I love mandarins. My mum would get a whole bunch and just as soon as she put them in the fruit bowl they were gone. Yep, I would eat them all in record time. I just couldn't get enough.
Mandarins for me are perfect. They taste yummy, are sweet, is a perfect snack you can take anywhere and of course can be made into anything; a dessert, a sauce, chutney, an addition to a meal, or even a drink!
My favourite variety is the imperial mandarins. Imperial mandarins are easy to peel and taste great too, so what is not to love...possibly the seeds but this can be fixed.
As it is finally mandarin season I thought, why don't you see more dishes with mandarins in them? Can you add mandarins to your cooking? If so, what else could you cook?
My first thought was to investigate what I could make and made sure it was something I wanted to eat, as well as the rest of the family. Yes, others need to like the dishes too, which in my book shouldn't matter as this was an exploration of dishes of a person who is obsessed with mandarins.
Once I narrowed down what was going to create, Fresh produce was needed and the main one was, of course, mandarins. I chose to shop at Todarellos at Katoomba.
Todarello's has a vast array of fresh fruit and vegetables. They are all displayed beautifully, and all the food displays are fresh, colourful and inviting. Shopping at Todderllo's is a delight on your eyes as the colours make you imagine delicious and colourful dishes that are a feast on your eyes and fill your belly.
After you do fill your box or bag with all your shopping you can get the assistance of the kind staff at Todarello's to carry it all to your car. What a great service they offer and any time I have needed to help anyone there always has a smile on their face and nothing is an issue to help a customer. If you do want to shop from the convenience of your home Toddarello's has a website that allows you to order what you wish and have it all delivered to your house.
Once I had ample mandarins and other items that would assist in the creation of my dishes, I was ready to make some amazing mandarin dishes.
To celebrate mandarins I have cooked a variety of different dishes.
You can download the printable mandarin recipes here
Mandarin Curd Tart
I saw this online and had to give it a go. The recipe was inspired by Rainbow Nourishments, and I changed it a little.
Ingredients
Crust- 1 cup plain or all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup olive oil or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup almond meal
- 3 tbsp of sugar
- 2 tbsp of LSA ( Linseeds, Sunflowers and Almonds)
- 4-5 Mandarins and also the zest of the mandarins
- ½ cup (120g) canned coconut cream ( I used the whole can)
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp of corn starch
- 2 tsp (6g) Dr. Oetker Gelatine Powder ( I couldn't find agar powder and this did the trick)
- 2- 3 mandarins peeled with seeds removed
- Diced Pistachios
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F)
I used a non stick tart pan for the tart base
Making the CrustAdd all ingredients and mix to make a dough. If to dry add a little water and if too wet add a little flour. Roll out dough to be around 3mm thick (⅛ inch) and then put into tart pan. Cook for 15mins until golden brown and remove to cool.
Making the Mandarin Curd Add all ingredients to a saucepan and stir over heat until the mixture thickens. I cut up all the mandarin, removed the seeds and zapped it all in the blender to make sure it is all mixed blended nicely. Once mixture has cooled down add to tart base and put in fridge to set for 2 hours. You can leave for longer if you wish.
Decorate with mandarin pieces & pistachios, remember to remove the seeds.
Spiced Mandarin Marinade
Previously I added mandarin pieces to a chicken, vegetable and noodle stir fry dish, but wanted to see what it would be like if mandarin was a marinade.
Ingredients- 4-5 mandarins (I used imperial mandarins but you can use any type you wish)
- Half a red chilli with seeds intact
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 lime juiced
- 2 tablespoons of olive/vegetable oil
- Grate mandarin zest as well
- Cut up 4-5 mandarins and make sure to remove the seeds
- Add the zest of the mandarins too for a more intense mandarin flavour
- Add the zest and mandarin pieces to the blender and mix so that all the mandarin is blended together
- Remove the blended mandarin from the blender in a bowl and add, lime juice, chilli, oil and sugar
- Mix all the ingredients well.
- Now add the item you wish to marinade, I used chicken. You can use beef, prawns or fish.
- Cut up all vegetables you wish to have in your stir fry and then cook the vegetables a little
- Now add the chicken with theSpiced Mandarin Marinade to the wok or fry pan
- I added udon noodles but you can have rice if you wish
- Once all cooked serve in a bowl and enjoy
I hope this gives you some more ways to enjoy the mandarin. Adding mandarin pieces to a beef or chicken stir fry is yummy as well if you don't wish to go to the trouble of making a marinade. It is a simple way to add something different to your dish.
You don't have to cook with mandarins to enjoy them, they can be added to your breakfast as well.
In Australia Mandarins are available from April to October, however, the imperial variety is only available till June. If you are like me and your mandarin of choice is the imperial you need to be enjoying this fruit now.
What is your favourite way to add mandarins to your cooking?
I am exploring more ways to incorporate mandarins in more meals, make sure to send in your suggestions.
Previously I have made Mandarin and Rhubarb Crumble, it is very easy to make and will impress dinner guests.
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