June inspiration
This month’s top buys, must-visit restaurants and how to cut down on food waste, plus share your effortless tips for the chance to win a top-notch knife set
Gurdeep discovers… nanami chilli paste
Trends expert Gurdeep Loyal experiments with this popular Japanese condiment
What is it?
Nanami paste is an aromatic Japanese chilli paste that combines red chillies with yuzu peel, sesame, sake and ginger.
How to use it
It can be added to sushi, ramen or dumplings, as in the recipe overleaf – and can also be found in a dried powder format. It’s often seen in stylish Japanese restaurants across the globe, such as Nanami Izakaya in Singapore and the inventive Michelin-recommended Sushi Nanami in Taipei, Taiwan.
Where to find it
In the UK it can be found in Japanese supermarkets such as the Japan Centre in London and online store Tuk Tuk Mart.
Nanami gyoza
1 HOUR + SALTING | SERVES 6 | EASY | VEGAN
white cabbage 350g (about ½ a cabbage), finely shredded
tofu or pork mince 500g
spring onions 2, finely chopped
garlic 2 cloves, crushed
nanami chilli paste 1 tbsp
frozen round gyoza wrappers 40-50, defrosted
vegetable oil for frying
soy sauce or ponzu sauce for dipping
1 Sprinkle 1 tsp of salt onto the cabbage and massage in with your hands for 45 seconds. Leave for 10 minutes to release some of its water, then press the cabbage into a sieve to remove the excess liquid.
2 Mix together the mince, spring onions, garlic, cabbage and nanami until well combined.
3 Take a gyoza wrapper and put a heaped tsp of the filling in the centre. Brush the edge of the wrapper with water, then bring the two sides together, pinching at the top to make a half moon shape.
4 Holding the top, pleat and pinch the wrappers on each side towards the middle, completely encasing the filling – wet the outside of the wrapper with a little water if needed.
5 Heat some vegetable oil in a lidded frying pan over a high heat and fry the bottoms of the gyozas in batches for 2-3 minutes until crisp.
6 Carefully add 75ml of water to the pan and cover with a lid immediately. Let the gyozas steam for 4-5 minutes or until the water has evaporated, the fillings are cooked through and the bottoms are crispy. Repeat with the remaining gyozas. Serve with soy or ponzu for dipping, and a dot of nanami paste on top, if you like.
PER SERVING 434 kcals | fat 13.6G saturates 3.4G | carbs 50.2G | sugars 3G fibre 2.2G | protein 26.6G | salt 1G
Gurdeep Loyal is a food and drink trends specialist who built his career working at Harrods Food Halls, Innocent Drinks and M&S Food.
He’s also a food writer and curator of online platform Mother Tongue, with his first recipe book set for release next spring.
Kitchen shelf
FU Sauce
This clever collab between Sauce Shop and breakfast bloggers Fry Up Police combines the best of both brown and red sauce, plus an extra punch of spicy chipotle and a splash of vodka, to create the ultimate in breakfast condiments. £3.99 (260g), sauceshop.co
Cheesy Immature Nooch
With its aged parmesan flavour and flaky salt texture, this nutritional yeast is next level. Sprinkle on pasta or shake onto popcorn for a nutty, cheesy hit. £6.99 (2 x 80g pouches), notoriousnooch.co
Petrossian almonds with lemon white chocolate
Marrying caramel-roasted almonds with tart lemon and sweet white chocolate, these crunchy treats are a delightful way to end a meal. £32 (200g), petrossian.fr
Banhoek chilli oil
Rapeseed oil provides a silky, neutral base, letting the sun-dried bird’s-eye chilli shine in this rose-hued oil from South Africa. Drizzle on pizza or spoon over fried eggs to add a touch of warming heat. £8.50 (250ml), banhoekchillioil.co.uk
The Flavourists Sizzle Kits
Simple yet delicious vegan food kits that include veg and protein balls, a warming curry sauce and a tangy dip, plus a crumb sachet for a complete texture experience. Just add coconut milk and rice for an easy dinner in 15 minutes. £4.75, Waitrose
The Estate Dairy x Oklava Medjool date butter
An unexpected savoury butter that has sweet touches but an overall umami taste thanks to the black rice vinegar. It is uniquely grainy, which contrasts nicely with the creamy butter base. £5 (100g), theestatedairy.com
Odysea Datterini tomatoes
Marinated in garlic and herbs, these Datterini tomatoes strike a good balance between sweet and acidic. Dot them in a focaccia loaf to bring out the garlic flavour or blitz them with some of their oil to make a silky and luscious pasta sauce. £3.29 (280g), odysea.com
