Watch: Sachie’s Kitchen highlights Coromandel seaweed superpowers
Tuesday, 25 June 2024
Have you ever bitten into a piece of seafood gathered straight from the beach?
In this week’s episode of Sachie’s Kitchen, chef Sachie Nomura heads to the Coromandel Peninsula to discover some of the region’s natural produce - and how it can transform a dish, or your health.
The Japanese-born Kiwi-raised personality runs Sachie’s Kitchen cooking school in Auckland and is on a culinary tour around New Zealand, inspired by local produce from the regions.
Each Tuesday, a new episode of her foodie road trip series is released here on Stuff Travel, showcasing the best food and drink of each NZ region.
You can also find her recipes online inspired by the series published each week.
In this episode Nomura visits NZ holiday hotspot the Coromandel and meets the couple who run organic seaweed company AgriSea, Claire and Tane Bradley. The company is known for producing fertiliser but has now moved into drinks such as seaweed kombucha, beer and tea.
New Zealand has over 1000 different types of seaweed and Nomura has no qualms about biting straight into some freshly gathered seaweed on the beach in front of the camera.
“Seaweed is so positive for the environment,” Claire Bradley tells Nomura in the episode, before going on to make mussel fritters using their seaweed stout. “It’s so positive for people, it's nutritious, it’s about adding value for your children and grandchildren that you're leaving behind, making a positive difference in the world.”
Next stop on the road trip is to meet up with award-winning gin distiller Paul Schneider to forage for bramble, a key ingredient in the Awildian gin.
“Just like the ingredients we use, or ourselves if you like, it means untamable, the refusal to be tamed and that makes our gin exciting,” Schneider explains, revealing a selection of key botanics including juniper, coriander, bramble, lemon myrtle and damask rose.
“These together, I really see a symphonic orchestra of gin, but the moment one is out of tune then that's when you know the recipe isn't right.” Schneider and Nomura make a blackberry gin cocktail on screen - which Nomura describes as the best gin cocktail in the world.
Nomura finishes her Coromandel road trip to visit traditional salt farming company Opito Bay Salt, and co-founders Perry Cornish and his partner Erin, and tries her hand at helping out with the processes.
The company makes a selection of different salts, such as a mānuka smoked sea salt, black garlic and even black truffle sea salt.
“It’s our beautiful seawater, its that beautiful environment. With our sea salt its just sunshine, patience and love. Boy does it improve flavour,” Cornish says.
Watch the first episode of Sachie’s Kitchen at the top of this story and tune in every Tuesday for a new episode.
Watch Sachie’s Kitchen Episode 1: Marlborough