Matariki: How to make no-knead fry bread with Hazella chocolate and a kūmara celebration cake

With Matariki right around the corner, many of us will be wondering how to celebrate or commemorate the occasion. 

Falling on Friday, July 14, this year marks the second anniversary of Matariki being a public holiday in Aotearoa, with the cultural celebration officially commemorated for the first time on June 24, 2022. 

Matariki, the te reo Māori translation for the Pleiades star cluster, rises in midwinter and heralds the start of a new year in the Māori lunar calendar. It's seen as a time of reflection and remembrance: celebrating the present, looking to the future, and acknowledging those who have died since the last rising.

Iwi understand and recognise Matariki in different ways: while some traditional rituals are still observed in parts of Aotearoa, for many, celebrating is as simple as spending time with loved ones and taking a moment to reflect. Sharing a meal with friends and whānau is another key way to commemorate Matariki, with food - or kai - being an integral part of the occasion. 

With that being said, the upcoming long weekend is a great opportunity to gather together over a home-cooked meal - and you don't need to be out-of-this-world in the kitchen to cobble together some delicious food. 

To help serve some inspiration, Whittaker's has partnered with celebrity chef Naomi Toilalo (Ngāti Porou) to develop two tasty recipes in honour of Matariki. The former Māori Television presenter was runner-up in The Great Kiwi Bake Off in 2019, and is the author of the bilingual cookbook Whānau Kai, based on her popular Instagram account.

After consulting the stars, Toilalo and Whittaker's put together recipes for a no-knead fry bread with Hazella chocolate and a delicious kūmara celebration cake - there's no doubt your food will be the star of the show.

The full recipes are available in both English and te reo Māori below.

Kūmara Celebration Cake (English)

• 300g orange kūmara, peeled
  
• 1 tsp salt
• zest of 1 ½ oranges
• ⅓ cup orange juice
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• ⅔ cup caster sugar
• ⅔ cup oil, neutral
• ½ c yoghurt, unsweetened
• 2 ½ cup self-raising flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp mixed spice
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 100g Whittaker’s Fijian Ginger and Mandarin chocolate.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 140 fan bake or 150 bake.
2. Grease two 19cm or 20cm cake tins with butter and line with baking paper.
3. Grate the kūmara into a large bowl. Add the salt, orange zest, orange juice and vanilla. Stir to combine and leave aside.
4. Add the eggs, brown sugar and caster sugar into a large bowl. Whip together until smooth.
5. Continue to whip as you slowly add the oil and yoghurt.
6. Sift the flour, baking soda, mixed spice, cinnamon and ginger onto the egg mixture. Add the kūmara mixture on top and fold all the ingredients together.
7. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and fold it in the batter.
8. Divide the mixture between the two cake tins.
9. Bake for 25 minutes and then place a large tray on top of the cake tins (this helps keep the moisture locked in). Bake for a further 15 minutes or until the cakes spring back when pressed in the centre.
10. Remove from the oven. Tip the cakes upside down onto a cooling tray straight away to help flatten them out. Cool the cakes as you prepare your frosting.

The chocolate frosting

• 180g Whittaker's 62% Dark Cacao chocolate
  
• 3 tbsp cream
• 190g butter, softened
• ½ cup icing sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla.

Method

1. Add the chocolate and cream to a small bowl. Gently melt it in the microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring well between each time. Once smooth, leave to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Add the softened butter, icing sugar and vanilla to a large bowl. Whip it until light and fluffy.
3. Add the warm chocolate mixture a tablespoon at a time to the butter mixture as you whip continuously. Once it is all incorporated, refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken slightly.

Assembly

1. Spread half of the chocolate frosting on one of the cooled cakes. Add the second cake and spread on the remaining frosting. Note: This buttercream can also be spread to cover the sides of the cake too if you prefer.
2. To top the cake, you can use dried orange slices, fresh strawberries and rosemary. You could also top it with maple-candied pecan nuts and caramel for a touch of glam.

