Chef Makoa
Parai Īnanga (Māori Whitebait Fritters)
Aotearoa's tiny river whitebait, barely bound with egg and fried quick so they stay tender. Parai īnanga is Māori kai from the spring run, eaten hot at the whānau table.
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Chef Makoa
Kūtai Kōhuatia (Māori Steamed Green-Lipped Mussels)
Green-lipped kūtai from Aotearoa's cold coast, steamed plain until the shells open and their own briny liquor gathers, finished with lemon and bread for the whānau table.
Chef Makoa
Pāua Fritters (Māori Black Abalone Fritters from Aotearoa)
Aotearoa's prized pāua, minced fine and folded through a light egg batter, fried golden at the whānau table and eaten with lemon while the cold coast still feels close.
Chef Makoa
Kūmara me Wātakirihi (Māori Sweet Potato and Watercress Salad)
Roasted Māori kūmara from Aotearoa, caramel-edged and warm, tossed with peppery wātakirihi, watercress, red onion, and a bright honey-vinegar dressing. Cool southern light, whānau-table food.
Chef Makoa
Pikopiko (Māori Curled Fern Shoots, Blanched and Sautéed)
Young curled fern shoots from Aotearoa, blanched safe and sautéed simply until glossy, green, and grassy. Māori kai whenua, gathered from the bush and brought to the whānau table.
Chef Makoa
Kina (Māori Raw Sea Urchin from Aotearoa)
Cold-coast kaimoana from Aotearoa: kina cracked open at the table, golden roe lifted from the shell, briny and rich, eaten simply because the reef already did the seasoning.
Chef Makoa
Boil-Up (Māori Pork, Pūhā, and Doughboys)
Aotearoa's whānau pot: pork bones simmered until the broth turns deep, pūhā or watercress folded through, kūmara soft at the edges, and doughboys floating heavy and tender.
Chef Makoa
Karengo (Māori Seaweed Pan-Simmered from Aotearoa)
Aotearoa's karengo, native seaweed gathered from the cold rocks, dried for keeping, then rehydrated and pan-simmered until dark, tender, salty, and shining.
Chef Makoa
Smoked Tuna (Māori Freshwater Eel from Aotearoa)
Aotearoa's river tuna, split and salted, then smoked slow over mānuka until the oil shines, eaten cold off the bone with buttered bread, kūmara, and whānau around the table.
Chef Makoa
He Kao Kūtai (Māori Green-Lipped Mussel Fritters)
Green-lipped mussels from Aotearoa, chopped through a simple batter with onion and parsley, fried crisp at the edges and eaten with lemon while the whānau is still reaching.
Chef Makoa
Motumotu (Māori Boil-Up Doughboys)
Soft Māori doughboys dropped into the boil-up pot, where flour, fat, and broth turn into tender motumotu beside pork bones, kūmara, and greens from Aotearoa.
Chef Makoa
Toroi (Māori Mussels Steeped with Pūhā)
Aotearoa's toroi is old Māori kai: green-lipped mussels, bitter pūhā, and the mussels' own briny liquor steeped together until the sea and the greens speak in one bowl.
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