Why you should add more nashi pears into your meals

Whether you add it to a fruit salad, or use it to tenderise your steak, nashi is a great addition to every garden and kitchen.

Words: Jenny Garing

There’s a nashi tree on our property that bears an extraordinary amount of fruit every year, even though we do nothing to it. Despite the wet summer – or maybe because of it – the tree has grown especially well in recent months, giving us a wonderful supply of delicious, versatile fruit.

Although they’re both referred to as Asian pears in New Zealand, nashi (Pyrus pyrifolia) is different from the Chinese pear (Pyrus bretschneideri) – sometimes called ya pear. The ya pear is more the bell shape and smooth texture of the European pear, while nashi are round with a coarse, brownish skin. They are superb eating fruit with crisp, grainy texture and wonderfully juicy, apple-like flavour. I have fond memories of living in Japan and Korea where huge nashi pears were slowly peeled, cored and sliced, and then eaten with a dainty little fork after dinner. It was such a refreshing way to finish a meal. Although the fruit on our tree is nowhere near as big as the ones in Japan, they are just as tasty and refreshing.

Nashi are best eaten slightly chilled and are marvellous in fruit salads, especially Asian-style fruit salads like the Malaysian rojak. For a savoury take, they can be grated and added to coleslaws or shaved vegetable salads. Chef Peter Gordon makes a savoury salsa with kiwifruit and nashi, flavoured with lime and basil to serve with salmon. Like European pears, nashi can complement a good blue or other type of sharp cheese, or can be paired with cooked haloumi and almonds. In Korea, nashi are most commonly used to tenderise meat such as pork, beef ribs, beef cuts for stews, or to marinade stir fry beef.

If you’re lucky enough to have nashi growing on your property, the following three recipes – sweet, savoury and sour – from around the globe are a great way to highlight the fruit’s versatility.

Bulgogi

My Korean friend, So Young, taught me how to make bulgogi, a traditional stir-fried beef dish in Korea. The nashi is necessary for both tenderising and flavouring the meat. When I didn’t have nashi, she refused to make it.

The word bulgogi translates as fire meat due to the process of cooking thin slices of meat on a grill or BBQ. The dish can be prepared in two different ways: grilling the meat by itself and eating in a lettuce or shiso leaf, or cooking the meat with some vegetables to serve with rice as a main meal.

Prep Time: 15 minutes plus 4 hours marinating
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS

800g rib eye (or any tender prime beef cut), thinly sliced, 2mm to 3mm thickness
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 spring onions, thinly sliced on the angle
½ carrot peeled and thinly sliced
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp rice bran oil
1 red chilli, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Marinade:
6 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp rice wine (or mirin)
1 nashi, chopped
½ onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
½ tsp ground black pepper

METHOD

Blend the marinade ingredients in a mixer or food processor until smooth.

Place the thinly sliced meat in a mixing bowl and pour the marinade over it.

Gently massage the marinade into the meat with your hands. Add the sesame oil into the mixture.

Cover the bowl with beeswax wrap and marinate the meat for at least 4 hours in the fridge. (If you have more time, you can also marinate it overnight to deepen the flavour.)

Preheat a frying pan/bbq grill on medium-high heat. Pour in the rice bran oil. Add the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes, then add the meat and cook on medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, until the meat is done.

Toss in the sesame seeds and stir them in quickly. Serve the bulgogi with steamed rice.

Nashi Ginger Tart

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

1 sheet frozen puff pastry
2 nashi, sliced thinly
3 tbsp grated ginger
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp olive oil

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 200°C. In a bowl, use a fork to whisk together the cinnamon, vanilla extract, two tablespoons of sugar, grated ginger and olive oil.

Lay out the pastry on a baking tray and fold up the edges to form a barrier. Spread half the ginger mix over the pastry base. Lay the slices of nashi on top in rows with the slices overlapping tightly. Spread the rest of the ginger mix on top of the nashi and then sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the pastry is cooked and the nashi is soft. Serve with cream.

Ottoman Sherbet

This is a homemade version of the kind of sherbet that I used to buy in the streets of Turkey. It’s a fermented, gut-friendly drink that’s also very hydrating. Usually made with fruits such as plums, cherries and some tamarind, my version with nashi is flavourful but not too intense.

Prep Time: 15 minutes plus 10 days fermenting
Serves: 6-8

INGREDIENTS

1 red apple
1 granny smith (or sour green) apple
2 nashi
100g green grapes
200g firm red plums
50g red grapes
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
220g sugar
5 chickpeas

METHOD

Quarter the apples and nashi without removing the skins or seeds. Squash all the fruit together and mix with the spices in a bowl.

