21/4/13 - Alanah Knight [KNALD1201]

Fast Food!

About Fast Food

Fast food,
That quick tasty indulgence that has the ability to keep us returning time and time again. When people think of fast food, their mind is plagued with images and symbols such as the ones above, Mcdonalds, Kfc, Oporto, Subway, Hungry Jacks, to name a few, and the list goes on and on. People opt for fast food for taste, and conventiece. Since Henry Ford introduced the assembly line in July 1908, one thing became apparent. If there were a cheaper, easier way to do things, businesses were first to sign up to increase production and save money. Consumers enjoyed the fast pace they got their items and convenience. The fast food industry is a modern day ancestor of these earlier ideals, with 'quick, cheap, and easy' being among their slogans.

Nutritional Information

Not everybody is pleased with fast food, and it's main skeptics often remind the public of the dangers to health associated with easy conventient food. Typically fast food contains alot of calories, and often is fried, processed and artificial. This means there is a lack of nutritional benefit, and contributes to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and a general lack of health amongst those who regularly eat the food. It isn't all bad though, Subway for example and Sumo Salad are both healthy alternatives, but are still fast food. They offer fresh salads, sandwiches and wraps as an alternative, that contain fresh fruit and vegetables. Not all fast food is bad for your health.

The following link goes to Mcdonalds Nutritional information chart.
http://mcdonalds.com.au/our-food/nutrition

The following link goes to Subway Nutritional information chart.
http://world.subway.com/Countries/NutritionFiles/AUS%209.2005.pdf

For example this Picture is of a Mcdonalds Big Mac.

Nutritional value per serving
Serving size 1 sandwich
Energy 540 kcal (2,300 kJ)
Carbohydrates 47 g (16%)
- Sugars 8 g
- Dietary fiber 3 g (14%)
Fat 30 g (47%)
- saturated 10 g (52%)
Protein 25 g (45%)
Vitamin A 120 IU
Vitamin C 2 mg (2%)
Calcium 250 mg (25%)
Iron 2 mg (15%)
Sodium 1010 mg (67%)
Energy from fat 270 kcal (1,100 kJ)
Cholesterol 80 mg (26%)
Ingredients Beef, "special sauce", lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and a bun topped with sesame seeds

Here is a video i enjoyed that states many facts about fast food, with the ending moral to enjoy things in moderation.

Mexican Food: Fish Tacos

21/4/13 - Saraf Anika Chowdhury [CHSBD1203]

Mexican Food

"Fish Taco"

Fish Taco is a dish that originated in Bajar California, which is the northernmost state of Mexico.

Over the years this dish has gone through several variations. In todays blog we would provide you a way to cook it in 5 simple steps and in 30 minutes.

Due to the amount of time required to prepare it and the simplicity of the process it is often a great dish for students to cook. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 package taco seasoning mix, divided
1 lb cod or 1 lb white fish fillet, cut into 1 inch pieces (about 4)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 (12 count) package taco shells, warmed or 1 (12 count) package flour tortillas

Toppings:

shredded cabbage
chopped tomato
lime juice
taco sauce

Recipe:

Step 1: Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, cilantro and 2 tablespoons seasoning mix in small bowl.

Step 2: Combine fish, vegetable oil, lemon juice and remaining seasoning mix in medium bowl; pour into large skillet.

Step 3: Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until cod flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Step 4: Fill taco shells with fish mixture.

Step 5: Top with toppings.

Check out the video below for a Crispy Fish Taco Recipe:

To check out more Mexican recipes check out:

http://mexican.food.com

Thai Food : Khao phat khai

20/4/13 - Saraf Anika Chowdhury [CHSBD1203]

Thai Fried Rice

"Khao phat khai"

There are varieties of fried rice available in Asia, which are often quite different from one another. 

The Thai Fried Rice is more popular as a lunch dish. One simple and popular way of having it is with fried egg. This dish is often a great way to use your favourite ingredients. It is also a simple recipe to follow, which can be extremely favourable for students in their fast and busy lives.

