I love Mandarins!

My mum would get a whole bunch and just as soon as she put them in the fruit bowl they were gone. Yep, I would eat all of them in record time. I just couldn’t get enough. Now that I’m an adult not much has changed about my obsession with Mandarins.

Mandarins for me are perfect. They taste yummy, are sweet, are a perfect snack you can take anywhere, and of course can be made into anything; a dessert, a sauce, chutney or even a drink!

My favourite variety is the Imperial Mandarins.

As it is finally Mandarin season I thought, why don’t you see more dishes with Mandarins in them? Can you add Mandarins to your cooking? If so, what else could you cook?

My first thought was to investigate what I could make and made sure it was something I wanted to eat. However, I needed to make sure the rest of the family liked the recipes too.

Once I narrowed down what I was going to create, fresh produce was needed and the main one was, of course, Mandarins. I chose to shop at Todarello’s Fruit Market at Katoomba.

Todarello’s has a vast array of fresh fruit and vegetables. They are all displayed beautifully, and all the food displays are fresh, colourful and inviting. Shopping at Todarello’s is a delight for your eyes as the colours make you imagine delicious and colourful dishes that are great for a feast, and will also fill your belly.

After you fill your box or bag with all your shopping at Todarello’s you can get help from the kind staff to carry it all to your car. What a great service Todarello’s offer and any time I have needed help staff always have a smile on their face and nothing is an issue to help a customer. If you do want to shop from the convenience of your home Toddarello’s has a website that allows you to order and have it all delivered to your home.

Once I had plenty of Mandarins and other items that would assist in the creation of my meals, I was ready to make some amazing dishes.

To celebrate Mandarins I have cooked a variety of different dishes.

Download The Printable Mandarin Recipes Below

Mandarin Curd Tart

I saw this online and had to give it a go. The recipe was inspired by Rainbow Nourishments, and I changed it a little.

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 cup plain or all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup olive oil or vegetable oil
• ¼ cup water
• ½ cup almond meal
• 3 tbsp of sugar
• 2 tbsp of LSA ( Linseeds, Sunflowers and Almonds)

Mandarin curd

• 4-5 mandarins and also the zest of the mandarins
• ½ cup (120g) canned coconut cream ( I used the whole can)
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tbsp of corn starch
• 2 tsp (6g) Dr. Oetker Gelatine Powder ( I couldn’t find agar powder and this did the trick)

Decorations

• 2- 3 mandarins peeled with seeds removed
• Diced Pistachios

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F)

I used a non-stick tart pan for the tart base

Making the Crust

Add all ingredients and mix to make a dough. If too dry add a little water and if too wet add a little flour. Roll out dough to be around 3mm thick (⅛ inch) and then put into tart pan. Cook for 15mins until golden brown and remove to cool.

Making the Mandarin Curd

Add all ingredients to a saucepan and stir over heat until the mixture thickens. I cut up all the mandarin, removed the seeds and zapped it all in the blender to make sure it is all mixed nicely. Once the mixture has cooled down add to tart base and put in the fridge to set for 2 hours. You can leave for longer if you wish.

Decorate with Mandarin pieces & pistachios, remember to remove the seeds.

Spiced Mandarin Marinade

Previously I added mandarin pieces to a chicken, vegetable and noodle stir fry dish, but wanted to see what it would be like if mandarin was a marinade.

Ingredients

• 4-5 mandarins (I used Imperial Mandarins but you can use any type you wish)
• Half a red chilli with seeds intact
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 lime juiced
• 2 tablespoons of olive/vegetable oil
• Grate mandarin zest as well

Method

• Cut up 4-5 mandarins and make sure to remove the seeds
• Add the zest of the mandarins too for a more intense mandarin flavour
• Add the zest and mandarin pieces to the blender and mix so that all the mandarin is blended together
• Remove the blended mandarin from the blender in a bowl and add lime juice, chilli, oil and sugar
• Mix all the ingredients well
• Now add the item you wish to marinade, I used chicken. You can use beef, prawns or fish.
• Cut up all vegetables you wish to have in your stir fry and then cook the vegetables a little
• Now add the chicken with the Spiced Mandarin Marinade to the wok or fry pan
• I added Udon noodles but you can have rice if you wish
• Once all cooked serve in a bowl and enjoy

I hope this gives you some more ways to enjoy mandarin. Adding mandarin pieces to a beef or chicken stir fry is yummy as well if you don’t wish to go to the trouble of making a marinade. It is a simple way to add something different to your dish.

You don’t have to cook with mandarins to enjoy them, they can be added to your breakfast as well.

In Australia mandarins are available from April to October, however, the Imperial variety is only available till June. If you are like me and your mandarin of choice is the Imperial you need to be enjoying this fruit now.

What is your favourite way to add mandarins to your cooking?

I am exploring more ways to incorporate mandarins in more meals, make sure to send in your suggestions.

Previously I have made Mandarin and Rhubarb Crumble, it is very easy to make and will impress dinner guests.

Post Feast Review

Mandarin Curd Tart

I initially looked at this recipe and thought it was very complicated. Too much going on for a cook to just simply create a dessert. My love of mandarins and trying something new took hold and made me try it. The recipe is actually deceptively simple, as well as being delicious. It was a nice change to have mandarin for the curd and not lemon or lime. The addition of pistachios gave an added crunch and texture.

Will I make it again?
I would definitely make this recipe again, it got eaten in record time and came out just like it should. Next time I would love to make it even tangier with mandarin flavour, and create smaller individual tarts rather than one big one.

Spicy Mandarin Marinade

I have been thinking of different ways to add mandarins to meals and this recipe was something right out of my imagination. It was a simple and easy recipe to create and added enough mandarin flavour to the dish.

Will I make it again?
Yes, I would make this again but with a few changes. I would add more mandarins and zest to give a punchier mandarin flavour and make it a thicker sauce for the marinade.

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Originally published April 15, 2021