Local Abundance (a 2024 trend from Unilever Food Solutions) is about celebrating local produce and staying close to nature. Over three quarters (77%) of Gen Z diners and 70% of Baby Boomers are willing to pay more for dishes with locally sourced ingredients.
Whether it’s in the kitchen, among your customers or with business owners in the local area, the ability to embrace and celebrate community is at the heart of success. If you’re yet to establish your love of local, it’s time to start building relationships with the farmers and growers near you. Combining two or more traditional components using local ingredients is a great way to create something new that looks refreshing on a plate. The local links you cultivate will help you to create seasonal and local dishes that excite and invigorate the tastebuds of your diners. Home is where the heart is, after all!
Check out a couple recipes for inspiration below!
Photo courtesy Unilever Food Solutions Future Menus report
Fiery Scallops in Sweet and Spicy Sauce
Recipe courtesy Chef Philip Li
Yield: 10
Ingredients for Deep-Fried Scallops
Method
- Trim and clean the scallops. Dry with a paper towel.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Coat the scallops with dry starch first and then dip in the comb batter.
- Deep-fry in a 170°C oil for about 30 seconds until golden brown and crisp.
- Place on top of the Ganshao sauce.
- Garnish with some organic leaf and vinegar caviar.
Ingredients for Comb Batter
Method
- Mix the flour, wheat starch, baking powder, baking soda, iced water, Chinese liquor, and Knorr Salted Egg Yolk Powder.
- Add oil slowly and mix well.
- Chill for two hours.
Sweet and Spicy Sauce
Method
- Pan-fry the minced pork until golden brown. Add chili paste, garlic, ginger, and spring onions.
- Combine all the condiments in a pan then cook for two minutes. Add wet starch and stir until smooth.
Photo courtesy Unilever Food Solutions Future Menus report
Robalo in Green Mole with Potato and Green Tamale
Chef Andres Cardona
Yield: 10
Ingredients for Mexican Green Mole
Method
- Wash all the fresh ingredients.
- Peel the garlic cloves and dice the onions.
- Add the tomatillo, garlic, onion, and chillies to a dry pan over high heat. Char and set aside.
- Using the same pan, add the pumpkin seeds, old spice, black pepper, cinnamon, bay leaf, and cloves. Roast the spices until aromatic.
- Place all the roasted ingredients in a blender. Add the Knorr Caldo de Pollo and epazote/ cilantro. Blend the mixture until just chunky.
- In a saucepan, heat up the pork fat. Add the blended mixture then let it cook for five minutes. Set aside.
Ingredients for Tamale de Papas
Method
- Wash all the fresh ingredients.
- In a saucepan, boil the hydrated Knorr Caldo de Pollo. Add corn flour and Knorr Mashed Potatoes. Mix until a soft dough is formed then finish with the pork fat. Set aside.
- Using a pan with 10 g of pork fat, sauté the corn kernels, then add the “Hogao Criollo” (Colombian mother sauce). Cook until the corn is smooth.
- Prepare the banana leaves, passing them over an open flame for a few seconds until softened and glossy.
- Take a portion of the dough. Form a cup shape then fill it with the corn mixture. Seal the dough then place it on the softened banana leaves.
- Wrap the “tamale” with the leaves in a square shape then secure with butcher’s twine. Place it on a steamer for 35 minutets. Set aside.
Ingredients for Assembly
Method
- Season the sea bass with salt and pepper. Sear the fillets on both sides then finish the cooking in a preheated oven at 140°C for five minutes.
- Plate the green mole and Pipian Verde then place the fish on top.
- Cut the tamale diagonally and place it next to the fish.
- Garnish with sprouts and flowers. Sprinkle some pumpkin seeds over.