Howdah chilli grain chips
Thick-cut ribbed crisp curls are dusted in cumin, chilli powder and dried mango for a sweet and peppery kick. Plus, each pack sold provides a free meal for a child in need in India. £2.70 (130g), howdahsnacks.co.uk
Suölo salts
This kitchen staple is high in magnesium and potassium, while the chilli and black pepper variety makes an easy marinade for beef or smoky aubergines. It has a very fine texture, too – coat margarita glasses in it for an at-home cocktail hour. £24.99 (4 x 180g), suolo.world
Smokin’ Brothers cold-smoked salmon
Cold smoked in small batches, this tender smoked salmon is sourced from sustainable fish farms in Scotland and Ireland. Supplied in a sashimi cut that gives it a good bite, the belly pieces are buttery and silky. The tail is slightly leaner with the blend of beech, oak and juniper providing a delicately smoky taste that is not too salty. £29.80 (2 x 200g), smokin-brothers.com
MUST TRY TREND: Whipped feta
What we’ve spotted
Feta, known for its briny, tangy taste and crumbly texture, has been blitzed to new heights. Whipped feta, an airy, salty creation that’s lighter than cream cheese but sturdier than double cream, has hit restaurant menus. Made by combining feta, olive oil and sometimes greek yogurt, this innovative spread mellows out the intense saltiness of crumbled feta and has a smooth, rich texture.
Where to find it
Nutshell, a modern Iranian restaurant in Covent Garden, tops its spiced butternut squash tarte tatin with a generous dollop of whipped feta and crushed hazelnuts for a warm-salty creation. In Wimbledon’s Demitasse, it teams baked eggs with whipped feta and a herby chermoula. Nottingham’s Mesa Hockley offers a lemon whipped feta and seasonal tomatoes on sourdough drizzled with olive oil, while Los Moros in York simply serves whipped feta as a dip with chilli paste and flakes from the Urfa region of Turkey.
Your olive favourites
SPRING PEA, HERB AND WHIPPED RICOTTA
“This recipe instantly caught my eye. I love homemade pasta, particularly ravioli. The filling is absolutely divine and I have never thought to serve it on whipped ricotta before – it makes a delightful change.” @mummy_mitch_bakes
CLASSIC CHOCOLATE BROWNIES
“The best brownie recipe ever. I swear by it.” @oddfod
PISTACHIO AND LIME CAKE
“This recipe was great for my Sunday baking project. I altered the recipe to use coconut sugar, kefir and cashew nut frosting. Delicious!” @tastes.of.happiness
Find these recipes at olivemagazine.com and share your favourites on #olivemagazine
What’s new on the olive podcast?
Have you heard the new olive podcast? Each week deputy editor and podcast host Janine asks characters from the food world to share the top 10 things we need to know about their specialist subject, and there’s also a bonus Effortless! episode where they give us their best kitchen hacks, cheats and tips. Brand new episodes are released every Friday – listen out for Rui da Silva on plantain and Luis Gonzalez-Castro on Cuban food and cooking.
Make a reservation
RECENTLY OPENED… The Mess, Tisbury, Wiltshire
Galápagos Islands-born chef Ana Ortiz (previously Pythouse Kitchen Garden and The Newt) celebrates South American flavours in a new restaurant, café and deli in the former dairy building of thatched Wiltshire arts centre Messums. Ana serves up vibrant dishes, including Somerset beef empanadas, red quinoa tortilla with fermented cherry tomatoes and Wiltshire pork with achiote pasta and coal-roasted new potatoes. messumswiltshire.com
REVISITING… The Beach Hut, Cornwall
Watergate Bay Hotel, a contemporary coastal spot north of Newquay, has relaunched its beachside restaurant with a sustainable focus and a 50% plant-based menu. Healthy, post-surf refuels, such as mushroom and black bean nachos, and grilled aubergine with tahini and pomegranate, will join menu classics such as the extreme hot chocolate and mussels in white wine and West Country cream. watergatebay.co.uk
COMING SOON… Tatale, London SE1
Ghanaian-British chef Akwasi Brenya-Mensa is launching a permanent spot for his Pan-African concept this summer in The Africa Centre. Akwasi’s restaurant will give diners a taste of African culture, ingredients and cuisine, with dishes including omo tuo nkatekwan sesame (mashed rice with groundnut peanut soup), buttermilk fried chicken burgers with shito chilli, and plantain cheesecake. tataleandco.com
Competition
Share your effortless! ideas with us and WIN!