Keke Ārani Me Te Kūmara (te reo Māori)

• Kia 300 karamu kūmara ārani
• Kia kotahi kokoiti tote
• Kiri ārani o tētahi me te haurua ārani
• Kia hautoru kapu wai ārani
• Kia kotahi kokonui wanira
• Kia rua hēki
• Kia rua hautoru kapu huka hāura
• Kia rua hautoru kapu huka one
• Kia rua hautoru kapu noni
• Kia haurua kapu miraka tepe (kāore he huka)
• Kia rua me te haurua kapu puehu parāoa whakatipu
• Kia haurua kokoiti pēkana houra
• Kia kotahi kokonui rau kikini whakauruuru
• Kia kotahi kokonui hinamona kuoro
• Kia rua kokoiti tinitia kuoro
• Kia kotahi rau karamu tiakarete manarini me te tinitia.

Tohutaka

1. Whakamahanatia te umu kia 140 te pāmahana.
2. Hinuhinutia kia rua ipu keke (19, 20 rānei henimita te rahi), ā, whakaritea ki te pepa tunu.
3. Waruwarutia te kūmara ārani ki te oko rahi. Tukua te tote, kiri ārani, wai ārani me te wanira. Whakaranuhia. Waiho ki te taha.
4. Raua atu te hēki, huka hāura me te huka one ki te oko rahi anō. Wepua kia māene.
5. I a koe e wepu tonu ana, āta riringihia atu te noni me te miraka tepe.
6. Tātaritia te puehu parāoa whakatipu, pēkana houra, rau kikini whakauruuru, hinamona me te tinitia ki runga i te ranunga hēki. Tukua hoki te ranunga kūmara ki runga. Whakaranuhia te katoa.
7. Tapahia te tiakarete kia iti te rahi. Kaurorihia ki te ranunga.
8. Whakainatitia te ranunga ki ngā ipu keke e rua. Divide the mixture between the two cake tins.
9. Tunua ngā keke mō te 25 mīniti, kātahi whakatakotoria tētahi heri nui ki runga i ngā ipu keke (kia mau tonu ai te mōwai) . Tunua anō, mō te 15 mīniti.
10. Tangohia ngā keke kua tunua i te umu. Huripokia ki ngā heri hauhau kia papatahi pai ai ngā keke. I ngā keke e makariri haere ana, mahia te pani reka tiakarete.

Te Pani Reka Tiakarete

• Kia 180 karamu tiakarete parauri (62 te ōrau)
• Kia toru kokonui kirīmi
• Kia 190 karamu pata kūteretere
• Kia haurua kapu puehu huka
• Kia rua kokoiti wanira.

Tohutaka

1. Raua atu te tiakarete parauri me te kirīmi ki te oko iti. Āta whakarewaina ki rō ngaruiti. Ia 20 hēkona, kaurorihia te tiakarete. Gently melt it in the microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring well between each time. Waiho mō te 5 mīniti kia makariri hāere. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Tukua te pata kūteretere, puehu huka me te wanira ki tētahi oko rahi. Whakapāhukahukatia kia tāhungahunga.
3. Tāpirhia tētahi kokonui o te tiakarete mahana ki te ranunga pata i a koe e tāwhiuwhiu tonu ana. Whakamātaohia mō te 10 mīniti kia kukū ai te pani reka. Once it is all incorporated, refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken slightly.

Te Mahi Hanga Keke

1. Pania tētahi haurua o te pani reka ki tētahi o ngā keke. Tāpirihia atu te keke tuarua ki runga. Pania te toenga o te pani reka ki runga i taua keke,( ki ngā taha hoki o ngā keke mēnā e hiahia ana).
2. Hei whakarākei, tāpirihia ngā ārani raki, ngā rōpere māota me te rohimere. Hei whakaaro anō, mahia ngā nati rare me te karamea. Mānawatia a Matariki e te whānau!

No-Knead Fry Bread With Hazella Chocolate (English) 

The no-knead dough

• ¾ cup warm milk
  
• ¾ cup lukewarm water
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 sachet instant yeast, 8g
• 2 cup high grade flour
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 ⅓ cup high grade flour
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 block of Whittaker's Hazella chocolate (broken in to pieces)
• 1.25l rice bran oil.

