, 2023

The unexpected delight of a food tour in your own city

Contributing writer
Image: Tina Tiller
Image: Tina Tiller

There’s a lot to learn, and a lot to eat, on a guided food excursion – especially when you live just five minutes away.

This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up.

Saturday, 5.25pm. It had been one of those weekend days where I’d committed to a few too many social engagements during the day and the thought of heading out at 6pm into the wet weather was frankly an unattractive prospect – especially when home had a heat pump blasting out warm air, a comfy couch and a new episode of Bake Off.

The reason for leaving the house? Food writer Perzen Patel had invited me to join her Sandringham food walk: a three-hour evening food tour in the Auckland suburb, which, for those unacquainted, is a tiny yet bustling corner of central Tāmaki Makaurau brimming with South Asian flavours: halal butchers, spice shops, grocers and a considerable number of restaurants. When people use the phrase “a feast for the senses”, Sandringham should come to mind. All up, a very good reason to leave the house – even if it was freezing.

Outside Madras Cafe and the egg gassi from Eggs n More. (Images: Charlotte Muru-Lanning)

Despite my sudden bad weather-fuelled trepidation, I reminded myself that I was actually very excited about this and lucky to be invited. I pulled on my rain jacket, packed a few necessities (pen, notebook, phone, wallet, hand sanitiser, and, unfortunately, not an umbrella) in my tiny patent backpack and shuffled out the door into the drizzle. Sandringham is just a couple of kilometres from my house, so I was there in minutes.

We met down a side street, with the seven of us strangers on the tour sharing a packaged snack – tiny crispy masala moon dal – and introducing ourselves to our dining companions for the evening.

Our first stop was Madras Cafe, a newly opened spot which has taken over what was until very recently the Sri Lankan restaurant 7 Siri. As we chowed down on dosa fried in ghee, a fiery chicken kottu, and dipped the airiest idli into ramekins of sambar and housemade coconut chutney, Perzen began sharing stories of the origins of dishes, the techniques behind them and the subtle nuances between various terms and ingredients.

Vada pav and chai. (Image: Charlotte Muru-Lanning)

Our next stop was for masala chai and vada pav (spiced potato fritters sandwiched between fluffy dinner rolls) from food trucks situated in a darkened car park tucked behind the main shops. Perzen shared the complicated politics behind vada pav – a seemingly humble street food dish that has become wrapped up with political party loyalty for workers in Mumbai – a story I was especially enchanted by. By this point the rain was so heavy it had made its way inside my raincoat, which is to say, this should have been deeply unpleasant, but it wasn’t. Yes, we were drenched, but the food was delicious, fascinating and had somehow maintained its crunch.

From there we stopped at the fantastically named EggsnMore for chaat (snacks), Chinese-Indian fusion and, of course, an egg dish called gassi, before making a pit stop at Smartdeal Bazaar for chutneys, spiced snacks and the fresh, seasonal mangoes which had recently been delivered to the store. Then we found ourselves at Bawarchi, sharing a massive plastic container of lamb biryani. After that, we were at our last location: Auckland Indian Sweets and Snacks where we huddled around the counter selecting silver-topped sugary kaju katli, cardamon-scented barfi and coils of sticky jaleebi.

Sweets from Auckland Indian Sweets and Snacks. (Image: Charlotte Muru-Lanning)

I’m aware that it sounds horribly pretentious, but I’ve always avoided anything with the word “tour” in it. As I’ve wandered aimlessly and without direction around overseas cities, I have, on many occasions, silently and unfairly judged those crammed on top of open-air tour buses or the clusters of camera-clad people following a stick-holding guide around ancient ruins. In short, those who feel the need to lean into the “tour” part of the word “tourist”.

But I’ve gained a whole new perspective. Perhaps this tour felt different because it was so small and my tour companions and guide were all especially lovely. What’s more, all of us on the tour lived in Auckland, and some were even regulars to the restaurants and shops in Sandringham. Despite that familiarity, I tried dishes I’d never tasted before and found new layers of meaning to those I had. It turns out having someone else decide where to go next or make the order can be wonderful. We don’t always need to find our own way.

Keep going!
Image: Tina Tiller
Image: Tina Tiller

KaiJune 30, 2023

Ingredient of the week: Brussels sprouts

Contributing writer
Image: Tina Tiller
Image: Tina Tiller

Hating on Brussels sprouts is a time-honoured tradition in this country. But scientific advances, modern cooking methods and copious olive oil means that distaste should really be relegated to the past.

Let’s lay all the cards on the table: some vegetables are more difficult to like than others… and “Brussels sprouts” is in the headline of this article. They’re dense, textured, a little bitter, and pungent if overcooked – so no wonder they’re the classic child-unfriendly vegetable. 

