HomeSouthern Cross is an award-winning programme developed in conjunction with the Human Rights Commission. The course, now in its sixth year, aims to foster cultural diversity and community development and in 2014 was awarded the NZ Diversity Action Award. Each year students celebrate with a multicultural dinner exchanging recipes from their home countries and the dishes are sooo delicious we had to share. So here are just a few of the amazing dishes our students have shared with us as part of Southern Cross – Bon Appetit!
Hungarian Beef Goulash
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 700g rump steak, cut into chunks
- 30g plain flour
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 green pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 75ml dry white wine
- 300ml beef stock
- 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
- Black pepper
- 150ml sour cream
- ½ tsp caraway
Method
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a casserole dish or heavy based saucepan
- Sprinkle the steak with the flour and brown well, in batches, in the hot casserole dish. Set the browned meat aside
- Add in remaining olive oil. Add onion, garlic, green pepper and red pepper to the casserole dish and fry until softened, this should take around 5 minutes
- Return the beef to the pan with the tomato puree and paprika. Cook and stir for 2 minutes
- Add in the tomatoes, white wine and beef stock. Cover and bake in the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Alternatively, cover and cook it on the hob on a gentle heat for about an hour, removing the lid after 45 minutes
- Sprinkle over the parsley and season well with salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir in the sour cream and serve
Iranian baghali polo
Ingredients
- 4 cups basmati or jasmine rice
- 1 tbsp salt
- 3 cups fresh broad (fava) beans, double shelled
- 2½ cups dill sprigs
- 60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 25g butter
- A pinch of saffron threads
- 2 tbsp boiling water
Soak the rice in water with the salt while you prepare the other ingredients; you can even soak it overnight if you want.
Wash the dill and remove the stalks. Place the broad beans in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cook for 1–2 minutes to blanch, then drain; they should be al dente and still bright green.
Drain the rice, then rinse and drain again. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add the rice and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes or until par-cooked. Drain the rice and set aside. Reserve the pan.
Coat the hot pan with the vegetable oil, sprinkle the turmeric over the base of the pan, then mix with the oil. This will give the tahdig (rice crust) some nice colouring.
Add 2 cups cooked rice to the pan, then combine ½ cup broad beans and ¾ cup dill and gently stir into the rice in the pan. Repeat with layers until all the rice, broad beans and dills are used up.
Wrap a tea towel around the lid and place on the pan. Cook over low heat and after 10–15 minutes, check if it’s ready. There are two ways to know: take a fork and poke holes in the bottom through the rice to see if there is enough tahdig; there should be a nice crispy coating of rice at the bottom; or, if you started with a cold pan and follow the rule used in the North of never opening the rice lid until it is ready.
Melt the butter with 2 tablespoons of water, then pour over the rice. To finish, mix the saffron with 2 tablespoons of boiling water to make saffron tea. Mix 1 cup cooked grains with the deep amber tea to give it colour. Place the rice and dill mixture on a platter, top with the saffron rice and serve.
Southern Cross
For Ages 18-26
Duration 21 days