One Year Ends, Another One Begins... Welcome 2022!

 

Happy New Year Everyone! 

It has been a crazy 2021 (both personally and for my career- but in a good way), much has been accomplished over a continued year of uncertainty, pivoting and reinvention. And a lot has to do with being flexible, having a can-do attitude and above all, a dose of optimism. #entrepreneur #myownboss

 

From being featured on Fête Chinoise, a cultural platform that aims to empower individuals to deepen the connection between identity and Chinese culture, to raising funds for food insecurity in my online Cook For A Cause series, teaching cooking classes virtually with youths, to bringing awareness on Anti-Asian racism issues during its height and celebrating Asian heritage month of May in after school online events, producing healthy demo cooking videos for The Neighbourhood Table (to support food security in Etobicoke coupled with Food Share produce boxes) and for Michael Garron Hospital in conjuction with the Healthy Together program for young families, conducting a Health and Wellness Chinese cooking class over lunch at Nestle Toronto's head office and catering family meals (for 3 full days) for a friend who was sick, it sure has been a year of helping, contributing and supporting in the names of culture, friendship and community. 

Last but not least, certainly THE highlight of my Asian culture contribution of 2021- some people get a covid pet but I got a covid cookbook, started and launched in 6 months- a remarkable feat! I even went on my first ever Instagram Live to promote my book and hot pot 🥘♨️. Here is a gallery to recap the latter part of an Amazing year!

The cherry on top of a fun Kimjang event in November.

Peek A Boo... I see you! Talk about nappa cabbage mountain ⛰- 300 pounds of it for kimchi-making #kimjang #koreantradition

So thrilled to be participating again in this important time-honoured tradition in Korea 🇰🇷- Kimjang of making and sharing kimchi (recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013) reminding Korean communities to live in harmony with nature. This celebrative time in Korea is also a symbol of powerful compassion of giving and community- paying it forward with kimchi for the poor and destitute!

It was so Amazing reconnecting and meeting new food-loving friends/chefs at my friend and organizer Susu Han's place (chef, entrepreneur, Korean cooking instructor at GB and food educator) on Day 2 of the kimchi process. The day before was salting and brining. This day, all day vegetable and seasoning prep before marinating the cabbage to ferment for weeks!

 

Cooking with Susu, Susan, Janet, Joanne, Joey, Ngoc and Ema.

It was an honour talking about my new hot pot book #hotpotcookbookforbeginners with @carolharrison.rd on an IG Live @sparkrds- A nutrition communications platform for Dieticians. We covered broths, Chinese Chinkiang black vinegar as a trendy vinegar to have in your pantry and the communal aspect of hot pot cooking. The 20 min. session with the full video is available on IG @sparkrds 🥘♨️

 

I can't thank my friends and family enough for their incredible support and feedback 📖💞! We were out of stock the first day after launch (November 30th) on Amazon.ca due to preorders but it was back in business in time for the holidays🎁😉! Also available on Chapters-Indigo.

Here are a few review highlights on Amazon.com

Friends, keep those pics coming in including your family hot pot renditions 🥘♨️!

In other projects, here was a look at the first of a new series of cooking demo videos in collaboration with Child/Maternal and Diabetes Departments @michaelgarronhospital.

"Hi there, my name is Susan Ng. I am a Chef, Food Educator, Cooking Instructor and a mom to 3 boys.

I will be sharing with you material and learnings from Healthy Together. Healthy Together is an innovative and unique family education program that brings together families to learn to make healthier choices and build healthier relationships.

Today, we will cover Breakfast and Better-for-you drinks. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. We will look at some healthy food ideas and tips to start your family's day off right. We will make crunchy fruit and nut granola, yogurt parfait and breakfast burrito. For drinks, we will look at some simple healthy choices you can make that are delicious and reduce buying sugary prepared drinks on the market such as smoothies and real fruit-infused water!"🍌🍓🥝🍎🥚🍳🌯🥥🥛

 

Homemade granola and yogurt parfait

I even starred my 12 and 9 year olds 👨‍🍳👨‍🍳💗 in a Cook With Kids theme to cap off my series of Healthy Together demo cooking videos to help families eat better and to build healthier relationships.

