Recipe: Kokako's Urenika Potato and Quinoa Salad with Capsicum Aioli

Try your hand at Kokako's Urenika Potato and Quinoa Salad with Capsicum Aioli. Photo / Ted Baghurst

Have a hankering for purple as summer becomes autumn? Try your hand at Kokako's Urenika Potato and Quinoa Salad with Capsicum Aioli Salad.

This salad - like the rest of the Grey Lynn café's menu - makes use of seasonal, local and organic ingredients, including the lovely, antioxidant-rich Urenika potato, which originated from Ngati Porou. It's a waxy potato that is great steamed and holds its purple colour well when cooked, making it perfect for salads.

Here, thanks to Kokako's sous chef Kentaro Kurihara, who marks five years with the company this month, is just the recipe to try.

Serves 4

Salad ingredients

• 500g Urenika purple potatoes (cut into bite-sized pieces)
• 150g red organic quinoa
• 1 courgette (cut into small cubes)
• 10g red onion (sliced very finely)
• 50g green beans (cut into 2cm lengths)
• 10g pinenuts
• 5g chopped spring onion
• 5g chopped parsley

Aioli ingredients

• 25ml extra virgin olive oil
• 125ml canola oil
• 1 egg yolk
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 red capsicum
• 1/2 tsp whole grain mustard
• 1/2-1 Tbsp cabernet sauvignon vinegar (or any kind of red/white wine vinegar)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare the salad ingredients:

- Boil the Urenika potatoes for 10-15 minutes until sufficiently cooked.
- Cook quinoa in boiling water for 10-15 minutes.
- Sauté courgette until lightly caramelised.
- Spread pinenuts on a baking sheet and bake at 180°C, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown, which should take 5-10 minutes.

2. Prepare the aioli:

- Sauté or roast capsicum until nicely cooked, put aside to cool.
- Place egg yolks, mustard, vinegar, capsicum, salt and pepper in food processor.
- With the motor running, add oil in a thin, steady stream until the mixture emulsifies and thickens.
- Taste and add more seasoning or vinegar if needed.

3. Place all vegetables in a bowl and pour the aioli, toss gently. Taste and season if needed. Sprinkle over pinenuts, parsley and spring onion.

Get more info on Kokako here, or drop by their vegetarian cafe at 537 Great North Road, Grey Lynn. To make sure you're on the list for more recipes, sign up to our newsletter. We're also on Facebook and Twitter.