Mother-of-six and yogi Premaloka Treacy was inspired to open Ritual, the Waiheke wellness centre, yoga studio and vegetarian cafe, after a family journey to India. Here we find out how the family of eight functions in the kitchen at home.
Ritual - Yoga centre, cafe and gift space, 24 Belgium St, Ostend, Waiheke Island
I would describe my kitchen at home as . . . tiny and not practical for a family of eight who love to cook and love to eat, but we manage with a strict rule of one at a time in the kitchen.
The change I'd make to turn it into a dream kitchen is . . . more space! One of those big country kitchens with endless cabinets and counter space is the dream. Oh, and better ventilation – it can get very hot with all the cooking I do in such a small space.
Some things you would always find in our fridge is . . .
A better question is what you wouldn't find in our fridge. We are all experimental eaters and love to try new things, but I'd say that my children would tell you that our fridge is never without copious amounts of condiments - pickles, chutneys, pesto, sauces - you name it, we've got it.
Some of our pantry staples are . . . I always have an abundance of spices on hand because I love to use all sorts of different flavours in my cooking – particularly Indian spices. Nutritional yeast, chickpeas, lentils, and moong dahl are always there too.
My favourite ingredient to cook with is . . . I love to cook with lentils and nuts and am always experimenting with new dahl recipes and protein-rich meat substitutes.
My go-to meal in a hurry is... I always have a dahl ready to go in a pinch, either for my business, or for our family – my kids always complain that all they can find to eat is ingredients, so I can usually have a variety of different things ready to go in no time with just what we have on hand.
And if friends stop by unexpectedly . . .
Feeding an army every day means that there is always plenty for unexpected guests and an abundance of salad ingredients are always on hand. I'd throw a spicy chickpea and Thai quinoa salad together at very short notice and serve this alongside tempeh or tofu, which is always marinating in our fridge.
My drink of choice is . . . almost anything that has a healthy kick of ginger in it. My own homemade chai, kombucha and ginger tea are some favourites of mine, and I'm not averse to a good cold glass of bubbles too.
Something unexpected I make from scratch is . . . I make almost everything from scratch. Possibly the most unexpected being (and my children's favourite) a very tasty vegetarian mince and cheese pie.
My favourite place to eat right now is . . . We currently work long hours seven days, so escaping to our own back garden with a pizza from our local Italian pizzeria, La Dolce Vita, is a real treat.
The kitchen gadget everyone should own is . . . a Magimix food processor. I couldn't live without one. I use it for a thousand different things a hundred times a day.
My food approach is . . . nothing is subtle. I love to use an array of different spices, sauces and ingredients and am never shy about packing everything full of flavour. I believe that food is a medicine, and you should feel nourished and light after a meal.
Click here for Tracey's vegetarian 'ritual' lunch bowl recipe.
