New Zealand: Maori Bread and Volcanoes {Around the World in 12 Dishes}

This post is part of the series Around the World in 12 Dishes. Each month bloggers share their experiences cooking with their little ones a dish from another country.  This month we visit New Zealand.  For a list of other participating blogs or to see this month’s collection, see the end of this post.

This month I was excited to “travel” to New Zealand with Monkey.  We pulled out our trusty atlas so he could see where it was located, and right away he noticed the volcanoes.  One of his favorite video games involves volcanoes, so he was fascinated. We found some photos online, and they are very impressive!  Monkey was more interested in the diagrams than photos, however, pointing out to me the volcanic vents, the magma, and lava.  Maybe those video games aren’t so bad, after all!

We did have a spirited debate on the pronunciation of the associated terms.  I am happy to report that Monkey is very self-confident and sees no problem with the fact that his pronunciations differ from the rest of the world’s.  (“You say “lava,” Mommy.  I say ‘lama.'”)  He also says “crapped” for “cracked,” as in, “The robot saw the lama coming down the volcano, and he crapped.”  Well, I would have, too! 🙂

When we were ready to start cooking, we found a recipe in our very favorite cookbook, The Kids’ Multicultural Cookbook (Kids Can!).  I love this book!  In addition to the recipes, it shares lots of fun facts about each country, and Monkey enjoys reading it like a storybook.

The book’s recipe for New Zealand was Paraoa Parai, a kind of fried bread made by the native Maori people of New Zealand.  Traditionally, it was originally made out of fermented potato water and took two days to bake.  Luckily for us, Maoris today make a simpler version!  Other than the actual frying, it is very easy for kids to make.

Paraoa Parai (Maori Bread)

Adapted from The Kids’ Multicultural Cookbook (Kids Can!)

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 t baking powder

4 T chilled butter or margarine (if you have stick butter, this is easier to grate)

2/3 cup milk

Vegetable oil for frying

Mix the flour and baking powder in the bowl.  Grate the chilled butter into the bowl and mix it in with your fingers until it becomes a crumb-like consistency. (This was Monkey’s favorite part!)

Love those messy hands!

Add milk until the dough forms a ball then roll into 1 inch thickness.

Traditionally the dough can be cut into squares, but we opted for some other fun shapes.

Fry the shapes in 1/2 inch of vegetable oil until golden brown (a few minutes on each side).

Let cool on paper towels then serve with jam.

Of all the dishes we have made in this series so far, this was by far Monkey’s favorite.  They keep well in the refrigerator for a few days, which was lucky, because he kept asking for more!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.  Each time you click through and make a purchase on Amazon, I receive a small commission.

Check out the other participating blogs to see what they have been cooking up:

Adventures In Mommydom, Afterschool for Smarty Pants, All Done Monkey, Crafty Moms Share,Creative World of Varya, Glittering Muffins, Here Come The Girls, Kid World Citizen, Kitchen Counter Chronicles, Maroc Mama, Mermaids’ Makings, The Educators’ Spin On It

If you try a dish from New Zealand, we’d love to hear about it! You can also link up your dish or craft here to share your post on all the participating blogs: