At the French Film Festival this year, there’s a beautiful food movie The Taste of Things. This historical romantic drama, set in France in 1889 on a country estate, delivers a
parade of exquisitely executed French haute cuisine. I have no doubt that the food and wine budget was eyewatering by anyone’s means.

By the end of the movie I think the entire audience would have signed up for Dodin’s pot au feu, for the bone marrow alone, or Eugenie’s show-stopping seafood vol au vent, or her omelette norvegienne , as baked alaska is known in France – two tender sponges sandwiched with home-churned icecream, encased in rosettes of golden flambeed meringue.

Food has this magical way of transporting us and right now, you might think that rich, heady French cooking would be exactly the order of the day to fend off winter’s cold. However, instead of opting for the butter and cream-laden pleasures of French haute cuisine, I find the best means to elevate my mood in the face of these long cold winter nights (and avoid that sluggish feeling you get when you eat lots of heavy rich food), is to fire up my palate with some spice. The fiery heat of a chilli has a fabulous way of kicking endorphins into action, delivering a little lift, that’s so appreciated at this time of year when the days are nearly at their shortest. Capsaicin, the tear-forming, mouth-burning, heat source of the chilli (found in the greatest concentrations in the white pith), causes your brain to produce endorphins because the pain induced is making your brain think you’re injured.

Chilli in every guise fills my pots and my cupboards — from the rounded warm notes of Mexican smoky chipotle (mix a couple of spoonfuls into some mayonnaise to elevate your next taco experience) to the clean fresh bite of a Vietnamese Nouc Cham dressing (shake together ¼ cup each fish sauce, sugar and rice vinegar, ½ cup water, 1 long red chilli, very finely sliced and the finely grated zest of 1 lime; it will keep in the fridge for weeks), creamy chilli-flecked Malay laksa, and Indian stews redolent with heady spices. In my fridge, there are multiple jars of shatta — that fabulous fiery Middle Eastern chilli condiment, while in the pantry you’ll find preserved jars of smoky Mexican salsa (tomatoes, red peppers, garlic, and a couple of spoonfuls of chipotles in adobo sauce, all simmered up together, seasoned and pureed, bottled into sterlised jars), and crispy chilli oil (chilli flakes gently fried with neutral oil until the chilli is very crispy, without burning).

Since there isn’t any chance of the weather delivering the heat right now, use a dash of chilli and spice to take your palate on a tropical adventure.

Spicy Vegetable Samosas

You could use a commercial pastry for these samosas but this easy recipe gives a lovely crispy result. I like to make these as minis but you can make them twice the size for regular-sized samosas, and because the filling is already cooked they won’t take much longer to cook.

Ready in 1 hour

Makes 24 minis or 12 regular-sized samosas

Dough:

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

¼ cup neutral oil

1 cup cold water

Filling:

4 medium waxy potatoes (500g), peeled

2 Tbsp neutral oil

1 large onion, finely minced

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

3cm piece ginger, peeled and minced

2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

3 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp each black mustard seeds and yellow mustard seeds

1 tsp turmeric

1 Tbsp garam masala

1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed

salt and pepper to taste

½ cup finely chopped coriander leaves

Neutral oil for frying

To make dough, mix flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add oil and water and mix with a wooden spoon until a softish dough comes together. Transfer to the bench and knead until smooth and elastic, about 12 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Boil potatoes until just tender. Drain, cool and dice into ½cm cubes. Heat oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add potatoes, peas and all remaining ingredients except coriander. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat, mix in coriander, adjust seasonings to taste. Set aside to cool completely.

Place dough on a lightly floured work surface, divide into 12 equal balls ( or for larger samosas divide into 6) and cover with a damp towel to prevent drying out. Using a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 15cm disc (roll to 30cm for the larger balls). Cut discs in half. Take each half, join the corners and press the straight edges together to form a cone. Fill each cone with a heaped tablespoon of filling and seal the top. Pleat edges of the seam by making little folds and pinching together. Finished samosas can be stored in the fridge overnight or frozen at this point; defrost in fridge overnight before frying.

To cook, pour oil to a depth of 5cm in a large, heavy pot and heat over medium heat until a cooking thermometer reaches 180C. Fry samosas in batches until golden-brown, about 6-8 minutes. Remove with tongs and drain on paper towels before transferring to a serving platter. Serve hot or at room temperature. Accompany with mango chutney or yoghurt mixed with a little lemon and salt.

Chilli Chicken Dumpling Bowl

Nuggets of chicken sausage make great little dumplings in this simple noodle bowl. If preferred you can use thinly sliced raw chicken, pork sausages, or pan-fried cubes of tofu.

