Asian Food Festival in Aberdeen

I try to keep my ear to the ground about foodie events happening in the area. Nothing worse than only hearing about something after its happened. I was delighted to spot a piece about an Asian Food Festival on the STV Aberdeen App and got in touch with organiser Aakanksha to find a wee bit more about it. She explained that she was holding the festival to support her upcoming challenge of Tuk-Tuking her way around India fundraising for Alzheimers Society and Breast Cancer Care. I Googled the street foods of "Vada Pav" from the west and "Medhu-Vada" from the South both of which Aakanksha recommended and decided we'd definitely head along. Hopefully I also managed to encourage a few more folk to attend as I shared the details on my Facebook page and Twitter and with the Aberdeen Food & Drink Lovers Meetup Group.

We arrived just before 5pm and the Ferryhill Community Center was jam packed with people and there was an absolutely wonderful aroma. A wristband at the door meant you could come and go as you pleased and a food voucher system was in use so the stall holders weren't handling cash. We wandered round having a good look at all the stalls, taking in the buzzing atmosphere and meeting organiser Aakanksha before we had our first taste of Asia.

All the stalls had very clear details of what they were selling with a list of ingredients. Really useful when we didn't have a clue what many of the dishes were. The stallholders were so friendly and enthusiastic about their homecooked food and were more than happy to answer questions and advise what was a wee bit on the spicy side and what might blow your head off.

Idli, Medu Vada and Poha Vada were on our first plateful along with a chutney. The Idli were a plain steamed rice dumpling. Very dense in texture and not much flavour. They didn't really do it for me. The donut shaped Medu Vada were fantastic. I can see why this is a popular street food in the South. The Poha Vada were equally good. We returned for a second plateful of both.

Next another of Aakanksha's recommendations. There was a huge queue at this stall and their three dishes of Puran Poli, Paav Bhaji and Wada Pav were going like the proverbial hot cakes. Absolutely loved the Wada Pav. The Indian version of a burger. A battered spiced potato patty served in a bun. I was intrigued as to why the top of the bun was also spread with butter. I made the mistake of assuming that the Puran Poli was a savoury flatbread. Its sweeteness may have been why I was asked if I wanted it on a separate plate. It tasted amazing. Like a thin Peswari Nann.

Boy was very excited to spot Pani Puri. He duly explained that he'd watched Kirstie Allsopp make it on Jamie & Jimmy's Friday Night Feast. Needless to say he was desperate to try it. Deep fried puffed up pastry discs formed pouches for a variety of fillings including the spicy flavoured water or Puri. Pani=bread, Puri=Water. These were amazing. A real taste and texture explosion in the mouth. 

Whilst queuing for our Pani Puri we got chatting to the adjacent stallholder and promised to come back and try their Misal Pav. Another amazingly good dish consisting of a curry of sprouted lentils topped with what I would describe as bombay mix. Fantastic texture and a real kick of flavour. We washed it down with a bright pink glass of super sweet Rooh Afza Lassi. 

Whilst three of us were more than happy to tuck into the selection of Indian food on offer it wasn't exactly girl's thing. However she was delighted to track down some western food and thoroughly enjoyed her Macaroni Cheese, Mango Juice and Sticky Toffee Pudding. 

A fantastically well organised festival bringing a real taste of Indian street food to Aberdeen. I really hope this will become a regular event. Over 500 people through the doors and £700 raised. Follow Aakanksha's crazy adventure through India on a glorified lawnmower on the Rickshaw Chronicles. 

Huntly Hairst Food and Farming Festival

It was back in June at the Taste of Grampian that I picked up a leaflet for the Huntly Hairst. On paper it looked like it would be a great event and in real life it didn't disappoint. We headed up to Huntly on Saturday morning and traveled through a variety of weathers en route but the sun was shining on our arrival. The square of this market town was the ideal setting with a host of interesting stalls making up an extended Farmers Market. The perfect way to kick off Scottish Food Fortnight celebrations. 

