Posts Tagged With: Chinese New Year

Kitchen News 14th February 2017

Posted on February 28, 2017 by melhm

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This article originally appeared in the school newsletter on 16th February.

Week 4 already! The Chinese Banquet Menu has reared its Roostery head again in Kitchen, with Chicken, spinach and coriander pot-sticker dumplings with honey soy on the menu, the children diligently filling gow gee wrappers with the blended green mush, and sealing the dumplings up tightly… the Vegetable spring rolls have the students preparing all the veggies and then stir-frying with rice vermicelli noodles in a big wok, then rolling up in the pastry and sticking firm with waterdrops, and serving with their homemade sweet green chilli sauce. I learnt today that my recipe is incorrect in chopping up the noodles as the long ones are supposed to signify a long life, and by chopping them up we have been shortening everybody’s lifespan! Sorry about that everybody!

Another success is the Shanghai-style eggplant. I cannot tell you enough how amazingly delicious this dish is! If you have a steadfast eggplant-hater in your life (as I do, two of them) then I implore you to try the recipe at home – it’s available on Edmodo via the SAKGP Bondi group page (see code below to join if you haven’t already). It’s a winner, and renders the eggplant almost unrecognisable. It’s like vegetable chocolate! (ish).

Kylie Kwong’s Chilled cucumber salad is brilliant, especially on a hot day like these, and we have now introduced Special fried rice to the list, with long grain rice cooked the day before and wok-fried with beaten egg and spring onions. Delish!

And served with a really delicate and powder-pink Chinese cup of Jasmine tea. Yum cha indeed.

By the time you read this we should have our timetables sorted and our class reps elected. Please look out for your next Class News with details of Kitchen Garden lessons, and if you can spare the time, please come along and help as we really do need you! Parents from Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 gratefully received too.

The SignUp link for all classes: http://signup.com/go/n5ciGB – please remember to bring your Working With Children signed form to show the office if you haven’t already!

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Special Fried Rice

Posted on February 28, 2017 by melhm

The key to successful fried rice is to cook the rice the night before, cool, cover and store in the fridge – that way the grains have time to cool and separate. At home feel free to add in some cooked chicken or prawns.

Fresh from the garden: eggs, spring onions, garlic, ginger
Recipe source: Melissa
Serves: 6 or 24 tastes

Equipment:

·       Chopping boards and knives

  • Peeler
  • Mixing bowls – large, small
  • Salad spinner
  • Large wok
  • Fork & knife
  • Measures – cup, tablespoon, teaspoon
  • Large saucepan & lid
  • Sieve
  • Serving bowls
 Ingredients:

·       3 cups long grain rice

·       1 litre boiling water

·       1 teaspoon of cooking salt

·       2 garlic cloves

·       2 tablespoons sesame oil

·       1 thumb ginger

·       2 eggs

·       3 spring onions

·       4-6 tablespoons soy sauce

·       Small handful coriander

 What to do:

To cook the rice:

  1. Fill the kettle to the 1 litre mark and set to boil.
  2. Measure the rice grains into the saucepan. Wash the rice with cold running water and swish with your hands. Drain carefully into a sieve and repeat 3 more times until the water is no longer milky. This helps remove excess starch and cleans the grains.
  3. Empty the washed rice back into the pot and carefully pour in the litre of boiling water. Turn the heat to high – when the water starts to bubble, add a teaspoon of salt, stir and then cover the pot and reduce heat to the lowest flame. Cook for 14 minutes without disturbing or taking the lid off.
  4. After the 14 minutes is up, turn off the heat without disturbing the saucepan. Leaving the lid on, just let it sit for another 5 minutes to finish the steaming process.
  5. When the time is up, using a knife, fluff the rice up in the saucepan, and then transfer into a bowl or tub, leave to cool for 10 minutes and then cover and put in the fridge for at least an hour to chill, preferably overnight.

