Boil Up 'Recipe'? Please help!

elsha00, May 9, 12:35am
x1
Hello

I'm an Aussie residing in New Zealand, and I've taken a Maori man as my husband. We found out very recently that my father in law has passed away. We couldn't all fly over for the funeral, so my husband has gone away and I'm home with the kids.

I've been thinking about what to cook when my husband comes home on the weekend. He's always said 'My Dad makes the best boil ups, you gotta try it one day', but as we all live in different NZ cities I never got the chance. I thought it might be nice for my husband to have one waiting at home for him, but can't find anything online that seems authentic - it's all been glamored up and moves away from, what I think, a traditional Maori recipe.

So I come to the NZ community for help. Anyone who's familiar with boil ups, can you help a poor Aussie out!

Thanks x

bbq-bro, May 9, 12:47am
its a vealy basic process really.decide what meats you wanna use
anything ranging from brisket,pork or bacon bones,chicken etc etc
what ever you want really.then the addition of your veges.optional again
potatoes,kumara,pumpkin,etc etc etc.if you can find fresh watercress
some where.thats a bonus.Puha would be the next best option after that.
basiclly boil meat first,then add veges,with the watercress on top to simmer/steam for the last 5 mins.
dough boys can also be added.google how to make.

elsha00, May 9, 12:49am
Thanks so much bbq-bro, much appreciated

meathome, May 9, 12:54am
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ngaw, funny but sad too.condolences to you and yours.uhm geez so really your just gonna chuck some meat in the pot and boil it lol.puha, watercress or cabbage will be your greens in the pot.personally i like watercress but each to their own aye.for the meat, i like corned brisket but then the other half likes pork bones and the kids like bacon pieces so again its what ever tickles your fancy and usually we'll chuck in a few sausages as well.potatoes we usually cook in another pot then chuck them into the big pot afterwards.mmm and dough boys, yum as.good luck :)

daleaway, May 9, 1:31am
Do you thicken it and serve it in the gravy, like a stew!

darlingmole, May 9, 1:35am
I've never had a boil up that's been thickend.Dough boys are a bonus on top (basically scone dough, but you can add herbs if you want) because they soak up the flavour of what's cooking in the pot.My husband is Maori.He hates boil ups and I'm Pakeha/Whitey and lov'em!

elsha00, May 9, 2:03am
Thanks all, very much, all very helpful!

purplegoanna, May 9, 2:52am
no you use a slotted spoon to remove the veges/meat from the liquid

purplegoanna, May 9, 2:56am
my basic recipe is cut your brisket into 15cm lengths and place in a LARGE pot of salted boiling water, simmer with lid on for at least 3-4 hrs, 1/2hr before serving add your halved potatos (preferably with skin on and washed), 20mins before serving add your kumara, 10mins before serving add your slices of pumpkin with skin on and 8 mins before servine add your half a sliced cabbage.push the cabbage down so its gets the piquid over it, as with all your veges never stir it or fold it just push everything into the water (we're not doughboys fans so we dont add them).what evas left can be reheated the next night with some new cabbage just keep it in the fridge in the original liquid.

beaker59, May 9, 4:43am
Not into doughboys here either keep meat in reasonable sized chunks got to have Kamo kamo and watercress. Favourite meat for me is mutton shoulder chops wife likes beef brisket. liquid makes nice soup, and boil up is best second day so make plenty.

nativewun, May 9, 4:47am
Tip: Don't put tomato sauce on the table for your kids when having boil up, lol. Him being a Māori man, it's just one of their things. It's like their version of you cooking a real nice meat dish and then it gets covered in tomato sauce. Just wrong and annoying. Real butter for the potatoes and doughboys goes down well too. Good luck, easy as, you'll be sweet.

tjman, May 9, 4:53am
Never done a boil up.Do you put all the meat in together or seperately!

nativewun, May 9, 5:04am
Everything goes in the one big pot. It's all about timing based on sizes of the meats and veges. For example if it's big pieces, Meat first, veges in 45mins later, greens and doughboys in on the last 10 mins.
If you get your timing right, everything should be cooked when you turn the pot off. Kind of hard to explain. Just keep it moving, as Racheal Ray says lol.

veeessay, May 9, 5:27am
Omgosh.Tomato sauce all over it pizzes me off too.Please dont ruin perfection.and real butter. awesome.Exactly how I like it.When you making it for us!

veeessay, May 9, 5:30am
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Kamo kamo mashed with butter. man I missed you NZ.lol

paora808, May 9, 5:33am
Bugger going for watercress over there bro blimmen snakes lol

nativewun, May 9, 5:37am
Lol, I know. Should've seen my tāne, you'd have thought the kids were stabbing him with a knife when they grabbed the T sauce. He's snapped them out of it now and taught them well. They now give their cousins the dirty eye when they ask for the sauce, lol.

whitehead., May 9, 5:43am
water cress is best picked in spring .if you looking for it in the takapu stream please take it from the streams that runs into the takapu stream not the main stream as the house at the top of the road runs it sepyic into the stream and the poo count in the stream is really bad

elsha00, May 9, 6:08am
OMG - I so get what you mean! I was bought up with mint sauce for lamb, apple sauce for pork, tartare for fish etc etc, the tomato sauce only ever came out for pies and chips etc. I move to NZ and it's tomato sauce on EVERYTHING! Drives me a little up the wall hehe!

Thanks so much everyone! I never guessed I'd get so much feedback on this subject! All suggestions will be taken on board and I'll let you know how I go after the weekend!

janny3, May 9, 11:06am
I found this internet recipe for posh boil up.http://australianfood.about.com/od/pacificislandpolynesian/r/BoilUp.htmFirst time my dumplings ever turned out was when I tried the pumpkin dumplings with this.Must say it was delicious, though I never had the pork fillet.So I used the pork bones, then used pork chops instead.You can get the pork and watercress at the Mad Butcher at a reasonable price but the watercress boils down to nothing, so you might want to add in some other greens as well.(We've been using silver beet, cabbage or my favourite sub is Asian water spinach or Chinese Ong Choy).If you don't like pork, lamb chops and brisket are always nice.Just ask the butcher to trim off the fat or the boil up gets greasy.ENJOY!

bbq-bro, May 9, 7:38pm
x1
your putting your watercess in to early thats why its shrivels down.
last 5mins max.lay it all in over the top,so it steams/simmers.
then sweet azzzz

taurus2005, May 9, 8:31pm
My mum used to make boil ups with pork chops or sausages and puha.The pork chops had fat and all.That was a lifetime ago.