Put the mixed fruit into a two-litre jug with a sealable lid, adding the sugar. Wrap the chickpeas in muslin (cheesecloth) and add to the jug. Fill the jug with filtered water up to the brim. Seal tightly and then store in a cool spot for 10 days before serving. To get fermentation started, you need to keep the chickpeas in the water for at least five days. The liquid will continue to ferment gently once the chickpeas are removed, and you can keep refreshing the drink with water for three months. If it starts to taste like vinegar, use it as vinegar and make another batch.

Nicola Galloway: Sourdough Hot Cross Buns

These sourdough hot cross buns, laden with complex flavours and subtle spices, require a little more TLC – but they’re worth it. 

Words and Images: Nicola Galloway 

I recommend making at least one batch of hot cross buns before the Easter season is over. I particularly enjoy making them with sourdough starter to naturally leaven and add a subtle sour flavour to complement the spices. Sourdough results in more complex flavours compared to using bakers yeast, however, it does take some extra TLC – I have included some tips below.

The key to sourdough baking is planning ahead. The slower rise time means better flavour and crumb, but you also need to be prepared. Personally, I enjoy working with bread dough in this way, as it is not rushed, with the different stages relatively short and spread out. A slow rise also means less kneading is required. In my opinion, that’s a good thing.

To enjoy these over the long Easter weekend prepare the dough Saturday dinner-time for Easter Sunday brunch. Or make the buns ahead of time and warm in the oven, or simply halve and toast.

SOURDOUGH TIPS

When making a denser dough like this the starter must be very bubbly before use – at least doubling in height within 4-6 hours after a fresh feed of flour and water.

The (lactic) acid load of the starter must be very low. If your starter smells sour then you won’t get a good rise in a dense dough like this. A healthy starter won’t smell overly sour, instead more sweetly sour and yeasty.

Timing with sourdough is always suggestive and if it is a cool day then the rise time may be longer (for both the pre-rise and bun rise). Go with the look and feel of the dough over timing – taking a photo at the beginning of the rise to compare can be helpful.

You will notice weights listed in the recipe. Using scales and weighing ingredients is recommended for baking success.

Sourdough Hot Cross Buns (or Bread)

This sweet and spiced enriched (sour) dough makes the most wonderful hot cross buns. If you are already a sourdough bread baker add these to your repertoire. The most important thing is to ensure the sourdough starter is very active and not too sour when making an enriched naturally-leavened dough like this. Plus, keeping the starter and dough in a warm position while rising is essential.

Need a sourdough starter recipe? Find Nicola’s recipe for creating and nurturing a sourdough starter here

Prep time: 40 minutes
Rise time: about 16 hours
Cook time: 25 minutes

300ml milk – can use any milk – cow or dairy-free
30g butter or coconut oil
50g raisins or sultanas
50g currants
30g mixed citrus peel
425g high grade white flour
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt
150g bubbly sourdough starter (fed 5-6 hours prior)

Cross Paste
3 tbsp flour
2½ tbsp water
1 tsp oil
Pinch each of sugar, salt and mixed spice

Marmalade Glaze
2 tbsp marmalade or apricot jam
2 tbsp boiling water

Around 6pm the evening before baking the buns, make the dough.
Combine the milk and butter in a saucepan and gently heat just until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and add the raisins, currants and mixed peel. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes and plump up the dried fruit.
Combine the flour, sugar, spices and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the milk mixture and bubbly sourdough starter. Use a spoon to mix together into a rough dough. Cover with a plate and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
After this time, use your hands to fold the dough directly in the bowl for 2-3 minutes until smooth, then form into a ball and cover with a plate. Leave to rise in a WARM place for 3-4 hours until the dough rises by about a third, then put the covered bowl into the fridge overnight.
The next morning, around 7-8am, remove the dough from the fridge and scoop it onto the bench. Use a dough scraper or butter knife to divide into nine even pieces (about 120g each if you want to be exact). Roll each dough piece into a ball by cupping your hand over the dough and moving in a circular motion on the bench.
Arrange the dough balls in a baking tin about 25cm square (or similar). Leaving a little space between each bun to rise. Cover the tin with a plastic bag so the dough doesn’t dry out and leave to rise in a WARM place for about 3 hours until risen by about a third.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C).
Prepare the cross paste by combining the ingredients in a bowl into a thick paste. Spoon into a small ziplock bag and use scissors to snip off a corner about 5mm wide. Squeeze the paste onto the risen buns to make a cross pattern.
Place the buns in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden.
While the buns are cooking make the glaze by combining the marmalade and boiling water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat.
Once the buns are out of the oven immediately brush with the glaze. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes then move the buns to a cooling rack. Leave to cool for 30-40 minutes before eating for the crumb to set. Serve warm with butter and jam.

*This dough can also be made into a single large bread. Follow the recipe to make the dough and slow-rise in the fridge overnight. The next day, shape the dough into an oblong loaf and place into a large bread tin. Rise in the tin for 3-4 hours until doubled in size then bake at 200C for 40 minutes until golden.

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