The recipe below can be cooked in 30 minutes, in which it would take approximately 15 minutes to prepare. The recipe is for 2 servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 thinly sliced tomato
• 1 cup cooked rice
• sliced cucumber
• 1 teaspoons fish sauce
• pinch ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoon cooking oil

Optional Ingredients:

• 1 lime 
• 1 green onion 
• 1/2 chopped onion 
• 1/3 cup pork
• 2 eggs 
• 2 cloves minced garlic 
• 2 sprigs chopped cilantro 
• 3 Thai chili pepper 

Recipe:

Fried Egg:

This type of fried egg has crispy egg white. Add a good amount of oil into the wok. When the oil is hot, crack and drop the egg into it. Tilt the wok to one side and splash the hot oil onto the egg. When the bottom is brown, flip the egg over. When the egg is all golden brown, remove and set aside.

Fried Rice: 

Heat is the key ingredient in making a great fried rice.
Heat up your wok until it's pretty hot. 
When the wok is extremely hot (smoking hot), pour in the oil and garlic. 
Stir quickly. Add any uncooked meat. (If you have cooked meat, add after the rice.) 
If you see that there is juice coming out from your meat and pooling on the bottom and not evaporating, your wok is not hot enough. 
Turn up the heat or cook the meat longer until there is no juice coming out. If your rice is cold, heat up the rice in microwave.
Cold rice will cool down the wok. Fluff the rice into individual grains. 
Add the rice and stir to mix. Sprinkle the fish sauce and soy sauce and stir to mix again. 
Now the rice is coated with flavours. Add all the vegetables, except for green onion. Stir. 
Push the rice aside and make room for the egg. 
Add the egg and scramble the egg until the egg is all cooked. 
Add the green onion and sprinkle white pepper and stir. Turn off the heat. 

Set the rice on a serving plate. Sprinkle ground pepper and cilantro on top of the fried rice.

Additional Information:

Great fried rice requires a number of techniques:

• A wok - a wok is the best tool for fried rice. If you don't, it can be tricky but still manageable. However, if you are cooking for one, it's not a big deal. It's harder to move volume in a pan.
• High heat - you want your pan/wok as hot as possible. That's why it frequently tastes so much better at a restaurant.
• It seems like there are a lot of stirring and flipping. Only stir as much as necessary and be gentle with the rice. Too many stirs may break the rice and turn it into mushy fried rice.
• Dry rice - Cook your rice with 10-15% less water.

For more easy to cook thai recipes please visit:

THAI TABLE

Sushi - Japanese food

CHKAD1201 - Jacob Choi

Sushi : a representative food of Japan

The Characteristics of Sushi

There are many types of sushi
Vinegar is used in the rice
Can be eaten immediately anywhere

I chose the simpleast examples of sushi that are Avocado and Shrimp Sushi. Using mashed avocado makes this California-style sushi easy to roll.
Use precooked shrimp for an easy shortcut. Serve sushi with the typical accompaniments of wasabi, low-sodium soy sauce, and pickled ginger.

Ingredients

Check carefully to make sure!
2 cups uncooked short-grain white rice
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon wasabi (Japanese horseradish)
1 avocado, peeled and mashed
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
24 large shrimp, cooked, peeled, and halved crosswise (about 8 ounces)
6 nori (seaweed) sheets
12 chives
12 (7-inch-long) julienne-cut seeded peeled cucumber strips

RECIPE

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/3 cups water to a boil.
Add rice, and stir. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, mix the rice vinegar, sugar ,and salt.
Blend the mixture into the rice.

3. Combine wasabi and avocado in a small bowl, and set aside.
Combine cilantro and shrimp in another small bowl; toss well.

4. Cut off top quarter of nori sheets along short end.
Place 1 nori sheet, shiny side down, on a sushi mat covered with plastic wrap, with long end toward you.

5. Pat 3/4 cup rice mixture evenly over nori with moist hands,
leaving a 1-inch border on one long end of nori.
Spread 1 tablespoon avocado mixture over rice.
Arrange 8 shrimp pieces, 2 chives,
and 2 cucumber strips along bottom third of rice-covered nori

6. Lift edge of nori closest to you; fold over filling.
Lift bottom edge of sushi mat; roll toward top edge, pressing firmly on sushi roll.
Continue rolling to top edge; press mat to seal sushi roll.
Let rest, seam side down, for 5 minutes
Slice crosswise into 8 pieces.
Repeat procedure with remaining nori, rice mixture, avocado mixture, shrimp mixture, chives, and cucumber.

Korean Food : Bibimbap

CHKAD1201 - Jacob Choi

Bibimbap : The most representative of Korean foods

History of Bibimbap

There are many hypotheses regarding the origins of the bibimbap.
But the most reliable of these is the royal table origination.
It was first served at the royal table
but was then passed down and spread amongst the lower classes.