I had foolishly forgotten to pack a coolbag and ice packs but stalls were more than happy to hold onto any purchased chilled goods until the end of the day for us. Our first stop was at Huntly Herbs where we bought pink potatoes, stripey potatoes and Elderflower & Gooseberry Jam. Then to Granite City Fish for some Smoked Monk Cheeks, Tuna, Squid and Samphire. 

Next stop was my absolute favourite stall at the market. I have never seen such an amazing range of wonderfully exotic and colourful vegetables as we found at Glenview. All grown in a market garden in New Byth of all places. The fantastically friendly and knowledgeable stallholders answered all my queries. We left with a cucumber, chillis, tomatillos, yellow chard, squash and mooli. 

Boy and Girl were getting peckish by this point so we stopped off for a Dobab and some popcorn. Your eyes do not deceive you. It is indeed a kebab with mini donuts, marshmallows and chocolate sauce. Many napkins were required.

Time for a cookery demo and we headed to the community kitchen at The Linden Center for a Can't Cook Won't Cook event where the deputy heads of the local schools battled for supremacy. In just one hour they cooked a three course meal for four. Butternut Squash & Apple Soup, Green Risotto and Fruit Ginger Crunch. We got to try all the dishes at the end and vote on our favourites. Boy and Girl have both requested that we have a go at making the soup and the pudding.

Time for lunch with a barbecued burger from The Store. The grated cheese, creamy coleslaw and crispy salad leaves certainly beat a plastic cheese slice and a squirt of Tommy K.

Sustinance found it was time for another wee burl round the stalls to buy Pita Bread, Garlic Rapeseed Oil, Oatcakes and Minced Beef Pinwheels. It was thirsty work so time to investigate the Beer Festival.

Twenty Two Beers on offer within the Gordon Arms. A great mix of Ales and Ciders on offer with something to suit everyone. I went for a Ginger Thistly Cross Cider and Foodie Loon had a Harviestoun Shiehallion. Boy and Girl had a blue slush.

One of the main events of the day was the Fishy Tale cookery demonstration by local loon Kilted Chef Craig Wilson of Eat on the Green. He was accompanied onstage by Baukje de Roos of the Rowett Institute who gave an insight into all things nutritional. On the menu was a starter of Crepe filled with Hot Smoked Salmon, main was Sweet and Sour Salmon with a Deans of Huntly Shortbread & Herb Crust and Desert was a concoction of mango, chocolate, chilli, Cointreau and Rizzas of Huntly Ice Cream.

Following on from the demo was the serious business of judging the World Stovie Championship. Lots of entries in the traditional category but only three in the exotic  After much deliberation between the top three the winner was announced with local lad Tom Foley taking first prize in both categories.

Home from a great day with a fantastic haul of foodie goodies:
Squid, Smoked Monkfish Cheeks, Tuna & Samphire from Granite City Fish Minced Beef Pinwheels and Oatcakes from Forbes Raeburn

Garlic Rapeseed Oil from Ola Oils 

Squash, Chard, Mooli, Cucumber, Chillis and Tomatillos from Glenview 

Jam, Chutney and Potatoes from Huntly Herbs

Pita Bread from Findhorn Bakery

Here's what I've made so far from my purchases:

Penne Pasta with Yellow Chard, Smoked Monkfish Cheeks and Garlic Rapeseed oil topped with Tuna

Squid & Barley. As cooked by 8 year old Laura Townsend for Raymond Blanc.

Minced Beef Pinwheels with Pink Potato Wedges and Roasted Courgette and Golden Beetroot.

Green Tomatillo (Mexican Husked Tomatoes) Salsa

Still got lots of delicious goodies to use on my meal plan this week. Have been thoroughly enjoying my Elderflower & Gooseberry Jam on my toast to start the day. A real taste of Summer on an Autumn morning thanks to Huntly Herbs and Huntly Hairst.

