I went to this wonderful dinner hosted by GULP NT (Growing and Understanding Local Produce in the Northern Territory) in the local community garden, the Mulch Pit. Apparently all the tickets were sold in a flash and I was lucky enough to get a last-minute one on the waiting list.
So on a beautiful dry season evening, one of those where you wonder why one would want to live anywhere except in Darwin (in dry season!), I headed to the Mulch Pit.
The garden used to be part of the carpark for the Nightcliff Uniting Church, and was named the mulch pit for all the mulch they poured on top of the carpark to transform it into a garden! What a wonderfully green space which is truly a food jungle, bursting with all sorts of tropical vegetables.
We were welcomed to the dinner by a local Larrakeyah woman who told us stories of growing up in Darwin and how she learned about bush tucker from her extended family.
She had smoked these shells (found in swamps and freshwater sources) which contained a sliver of an intense blue-green flesh, not unlike a mussel. The smoky flavour was intense and highlighted its meatiness.
We also tried some native bush apples and lilli-pilli - an incredible pink colour but strikingly bitter.
We went on a quick tour around the garden as the sun set, checking out all the random things they have there. I didn't get a photo but the roasted green papaya with honey was such a delicious snack as we wandered around.
The okra kept for seeds was unbelievably huge!
There were just so many salad leaf varieties - who doesn't love an exotic salad?
The tables were set beautifully with mismatched crockery and pretty cloth napkins.
We settled into random groups under the trees and exchanged stories and gifts. One of the ideas they had for this dinner was for everyone to bring a small food-related gift for a random stranger. I brought a little jar of Barney and gave him to Lee, the guy who started the Mulch Pit. He said it reminded him of the smells of his mother's baking!
Selection of sourdough with local greens pesto - quite a unique, earthy and wild flavour.
Ceviche of local trevally and jewfish with a papaya cucumber salad, inspired by the food of the Pacific islands. This dish was prepared by Emma, one of the organisers, who had gone sailing around the world and picked up many food inspirations along the way. Never having had papaya in a savoury salad, I loved the sweetness that complemented the acidity of the lime used to coat the very fresh fish.
The second course was dreamt up by a local Indigenous chef who works in Kakadu, but was actually prepared by a Koori "brother" who also has close ties to the Yolngu people. Starfruit is a tropical fruit commonly found here (often seen at the markets) and here it was served in a salad topped with roasted capsicums, pepitas and a very spicy dressing. This guest speaker (forgotten his name) spoke about his plans to open the first Indigenous restaurant in Darwin next year - what a great idea for the knowledge of bush tucker to be shared with the rest of the world!
The next course was my favourite. Biji from Kerala spoke about the foods of her home and how she found comfort in similar foods in Darwin when she moved to Australia. She cooked us a traditional jackfruit curry which was incredibly creamy, with a spicy fish curry and a calming coconut chutney. The elements of this dish were so well balanced - I could have eaten 5 plates of this! Hands down my favourite course.
Then we had pomelo salad wraps made by a bright up and coming culinary star - a young local schoolboy named Zandro. He spoke about his childhood in the Philipines and how closely connected he felt to the land when they had grown a lot of produce at home. He clearly has a great future as this dish was impeccably presented and the lemon-lime dressing delicately balanced.
Our final course was a cassava coconut pudding, made by Amanda, a woman who moved from West Papua. She spoke about the role of cassava in the Indonesian occupation of Papua and how it was co-planted along with taro and rice, more traditional foods.
We finished with the most incredible local blood oranges and rose apples.
This was such an incredible community dinner as it was truly the essence of Darwin - so many people from different backgrounds coming together to share food and stories. Sitting under the stars in the community garden was an unique experience and it must be one of the most memorable meals I have ever had!
So on a beautiful dry season evening, one of those where you wonder why one would want to live anywhere except in Darwin (in dry season!), I headed to the Mulch Pit.
The garden used to be part of the carpark for the Nightcliff Uniting Church, and was named the mulch pit for all the mulch they poured on top of the carpark to transform it into a garden! What a wonderfully green space which is truly a food jungle, bursting with all sorts of tropical vegetables.
We were welcomed to the dinner by a local Larrakeyah woman who told us stories of growing up in Darwin and how she learned about bush tucker from her extended family.
She had smoked these shells (found in swamps and freshwater sources) which contained a sliver of an intense blue-green flesh, not unlike a mussel. The smoky flavour was intense and highlighted its meatiness.
We also tried some native bush apples and lilli-pilli - an incredible pink colour but strikingly bitter.
We went on a quick tour around the garden as the sun set, checking out all the random things they have there. I didn't get a photo but the roasted green papaya with honey was such a delicious snack as we wandered around.
The okra kept for seeds was unbelievably huge!
There were just so many salad leaf varieties - who doesn't love an exotic salad?
The tables were set beautifully with mismatched crockery and pretty cloth napkins.
We settled into random groups under the trees and exchanged stories and gifts. One of the ideas they had for this dinner was for everyone to bring a small food-related gift for a random stranger. I brought a little jar of Barney and gave him to Lee, the guy who started the Mulch Pit. He said it reminded him of the smells of his mother's baking!
Selection of sourdough with local greens pesto - quite a unique, earthy and wild flavour.
Ceviche of local trevally and jewfish with a papaya cucumber salad, inspired by the food of the Pacific islands. This dish was prepared by Emma, one of the organisers, who had gone sailing around the world and picked up many food inspirations along the way. Never having had papaya in a savoury salad, I loved the sweetness that complemented the acidity of the lime used to coat the very fresh fish.
The second course was dreamt up by a local Indigenous chef who works in Kakadu, but was actually prepared by a Koori "brother" who also has close ties to the Yolngu people. Starfruit is a tropical fruit commonly found here (often seen at the markets) and here it was served in a salad topped with roasted capsicums, pepitas and a very spicy dressing. This guest speaker (forgotten his name) spoke about his plans to open the first Indigenous restaurant in Darwin next year - what a great idea for the knowledge of bush tucker to be shared with the rest of the world!
The next course was my favourite. Biji from Kerala spoke about the foods of her home and how she found comfort in similar foods in Darwin when she moved to Australia. She cooked us a traditional jackfruit curry which was incredibly creamy, with a spicy fish curry and a calming coconut chutney. The elements of this dish were so well balanced - I could have eaten 5 plates of this! Hands down my favourite course.
Then we had pomelo salad wraps made by a bright up and coming culinary star - a young local schoolboy named Zandro. He spoke about his childhood in the Philipines and how closely connected he felt to the land when they had grown a lot of produce at home. He clearly has a great future as this dish was impeccably presented and the lemon-lime dressing delicately balanced.
Our final course was a cassava coconut pudding, made by Amanda, a woman who moved from West Papua. She spoke about the role of cassava in the Indonesian occupation of Papua and how it was co-planted along with taro and rice, more traditional foods.
We finished with the most incredible local blood oranges and rose apples.
This was such an incredible community dinner as it was truly the essence of Darwin - so many people from different backgrounds coming together to share food and stories. Sitting under the stars in the community garden was an unique experience and it must be one of the most memorable meals I have ever had!
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