Food Revolution Toronto Community Cooking Event...

I am thrilled on behalf of Food Revolution Toronto to announce our second community cooking class for parents and kids here in Toronto on February 27th. It will be held in the evening in The Annex neighbourhood at Royal St. George's College. Thanks to the generous support of fellow ambassador Mardi Michel's Les Petit Chefs school, Sobeys and Harper Collins Canada, we're able to offer this class at a low cost and at a transit-friendly location to make it accessible to more people. Join Toronto Food Revolution Ambassador, Mardi Michels for a parent-child cooking class. We'll be cooking up some easy dishes kids will love to eat and make:

Super smoothies that burst with colour and flavour;
Rainbow salad wraps - a kid-friendly favourite that's fun to make;
Garden glut soup - a seasonal soup full of veggies;

Please register soon to avoid disappointment. Limited space. First come, first serve!

We're gearing up for our global 4th Annual Food Revolution Day! Lots more activities to come so visit my blog often and better yet, like us on our Facebook Page. We are in the middle of relaunching our official Food Revolution Day 2015 site. Sign up to be the first to know when it relaunches to be informed of the great things happening around your community and the world leading up to the big day! For now browse the current site for great Jamie Oliver recipe ideas, videos and list of ambassadors in your local area championing the Stand Up For Real Food cause! Get inspired!

Ramen Odyssey...

Ramen!! People usually think sushi is the most popular food eaten in Japan, but ramen is the one that holds that stake! Ramen is a Japanese cultural icon and is loved by all Japanese and beyond. We've seen the Japanese ramen craze the last two years over here in Toronto with noodle joints popping up everywhere! Regional ramen came into being as Chinese noodles disseminated throughout Japan, intermingling with the food, climatic and natural environment of each region. There are at least 30 or more distinct, regional ramen in Japan, and comparing the different tastes adds to its fascination-  each has their own speciality  recipe from the choice of noodles, ingredients for the broth, and the myriad of possible toppings. Even the type of serving ware- bowls and spoons are carefully selected to complement the ramen. A real odyssey for the ramen aficionado! 

My brother's family bought us gift packages of instant ramen noodles on their return from Japan. This is not your typical cheap and cheerful dried fried block kind. Noodles are packaged in loose strands and cook up fresh with no need for refrigeration, and the convenient pouches of real concentrated soup stock tastes just like the real deal once diluted with boiling water. 

Noodles are typically made from four basic ingredients: wheat flour, salt, water, and kansui, a type of alkaline mineral water. Kansui in noodles lends them a yellowish hue as well as a firm texture, which is sometimes substituted with eggs. Ramen comes in various shapes and lengths-thick, thin, ribbon-like, as well as straight or wrinkly.

Tonkotsu (pork bone) soup base.

Look at the real fatty soup surface!

The noodles were the real inspiration for making this Pork Shoulder Roast with Chinese Spices. I mean, it was the least I could do when I had everything else ready-to-cook on hand. Next time, I will make the extra effort to cook the soup from scratch but for now, halfway homemade surely hits the spot!

Served with toppings of bamboo shoots, black mushroom fungus, green onions and thick slabs of roasted fatty pork shoulder, here is my resulting bowl of hot steaming ramen!

Seriously delicious and as authentic-tasting as you can get coming from convenience.

Other ramen inspirations during my annual trip to Japan from 2004 to 2006: 

Japanese Insider TIP: When you're done your noodles and there's that bit of soup leftover, add a touch of table rice vinegar to the broth to refresh it and to add a tangy dimension to rewhet your taste buds for the last few sloppy slurps! Shops in Japan also offers a bowl of rice so you can add some to your remaining broth to finish. 

Chinese ramen noodle in Yokohama's Chinatown.

A bowl of shoyu ramen in a Tokyo district.

Tonkotsu-based ramen in Osaka!

Homemade ramen, assorted pickles and sashimi breakfast at my brother's Yokohama home. I miss those times!

