Solidarity Against Anti-Asian Racism and All Hate in Toronto...

"We must be the change we wish to see in the world."-- Gandhi

It's been a trying couple of weeks, with everything going around us, but knowing you have support and someone always there in your corner makes things uber better. Thank you chef Steph Lo Mama Lo's Bakery&Kitchen for your friendship and being my ally on so many levels 💛💛💛!

I wear my heart on my sleeve and never liked confrontation. Deep emotions are drawn up and words cannot begin to articulate what I feel. However, I realize if I remain silent and don't confront hard truths, what price do we ultimately pay by staying in the comfort zone? And it's not even comfortable...

In the cosmopolitan fabric of Toronto we call home, it should be a safe place for everyone. A sense of pride. A knowing of belonging. This is not the case. Until we continue to have these hard conversations, support communities by speaking up and hold discrimination perpetrators and governments responsible, we will always be steps behind in creating the wonderful city that Toronto has potential to be-- A world class, truly inclusive place to live that embraces people of all colours, heritages and sexual orientation 🌈.

It takes more than an annual one day city event or parade to celebrate! The main focus should be what we are doing to make livelihoods on a day to day basis better and safer that is actionable and sustainable.

#susanssavourit #comingtogether #inclusivity #endhatecrimes #enddiscrimination #support #abettertoronto

Let's eat. Let's chat 🥢!#Repost Steph Lo @mamalosbakeryandkitchen with @repostsaveapp

・・・

Had a great time listening to the conversation on, Addressing Anti-Asian Racism hosted by @jillslastword.

The panel was stacked with incredible individuals of the community. Sharing experiences with racism in Canada while being born Chinese. I loved how Councilor Kristyn Wong-Tam owned it for the majority of Asians where we aren't present in supporting others in our community. We must acknowledge and own those facts and work on changing our ways. How can we expect others to show up for us if we don't for them?

Photo Credit: Google

I've read some comments in a group about teaching children to be proud of who we are and of our heritage. As much as I love all of that, I believe it is equally important to teach them about racism and that people are mistreated simply based on the colour of their skin. How we can be an active ally to our fellow BIPOC members.

Bullying. Harassment. Hate. Racism.... they are pretty interchangeable in my opinion when it comes to race.

If we don't start changing or even taking the tiniest step towards it, nothing will ever get done. We will never be heard. The future for our children and generations to come will remain the same - feeling of not belonging here simply based on the colour of our skin.

We are not the world's minority. We are instead, the world's majority.
We are not, "other". We are Asian.

We need to be our own active allies as much as we need others to be as well.

Continuing to believe that staying silent or living in denial will make all this disappear, isn't an option anymore.

Stand up for ourselves.

Break the silence and conditionings that have marked us as, "model minority".

Post. Repost. Share. Educate our loved ones and ourselves. Have those uncomfortable conversations. Respect ourselves. Show up for ourselves. Defend ourselves.

I am not saying to go out there and be disruptive or disrespectful or violent.
I am saying, speak up. Use your voice. Let it be heard. Know YOU matter. WE matter.
We are far from where we need to be but the road to positive changes starts with this very first step 💛.

Silent No More. We. Must. Stop. All. Hate. Sharing my baby sister's sentiments which mirrors mine. To my Asian Community, my brothers and sisters know I stand tall and proud with you #noplaceforhate
#Repost @estheticiantracy with @repostsaveapp
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It makes us more impactful together as allies when we come together to fight injustices of all kinds. On March 16th, there was horrific violence that killed many Asian women in Atlanta, Georgia targeted simply because of their race and gender. Please also include Asians in your anti-racism activism. Asian hate crimes and violence has risen since last year's start of the pandemic and many attacks have been on the innocent elderly. Grandmas and Grandpas being attacked and beaten for nothing. Everybody should be treated with dignity and respect. It'll take everyone's help to dismantle all kinds of discrimination, racism and hate and to stop these oppressive systems that pit us against eachother, and end up harming all of us. Speak up when you see and hear injustices. Even allowing the "harmless" stereotypes and jokes can one day fuel the hate for someone to hurt or kill, as we seen yesterday and many times over. Staying silent shows you have chosen the side of the oppressor. Please teach your children to love everyone. This art created by @juliakestnerdesigns beautifully represents what we need more of in this world.


 

The Wonderful Bowl of Vietnamese Pho...

