the Heat - Alana`s Pantry

She Can Handle
the Heat
A burning passion for food,
insatiable appetite for travel
and practical approach to
cooking is what led former
Masterchef contestant and
resident Queenslander, Alana
Lowes, to create a range of
delectably spicy sauces.
WORDS Alexandra Schultz
Photography: John Downs
queenslandhomes.com.au
‘Spicy Morocco’ Roasted Chicken Pieces
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5-10mins
Cook time: 20-25mins
“I found every
time I was travelling,
I became totally
addicted to eating
chilli sauce;
breakfast, lunch
and dinner...”
Ingredients
1 large whole chicken (or 4 chicken marylands), skin on
¼ cup Alana’s Pantry Spicy Morocco sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
To serve, fresh coriander leaves
Method
• Preheat the oven to 190°C (fan-forced).
• Add the olive oil to an oven-proof baking dish and place into the hot
oven for 3-4 mins to heat up the oil.
• If using a whole chicken, cut it into 4 pieces, 2 marylands and two breasts
on the bone with the wings. Using a sharp knife, make some shallow
slashes into the meat. (if using chicken marylands, do the same)
• Place the chicken into a large mixing bowl and add the Alana’s Pantry
Spicy Morocco sauce. Mix to coat the chicken in the sauce, rub it into the
slashes in the meat.
Alana Lowes is a busy woman. A food
column on Ninemsn, a stint hosting
Channel Ten's A Taste of Travel and the
launch of her new range of Alana's Pantry
Spicy Sauces, which she developed from
the earliest concept recipes through to
labelling, has kept Alana well and truly
immersed in the love of her life – food.
"I was doing some lifestyle writing
beforehand, but now I'm working in food
and travel full time. It's just food, food,
food! I love it!"
A lifetime of cultural travel experiences and
plenty of international cooking classes ("I
make sure I do a cooking class everywhere
I go…") launched Alana into the world of
food, setting her on a path of exploration
and flavour experimentation. But it wasn't
until 2011's series of Masterchef, where
Alana finished in third place, that her profile
sky-rocketed in Australia.
These days, Alana's often on the road, most
recently trekking the food trails of China.
"I think China has a bit of a bad rap for
food," Alana says.
"It can be quite confronting seeing the
local food over there. If you're just
prepared to dive in and try something
though, it can be really beautiful. I was at
a Peking duck restaurant and tried duck's
tongue – it was really tasty!"
It was this exotic cuisine of her many
overseas adventures which inspired a shift
in Alana's taste buds, turning this sugar
fiend into a bonafide spice addict.
"I found every time I was travelling, I
became totally addicted to eating chilli
sauce; breakfast, lunch and dinner," she says.
queenslandhomes.com.au
• Taking care, place the chicken skin side down in the hot oil in the baking
dish and return to the oven for approximately 8-10mins or until the skin
begins to turn a golden colour. Turn the chicken over with the skin side
up and continue to cook for a further a 10-15 mins or until the chicken is
cooked through.
"Most of the places I was travelling to,
they eat lots and lots of spicy food, so
when I came home I was looking for an
alternative to the typical tabasco and
sweet chilli sauce and couldn't
find anything."
• Serve with fresh coriander leaves and a salad.
This yearning for heat, plus an entire group
of like-minded, spice-loving mates, sparked
the idea of a range of internationallyflavoured spicy sauces. Today, the range
includes seven mouth-watering varieties,
including flavours from Morocco, Turkey
and Mexico.
Alana's cooking mantra goes something
like "global flavours in simple recipes";
her sauces can be used as marinades,
stir-fry and curry bases or raw with
almost anything, from chicken wings,
eggs and curries to corn chips and
vegetables. They are also completely
natural and Australian made and owned,
lacking in the preservatives, additives and
flavourings found in so many of the other
supermarket shelf sauces.
When asked if there were any other
projects in the works, Alana responded
with a smile.
"I'm working on developing some other
products," she said.
"And I would love to do a cookbook, but
at the moment I'm pretty busy…"
And aren't we reaping the rewards?
Alana's Pantry Spicy Sauces are available
nationally from Coles.
‘Spicy Turkey’ Grilled
Eggplant & Pomegranates
Serves: 4
Prep time: 3-5mins
Cook time: 3-4mins
‘Spicy Aussie’ Tomato &
Buffalo Mozzarella Salad
Serves: 4
Prep time: 2-3 mins
Ingredients
3-4 tomatoes, thickly sliced
1 large piece of buffalo mozzarella,
thickly sliced
4-5 tbsp Alana’s Pantry Spicy
Aussie Sauce
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Fresh basil leaves
Method
Using a serving platter, lay out the sliced
tomato. Top with the buffalo mozzarella.
Spoon on Alana’s Pantry Spicy Aussie
sauce and then drizzle with the extra
virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with the fresh
basil leaves.
Ingredients
4 Lebanese eggplants, halved lengthways (if you can’t find
Lebanese ones, just use normal ones and thickly slice)
1tsp salt
1 cup greek yoghurt
3 tbsp Alana’s Pantry Spicy Turkey Sauce
Pomegranate seeds
Method
• Heat a griddle pan to a high heat.
• Sprinkle the cut side of the eggplants with
the salt. Place the halved eggplants, cut
side down onto the hot griddle pan. Cook
until you can see the grilled charred lines.
Remove from the heat and repeat until all
the eggplant is cooked. Set aside.
• To make the Spicy Turkey yoghurt, mix
together the greek yoghurt and the
Alana’s Pantry Spicy Turkey sauce.
• On a serving platter, place the grilled
eggplant on and drizzle with the yoghurt.
Sprinkle over the pomegranates.
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