This little foodie went to market
Harrison with Tuk Tarnprasant from Tuk’s Thai Foods at Barrow Market Hall, Cumbria
Image by Kenny Block
Sourcing fresh, quality produce has always been a priority for me when it comes to comes to creating dishes. Visiting a market allows for plenty of browsing time, the chance to hear expertise from vendors and a grand array of products. A trip can often serve as the perfect inspiration when trying to think of something a bit different or just if you are stuck in a rut with your culinary repertoire.
I’ve always loved a food shop; learning, sampling and imagining ingredients and how they could be combined but so often the convenience of the conglomerate superstores wins over local shops in our busy lives. A market is a perfect bridger, many experts and suppliers in one place with a personable welcome and advice on tap.
Fresh, quality produce at Pete’s Fruit and Veg inside the Barrow Market Hall
Image by Kenny Block
I recently took a trip to the Furness Peninsula with Barrow Market Hall the destination. I must admit the market was somewhere I hadn’t visited before but after reading about over 55 vendors my intrigue was piqued and I couldn’t wait to meander the stalls. The trip was part of a wider project to promote Barrow and Cumbria’s high streets, I was set a challenge: shop for ingredients in the Market Hall and cook up a delicious dish at the amphitheatre outside the Dock Museum.
I settled upon a Pork Massaman Curry to be served with noodles which had me lean on Tuk Tarnprasant at Tuk’s Thai Foods for the authentic ingredients and some traditional stallholders for the core resources. First up was a visit to N&S Rhodes Butchers for some freshly cut pork. I could have gone with a minced pork for the dish or even a leaner Tenderloin piece, both of which Nigel had ready to go at his long established counter in the food hall area. However I opted for some loin cuts that I would trim into strips before cooking, including some of the fat rind for extra flavour. I couldn’t help but pick up a coil of Nigel’s in house Cumberland Sausage either, it is a staple for us Cumbrians after all!
Nigel from N&S Rhodes Butchers, a long standing figurehead of the market
Image by Kenny Block
Meat sourced, it was off to Pete’s Fruit and Veg to find some base ingredients and extras to take the Massaman up a level. I had a great conversation with Pete and his daughter about a multitude of products and the regularity of his deliveries. He was slightly disappointed I’d arrived on a Monday as his stall is “rammed to the rafters” on a Wednesday when the big drop off appears. This being said, there was plenty to take my attention. I grabbed onions, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, green beans and red chillis for the dish from this stand as well as plenty of fresh bits for home cooking that week. An apple to munch whilst treading the floors of the market was welcome too. Thinking of all the farms, orchards, allotments that all the fruit and veg comes from always amazes me. Areas all over the globe with so much variety of growing needs and often so manual before it all has to be carefully transported and kept at its optimum before finding its way onto a shelf like Pete’s.
Veg in my rucksack it was time to go see Tuk, a character I’d already bumped into upon walking into the market. Conversation flowed and receiving the background on many ingredients and products I’d not witnessed before was fascinating. From ramen pots to sriracha sauces, fresh thai basil to packaged mochi desserts. But I was here for noodles, a massaman paste that a restaurant would be proud of and some authentic seasonings; tamarind paste and fish sauce. A few tasty snacks may have made their way into my bag too as well as a bottle of Krating Daeng (the inspiration for the Red Bull energy logo and product), I was warned that this one was rather potent though and shouldn’t be drunk in one go, even for a coffee addict like myself).
Ingredients sourced it was time to leave the market to find my outdoor location to get my campstove cook on however one other stall had caught my eye and I knew I’d struggle not to partake in its products. Chewy’s Confectionery had all its wares on show, all the sweet treats you could think of and a blend of modern pick n mix with more traditional scale-weighed boiled offerings. These are always dangerous shops for me, eyes get bigger than the belly and the paper bags to store the candys are often bulging. Jellies, sours, sponges, chews and pinballs were just some of the delights that I couldn’t say goodbye to the market without purchasing.
Always tough to pass a pick n mix. Chewy’s Confectionery
Image by Kenny Block
Leaving the market it was off to the amphitheatre outside the Dock Museum to get my Alpkit Landar stove out and prepare this Massaman dish that i’ve been building in my head as I wandered round the market hall. The weather was favourable and a lovely backdrop of the sea and coastline made it an enjoyable, relaxing location to enjoy this practice i’ve become known for.
Recipe
Pork Massaman Curry with Noodles
Image by Kenny Block
Ingredients (serves 2)
1/2 White Onion
2 Garlic Cloves
Thumb sized piece of Ginger
1 Lemongrass head
1 Red Chilli
2 Pork Loin Chops
80g Green Beans
Massaman Paste
400ml Coconut Milk
Vegetable Stock
Rice Noodles
Thai Basil
Tamarind Paste
Fish Sauce
Sugar
Method
Slice the pork loin into thin strips vertical across the smaller length of the chop, then slice these strips into even smaller pieces again. Pop a pan on the stove and heat. Add some oil and add the pork to the pan (may need to do it in two batches to avoid crowding the pan). Whilst the pork is cooking, slice your onion and finely chop the garlic, ginger and lemongrass.
Once the pork is cooked through, remove from pan and set aside. Add more oil if necessary and add the onion to the pan. Cook until starting to soften and add the aromatics (garlic, ginger and lemongrass) for a few minutes.
Return the pork to the pan and stir though a generous tablespoon of the paste and a squeeze of tamarind. Once combined add the coconut milk (may not need all 400ml from the can but add enough to nearly cover the ingredients) and some trimmed, chopped green beans. Bring to a simmer. Chop a few leaves of thai basil and stir through. Add a few dashes of fish sauce and a teaspoon of sugar and combine.
Now the sauce has thickened, get a small saucepan to pop on the stove and add some vegetable stock (i like to heat mine at home and pop in a flask if cooking within that day to speed things along). Add noodles for two to the hot stock and cook til tender.
Heat the sauce through slightly again if necessary. Plate some noodles and add you curry to the top. Garnsih with sliced red chilli and some thai basil leaves. Find a good spot with a view and enjoy al fresco!
Barrow Market Hall is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and has over 55 independent stallholders.
Visit organised by the Barrow Borough Council 'Welcome Back to High Streets' project supported by ERDF and HM Government on behalf of Cumbria Tourism.
Local press coverage : https://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/19991138.fell-foodie-highlights-barrow-market-food-producers/
Barrow Market Hall website