Coastal Foraging Walk at Crail Food Festival

I was really disappointed earlier this year when a Foraging and Dining Event that I had booked to attend with Robin Harford and Paul Wedgwood was cancelled at the last minute. Despite this I made my own First Foray into Foraging and as a result of a chance meeting at Taste of Grampian purchased the gorgeous Foragers Kitchen by Fiona Bird. I think I may be officially hooked.

I had tentative plans to attend the Crail Food Festival but my mind was made up when I saw there was to be a Coastal Foraging Walk with Mark Williams of Galloway Wild Foods. The four of us booked on to the afternoon session. Boy was almost as excited as I was at the prospect. When we arrived at the striped umbrella over the smoothie bike of The Fife Diet stall to register Mark was busy cooking up a wild food lunch for himself having found the queues too lengthy elsewhere.

Around 30 of us set off towards the beach to begin our foraging walk into the edible landscape and we didn't have to go very far before we came across our first find. I'm not going to even begin to attempt to tell you how to identify and what to do with all that we came across. Instead, where I can, I will link up to Mark's website which will provide you with a wealth of knowledge for each item.

The yellow hue of Wild Cabbage was spread across the banking alongside the beach. We all tucked into the flowers, seed pods and leaves. Plenty of Bramble bushes to be found too. This is probably the one foraged food that we are all familiar with and have no problem in identifying. Interested to find out that the young stems can be candied much like Angelica.

Curled Doc 

Curled Doc has a lemony sorrel like flavour when its not being used on a nettle sting. The pretty Ox Eye Daisy's leaves are edible and pleasant. The tips of the Sticky Willy (goose grass) are good to eat when young and tender. Dandelions and Nettles are also easily identifiable and edible. Boy and Girl loved Mark's nettle eating trick even if he did get stung in the process.

Elder

Really interested to hear of five different stages of eating for Elder. Another easy one to identify with its gnarled random trunk and to be found almost everywhere.

1. Green Buds 

2. Flowers

3. Green Berries

4. Black/Red Berries

5. Jelly Ear Fungus

I will definitely be giving the Champagne and the Vinegar a try myself.

Ribwort Plantain

Great to find that Plantain is useful for something other than playing soldiers. Apparently the leaves are much better to neutralise a nettle sting than a Doc whilst they and the flower tops have a mushroom like flavour.

Orache

The goose foot shaped leaves of the Orache had a moist salty flavour which I really liked. Mark's favourite wild vegetable next in the form of Hogweed. Not to be confused with the deadly Hemlock or its big brother Giant Hogweed.

Common Hogweed

The pungent mustardy flavour of Scurvy Grass is packed full of Vitamin C. The perfect plant for sailors to forage prior to a long trip at sea.

Scurvy Grass

A couple of garden escapees up next. Strawberries and Rhubarb. Probably got there from being tipped out along with garden waste.

A much more controversial escapee which appeared to be making a takeover bid in the area was the invasive Japanese Knotweed. Very surprised to learn that this is edible as a young shoot. Perhaps if we all started foraging for it we could stop it in its tracks.

Japanese Knotweed

Last but not least as we headed back to the harbour a quick look at the slippery world of seaweed. Gutweed, Dulce and Wrack. 

Back to the Fife Diet stall and we charged our paper cups with Elderflower Champagne as Mark cooked up a foragers feast. First off Hogweed fried in copious quantities of butter to accompany Lavabread with Smoked Mussels.

However the pièce de résistance was definitely the hand rolled wild food sushi. Not entirely sure what all was in there but there was pearl barley instead of rice and an abundance of foraged greens topped off with some beautiful flowers and a drizzle of elderberry vinegar. A work of art that was as good on the palate as it was on the eyes.

Thanks to Mark Williams for a great foraging adventure and to The Fife Diet and Crail Food Festival for facilitating the event.