You can just walk into a Japanese book store and know just how much the Japanese love ramen! There's scores and scores of magazines devoted to the various restaurants in the country, with meticulous accounts of the regional differences and each shops' specialities.

The key factor to ramen is in the soup and how various ingredients go in to bring out the umami element. The four primary soup bases are shoyu (soy sauce), shio (sea salt), miso and tonkotsu (pork bone). The texture of the soup could be clean and thin, thick and hearty, with or without liquid fat on top (usually chicken or pork). After basic preparation, ramen can be seasoned and flavoured with any number of toppings including but not limited to: chashu (sliced barbecued or braised pork), green onions, seasoned poached soft egg, bean sprouts, menma (lactate-fermented bamboo shoots), kakuni (braised pork cubes), roasted pork belly or shoulder, nori (dried seaweed), natto (fermented soy beans) and kamaboko (formed fish paste). The possibilities are limitless...

Onto some ramen food porn for the eyes (credit pages from CREA mag Spring '04 No. 2). For a closer look, click on images to enlarge:

This one cracked me up!!

Yokohama Ramen Museum was founded in 1994 as Japan's first food-theme amusement park with rotating featured regional ramen shops setting up in a 1958 street-scape replica... it was also the year instant noodle was invented. Really super awesome and a must visit!  http://www.raumen.co.jp/english/ 

The long queues to sample a bowl!

Slurp the noodles and drink it all up... and do it loud and proud to show the chef your gratitude! OISHII!

Pork Shoulder Roast with Chinese Spices...

I can assure you, once you've tried making this at home you may be less tempted for Chinese deli take-out. Really easy to cook, making for an effortless roast that has a crackling crust and a succulent moist and meaty, slightly fatty interior. Since this pork shoulder is boneless, tender and fatty, you can cook it on high for a shorter amount of time than the usual slow-roasting cuts.The house will be filled with an earthy sweet exotic fragrance whetting everyone's taste buds before making its grand appearance on the table. Serve with steamed rice and vegetables, or in a hot bowl of ramen noodle soup as I will share tomorrow...

Pork Shoulder Roast with Chinese Spices
Feeds a crowd or a family with lots of leftovers for next day meals, sandwiches etc., 

4-1/2 lb. boneless pork shoulder with a layer of fat on top and a good amount of fat throughout
1 Tbsp. of kosher or sea salt
1 Tbsp. black peppercorns
1-1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. Chinese five-spice powder
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
6 cloves
3 star anise
2 Tbsp. canola oil

Cook's NOTE: If you have a mortar and pestle, grind the spices into a fine powder or use a spice grinder. Otherwise, use ground spices in the recipe.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Combine all the ingredients for the spice mix in a bowl. Score the surface of the pork fat with a sharp knife (this helps keep the pork crisp during cooking), then rub the oil and mixture over the pork, working it well into the score lines. Place the pork in a roasting pan and roast in the oven for two hours or so, or until the juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife or skewer.

NOTE: I tend to roast larger pieces of meat, but for a family of four to six, a 1-1/2 lb. cut is plenty. Roast at 400F for 55 minutes or until the juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife or skewer. 

This was the joint available at my butcher's otherwise, I would choose a piece with a nice layer of fat on top.

The size was perfect for my toaster oven... No wasted energy!

Remove from oven and allow to rest for juices to redistribute for 15 minutes before slicing.

Juicy succulence!

Cook's NOTE: If you have some extra time, slow, slow roasting yields the most super tender roast. As my friend Way Ling Weisser did in Singapore, take a 1-1/2 lb. boneless pork shoulder and roast it at 275F for four hours then turn up the heat to 450F. When this temp. is reached, let it cook for 10 minutes for the top to crust. I will definitely have to try this next time. Gorgeous, delicious or what?

Way Ling Wiesser's version of my Pork Shoulder Roast with Chinese Spices.

Diverse Delicious Eats this Non-Cooking Weekend...