Ready in 35 minutes

Serves 4

300g dried egg noodles or soba noodles, cooked according to packet instructions

2 spring onions, white and greens separated, thinly sliced

6 cups chicken stock

2 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp chilli oil or more to taste

1 Tbsp fish sauce, or more to taste

¼ cup oyster sauce

4 good-quality chicken sausages

4 heads bok choy or ¼ Chinese cabbage, thinly sliced

1 bunch coriander leaves, coarsely chopped

1 long red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced

Finely grated zest of 1 lime and 2 Tbsp lime juice

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1 Tbsp black sesame seeds, to garnish

Cook noodles according to packet directions. While noodles cook, place spring onion whites, stock, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, chilli oil, fish sauce and oyster sauce in a large pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Squeeze small balls of sausage meat out of the skins and drop them into the simmering soup. Cook over a gentle heat for 2 minutes. Add bok choy or cabbage and bring back to a simmer. Mix in coriander, chilli and lime zest. Adjust seasonings to taste with salt and pepper (no salt may be needed).

Divide cooked, drained noodles between 4 heated bowls. Top with hot soup, squeeze over lime juice, sprinkle with sesame seeds and reserved spring onion greens to serve.

Fragrant Thai-style Seafood Curry

Good curries begin with flavoursome sauces. This Red Curry Base is excellent with any kind of seafood, chicken or beef, it keeps for up to 5 days in the fridge or can be frozen. Commercial curry pastes are a great starting point, but they vary tremendously from brand to brand in flavour and heat, so use less to start with until you can gauge the heat and taste.

Ready in 45 minutes

Serves 8

1.5kg boneless, skinless white fish fillets, cut into 3cm chunks

5 handfuls baby spinach leaves

12 large prawns (optional)

¼ cup crispy shallots

Greens of 2 spring onions, finely sliced

½ cup coriander leaves

Lime wedges

Rice, to serve

Red Curry Base

¼ cup neutral oil

2-3 Tbsp Thai red curry paste, or more to taste

2 Tbsp tomato paste

3 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp soft brown sugar

2 Tbsp fish sauce

2 makrut lime leaves, central stem removed, leaves finely shredded (optional)

2 stalks lemongrass bruised with a rolling pin or ½ tsp freeze-dried lemongrass powder

Zest of 2 limes, finely grated

4 cups water

1½ cups coconut cream

To make Red Curry Base, heat oil in a large pot and sizzle curry paste, tomato paste, ginger, garlic and cumin for 2-3 minutes or until aromatic. Add cinnamon, sugar, fish sauce, lime leaves, lemongrass, lime zest, water and coconut cream and simmer for 15 minutes. The curry base can be prepared ahead up to this point, chilled for up to 5 days until needed and finished just before serving.

To serve, bring red curry base back to a simmer. Add fish, cover and cook without stirring for 5 minutes. Gently stir in spinach and prawns, if using, and cook for another minute or until the prawns and fish are fully cooked through. Garnish with crispy shallots, spring onions, coriander and lime wedges and serve immediately with a side of steamed rice.

by Yvonne Lorkin

(Spicy vegetable samosas)

Citizen Cherry Gin and Lemon 250ml ($5.50)

I’m a huge fan of hitting spice with sweetness. I’m also a huge fan of a sneaky warm samosa of a Saturday afternoon. I’m an even huger fan of sipping something slightly boozy with said samosa. So imagine my saucer-eyed satisfaction when combining the rich, cherry lemonade-infused gin mix from masters of food-upcycling, Citizen, with the eyepopping zing of Annabel’s samosa spices. Annually thousands of cherries with tiny imperfections go to waste because they can’t be sold locally or exported. Cherry Corp and Citizen teamed up to repurpose these cherries by creating this drink and stopping tasty fruit being turfed out. Blackmarket.co.nz

(Chilli chicken dumpling bowl)

Sunshine Brewing Brew3000 IIIPA 440ml ($14)

From the brewery who bought us the infamous Gisborne Gold way back in 1989, comes the homage to their 3000th brew. A huge beer for a huge milestone and it’s a brilliant beverage to sip alongside these heat-packed dumplings. At 10 per cent abv, and heaving with a trio of American Mosaic, Cryo, Amarillo and Idaho 7 hops, this rich, biscuity, resinous West Coast triple IPA is screaming out for food fanging with flavour. Hence why this dumpling bowl fits the bill nicely. Sunshinebrewing.co.nz

(Fragrant Thai-style seafood curry)

Rimapere by Baron Edmond de Rothschild Sauvignon Blanc 2023 ($30)

With its classic lime-laced Marlborough lift, this delicate, basil and passionfruit-pumped sauvignon blanc has Thai seafood curry written all over it. Each sip offers soft, juicy herbaceousness, lemongrassy layers and a finish that’s long and flinty. Beautifully balanced and bright as a button. Akarua.com

* I’ve loved sharing Saturday sips with you over the last decade, thanks for reading my reviews. – Yvonne Lorkin