Fish and Kumara Fry Up

With all the house-sitting I do, I notice the amount of over buying and food going off is more common than you think! Since living simply, I have a new appreciation for food and cooking. I used to restrict food intake according to fitness plans and eating prescriptions. These days I approach meals and cooking from a wider perspective - not just for my own purposes, but with the environment in mind too.

I simply buy local fresh ingredients and buy only what I need. My approach or mindset to cooking is - cooking wholesome meals to nourish my body and mind, fully enjoying the process of cooking, feeling thankful for natures produce, enjoying a meal that doesn’t take hours to cook, and without following complicated recipes.

This is an art - its more than a skill. It’s a WAY OF LIVING.

The following meal was inspired by a jaunt up to Nelson in my van

Step 1 - The mindset of cooking simply

> Really enjoy the ingredients. As you tear up the coriander really make a point to notice and enjoy the smell (that's if you like the taste of coriander of course, otherwise go for parsley lol). Enjoy every moment as you are cooking.

> Think differently about your cooking approach. From time to time say to yourself, 'how can I make this really easy on myself with maintaining the goodness of the flavours in the ingredients?' Notice if you are holding on to old ways of how a traditional meal 'should be', and be rebellious with your approach to keeping it simple.

> Be imperfect. Less time faffing around making your meal look just like the recipe book, means more time for you doing more of what you love - like sitting back with your feet up, or an evening stroll after dinner. 

Step 2. The recipe

 Mapua smoked fish is pretty well known up there so I jumped in and made my version of a deconstructed smoked fish pie. Obviously cooking on my camp burner means I keep things ridiculously simple, but with the rich local flavours, it still tastes delux!

When I get to a housesit I might get all fancy and layer the fish in an oven dish, with the kumara over the top and have an actual pie, but to be honest the fact I'm out in the fresh air, sitting in the back of my van overlooking the ocean, the deconstructed version seems to be a pretty magical dining experience.

Ingredients:

Smoked local fish

Kumara

Coriander

Other ingredients:

Lemon Juice

Olive Oil

Step 3. Russel it all together

This is reasonably quick and always straight forward. No faffing about looking in cupboards for multiple pots dishes and special blenders and beaters.

Chop up the kumara, boil until soft to poke with a fork. Add lashings of olive oil to a fry pan and add the cooked kumara and broken up fish chunks. Add generous squeezes of lemon juice, and at the last minute break up fresh coriander and cover the whole dish. Serve straight from the fry pan to your plate with salt and pepper.

To learn more about simple living, cooking for wellbeing and building your inner strengths through mindful living see ‘The Art Of Living Well” 5 week course at Heart and Mind Yoga.

Jo Jarden is a personal trainer and yoga teacher and the founder of Heart and Mind Yoga studio in Central Christchurch. With 10 years experience in health promotion, she now helps people one on one with their wellbeing. Services include, yoga teaching, personal training, workplace yoga and wellbeing workshops.