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Chatting to author, foodstylist and cook TeninaHolder from her kitchenin Perth’s northern
suburbs feels a little likeinterviewing an underground culthero from the thermal-cookingworld . . . and in all honesty, shecould well be the next big thing.
Quietly modest and almost alittle embarrassed at thecomparison, Holder is indeed athermal-cooking guru.
Her YouTube, Facebook andTwitter sites (she calls herself@ThermoMixtress) have garneredunprecedented interest, heradvanced cooking classes sell outwithin hours and her blog page(which amasses about 70,000 hitsper month), is adored by fans theworld over.
Best of all, her tastefullypresented hardback, For Food’sSake is constantly featured on theDymocks and Boffins Top Fivebestselling cookbook lists aroundthe nation.
That’s not bad for a gal who usedcooking as a creative outlet whileraising five hungry children.
The Thermomix phenomenon, or
“thermal cooking” as it iscommonly referred to, is epic.
Those who have one in theirpossession say they couldn’timagine life without one (differentbrands retail from $200 to $2000).Retail products such asThermochef and HotmixPro offersimilar functionality to theThermomix and Holder says herbook, which is the firstindependent Thermomix cookbookin the retail market, is alsoapplicable to other thermal-cooking appliances.
“This whole journey began whenI worked for Kleenmaid doingcooking demonstrations at itsshowroom eight years ago. I’dinvite people to come along andthey liked my recipes, so I guess itall started from there,” she says.
“I developed a blog page waybefore they were trendy and I thinkThermomix must have found me onthat. Literally out of the blue theycalled me and asked if I’d beresponsible for their recipedevelopment,” says Holder, whoalso developed the firstindependently producedThermomix recipe appfor iPads and iPhone(Spin a Dinner)and also has anAndroid app forthe appliance.
It was anoverwhelmingtime for thebusy mum whosays whatstarted out as atwo-day-a-weekconsultancy, soonevolved into sevendays and oftennights.
“In hindsight, it was amind-blowing experience. Idid countless courses, met someamazing chefs from around theworld and I travelled everywhere —Dubai, New Zealand, Europe. Iattended all sorts of expos aroundthe country, including those forgluten intolerance and dietaryrestrictions,” she says of herthree-year tenure.
Holder’s desire to produce abeautiful book with dishes “moreabout the food rather than theappliance” is what led her to digout her favourite recipes and sharethem with others by way of pantrystaples, starters, breads, soups,mains and outrageously decadentdesserts.
“All the recipes in the book areabout flavour and they’re veryachievable. Kids need to like thefood too, so it was really importantto make the book family friendly,”says Holder, who works on the
principle ofmaking
ingredients fromscratch. Her umami
paste is her go-to ingredient.“Starting from scratch is my
mantra. That’s the great thing —you can make your powder or yourpaste for a recipe, or store it so it’salways available,” she says.
“The umami paste is based on thefifth flavour in Japanese cuisine. Ina lot of Asian food MSG is used tocreate the same flavour but thepaste is a recipe I developedthrough trial and error.
“I’ve had people say to me theymade a terrible soup but by addingthe umami paste, it saved the day.”
What’s refreshing about the bookis its integration of traditionalcooking methods. It’s not entirelyfocused on making everything in aThermomix and will appeal to themasses.
Holder’s second book, Keeping itSimple, is due for release later thisyear.
Tenina Holder is aninternet sensation.Picture: Rob Duncan
She’s gone from busy mum to bestsellinggourmet author. BERLINDA CONTI reports.
All in the mix for thermal guru
For Food’s Sake, byTenina Holder, ispublished by Hub andSpoke Publishing,$49.99
WIN!Fresh is giving one lucky reader the chance to win a signed copy.
Simply write your name, number andaddress on the back of an envelope and
send to Fresh For Food’s SakeCompetition. GPO Box 2910, Perth, WA 6800. Entries close at 5pm on
Thursday, August 1 with the winnerdrawn that day and notified by mail.
Employees of The West Australian and immediate family ineligible to enter. Entrants’
details will be used for marketing. See WAN privacy policy at thewest.com.au/privacypolicy.
Serves: 4-6
1 tsp cardamom seeds6 kaffir lime leaves2 sticks cinnamon4 whole star anise100g eschalots (shallots) 5 cloves garlic2 lemongrass stalks, white part onlyginger, thumb-sized piece, peeled
turmeric, thumb-sized piece, peeled30g palm sugar50g water2 tsp sea salt400ml tin coconut cream4-6 pieces chicken Maryland or thigh
and breast, skin on
Place cardamom, lime leaves, cinnamon and star anise into TM bowl and cook10 for minutes, Varoma, speed 2. Remove from bowl, set aside. Place eschalots,garlic, lemongrass, ginger, turmeric, palm sugar and water into TM bowl andblend for 1 minute, speed 9. Add spices back into bowl and add salt andcoconut cream. Cook for 15 minutes, Varoma, speed 2. Meanwhile, preheatoven to 160C. Pour a small amount of the sauce into a heavy casserole dish.Arrange chicken in dish and pour remaining sauce over, making sure chicken iswell coated. Cover and bake for 90 minutes. Remove cover and increase heatto 200C. Cook for a further 30 minutes until sauce is reduced, a rich caramelcolour is achieved and the chicken skin is crispy. Serve with steamed rice.
Tenina’s chicken rendang
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN FRESH • THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013
KITCHEN PIONEER 3
Makes: one small jam jar
300g roma tomatoes, cubed90g parmesan cheese, cubed80g walnuts, toasted5g dulse sea vegetable flakes5g balsamic vinegar2-3 anchovy fillets
Place tomatoes into TM bowl and cook 10minutes 100C/Reverse + speed 1. Press cooledpulp through a fine sieve and separate solidsfrom liquids. Reserve liquid. Place parmesan andwalnuts into clean, dry TM bowl and mill 8seconds speed 9. Add remaining ingredients,including reserved liquid, and blend 30 secondsspeed 4, scraping down as necessary. Serve withcrostini, add to a cheese platter as a spread, stirthrough hot soups, add to risottos or rub on touncooked chicken breast, wrap in slicedmozzarella and bacon and cook on a hot grill.
Tenina’s umami paste
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Party 1920s style on the first Saturday of each month. Tunes, canapes and cocktails.Tasting plate and 2 cocktailsfor just $75 per couple.