While I’ve grown to enjoy Brussels sprouts to a reasonable degree (and have learnt how to reveal their most delicious selves), I still struggle a little with Brussels. When I buy them, it’s partly because I think I should enjoy them. And I do! They are quite lovely raw and finely shredded in a salad, or caramelised and charred in the oven. Nevertheless, there’s a pinch of “I’m an adult now, so I get the Brussels sprouts”, in every purchase. 

For those who haven’t come around to the culinary merits of the Brussels sprout, here’s another way to enjoy their existence: look up pictures of the Brussels sprout plant. It would be entirely fitting as a Dr Seuss creature – tall, gangly, topped with a loose cabbage-like wig, and with the Brussels sprouts themselves, these tiny cabbage buds, climbing their thick central stalk like bizarre growths. 

A field of Brussels sprouts plants. Individual Brussels sprouts cling to the central stalk which is topped with a mass of leaves.
The alien-like Brussels sprout plant. (Image: Getty)

Actually, it’s not surprising that Brussels sprouts look like miniature cabbages, as they’re a Brassica and a relative of the cabbage, broccoli, and kale. While the plant is native to the Mediterranean, it became popular and cultivated in the 13th century in Belgium – ergo, Brussels sprouts. 

Also, if you think Brussels sprouts are bitter now, listen to this. Modern Brussels sprouts have been cross-bred for low-bitterness, which was only made possible in the 1990s when Dutch scientist Hans van Doorn identified the chemicals sinigrin and progoitrin as the culprits of Brussels sprouts’ acrid flavour. It was this reduction in bitterness that really increased the popularity of Brussels sprouts over the last two decades – so we can thank the Dutch for making these green buds rather more loveable. 

Where to find Brussels sprouts

Brrrr, it’s cold outside – and that means Brussels sprouts are in season, happy as ever in their frosty coats. Generally, Brussels sprouts are bought in another kind of coat (plastic bags), rather than loosey-goosey and priced by the kilo. 

For Countdown shoppers, that looks like either $6 for a 350g bag, or a much better deal of $5 for 500g if you can snag some Odd Bunch Brussels sprouts. At both Pak’nSave and New World, a 400g bag of whole fresh Brussels is $5.99, while Supie offers a 400g bag for $4.50. 

How to make Brussels sprouts terrible

If you’d like to disgust your family or put children off Brussels sprouts for the next decade, boil those buds until greyish, soft, waterlogged, sulfuric-smelling, and bitter. Overcooking through any method isn’t advisable, as that sulphuric odour will arise – but we all know boiling is the easiest way to ruin veg. 

However, there’s more that can go wrong with a Brussels sprout than culinary disaster: as a rich source of vitamin K (which is a blood-clotting factor), chowing down too heartily on the green buds can lead to adverse health effects for people on blood-thinners. Be safe, and consume with care.

A plate topped with roasted Brussels sprouts, potatoes, and garlic cloves paired with bacon, honeyed ricotta, and creamy butter bean on a wooden bench.
Roasted Brussels sprouts, potatoes, and garlic cloves paired with bacon, honeyed ricotta, and creamy butter bean. (Image: Wyoming Paul)

How to make Brussels sprouts amazing

If there’s one safe method for enjoying Brussels sprouts, it’s to roast until crispy, charred, and caramelised. You can just toss with oil, salt, and pepper; add garlic cloves to the roasting tray; or add a good trickle of balsamic vinegar and a spoonful of runny honey as well. Simply seasoned Brussels sprouts can also be topped with grated parmesan or chopped crispy bacon. Recently I made roasted Brussels sprouts, potatoes and garlic cloves paired with bacon, honeyed ricotta, and creamy butter beans – a perfect wintry meal.

Sautéed Brussels sprouts is another great option that can create caramelised surfaces with less cooking time. To prepare your Brussels, remove any loose and damaged leaves, and trim the cut end. I usually slice them in half, especially for roasting and frying, so the cut surface can lay flat on the oven tray or pan, where it will become really crispy and caramelised. If sautéing, leave the Brussels sprouts lying cut side down in a hot, oiled pan for 7 minutes before moving them around.

If you’d like to branch out, a raw and finely sliced Brussels sprouts salad is a great fresh winter side dish – try pairing the buds with strong contrasting flavours and textures, like dried cranberries or finely sliced orange, roughly chopped nuts, lemon juice, crunchy bacon or parmesan. A creamy, zesty dressing is great for complementing and balancing out the bitter flavours. That’s what I’ll be experimenting with this weekend, and I might even squash my last bit of anti-Brussels sprout sentiment in the process!

Wyoming Paul is the co-founder of Grossr, a recipe management website where you can create recipes, discover chefs and follow meal plans. 

Read all the previous Ingredients of the Week here.

Kai