"Today, we will talk about cooking with kids. What are some helpful strategies and tips, look at kitchen tasks by age, and get in the kitchen with my kids to make tacos and banana blueberry muffins.

Cooking together with your family is one of the most important factors to healthy eating. Making the change from cooking for your kids to cooking with your kids can feel like a leap but it's all about taking one small step at a time. Gradually your kids will be more proficient, independent, their confidence will grow and you will reap the rewards of building a stronger family connection and eating more healthily just by cooking together. Of course, it's easier and less messy if you just do it yourself, but if you allow your children to take part in some of the preparations, you will give them a sense of ownership and pride in the final results. And it can be a superb way to motivate fussy eaters to try new tastes and gain confidence with a variety of foods."

Banana Blueberry Muffins

I had the great honour to collaborate with my previous colleague from our time in Kraft Kitchens- the lovely Cayla Runka, RD who leads the Corporate Wellness role and nutrition team at Toronto's Nestle Head Office as Nutrition Director.

To keep their staff healthy and well, they run several wellness months throughout the year to keep things top of mind. For Oct/Nov, they ran a Cultural Food month to support diversity and inclusion at work but also to celebrate multicultural month. I had the opportunity to showcase my heritage through Cantonese Cuisine in a lunch time virtual cooking class with Cantonese Chow Mein 🤗🥘🥢.

Awww 😍 *** Repost by Jennifer Uy @riceflower888🌹***

With a debt of gratitude I’d like to showcase the outstanding meal prep by my friend and cookbook author Chef @susanssavourit to help me on my journey of healing and eating whole healthy. Getting the right nourishment and making sure my family is fed daily has been a source of panic attacks for me since returning from the hospital. I wanted home cooked, freshly prepped, TCM balanced, heart healthy foods not just for me but for our family as a whole.

But I was incredibly tired. My son caught an awful cold. Dishes piled up. Food prep chaos. Clean ups. Lunch box packing. I couldn’t drive for groceries. Take out didn’t have the balanced meals we needed. Etc etc

Susan more than came through and offered to help. She’s given me this week’s food so I can focus on other things including rest. She’s taken a load off my mind and I’m so grateful.

She not only prepared all this but delivered it to my home. Knowing I don’t have access to my car. The following weeks I won’t be as spoiled as she has other engagements but she’s given me some resources I can follow up on.

She gave me the best gift - peace of mind. Thank you so much 💖🙏🏼

Taiwanese braised pork with egg and ginger
Pang Pang Chicken chicken noodle
Korean chap chae
Greek quinoa salad
Poached salmon with lemon and dill

TCM health soup- Pork Cole Soup

As I mentioned in my last post, I will be teaching an online Food Business program to newcomer women in my new role as IRCC 'Willing To Work' Project Coordinator at Newcomer Kitchens. Beginning next week, I am excited to e-meet my group of ladies comprising of 7 from Yemen, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and China, and work with them over 12 weeks! 

Let the new challenge and new learnings begin... Stay Tuned!

New Project Coordinator Role At Newcomer Kitchen...

** Announcement: Like bowling, It takes focus, coordination, swing and a bit of luck. When they all come together... Striiiike! 🎳

What it feels like, when my skills in food production, packaging, brand marketing, event planning, teaching and working with newcomers come together in tandem 💥!

Beyond ecstatic to announce I will be taking a project coordinator role with Newcomer Kitchen to train newcomer women food preparation and entrepreneurship funded by the Immigration Refugee Citizenship of Canada (IRCC). This "learn and earn" program helps prepare their food ideas to market with all revenue generated going back in their hands. #cookingupopportunity

You may know the backstory that garnered International media attention... In 2016, thousands of Syrian refugees arrived in Canada and the gov't scrambled to properly settle them. Living in hotels, with no access to kitchens, The Depanneur, a popular culinary event venue in downtown Toronto invited a few women to come cook and share meals. This small act, initiated by a few volunteers using donated ingredients, quickly blossomed into a weekly gathering. To sustain the initiative, the group began to prepare extra meals to sell to offset costs.

