CAMPING THE KIWI WAY

Spring and summer bring a great array of fresh vegetables. Ingredients like fresh ginger, lime, sesame oil, red curry paste and lemon bring fresh flavours to curries, salads and side dishes.

Jungle curry

Serves 3 as a main

Jungle curry combines the fresh flavours of lime and ginger with red curry paste. The recipe below uses eggplant, baby corn, green beans, button mushrooms and chicken. Depending on what you have available, you could use other vegetables and protein (eg, tofu or pork).

Fresh ginger root is a helpful flavouring to take when you are camping, and store with your onions and garlic. The lime flavour in this recipe comes from the kaffir lime leaves and the rind of fresh lime. If you can only source one of these lime flavours, you will still make a very tasty curry. Red curry paste can be bought in jars (which should be kept in the fridge after opening) or single serve sachets.

When eggplants are in season they keep well in a cool, dark location. If you have access to a freezer, you can use whole baby beans rather than fresh ones.

1 medium onion (diced)

1 medium purple eggplant (diced)

350g skinless chicken breast fillets (cut into finger-length strips)

2.5cm piece of fresh ginger root (peeled and chopped finely)

125g tinned whole baby sweetcorn (cut in half lengthwise)

75g fresh or frozen green beans

75g white or brown button mushrooms (thickly sliced)

1 Tbsp oil

1−2 Tbsp Thai red curry paste (depending on how hot you want the curry)

2−3 kaffir lime leaves (if available)

450ml chicken stock (can be made from stock powder and water)

2 Tbsp Thai fish sauce

Grated rind of a fresh lime

1 Tbsp tomato paste or puree

1 tsp brown sugar

• Start by dicing the eggplant and sprinkling 12 tsp salt over it. Put is aside.

• Prepare the rest of the ingredients.

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan.

• Wash the salt off the eggplant and drain.

• Add diced onion and eggplant to the warm oil and fry until the onion and eggplant are beginning to turn golden.

• Add chicken strips and cook for around 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked on the outside.

• Add red curry paste and cook for a further minute.

• Add vegetables and kaffir lime leaves (if using) and stir until coated in red curry paste.

• Add the remaining ingredients.

• Bring the curry to the boil and simmer gently for 1012 minutes or until the chicken and vegetables are just tender.

• Serve with rice.

This recipe is adapted from the Good Housekeeping Complete Indian and Far Eastern Cookbook. I’ve had a hard copy of this book for many years and it has some great recipes in it. It is still available from a range of online booksellers.

Green pea and bean salad

Serves 6 as a side dish

This tasty salad is easy to make. You can use either fresh beans and peas or frozen ones. The dressing gets its fresh flavour from the combination of fresh ginger, sesame oil, sesame seeds and hot chilli sauce.

300g fresh or frozen green beans

300g fresh or frozen green peas

1 Tbsp oil

1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger root

2 Tbsp honey

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp hot chilli sauce

4 tsp sesame seeds

• Put a large pot of water onto boil.

• In a small bowl combine oil, ginger, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil and hot chilli sauce to make the dressing. Set aside.

• When the water is boiling add the peas and beans. If you are using frozen veges, these will just need to heat through. If using fresh veges, heat them until they are just cooked.

• Quickly drain the vegetables and cool with cold water or ice. Drain again and set aside.

• When you are ready to put the salad together:

• Heat a large pan over medium heat.

• Pour the dressing into the warm pan. Stir dressing continuously for 12 minutes until it is bubbly and starting to thicken slightly.

• Add the cooled and drained veges and stir for 23 minutes until they are coated in the dressing and warmed through.

• Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and ground pepper. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

• Serve hot or at room temperature.

Baked Lemon Kumara

Serves 4 as a side dish

Lemon and brown sugar enhance the flavour of kumara. I use red skinned kumara rather than orange kumara, as they keep their shape better when baked. This dish goes well with a roast or as a vegetable accompaniment to a fish, chicken or pork dish.

If you don’t have access to an oven, you can use a camp oven (or heavy bottomed pot) on the stove top. Stir regularly so the kumara doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

1kg red-skinned kumara (peeled and cut into 1cm cubes)

Grated rind and juice of 2 lemons

2 Tbsp brown sugar

60g butter (softened)

Ground black pepper

• Boil diced kumara until it is just tender. Drain and set aside.

• Preheat oven to 200°C

• Mix together grated lemon rind, lemon juice and brown sugar. Use some of the butter to grease a roasting pan.

• Tip the cooked kumara into the pan. Pour in lemon mixture and mix through the kumara.

• Add ground pepper and remaining butter.

• Bake for 15 minutes. Stir well using a fish slice. Return pan to oven and cook for another 15 minutes or until the kumara is golden brown. Serve hot.

Rainbow bean salad

This salad is a favourite of my granddaughters. You can use whatever beans you have available – tinned chickpeas, kidney beans etc, freshly cooked pulses, fresh or frozen green beans. And you can make it whatever size you want depending on how many people you are cooking for. It also keeps for several days in the fridge.

The quantities in the dressing are for a salad using 3–4 tins of beans. If you are only using 1 or 2 tins, then reduce the quantities in the dressing.

3−4 tins of beans — red kidney beans, 4-bean mix, chickpeas or other sorts of tinned pulses. Or cook equivalent quantity of dried beans.

1−2 spring onions (chopped) — optional

1 green, yellow or red capsicum (diced)

Green beans, cooked (fresh or frozen)

½ cup of frozen edamame beans —optional (I generally use frozen green beans and edamame beans and add them frozen or slightly thawed.)

2 Tbsp chopped parsley dressing

1 tsp garlic (crushed or minced)

½ cup of olive oil

¼ cup of wine vinegar (works with either red or white)

½ tsp paprika

1 tsp honey

1tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp tomato sauce

Dash of hot chilli sauce

• Drain the tinned or cooked beans through a sieve or colander and wash with cold water.

• Place beans in a salad bowl with chopped spring onion, diced capsicum, green beans and parsley. Mix together.

• In a small bowl or jar mix together the garlic, olive oil, wine vinegar, paprika, honey, worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce and chill sauce.

• Pour dressing over beans and vege mix. Mix together and put in the fridge until ready to serve.

Photos ©2025 Margaret Earle

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