Cinnamon sugar

• ¾ cup caster sugar
  
• 2 ½ tsp cinnamon.

Method

1. Add the milk, water and brown sugar into a bowl. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
2. Sprinkle over the instant yeast and stir with a whisk. Allow the yeast to activate for a few minutes (it should rise to the top).
3. Add the 2 cups of flour and the oil into the activated yeast mixture. Stir with a whisk until smooth.
4. Cover and leave to rise for 20 minutes.
5. Add the remaining 1 ⅓ cup flour and the salt into the bowl. Mix until all the flour is incorporated into the dough.
6. Once combined, stretch and fold the dough 30 times in the bowl. Take a piece of dough from the side of the bowl and lift it high and press it in the middle, turn the bowl a 1/4 turn and repeat the pattern. Each time you do a 1/4 turn, it is 1 count.
7. Cover and leave the dough to rise for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
8. Once risen, gently tip the dough onto a table. Cut into 12 equal squares.
9. Take a piece of dough, place three pieces of Hazella chocolate in the middle. Fold in the dough and pinch the seams. Place it on an oiled tray to rise as you repeat the pattern, making 12 in total.
10. Rise the fry bread for 35 to 45 minutes in a warm place.
11. As they rise, prepare the cinnamon sugar by combining the caster sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl.
12. Heat the oil in a cast iron pan to around 165-175 degrees.
13. Fry the fry bread three at a time for 2 minutes on each side and roll straight into the cinnamon sugar. Serve immediately.

Parāoa Parai Poke Kore Me Te Tiakarete Hānati (te reo Māori)

Te Pokenga Poke Kore

• Kia toru hauwhā kapu miraka mahana
• Kia toru hauwhā kapu wai aromahana
• Kia toru kokonui huka hāura
• Kia kotahi pēke īhi tere (kia 8 karamu)
• Kia rua kapu puehu parāoa kounga
• Kia toru kokonui noni
• Kia kotahi me te hautoru kapu puehu parāoa kounga
• Kia kotahi me te haurua kokoiti tote
• Kia kotahi paraka tiakarete hānati
• Kia 1.25 rita noni.

Huka Hinamona

• Kia toru hauwhā kapu huka one
• Kia rua me te haurua kokoiti hinamona.

Tohutaka

1. Riringihia atu te miraka, wai, me te huka hāura ki te oko nui. Kaurorihia kia rewa ai te huka.
2. Ruia te īhi tere ki runga. Koheritia. Waiho mō te rima miniti.
3. Raua atu kia 2 kapu puehu parāoa me te noni ki rō ranunga īhi. Whakaranuhia ki te koheri.
4. Tūpokina ki te tī taora mō te 20 miniti kia rewa ake ai te pokenga.
5. Tukua te toenga o te puehu parāoa me te tote ki te oko. Whakaranuhia.
6. Kia 30 nga wā koe e kume, e pōkai ana. Kūmea te pokenga mai i te taha o te oko, waiho ki waenganui. Hurihia te oko ki te hurihanga hauwhā. Hāere tonu kia 30 nga hurihanga.
7. Tūpokina ki te tī tāora mō tētahi hāora me te 15 miniti kia rewa ake anō te pokenga.
8. Ka tino rite ana te pokenga, tapahia kia 12 ngā wāhanga pokenga.
9. Tīkina tētahi o ngā pokenga, ā, tāpirihia atu ngā tiakarete e toru ki runga. Pōkaitia ngā taha ki waenganui. Kinitia te pokenga. Waiho ki tētahi heri, pania ki te noni. Me pērā te mahi ki ngā pokenga katoa.
10. Waiho te katoa o aua pokenga kia rewa ake mō te 35 ki te 45 miniti.
11. I a rātou e tipu ana, whakaritea te huka hinamona. Whakaranuhia te huka one me te hinamona ki tētahi pereti āhua rahi.
12. Whakamahanatia te noni kia 165 ki te 175 te pāmahana, ki rō hōpane rino kia rewa ai.
13. Paraitia ngā pokenga ki roto i te noni wera, e rua miniti mō ia taha. Kātahi, pōkaitia ki roto i te huka hinamona. E kai!