Photo Credit: Newcomerkitchen.ca

Within a matter of months, the Newcomer Kitchen project had grown to include 50+ Syrian families and many volunteers. Each week a group would prepare 50 meals to be sold online for pickup & delivery. In less than a year, Newcomer Kitchen has put $30,000+ directly to 50+ refugee families while providing meaningful work, engagement and integration.

What became clear was that the potential of this model could work with any newcomer population, in any kitchen willing to open its doors, in any city in the world. And it has, to present day, much has been accomplished and has expanded way beyond that little store front. Sadly, The Depanneur is closing its doors with owner Len Senator taking a break to refresh and renew.

I look forward to integrating my food experiences and exploring synergies with my continual work in the school and communities to advance impactful work in this empowering new role 🙏.

#newcomerkitchen #ircc #womeninbusiness #foodbusiness #entrepreneurship #empowerment

My Hot Pot Cookbook For Beginners Officially Launches Today!...

 ❄ Just in time for hot pot weather ❄!

My cookbook officially launches today on Amazon and is also available online Chapters-Indigo!

From my endorsements on Amazon.

To understand passion, one must find its roots or humble beginnings... I wrote a book Hot Pot Cookbook For Beginners, and it was a tasty omen from yesteryear as my first ever article as a food writer in my first magazine was on hot pots (Bloom 2001).

Hi, everyone, my name is Susan. I am a chef and passionate culinary instructor teaching Asian cuisines in Toronto. I grew up enjoying Chinese hot pot, and to me it is the ultimate comfort food. My most memorable childhood dinners were gathered around the family table (as soon as it got cold out) to feast on a variety of meat and vegetables simmering flavorfully together in a hot pot. The heaping platters of food, the noise of utensils clinking and constant chatter, the aromas, and flavors—these meals always ended with a satisfied full belly and were precious moments of family bonding. My early foray into other hot pot styles were during my travels visiting family, sukiyaki in Japan and lẩu hot pot in Vietnam. I just love how each Asian cuisine has its own unique flavors that tantalize the senses in the universal setting of hot pot 💞.

The seduction of hot pot boils down to the broth. In this book, I cover popular hot pot broth flavors from an array of East and Southeast Asian cuisines. I have also included some signature soups that can easily be turned into a hot pot broth base 🍲🥣.

With each cultural influence, there are certain ingredients that are best enjoyed in those broths, which you will find in the straightforward recipes. Hot pot caters to everyone’s tastes. I encourage you to have fun, try new foods, and customize the experience to your preferences.

The adventure all lies in the experimenting! 

 

The foundation of hot potting boils down to the broth. #hotpotcookbookforbeginners My cookbook format is paperback, 8 x 8 handy and practical for easy flipping and keeping opened. It is not meant to be glamourous or sitting unused on the coffee table. Pages should be splattered on and cooked from in the kitchen 🔪📖💢.

I have collaborated with Rockridge Press, a US Publisher that has over 4000 educational books in the market. They operate on the foundation that knowledge should be made accessible to all who seeks it regardless of socio-economic status, and thus their affordable pricing. Aligned with my food education and 'Knowledge is Power' for all, this was a coming together of a beautiful relationship 🙏. Just an incredible team from the numerous copy editors, foodstylist, photographer and marketing coordinator who got me through seamlessly to the finish line.

This beginner’s guide will teach you how to properly shop for, cook, and share delicious hot pot recipes from all over Asia. In my Asian Cooking Program we made Filipino Fish Sinigang Hot Pot, a tangy and savoury brew over the stove with layers of vegetables and bite sized pieces of salmon. 

One recent weekend my best friend's family was here for her early birthday celeb, and we had a duo split hot pot of soup goodness- Spicy Ma La vegetarian broth on one side and Chicken (all-purpose) broth with Chinese herbs goji berries and dried red dates in the other enjoyed communal-style 💞.

What is your favourite broth for hot pot 🥘? Spicy🌶 or Non-spicy?