When you're cooking all the time, it's always a real treat NOT to cook and just have an open whim to all the delicious diverse foods and restaurants your city has to offer. My brother and his family were just back in town for good from being overseas a decade, so between being in the Scarborough area, picking up their welcome home gift and having the family reunion dinner, I was luckily filled with all these amazing foods which would rarely have been compacted into one weekend. Here were the tasty dibs:

Lahmajoun is a very thin Middle Eastern flat rolled bread spread with a ground beef, tomato, veggie and spice mixture. They are sold in packages of a half dozen 8 to 10-inch rounds. You can pick these up in the refrigerated section of Middle Eastern grocer stores. Bake them in the oven at 350F for ten minutes until heated through and eat right away.

My favourite way to eat these thin pizzas are with salad greens wrapped down the centre. My first time trying lahmajoun was at a Queen Street East restaurant way back when, called Arax which is no longer in operation. The Lebanese owner was a riot and he introduced my husband and I this dish. His specialty was to add lemony olive oil-dressed bitter dandelion greens as a topping to wrap up. The sweet, savoury and bitter flavours came at a surprise and got me instantly hooked! If dandelion greens are hard to find, I just use regular salad greens or to get a closer taste like Arax's, I would use chicory, kale or arugula leaves tossed with fresh lemon juice, EVOO and sea salt.

I was at George Brown College's The Chefs' House restaurant catching up with my Chef friend on Friday and thought I'd swing by St.Lawrence Market (my old 'hood), and pick up some tasty goodies to treat my brother and his wife. $200 later, I was walking out with foie gras terrine, aged balsamic vinegar, five-year aged smoked gouda and camembert cheeses from Alex Farms, and Spanish olives stuffed with anchovies and lemon.

Saturday morning began with eggs, ham and toast alongside some gourmand injections. Spanish olives, sausages, and the main event- nice slivers of foie gras, a sprinkling of fleur de sel salt served on water cracker thins ... mmm, it's like heaven melting on the tongue. 

$29.99 per 100g ain't cheap, but the quality in its taste is worth every cent and a must treat!

Like my son said, "I know why the foie is so expensive, because it's so-o good!"...

Saturday night was beyond awesome seeing my siblings' kids all intermingling swimmingly with each other! My brother's family has been living in Japan so we wanted to order in some food that he hasn't had in a while. Since we were in Scarborough, Middle Eastern food abound, and we easily landed on Afghan cuisine at Naan & Kabob. The delicious variety of grilled kabobs were hard to resist and we pretty much ordered every kind from ground beef shish kebabs to Tandoori chicken breasts and our spicy favourite Chaplee. My favourite place though for Afghan food is Bamiyan Kabob.

The combos came with slightly spiced basmati rice, spicy salsa and tangy yogurt to dip the meats and their irresistible
sesame-flecked flatbreads. Bolanee in the forefront is a lightly pan-fried naan, stuffed with potatoes, green onions
and herbs, served with a side of homemade yogurt.

The round chaplee kabobs are really bunless burgers made with coriander, red chili flakes and fresh chilies, sprinkled with tart red berry spice sumak! Really spicy, really delicious and savoury. This is one I will surely make, but seriously toned down for the family.

My brother Dan (alias Marten Go) is a wicked hand-crafted sculpture artist. Welcome home!

With work in progress Bruce Lee from the Way of the Dragon, Alabama from True Romance, and his first Bruce statue.

Our family of boys finally wound down in the late evening for this first cousin union pose...

Nothing beats Family! I'm looking forward to cooking for everyone!

And I went out to buy this extra large pot for this very reason...

Cilantro Chicken Wings...

