The perfect mint jelly for your roast lamb

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No roast lamb is complete without a traditional mint sauce and Ambassador Chef Norka Mella Munoz from Mangapapa Hotel, has the perfect recipe to take your roast lamb to new heights!

Originally from Chile, Norka was first introduced to mint sauce by a couple of Kiwi guests at a restaurant she was working at, in Patagonia. She was surprised when they requested mint sauce with their lamb. She presented them with the only mint sauce she knew - a sweet dessert mint sauce. When they enlightened her on the traditional vinegar based mint sauce served in New Zealand, she invited them into the restaurant kitchen where they showed her how to make it. Norka wasn’t even sure at that stage where New Zealand was, but was so impressed that day with her new knowledge that somewhere in the world mint sauce was being served with lamb. It was a turning point for Norka and she knew she had to get out into the world and explore the global food scene.

Fast foward many years and Norka is now head chef at Mangapapa Hotel in the Hawkes Bay. This recipe was handed down to her by her ‘adoptive kiwi mum’ and uses green apples which are full of pectin, which gives the sauce its jelly-like consistency. Enjoy!.

Mint Jelly

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg green apples, chopped with skin and seeds

  • 2 cups of sugar

  • Juice of 2 lemons

  • 100g bunch of fresh mint

Method:

Put the chopped apples in a pot and cover with cold water and simmer until soft.  Pass the simmered apple through a sieve and discard the pulp of the apple.  Pass the liquid again through a cheese cloth to take away all the little pieces of the apple pulp.

Place into a deep pot 2 cups of the apple liquid and add the sugar and lemon juice.  This makes around half a litre but if you require a larger quantity then add extra even amounts of sugar and apple liquid.

Pick some of the best leaves off the bunch of mint and set aside for cooking later.  Add the remaining bunch of mint into the apple mixture and simmer until you get the right consistency (approximately 15 minutes). To check consistency put a small amount of the sauce in a dish in the freezer for a couple of minutes.  If it forms a jelly-like consistency, then it’s ready.  

Strain the liquid again and return to the pot.  Finely chop the reserved mint leaves and add to the pot and boil for 2 minutes.

Pour the boiled mint jelly into sterilised jars or bottles. Allow to cool before placing on the lids.

You can listen to Norka telling her story here.

OpinionLisa MoloneyNational Lamb Day 2020, Foodservice, Lamb