PAIRING TIP: Counter the spiciness with a tall glass of icy iced tea. For a popular drink pairing with Chinese hot pot, look for Wong Lo Kat or Jia Duo Bao herbal teas sold in cans in the beverage section of Asian supermarkets. Herbal tea is noncaffeinated and sweet, made of traditional Chinese medicine dating from the Qing dynasty that brings down the internal body heat and refreshes, especially during a spicy meal.

Hot Pot with 7UP 🥤? Yup, you saw right...

In this unique Vietnamese hot pot style, Bò nhúng dẩm translates to “beef vinegar dip,” but also used to cook veggies that is irresistibly appetite-whetting! The dining experience is likened to Japanese sukiyaki, in that you cook ingredients in liquid meant to flavour the ingredients, not enjoyed like a soup. This tangy and sweet profile is the go-to hot pot my husband’s Vietnamese family makes to enjoy with beef. It’s simply water (variations can include fresh coconut juice or even beer), rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and some aromatics. My father-in-law liked to use 7UP instead of sugar, and it was always a hit 👍! 

I love adding sweet pineapple chunks as a counterpoint to the tang. So reminiscent of sweet and sour dishes, all rolled in one bite 🍍! The finale lesson to my TDSB Asian Cooking Program with seniors this Fall term, and perfect for the cold weather to come ❄🥘!

Chopsticks are used to cook instead of ladles. The fun part is wrapping the cooked beef, noodles, accompanying vegetables and herbs in rice paper and lettuce into parcels, then dipping in seasoned fish sauce. All other hot pot items are eaten on the side.

Visit Asia from your kitchen with my easy and delicious hot pot recipes from 11 Asian Countries in Hot Pot Cookbook For Beginners.

"Hot pot cooking is enjoyed all over Asia (and the world) for its unique flavors, hearty broths, and the way it brings friends and family together. Hot pot newcomers will love the Hot Pot Cookbook for Beginners and its accessible introduction to this traditional cooking method. Discover a melting pot of Asian cuisines and how to properly prepare them at home."- Amazon

I will be sharing some pages from my book in the weeks to come. Stay Tuned 💥!

Announcement: My New Hot Pot Cookbook For Beginners...

After a LOT of hard work behind the scenes for the past several months, I'm so thrilled to officially release the cover and title of my new cookbook, Hot Pot Cookbook For Beginners. It covers 11 Asian countries with 50 recipes on 138 pages and will be available on Amazon (US, & Canada, later in Europe) November 30th, just in time for hot pot weather 🥘♨️. 

Amazon incerpt: "Hot pot cooking is enjoyed all over Asia (and the world) for its unique flavors, hearty broths, and the way it brings friends and family together. Hot pot newcomers will love the Hot Pot Cookbook for Beginners and its accessible introduction to this traditional cooking method. Discover a melting pot of Asian cuisines and how to properly prepare them at home..."

With the growing importance of health, nutrition and home cooking, there really is no better way to reap these benefits than with soul replenishing hot pot 🤗. I would love you to support my book. You can pre-order your copy with more deets on 💕🙏: https://amzn.to/30n5qya

Stay tuned for sneak peeks, hot pot insights and my project journey on the next blog post! 

#susanssavourit #bookrelease #cookbook #cookbookauthor #rockridgepress #amazon #hotpot #asianhotpots #easternfondue #diy #beginner #ingredienteducation #guidetodiy

A New School Year, A New Set of Projects...

Back to work began around Harvest Moon Festival 🌕🏮 with celebrations kickstarted in my first online class with @learn4lifetdsb Asian Cooking Fall Program with seniors! We made Cantonese chow mein and egg drop mushroom soup, with a discussion on moon cakes that are ubiquitous 😯 in all Asian supermarkets leading up to the occasion.

Aka Mid-Autumn Festival or Lantern Festival (this year on Sept 21st, 2021) is one of the most important annual festivals for the Chinese including the Vietnamese, dating back over 3500 years. A reunion dinner feast with family and gifting of gorgeous moon cakes is part of the tradition. Moon cakes are eaten and exchanged as gifts because they symbolize the roundness of the moon (at its fullest tonight). Moon cakes have a distinctive chrysanthemum pattern, embossed Chinese characters and are conventionally filled with a myriad of variations from red adzuki bean, date, chestnut or lotus paste. The prized ones include a salted duck egg yolk or two.