Pho the first time (over the holidays), it turned out pho-tastic ! Now, I've made pho numerous times, and evenly taught it in a recent Cook For A Cause event series Part II. But first a bit of my reasoning why it took me so long to get to it:

I've made other specialty Vietnamese noodle soups that are robust and complex in flavour such as Bún bò Huế and Bún riêu but never the ubiquitous beef noodle soup. Was it that I heard it took hours to cook the broth and for less than $10 a bowl at restaurants, it wasn't worth the time. Nevertheless, it is far easier, less time-consuming and worth every bit of effort to brew your own. Here are some tips for that succulent broth:

* Use equal parts bones/bone-in meats to water lbs : quarts
* Use a mix of beef shin bones, oxtails and/or bone-in beef shank. Look for cuts with bone marrow.
* Parboil and rinse the bones.
* Toast your spices (star anise, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon sticks).
* Broil your onions and ginger until nicely charred.
* Add seasoning (salt, yellow rock sugar and fish sauce) during the last 1/2 hour. 3 hours total simmer. And Yes, a smidgen of MSG too for mouthfeel (which is naturally derived from seaweed btw)!!

Lastly, when you've got your recipe down, make sure to cook a large pot of broth to freeze for more pho on the whim down the road. My big yellow mama does those serious jobs for me!

Serve with thin banh rice noodles, bean sprouts, Thai basil, cilantro, sliced onions, green onions, lime wedges and chilies/chili sauce at the table and you got pho take-out homestyle with love!

Vietnamese Pho Beef Noodles Soup

Serves 8 to 10

Cooking Time: Total 3 hours

2 to 2-1/2 lbs. beef bones, beef leg, knuckles, knees (with some marrow is best)
1-1/2 to 2 lbs. beef shanks, oxtail and/or stewing beef
NOTE: You want a total of 4 lbs. bones & meat

1 large white onion, peeled or not and halved
3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled or not, and halved lengthwise
4 star anise
4 whole cloves
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
2 brown cardamom pods, bruised
1 small daikon white radish, roughly chopped
4 quarts (16 cups) water
1 to 2 Tbsp. sea salt
3 Tbsp. rock sugar
3 - 4 Tbsp. fish sauce
MSG, just a ¼ tsp. smidgen (or omit)

Serve with: raw beef, thinly sliced (beef chuck, brisket, rump), tendon, tripe, beef balls
- thin flat rice noodles (banh pho)
- garnishes: fresh herbs (cilantro, mint, and/or Thai basil), bean sprouts, lime wedges, thinly-sliced Thai bird chilies, thinly-sliced onions- green and white, hoisin and sriracha sauces.

You want to buy bones that have some marrow, such as beef leg, knuckles and knees. The marrow will add some collagen and give the soup body and extra flavour.

I love gelatinous beef tendon in pho. Make sure the package you buy contains slender pieces, as larger tendon pieces can take longer to cook than the three hours for the pho. 

Fill a large pot with water to cover the beef bones and meat. Add 1 tsp. salt and 3 slices of ginger. Bring to a boil for five minutes to remove impurities. Pour out the beef and water in a strainer. Rinse the bones and meat well; drain. Rinse and wipe the pot dry.

Place bones and meat back into the pot; cover with 4 quarts of water. Bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, char the onions and ginger. Turn the oven broiler to high, and place the baking rack about 6 – 8 inches away from the heating elements. Place the onion and ginger cut-side-up on a baking sheet, and brush with a bit of oil. Broil for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the tops of the onion and ginger are nicely charred. Remove and set aside.

In a pan, toast the star anise, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom pods over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, turning on its sides until fragrant. Place the smaller aromatics in a spice ball or wrapped in a cheese cloth. 

Add the spices and cinnamon sticks to the pot. Add the charred onion, ginger and radish; Bring the water back to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer for 2-1/2 hours, skimming the surface for oil often.

Beef Tendon: Add to the broth at the beginning. Larger pieces may take longer to cook.

Beef Tripe: Boil in water for five minutes with 2 slices of ginger, salt and white pepper. Thinly slice. Set aside and cook during last five minutes in broth before serving.

Stir in the fish sauce, sugar, salt and MSG; return to a boil then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Taste and season the broth as needed. Strain the broth through a fine strainer or one covered with a cheese cloth, keeping the meat and discarding the other solids.

Beef Balls (fresh/frozen): Add to the finished broth and boil for ten minutes.

Prep the noodles. Cook the noodles separately according to the package instructions. Drain in a strainer; briefly rinse the noodles with cold water to prevent them from cooking.

Assemble. Add a handful of noodles to each individual serving bowl. Portion the beef slices between each serving bowl. Add other meats- shank, oxtail, tripe, tendon, beef ball etc., Then ladle the hot broth into the serving bowls, being sure to submerge the meat completely so that it gets cooked. Top each bowl with lots and lots of garnishes, and finish with a squeeze of lime juice.