Who doesn't love chicken wings?! Truly a meal-staple in our home. We really love the combination of garlic, cilantro and soy seasonings... it has the epitome of Cantonese cuisine flavours, and this recipe yields succulent, slightly sticky and savoury nom nom-ness! I was down to my last few good sprigs of cilantro and tried to stretch it in this recipe (which the photos of the finished wings are lacking). Next time, with a new bunch of cilantro in hand, I will load it in the marinade paste and as the garnish... Doctor this recipe with honey instead of sugar, add a bit of minced ginger or chili peppers or sauce. Or do as I did and wing it with what you have... you can't go no wrong!

Cilantro Chicken Wings
Makes 4 to 6 servings

1-1/2 to 2 lb. chicken wings, whole or split, rinsed with cold water and patted dry

1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and ground white pepper, to taste

2 tsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. Chinese cooking wine 
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. dark soy sauce

Cilantro leaves, finely chopped (use as much as you wish)

Marinate the wings in all the ingredients and refrigerate for at least one hour for the flavours to meld before cooking.

Place wings on slightly greased foil on baking tray; discard marinade. I like to use the convection oven if there isn't a whole lot of wings to bake to save energy, but do not overcrowd or the wings won't cook nice and evenly.

Bake at 400F for about 20 minutes until top skin is glazed-brown and wings are thoroughly cooked. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves or chopped green onions.

For a different cooking style, try wings braised in Braised Chicken Wings with Bamboo Shoots. For other oven-baked wing goodness, get a load of Five-Spice Chinese Chicken Wings and Vietnamese Curry Chicken Wings. 

Spicy Sriracha Ketchup Shrimps...

I grew up on Ketchup shrimps with my mom serving this popular Chinese dish many a nights. She always left the shells on so we can suck the sauce from the crispy aromatic shells, and it's how I like to prepare it for my family, except I love to add an element of heat. I had read recently on Canada's leading food market magazine Canadian Grocer that Vietnamese cuisine's table condiment sriracha chili sauce, made from a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt, exploded in popularity last year! Christine Couvelier, whose Culinary Concierge company helps clients around North America keep ahead of market food trends says the flavour combination of sweet and heat are also on her radar. "Think of things like chili and honey. Think of the punch of flavour, not the explosion of heat. Think of things like sriracha, which is so big, but sriracha with maple syrup as a combination.” Also, chef Chuck Hughes, French-Canadian chef, television personality, and restaurateur partnered with Neal Brothers to create Srirachup kettle chips to add to their chip line. Hughes chose to add the all-time kitchen staple, ketchup to his favourite hot sauce, to sweeten and soften the flavour profile and create a Canadian favourite with a kick, with garlic and chili pepper heat! Gotta go and try it... But for now, try a contemporary spin on ketchup shrimps at home with tangy spicy sriracha...

Spicy Sriracha Ketchup Shrimps

Makes 4 servings

1/2 lb. medium to large shell-on deveined shrimps, thawed

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. oil

1 medium onion, chop into 1-inch pieces

1 green onion, white part cut into 2-inch pieces and green part chopped, reserved for garnish

2 slices ginger

1/2 coloured bell pepper, chopped (optional)

2 -3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. Chinese cooking wine
1/4 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. sriracha hot sauce (adjust to your family's taste preference)

1 tsp. soy sauce 

salt and ground pepper to taste
water

Mix shrimps with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 cup water with your hand for one minute. A bubbly grey foam will appear. Run cold water into the bowl and rinse well until the foam disappears and the water is clear. Drain and pat shrimps dry. Coat with cornstarch and mix well.

Heat oil in wok or skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Sauté onions and ginger for two minutes. Add pepper (optional) and continue to stir-fry for two minutes until onions are soft and peppers crisp-tender. Add shrimps and garlic and cook for a few minutes until they turn pink and their shells golden.

Drizzle in the wine; let cook for one minute. Add ketchup, sriracha and soy sauce; stir-fry constantly, then add some water and let it thicken from the cornstarch until shrimps are done. Top with chopped green onions and serve hot with a bowl on the side to collect the shells :)

Ketchup & Sriracha is a great combination that makes these shrimps burst with flavour!

Mmmmm....