Each month on our effortless! feature we share genius buys and clever tips to make entertaining a breeze. Tell us your own that you use at home for the chance to win a ProCook knife set and whetstone.
Deputy food editor Adam Bush says:
“This month we’ve whipped up a wonderfully simple chipotle aïoli to serve with crudités, and used frozen brioche dough to make effortless brioche ice cream sandwiches.”
HOW TO ENTER:
1. Tell us your best effortless! idea that you use at home.
2. Send a photo showing us what you do.
3. Use #oliveeffortless! or email us on oliveweb@immediate.co.uk.
4. We’ll feature the winner in a future issue.
Win this ProCook Professional X50 Chef knife set and whetstone
Designed for professional chefs as well as home cooks, the brand new Professional X50 Chef knife range from ProCook offers a knife for every task. Inspired by classic French styling to offer comfort, control and elegant good looks, each knife features contoured triple-rivet handles and the finest German X50 stainless steel blades. Keep your knives sharp and in tip-top condition with ProCook’s double-sided whetstone.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS Competition open to entries from residents in the UK, over the age of 18. Send us your entries by 15 June 2022 at 23.59. For full terms and conditions, visit olivemagazine.com/effortlesscomp.
The winner of April’s effortless! competition is olive reader Katy Miles, with her easy yet impressive gouda crisps, ideal for a pre-dinner nibble with drinks – simply cut pre-sliced gouda into strips, spread out on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, sprinkle with mixed herbs and cook for 10 minutes in a 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 oven until golden at the edges. Congratulations, Katy!
Sustainability
Food waste saviours
There are times when you just can’t avoid making food waste – it might be a meal you intended to cook but then you ate elsewhere, an overload of something in a veg box, or a bulk buy that’s nearing its best before date. Dried food isn’t a problem to redeploy but fresh food is much harder. In our test kitchen we have produce, products and cooked food left over from recipe tests, so we use an app called OLIO to help manage this. OLIO is a local community app that connects neighbours so they can give away, rather than throw away, food waste. Many of us use it at home as well. The app has been going for five years so it’s had time to iron out any glitches and there’s a strict code about saying you’ll take something and then not turning up, so when people say they’ll come, they do.
Since its launch, the app claims to have shared 40 million portions of food, which is the environmental impact equivalent of taking 120 million car miles off the road, saving six billion litres of water and preventing 36,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions. You can also give away non-food on OLIO and borrow or lend pieces of equipment. So whether it’s a portion of soup, some spare cake (if you’re an OLIOer near our office, you’ll be eating Christmas food in July) or a bag of rice, someone will want to eat what you can’t. olioex.com
Shop small
The London beekeeper who makes nutritious raw honey in the city
Meetal Patel, based in east London, enjoyed beekeeping in his spare time so much that he decided to launch Pearly Queen, a collective of urban beekeepers who prove that delicious raw honey can be made in cities. “People were fascinated that my honey came from hives in east London rather than the countryside,” explains Meetal. “I started contacting other urban beekeepers as I wanted to highlight the variety of flavours unique to each area of the city.”
Beekeeping in London has its challenges. “A big issue is space,” says Meetal. “I don’t have a garden, so my hives are in churchyards, urban farms and historical buildings.” Raw honey has lots of health benefits and may even help hay fever sufferers. “Raw honey contains good bacteria,” says Meetal. “Many swear by it to help with hay fever. I’m inundated with queries from people in the spring, desperate for local honey. But the main UK honey harvest is towards the end of the summer, so my advice is to stock up early.” @pearlyqueenhoney
Objects of desire
Bring a touch of warm summer sunshine to your picnic, even if the skies are looking a touch grey
TROPICAL JUNGLE LARGE LEMON PICNIC PLATTER
Made from bamboo and melamine, this vibrant plate is as tough as it is striking, so you can sling it in your bag without a second thought. £8, marksandspencer.com
THE COOLER TOTE BAG
This chic tote is big enough to keep everything cool while you find the perfect picnic spot, and stylish enough to use between picnics, too. £80, businessandpleasureco.com
PURE NEW WOOL PICNIC BLANKET
In a beautiful summery weave, this blanket is pure new wool up top with a sturdy polyester backing underneath – so you can lay it out to make the most of a break in the downpours. £135, heating-and-plumbing.com