To prepare the fried rice:

  1. Peel the garlic and finely chop. Using a peeler, peel the ginger and grate using the microplane grater.
  2. Wash, trim and peel the spring onion and finely chop, reserving the white parts and green parts separately.
  3. Wash the coriander and spin-dry, then finely chop stalks and leaves.

To cook the fried rice:

  1. Heat vegetable oil in a large wok on high heat.
  2. Add ginger, garlic and white part of spring onions and fry for a minute, stirring.
  3. Crack the eggs into a small bowl, add sesame oil and whisk lightly with a fork.
  4. Add the pre-cooked rice and stir-fry until rice is hot.
  5. Add soy sauce and green spring onions and heat through for another minute.
  6. Spoon out into serving bowls, then garnish with fresh coriander and serve.

Notes: Where does rice come from? How is it grown? What other dishes can you make with rice?

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Kitchen news 9th Feb 2016

Posted on February 15, 2016 by melhm

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新年快乐

With a bumper twelve classes a week in the Kitchen Garden Program we’re jumping into 2016 Year of the (Cheeky) Monkey! And celebrating in true style with our famous Chinese Banquet Menu. I can quote Mr White saying today he think it’s his favourite menu so far… And judging by the empty plates I think the children thought so too. They even ate all the stinkingly-hot chillies they so carefully prepared, with only one or two capsaicin-casualties! And helping us harvest it all – and even starting lessons this week, and getting used to all the little helpers every lunch-time – was our new gardener, Mish. Mish comes highly recommended through Byron and has a wealth of green-fingered experience. Come and say hello to her!

In the Cottage we practised our wok technique with Asian greens and our chooks’ summer eggs, with a hundred little bush tomatoes and lovingly sorted coriander in Stir-fried eggs with tatsoi, tomatoes and chilli soy. We loved the crazy flavour combo of chocolatey, vegemitey Shanghai-style eggplant, braised until black and almost gooey, served with a restaurant-quality mound of Perfect steamed rice to mop up the sticky sauce. The children perfected the art of the wonton-squeeze, with the translucent Chicken and shiitake dumplings with chilli and black vinegar sauce – delicious and so easy to make at home too!

The simplicity of KK’s Chilled cucumber salad, dressed with ginger, garlic, sesame and soy is child’s play, but the savoury elements come together as adult flavours: a really grown-up dish. We wok-fried green beans, carrots, bean sprouts, some thin rice noodles and more lovely coriander and then rolled it all up into beautiful Vegetable spring rolls, making our own Sweet chilli sauce to dip them in. And to complete the banquet, some lovely Jasmine tea to refresh the palate.

And talking of palates – one last thing! ‘The Secret World of Wine Tasting’ is the inaugural Kitchen Garden Wine Tasting Fundraiser, coming up on Saturday 5th March at 7pm in the Cottage. Hosted by yours truly and $30 a head. Includes the actual tasting – a relaxed look at the most popular varieties, what they are, where they come from, why you like some more than others – and nibbles! Sponsored by Tyrrell’s Wines thanks to Joanna Robinson (mum to Summer and Chase). Bookings limited! Let me know if you’re interested!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Melissa

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Chicken and shiitake mushroom dumplings

Posted on March 13, 2015 by melhm

Jill says, “Black-rice vinegar and chilli oil are sold at Asian food stores (Lee Kum Kee’s Chiu Chow chilli oil is very good). Wonton wrappers are often called gow gee wrappers.”

ourkitchengarden.net

Fresh from the garden: spring onions, ginger, garlic, chilli, egg

Recipe source: adapted from a recipe by Jill Dupleix on goodfood.com.au

Makes: 40 dumplings

Equipment:

  • Stockpot and lid
  • Bowls – large, small
  • Chopping boards and knives
  • Microplane grater, peeler
  • Measures – jug, tablespoon, teaspoon
  • Scales
  • Fork or whisk
  • Tea towels
  • Slotted spoon
  • Serving plates
 Ingredients:

·       6 dried shiitake mushrooms

·       200g minced chicken

·       2 spring onions

·       1 mild chilli

·       A thumb-sized knob of ginger

·       1 egg

·       150ml soy sauce

·       1 teaspoon sesame oil

·       Sea salt and pepper

·       40 small wonton wrappers

·       1 teaspoon chilli oil

·       2 garlic cloves

·       2 tablespoons black-rice vinegar

What to do:

  • Soak the mushrooms in hot water for at least 30 minutes.
  • Set a large pot of water to boil & then turn it down to simmer.
  • Drain the mushrooms, discard stalks and finely dice.
  • To make the dumplings: Peel and microplane the ginger to yield 2 tablespoons. Wash and trim spring onions. Chop 2 finely and julienne the remaining spring onion.
  • Carefully slice the chilli in half, scrape out the seeds and membrane and julienne. Reserve the julienned chilli and spring onion for the garnish.
  • Combine chicken, mushrooms, chopped spring onion, ginger, one tablespoon soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper in a bowl, then beat the egg and mix and mulch it in well into the chicken mixture with your hands until combined.
  • Clean down and dry your work space. Lay one wonton wrapper down per person, then place a teaspoon of filling in the centre of each wrapper (don’t overfill!) and brush edges with a clean finger dipped in a bowl of cold water.
  • Bring three sides of each wrapper up to meet the centre, then press together to seal the edges to form a tricorne. Press again at the ends of each point and in the centre. Continue until you finish the dumplings.
  • To make the dressing: peel and finely grate the garlic. Whisk the chilli oil, garlic, remaining soy sauce and black-rice vinegar in a medium bowl.
  • Cook dumplings a batch at a time for about two minutes in simmering water until they float to the surface.
  • Drain and divide among the serving plates. Spoon the dressing generously on top, scatter with the reserved chilli and spring onions and serve.

ourkitchengarden.net

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Stir-fried eggs with Tokyo Bekana, tomatoes and chilli soy

Posted on March 13, 2015 by melhm

Jill says, ‘This is a simple dish of Chinese ‘scrambled’ eggs that tastes fresh, clean and light. Serve with rice and Asian greens to max it up into a bigger meal.’ We’ve added the exotically-named Tokyo Bekana cabbage in as well.

Note: for a gluten-free version look for tamari instead of soy, or a gluten-free version of soy sauce as normal soy has wheat.

ourkitchengarden.net

Tokyo Bekana Cabbage

Fresh from the garden: tomatoes, Tokyo Bekana, coriander, eggs, chilli, spring onions

Recipe source: adapted from a recipe by Jill Dupleix

Serves: 4 or 24 tastes

Equipment:

  • Chopping boards and knives
  • Salad spinner
  • Measures – 1/2 cup, tablespoons, teaspoons
  • Bowls – large, medium, small
  • Fork or whisk
  • 2 woks
  • Serving plates & small sauce bowls
 Ingredients:

·       2 large or 6 cherry tomatoes

·       A few leaves Tokyo Bekana cabbage

·       A small bunch of coriander

·       1 long red chilli (or green if you don’t want too much heat!)

·       1/2 cup light soy sauce

·       6 eggs

·       2 teaspoons sesame oil

·       4 spring onions

·       Flaked salt & black pepper

·       2 tablespoons Rice Bran oil

What to do:

  • To make the sauce: Slice the chilli in half lengthways and remove the seeds out by scraping each half. Slice the flesh really thinly and then mix the sliced chilli and soy sauce into 4 small sauce bowls. Set aside.
  • For the stir-fry: Wash the Tokyo Bekana cabbage leaves, shake dry and slice finely. Cut the tomatoes in half, scoop out and discard the seeds and juice, then finely chop the flesh. Set aside.
  • Wash and strip the first layer of skin from the spring onions and then thinly slice them. Crack 3 eggs each into both bowls, and then lightly beat each bowl. Add a teaspoon of sesame oil into each bowl, most of the spring onion, and some salt and pepper and combine.
  • Heat the 2 woks over high heat until hot, then add the Rice Bran oil. Once the oil is hot, add the sliced cabbage and a sprinkle of salt and toss for 2 minutes. Remove and then add a bowl of egg mixture into each of the woks and leave for 10 seconds, then use a wooden paddle or spatula to slowly draw the outside of the egg mixture into the centre, allowing the uncooked egg to cook. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the egg is almost set, then scatter with the tomato and cooked cabbage. Toss for a minute to warm through. (It’s important not to allow the tomato to cook for too long, or it will make the eggs too watery.)
  • For the garnish: Wash and spin dry the coriander and pick out some juicy sprigs.
  • To finish: Divide the wok mixtures between 4 serving plates. Scatter with the remaining spring onion and the coriander sprigs, then spoon over some chilli soy sauce and serve immediately.

Caution:

  • Wash your hands thoroughly after coming in contact with chilli, as the capsaicin (the oil within the chilli) burns when it comes in contact with your eyes or sensitive skin.

Notes: What is Tokyo Bekana? Why do we need to use caution around chilli?

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Kitchen news – 13th February 2014

Posted on February 16, 2014 by melhm

ourkitchengarden.net

Week 3 and we were settling in nicely to a term of delicious cooking until the dreaded lurgy struck in Casa Moore and select Kitchen classes had to be cancelled… My sincere apologies to all the classes affected and I promise I will make it up to you with even more fabulous recipes in the weeks to come.

So those who got stuck into the Banquet Menu for Chinese New Year had a great time parcelling up Vegetable spring rolls with our homemade and easy Sweet chilli sauce (no need to buy the gloopy stuff ever again!), squashing gow gee wrappers for Chicken and shiitake dumplings with chilli and black vinegar sauce (and veggie versions too),  squishing slimy cucumber slices together for Kylie Kwong’s Chilled cucumber salad, using the iceblock-cooling method for Cold spicy sesame noodles, whisking our freshly laid eggs for Stir-fried eggs with tomatoes and chilli soy, and also preparing Perfect rice and the all-important Jasmine tea with which to Yum Cha! A banquet fit for an Emperor, Empress or indeed Principal…!

We used the slightly under-ripe long green chillies and also some baby yellow capsicums in the recipes, and the chilli oil was one we made last year (Sean’s recipe)… but rest assured, the children ate it all – heat or not! Don’t be scared to add a little chilli at home as the children found it fun – and they definitely know to wash their hands after preparing chillies!

Thanks to everybody who has pledged volunteering support so far, we couldn’t do it without you! If you haven’t yet and are keen to help, and are able to commit to a session every week or fortnight for a term in the kitchen and/or garden, please drop me a line here or see me at school and I will forward on some info and the term’s schedule.

Cheers and happy cooking – and don’t forget subscribe here if you don’t want to miss any recipes!

ourkitchengarden.net

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Vegetable spring rolls with Kylie K’s sweet chilli sauce

Posted on February 16, 2014 by melhm

This classic and popular dish is traditionally served on the first day of the Chinese New Year.

ourkitchengarden.net

Fresh from the garden: spring onions, beans, tatsoi, bokchoy, carrots, coriander, chilli
Recipe source: adapted from a recipe on yummly.com & sauce from Kylie Kwong
Makes: 20 spring rolls

Equipment:

  • Bowls – large, small
  • Colander
  • Scissors
  • Small heavy-based saucepan
  • Non-stick frying pan
  • Peeler
  • Salad spinner
  • Scales
  • Chopping boards and knives
  • A wok
  • Slotted & wooden spoons
  • Measures – jug, cup, ½ cup, ¼ cup, tablespoon
  • Serving plates & sauce bowls
 Ingredients:

  • 1 packet of frozen spring roll wrappers
  • Rice Bran oil for deep-frying

Sweet chilli sauce

  • 250ml white vinegar
  • 165g white sugar
  • 2½ tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 large red chilli

For the filling

  • 1 cup glass noodles
  • 3 or 4 spring onions
  • A handful vegetables (green beans,tatsoi, bokchoy, carrots)
  • 1½ cups bean sprouts
  • A small handful coriander
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • Salt to taste

What to do:

  • Remove the frozen wrappers from the freezer and defrost for 30 minutes.
    • Soak the noodles in a bowl of hot tap water for 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly and then using scissors, cut noodles into finger-long lengths and reserve.

For the sauce:

  • Meanwhile, place vinegar and sugar in the small saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes until liquid is reduced by almost half and slightly syrupy. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then stir in fish sauce and chilli. Divide among little sauce bowls.

For the filling:

  • Wash, shake dry and prepare the vegetables, peeling if needed. Chop finely to yield about 3 cups.
  • Wash and drain the bean sprouts. Wash and spin the coriander dry, then finely chop the stalks, reserving the leaves for garnish. Wash and trim the spring onions and chop into small rounds to yield 2 cups.
  • Heat the oil in a wok on a high flame till it smokes. Add the spring onion, the vegetables and bean sprouts and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, and then add the drained and chopped noodles, the chopped coriander, soy sauce and salt and sauté on a high flame for another 2 minutes.

To assemble and cook:

  • Fill a little bowl with water and clean and dry the surface in front of you.
  • Peel a wrapper from the pile and lay it down. Place a portion of the filling on the edge closest to you and fold the filled edge over once so it is covered.
  • Fold the left and the right side of the pancake in order to get a rectangle.
  • Roll the pancake upwards, tightly sealing the ends securely with a dab of water from the bowl, to make the spring roll.
  • Repeat with the remaining ingredients to finish the wrappers.
  • Heat enough oil in the wok and deep-fry in batches, turning over, until they turn light brown in colour.
  • Rest on paper towel to soak up any oil and to cool.
  • Cut each roll into half and divide among serving plates with the bowls of sweet chilli sauce on the side.

Caution:

  • Wash your hands thoroughly after coming in contact with chilli, as the capsaicin (the oil within the chilli) burns when it comes in contact with your eyes or sensitive skin.

Notes: Why do you need to wash your hands if handling chill? What does sauté mean? What other Chinese dishes can you name? What does fish sauce smell like?

ourkitchengarden.net

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Cold spicy sesame noodles

Posted on February 16, 2014 by melhm

The secret to this dish is the balance of flavours in the sauce: spicy, salty, sweet, savoury.

ourkitchengarden.net

Fresh from the garden: spring onions, ginger, garlic
Recipe source: adapted from a recipe by Diana Lampe on goodfood.com.au
Serves: 6 at home or 24 tastes

Equipment:

  • Peeler
  • Microplane grater
  • Chopping boards and knives
  • Garlic press
  • Heavy frying pan
  • Wooden spoon
  • Sieve
  • Bowls – large, small
  • Scales
  • Measures – tablespoon, teaspoon, ½ teaspoon
  • Large saucepan and lid
  • Slotted spoon
  • Colander
  • Teaspoons
  • Serving bowls

 

 Ingredients:For the salad

  • 2 generous handfuls (about 200g) fresh bean sprouts
  • A 450g packet of fresh noodles
  • 2 teaspoons peanut or Rice Bran oil
  • 2 or 3 large spring onions
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Sesame sauce:

  • 1 small knob ginger
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • ½ teaspoon Sichuan pepper
  • 3 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste
  • 4 tablespoons water
  • 3 tablespoons tamari or light soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Chinkiang black rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons chilli oil
  • 1 teaspoons sesame oil

What to do:

  • For the sesame sauce: Peel and finely grate the ginger to yield 1 tablespoon. Peel and squeeze the garlic cloves through the press. Pick through the Sichuan pepper, removing any gritty black seeds and small twigs. Toast in a heavy pan over low heat until fragrant and beginning to smoke, being careful not to scorch it. Grind the seeds while hot with a mortar and pestle. Sieve through a fine strainer and discard the pale bits left behind.
  • Mix together these and the remaining ingredients for the sesame sauce. Taste and make any adjustments you like. It will be quite spicy but will be less so when mixed with the noodles. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.
  • For the noodles: Boil a large saucepan of water and add salt. Have a bowl ready of cold water with some ice cubes. Throw the bean sprouts into the boiling water for a few seconds, then lift them out and plunge into the iced water. Drain and chill.
  • Add the noodles to the boiling water & stir to separate. Cook for the time suggested on the packet until tender. Drain the noodles & tip into the cold water. Drain & toss with the oil to stop them sticking and spread out to dry on the tray, and chill in the fridge until needed.
  • Wash the spring onions, trimming and removing the first layers if needed and finely slice into thin rounds. Toast the sesame seeds gently in the frying pan until lightly coloured.
  • To serve: Divide the bean sprouts between your serving bowls, then place the noodles on top. Scatter the spring onions and sesame seeds, then pour the sesame sauce over the noodles and mix through.
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Chicken and shiitake dumplings with chilli and black vinegar sauce

Posted on February 16, 2014 by melhm

Jill says, “Black-rice vinegar and chilli oil are sold at Asian food stores (Lee Kum Kee’s Chiu Chow chilli oil is very good). Round wonton wrappers are often called gow gee wrappers.”

ourkitchengarden.net

Fresh from the garden: spring onions, ginger, garlic, chilli, egg
Recipe source: adapted from a recipe by Jill Dupleix on goodfood.com.au 
Makes: 30 dumplings

Equipment:

  • Stockpot and lid
  • Bowls – large, small
  • Chopping boards and knives
  • Microplane grater, peeler
  • Measures – jug, tablespoon, teaspoon
  • Scales
  • Fork or whisk
  • Tea towels
  • Slotted spoon
  • Serving plates
 Ingredients:

  • 6 dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 250g minced chicken
  • 2 spring onions
  • 1 mild chilli
  • A thumb-sized knob of ginger
  • 1 egg
  • 150ml soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • Sea salt and pepper
  • 30 round wonton wrappers
  • 1 tablespoon chilli oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons black-rice vinegar

What to do:

  • Soak the mushrooms in hot water for at least 30 minutes.
  • Set a large pot of water to boil & then turn it down to simmer.
  • Drain the mushrooms, discard stalks and finely dice.
  • To make the dumplings: Peel and microplane the ginger to yield 2 tablespoons. Wash and trim spring onions. Chop 2 finely and julienne the remaining spring onion.
  • Carefully slice the chilli in half, scrape out the seeds and membrane and julienne. Reserve the julienned chilli and spring onion for the garnish.
  • Combine chicken, mushrooms, chopped spring onion, ginger, one tablespoon soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper in a bowl, then beat the egg and mix and mulch it in well into the chicken mixture with your hands until combined.
  • Clean down and dry your work space. Lay one wonton wrapper down per person, then place a teaspoon of filling in the centre of each wrapper (don’t overfill!) and brush edges with a clean finger dipped in a bowl of cold water.
  • Bring three sides of each wrapper up to meet the centre, then press together to seal the edges to form a tricorne. Press again at the ends of each point and in the centre. Continue until you finish the dumplings.
  • To make the dressing: peel and finely grate the garlic. Whisk the chilli oil, garlic, remaining soy sauce and black-rice vinegar in a medium bowl.
  • Cook dumplings a batch at a time for about two minutes in simmering water until they float to the surface.
  • Drain and divide among the serving plates. Spoon the dressing generously on top, scatter with the reserved chilli and spring onions and serve.
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