These days, moon cakes have become a competitive market food with brands out packaging, out flavour-innovating the next. More sophisticated, gourmet and creative with fillings such as fruit jellies, ice cream, savoury beef and even caviar to ante tradition to modern for all moon cake enthusiasts and newbies! 🥮🥮🥮

If you ask me, I still prefer the traditional kind- lotus seed paste with duck egg yolk- a little wedge to enjoy with tea. I suppose I am traditional in the things that matter, and modern in the things that don't 🥰. And preserving tradition through food and culture is one I value innately.

For Koreans, they celebrated Thanksgiving (Chuseok) on the same day as Chinese Harvest Moon Festival. In my following cooking class, we made the classic chewy chap chae sweet potato noodles with a melange of vibrant vegetables and egg ribbons (often served on Chuseok) and nutritious seaweed soup. This is traditionally served during birthdays because nursing moms ate this to recover and to aid in milk production, thus pays homage and respect to your mom enjoying it on your 🎉 day and of course with a side of kimchi 🥣🍲!

The next week, we flew into Japan. We prepared classic miso soup with kombu, bonito flakes cooked delicately and miso paste added at the end (to avoid bitterness) with wakame and tofu, miso-cured cod and baked tofu namero (a plant-based rendition to chopped raw fish) served over rice with green tea and toppings (ochazuke) 🍚🍵.

My other ongoing project -  the first of a new series of cooking demo videos in collaboration with Child/Maternal and Diabetes Care Departments at Toronto's Michael Garron Hospital.

"Hi there, my name is Susan Ng. I am a Chef, Food Educator, Cooking Instructor and a mom to 3 boys. I will be sharing with you material and learnings from Healthy Together. Healthy Together is an innovative and unique family education program that brings together families to learn to make healthier choices and build healthier relationships.

Today, we will cover Breakfast and Better-For-You Drinks. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. We will look at some healthy food ideas and tips to start your family's day off right. We will make crunchy fruit and nut granola, yogurt parfait and breakfast burrito. For drinks, we will look at some simple healthy choices you can make that are delicious and reduce buying sugary prepared drinks on the market such as smoothies and real fruit-infused water!"🍌🍓🥝🍎🥚🍳🌯🥥🥛 

Indigenous educators say children must learn truth before reconciliation. And it goes beyond just one day! On September 30th, TDSB acknowledged the history and legacy of residential schools across this country with the first annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and the 8th annual Orange Shirt Day🧡.  

As a Culinary Consultant and Instructor with TDSB's Newcomer Services, I believe in addition to reeducating our children about the truth of our country's past, we need to be changing our Canadian food conversation to preserve the original way of life of our indigenous communites. Because food. Is. Life. I am happy to share that TDSB is hiring Urban Indigenous Food Sovereignty Instructor/Chefs to impart that knowledge and we have a designated portal with resources from Indigenous Peoples, Elders and Knowledge Keepers for educators and staff.

I had the great opportunity a few years back to attend a Change The Conversation event @foodshareto. For more read my post. The natives original diet was presented to us by Patrick, an aboriginal native. His people were forced into adopting western foods that drastically altered their diets that were dependent on the natural habitats of the forest, fields and water. Game meats were reduced and pollutants contaminated the resources they relied on to obtain their food. Adapting to things like white flour and refined sugars increased their rate of diabetes. And the important tradition of interplanting corn, beans and squash to help sustain the soil diminished. 

With all that's going on about Global Climate Change, preserving soils and waters, aboriginal leaders are being consulted on to create solutions on restoring Mother Earth.  Although we can not change the historical events that occurred on our land, we can only hope together with our leaders they could work to develop a system of mutual aid and support in the struggle for the preservation of our environment and for the maintenance of life. We have indeed so much to learn from our native sisters and brothers 🙏

Let us move beyond words and into action and truly commit ourselves to learning and understanding the importance of truth, reconciliation and reparation. #everychildmatters🧡 

Last but not least- what I have been working steadily on...

It's becoming super real. STAY Tuned!

For the back story, read the end of my post