Super chef, super hangi - no foul mouth

The meat is ready, so celebrity chef Peter Gordon (R) and James Waka carry it to the hangi pit for cooking. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Glenda Raumati says kaumatua at Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia were a bit worried when they heard celebrity chef Peter Gordon was going to be in their kitchen.

"Some of them thought Gordon Ramsay was coming here," she said.

They had the wrong Gordon, but Ms Raumati was sure her team could have handled the famously bad-mouthed and bad-tempered British television chef.

"It would have been pretty funny if he came here and carried on like he does on TV. We would have given as good as he did."

Yesterday, Ms Raumati and her small army of workers and kitchen staff helped New Zealand-born Peter Gordon prepare a gourmet version of a traditional hangi.

The special meal for 700 people, including King Tuheitia, was to raise funds for the Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre, set up by singer Hinewehi Mohi to help handicapped children.

Some said the new hangi looked "too flash to eat", but Ms Raumati - who like her mother before her has worked in the marae's kitchen most of her life - said everyone was excited by the new take on an old favourite.

"Usually the only herbs and spices we put in the hangi are in the stuffing," she said.

Gordon - who owns The Providores & Tapa Room in London and says he misses kina, snapper, blue cod and shellfish over there - said Maori generally took a conservative approach to their traditional fare.

"Historically there were no spices or aromatics or chilli - it was a conservative thing based on a historical precedent."

His hangi included chicken marinated with saffron, cumin, manuka honey and ginger, and pork bellies stuffed with apples, walnuts and sage.

Also among the offerings were pork loins marinated in Thai spices, kawakawa, red curry paste and coconut wrapped in banana leaves, and boned legs of mutton marinated in rosemary, garlic, smoked paprika and lemon.

And for the King, wagyu beef ribs braised in oven bags in soy, miso, horopito and star anise. "I think it is going to be really interesting," said Gordon before the meal. "The smell of hangi is normally slightly smoky and moist but this will smell of herbs and garlic.

"Normally the meat is put in unadulterated and then cooked, so this is a bit non-traditional. It will be interesting to see if the flavours mish mash or stay separate."

Ms Raumati said catering for yesterday's event could revolutionise hangi preparation.

"If we like the taste we'll definitely try it again."