Day to Day happenings in my life

Bunga Pine

Journalistic Intentions prompt three: Kohirabi.

Well I know little about Kohirabi, so decided to write about a unique Australian rare tree and its nuts.


Bunja Pine. The pinecones contain seeds four centimetres long. Raw roasted or boiled by the Australian natives


What is it?
Araucaria Bidwilli, is commonly known as the bunya pine, sometimes referred to as the false monkey puzzle tree. It is a large evergreen coniferous tree. Bunja pines can produce dozens of massive cones that can weigh up to 10 kilograms. Beware they can drop from up to 50 metres without warning! The pines contain seeds four centimetres long. They are eaten raw, roasted, or boiled by the Australia natives.

What does it taste like?
It’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t like the taste of the Bunja Pine nuts. The flavour is described as similar to a starchy potato or chestnut.

How to cook
Roasted on the fire like you would a potato. They can be ground into a paste or flour and cooked into little cakes.

How to enjoy raw
The Bunja is ready to harvest when they fall to the ground but be careful many people have been killed or badly injured by a falling pinecone. The leaves are very sharp, and the nuts are right at the top of the pine. The need to be boiled or roasted for an hour to release them from their shell. Gently crack the shell with a hammer or rock. The nuts are a highly nutritious, protein rich food.

Recipes

Bunya Nut Fritters

300 g bunya nuts, raw
80 g cheese
120 g Milk
5 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
80 g plain flour
1 tsp salt
0.5 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Onion powder
1 can canned sweet corn kernel

RECIPE'S PREPARATION
Preparing Bunya Nuts
1.
To get at the nuts you need to pull the cone apart and peel the tough husk away from the seed. It’s best to do this as soon as you can as the husk becomes harder to remove as it dries.
2.
Use a pipe cutter or guillotine to cut each nut in half and remove the nut from the hard shell.
Fritters
3. Add bunya nuts to the bowl and put lid & measuring cup on.
4. Grate finely 20 secs, speed 8
5. Add cheese and put lid & measuring cup on.
6. 8 seconds, speed 7
7. Add remaining ingredients (except corn) and put lid & measuring cup on.
8. 10 seconds, speed 6
9. Add corn
10. 8 seconds, speed 3
11. Spoon mixture into greased frypan in batches and cook approx 1-2 min each side.