Chef Ross Magnaye's Signature Christmas Dish
Ross Magnaye is the head chef and co-owner of Serai Kitchen, a modern Filipino restaurant in Melbourne's CBD. Following in the footsteps of his grandmother—a successful chef and restaurateur—Ross is passionate about celebrating bold Filipino flavours, using the best local ingredients. At Serai, everything is cooked over fire, with a focus on simple, honest cooking that champions the produce on the plate.
Here, Ross shares a glimpse of his family's festive celebrations and the perfect recipe to enjoy with loved ones.
Can you tell us a little bit about your approach to cooking?
My approach to cooking is very simple; I like to use the best ingredients possible blended with Filipino flavours. I love to cook food from my childhood that is nostalgic to me.
Can you tell us about this dish, what makes it special?
Prawns are a classic Australian dish for summer or Christmas. They are super easy to throw on the grill or barbie with some butter, chilli, garlic and a little sea salt to finish.
In my family, Waldorf salad is always prepared during Christmas. It's very easy to make; a little green apple, mixed nuts, grapes, celery, mayonnaise, lemon juice and olive oil served with lettuce. You can add chicken to it, or do as I've done and cook some prawns to go alongside it.
Tell us about the festive season for you. How do you celebrate?
The festive season is always with family. When I was younger there would be 30-40 of us, a lot of kids, a lot of extended family, counting down the hours 'til Christmas. In the Filipino tradition, it's called Noche Buena and draws from Spanish heritage, so you have dinner on Christmas Eve. It becomes a more important celebration than Christmas Day.
Dishes that remind me of this time of year are Waldorf salad, grilled seafood and lechon—which is a whole roast pig, stuffed with spices. Christmas is always super special for me.
When it comes to entertaining, what's one ritual or tip you like to stick to?
If I'm hosting, I will stick to something super simple, highlighting beautiful produce. I'll prepare a whole pig, lobster, beautiful drinks, wine, play karaoke and put on some Christmas carols in Tagalog (Filipino). It just has to be buzzing. Everything is super simple and delicious.
Grilled Prawns with Chilli Garlic Butter and Mama Carol's Waldorf Salad
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
For the butter
- 500g unsalted butter
- 2 red chillies, finely sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 50mL olive oil
- Salt, to taste
For the prawns
- 10 Mooloolaba king prawns or any prawns,with shell or deshelled
- Small bunch parsley, leaves picked
- Lime wedges, to serve
For the salad
- 1kg green or red apples
- 1 big bunch grapes
- 600g walnuts or mixed nuts, roasted
- 3 celery stalks
- 1 big lettuce
- 800mL mayonnaise
- 300mL extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon wedges, to serve
- Salt and pepper
Method
Butter
- In a small saucepan, add olive oil, chillies and garlic over a low heat.
- Add butter and stir until it melts. Add salt to taste.
- Place in a serving ramekin and set aside.
Prawns
- Heat up your barbecue or grill. Place prawns on the grill and cook for about 1 minute each side, depending on the size of the prawns.
- Place the prawns onto a serving platter. Drizzle the melted butter and parsley over the top and serve with lime wedges.
Salad
- Prepare a large bowl to serve the salad in.
- Chop the apples and celery and place them into the bowl along with the grapes (leave these whole or sliced in half).
- Add the mayonnaise, olive oil, salt and pepper until everything is coated and tasty. Adjust seasoning if needed.
- Top with the roasted nuts.
- Garnish with lettuce leaves on the sides of the bowl and finish with a squeeze of lemon.
