COLUMNIST: DINA WATT
So, I hope you are going to be excited with these fabulous recipes using local, seasonal fruit and vegetables inspired by classic recipes from around the world. Happy gardening and cooking!
This is definitely a jam that will tingle your taste buds. It is not really a sweet type of jam but more of a savoury, tangy type which makes the most of onions in this recipe. This needs a slow cooking process but the overall recipe is easy and you can store the jam for up to 2 weeks.
300g bacon
2 red onions
1 brown onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp of soya sauce
Black pepper
2 tbsp of malt vinegar/red wine vinegar
3 tbsp of brown sugar
1 tbsp of olive oil
Dice the bacon into small bits and set aside.
In a pan, add olive oil and set the heat to medium. Once the olive oil is hot, throw in the bacon bits and cook for 5-7 minutes until they have begun to get crispy. Then add soya sauce and black pepper. Soya sauce will add the umami flavour and will deepen the colour of the jam - this is probably my secret to make this recipe taste even more scrumptious. You don’t need to add salt in this recipe because the bacon contains a lot of salt already. Mix them all well and add a taste of the black pepper.
Next, add all the finely chopped onions and garlic into the pan. Set the heat to low. This is also when you have to add the vinegar and brown sugar.
Cook it all on low heat for about 20-25 minutes and let it cool off before placing into jars.
This jam is the perfect addition to complement your burgers, steaks, and sandwiches.
Cauliflowers are like a sponge for flavours as they soak up all the flavours you give them. With this recipe, you can turn them into super tasty, crunchy steaks.
one large cauliflower
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Cajun mix
3 tbsp bread crumbs
50g parmesan
Salt
Pepper
Parboil the cauliflower for about 3-5 minutes. Let it cool off by rinsing it with a bit of cold water so that it will stop the cooking process. This is done to retain the crunch of the cauliflower and not overcook it.
Once the cauliflower has cooled off, cut it into 4 chunky slices as we are going to make them into steaks.
Marinate the cauliflower steaks with salt, pepper, Cajun mix, and olive oil, leaving for around an hour so that the cauliflower will soak up the flavours.
After marinating, you can grill or pan fry the cauliflower, I am going to pan fry it.
In a separate bowl, add 50g of grated parmesan and also 3 tablespoons of bread crumbs.
Coat each cauliflower steak with bread crumbs and parmesan.
In a big pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and set the heat to medium.
Add each coated cauliflower steak into the pan. Cook on each side for 3-5 minutes until the bread crumb and parmesan mix looks crispy.
Once cooked, plate up the steaks and squeeze a bit of lemon over if you like. This dish is perfect to pair with beef steak or even a healthy salad.
Acar is a type of vegetable pickle from maritime southeast Asia, most prevalent in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. It is a localised version of Indian achar, also known as atjar in Dutch cuisine.
½ regular red cabbage
2 carrots, sliced finely julienne
2 cloves of garlic
1 red chilli, depending on your preference
1 cup of malt vinegar or red wine vinegar
3 tbsp of castor sugar
1 cup of water
Shred all the red cabbage and place it in a bowl. Add carrots, garlic, and chilli into the same bowl. Mix them all well.
Meanwhile, in a small pot, add 1 cup of water. Add vinegar, sugar, and a couple of pinches of salt and bring to the boil. Once it is boiling, pour the whole pot (while it is still hot) into the bowl of red cabbage. Mix them all well. Make sure all the red cabbage is covered with the water/vinegar/sugar mix.
Let it cool off then place it in the fridge. This has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavour.
Dina Watt, an Indonesian, now living in Aberdeenshire, is known as The Indonesian Cook. Dina’s love of nature and gardening fuels her passion for cooking using home-grown ingredients. She appeared on BBC's 'Beechgrove' in 4 episodes in 2021.
In her column, Dina shares her own adventurous recipes for delicious home-cooked meals that are easy to make using home-grown, seasonal fruits and vegetables from her own kitchen garden. She is passionate about using every bit of the plant in order to practice zero-waste principles.