Cook's NOTE: To let the soup flavour penetrate the noodles, simmer the cooked banh pho rice noodles in some broth, portion out, then ladle on the hot steaming beef broth in the serving bowl.

My big yellow mama does big batch jobs, such as pho with double this recipe :)

Yummy succulence!

This past Sunday, I hosted my second, of three parts to the Cook For A Cause series. A two hours Cook-Along class with Vietnamese favourites- fresh and healthy shrimp and pork salad rice rolls (goi cuon) and this beloved classic pho- beef noodle soup. All the proceeds went to support food insecurity through food sharing programs for the homeless delivered by my partner Chef Steph Lo from Mama Lo's Bakery & Kitchen. Noteably, her next big one is cooking 1K hot Easter meals for the city's encamped. 

For more background info. on the cause, check out my Post. To date, the event has raised $1.5K! One more workshop is in the horizon on March 28th before the Easter cook-off.

It was a great success! What a fun day Sunday, cooking for a great cause!

Serve pho with a dipping sauce of hoisin and sriracha for your meats.

Some testimonials and eye candy photos from participants!

This couple Joe and Emily shared their goods with two other couples in their building, and they said it was even better than take-out!

The Tom family had an all-out affair with a Vietnamese meal that evening. Looks scrumptious!

Full Recipe:

Vietnamese Pho Beef Noodles Soup
Serves 8 to 10
Cooking Time: Total 3 hours

2 to 2-1/2 lbs. beef bones, beef leg, knuckles, knees (with some marrow is best)
1-1/2 to 2 lbs. beef shanks, oxtail and/or stewing beef
NOTE: You want a total of 4 lbs. bones & meat

1 large white onion, peeled or not and halved
3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled or not, and halved lengthwise
4 star anise
4 whole cloves
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
2 brown cardamom pods, bruised
1 small daikon white radish, roughly chopped
4 quarts (16 cups) water
1 to 2 Tbsp. sea salt
3 Tbsp. rock sugar
3 - 4 Tbsp. fish sauce
MSG, just a ¼ tsp. smidgen (or omit)

Serve with: raw beef, thinly sliced (beef chuck, brisket, rump), tendon, tripe, beef balls
- thin flat rice noodles (banh pho)
- garnishes: fresh herbs (cilantro, mint, and/or Thai basil), bean sprouts, lime wedges, thinly-sliced Thai bird chilies, thinly-sliced onions- green and white, hoisin and sriracha sauces.

Fill a large pot with water to cover the beef bones and meat. Add 1 tsp. salt and 3 slices of ginger. Bring to a boil for five minutes to remove impurities. Pour out the beef and water in a strainer. Rinse the bones and meat well; drain. Rinse and wipe the pot dry.

Place bones and meat back into the pot; cover with 4 quarts of water. Bring to a boil.

Beef Tendon: Add to the broth at the beginning. Larger pieces may take longer to cook.

Beef Tripe: Boil in water for five minutes with 2 slices of ginger, salt and white pepper.

Beef Balls (fresh/frozen): Add to the finished broth and boil for ten minutes.

Beef Slices (thin): see assemble.

Meanwhile, char the onions and ginger. Turn the oven broiler to high, and place the baking rack about 6 – 8 inches away from the heating elements. Place the onion and ginger cut-side-up on a baking sheet, and brush with a bit of oil. Broil for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the tops of the onion and ginger are nicely charred. Remove and set aside.

In a pan, toast the star anise, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom pods over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, turning on its sides until fragrant. Place the smaller aromatics in a spice ball or wrapped in a cheese cloth. Add the spices and cinnamon sticks to the pot. Add the charred onion, ginger and radish; Bring the water back to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer for 2-1/2 hours, skimming the surface for oil often.

Stir in the fish sauce, sugar, salt and MSG; return to a boil then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Taste and season the broth as needed. Strain the broth through a fine strainer or one covered with a cheese cloth, keeping the meat and discarding the other solids.

Prep the noodles. Cook the noodles separately according to the package instructions. Drain in a strainer; briefly rinse the noodles with cold water to prevent them from cooking.

Assemble. Add a handful of noodles to each individual serving bowl. Portion the beef slices between each serving bowl. Add other meats- shank, oxtail, tripe, tendon, beef ball etc., Then ladle the hot broth into the serving bowls, being sure to submerge the meat completely so that it gets cooked. Top each bowl with lots and lots of garnishes, and finish with a squeeze of lime juice.