Ingredients

1. 1/4 Ib (110gm) ground or chopped beef (soy sauce, black pepper, sliced geen onion, minced garlic, sesame oil)
   
2. 1 cucumber (salt, sesame oil, sesame seed)
   
3. 1/2 carrot (salt, sesame oil)
   
4. 100gm bellflower roots (sesame oil, salt,sesame seed)
   
5. 50 gm bean sprouts (salt, green onion, minced garlic, sesame oil, sesame seed)
   
6. 1 lettuce leaf; 3 mushrooms (sesame oil, salt)
   
7. 1 sheet of vegetable jelly (buckwheat, acorn or green pea)
   
8. Seasoned red pepper paste, 1eg per person.

Sauce

1. 2.5t chilli paste
   
2. 1t soy sauce
   
3. 3t water
   
4. 1t olive oil
   
5. 0.5t minced garlic

This is a photo of Korean traditional dish, Bibimbap
Bibimbap is loved by Korean and it is also famous among foreigners
I am going to show you how to make bibimbap

RECIPE

1. Wash lettuce and soak it in cold water.


2. Pickle sliced cucumbers in salt water.


3. Chop carrot, pumpkin, lettuce thinly and divide mushroom strand.


4. Put carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, salt and fry quickly.

5. Squeeze moisture of cucumber and fry on high heat.


6. Put in the prepared vegetables

7. Put Bibimbob source in a bowl and mix it

8.Put rice and vegetables in a bowl, and put the source.

15/4/13 - Alanah Knight [KNALD1201]

Italian Food! ♥

You may be familiar with one or more of these brands, if so, you've probably eaten Italian food!

The History of Italian food

Italian food differs depending on which part of Italy it is prepared in. Traditionally, Food from the North includes ingredients such as butter, polenta, and different kinds of creams. On the other hand, traditional food from Southern Italy includes ingredients such as caciocavallo, peconrino and mozzarella cheeses. Both parts of the country use Olive oil in most of their dishes however the olive oil is different depending where you are. In Northern Italy, it is a golden yellow and refined. In southern Italy, it is dark and greener in colour. Even pizza is different depending what part of Italy you're in, with different sections of Italy making the food their own unique way.

An Italian Recipe I enjoy!

This is an Italian recipe that i thoroughly enjoy. This is a traditional Lasagne. The elements of the Dish are a tomato meat sauce,White/cheesy Sauce, Pasta sheets, and of course more cheese!


The Follwing recipe can be found at this address: http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/louises-lasagna-L7414.html

Ingredients

Bolognaise sauce
1 Tablespoon oil
700g lean beef mince
1/2 1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 x 400g cans tomatoes, diced 100g tomato paste 2 tablespoons dried oregano, or to taste 1 tablespoon dried basil, or to taste 1/2 teaspon dried rosemary or to tasty Salt and pepper, to taste

Cheese Sauce
60g butter
1/3 cups of plain flour
3 cups milk
1 cup shredded tasty cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt, pepper, to taste
Extra's
1 x 250g packet lasagna sheets 1/2 cup tasty cheddar cheese 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Method

Bolognaise sauce
Heat oil in a large saucepan
Add mince, onion and garlic. (cook until meat is browned)
Add remaining bolognaise ingrediente.
Simmer gently for 15 mins.
Cheese sauce
Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat.
stir in flour until smooth, and cook gently, stirring for 30-60 seconds
Add milk, stir and bring to a simmer
Stir constantly until smooth and thickened
Add remaining cheese sauce ingredients
Stir over heat until cheese melts
Spray a rectangular baking dish with oil
Arrange 3 Lasagne sheets over the base.
Spoon one third of the bolognaise sauce over pasta sheets. Spread evenly to the edges of the dish.
Spoon one third of the cheese sauce evenly ofer the meat layer.
Repeat these layers twice
Top with remaining pasta sheets and cheese sauce
Top with shredded and Parmesan cheese
Bake at 180 for 50 mins, covering with foil when the top is a light golden brown.

The evaluation

Overall this is a delicious recipe. I would improve it by changing the packet pasta for traditional fresh pasta, and also something noteworthy is that it takes a long, long time for the sauce to simmer down so it's thick enough that when the lasagne comes out of the oven, it isn't going to be watery and turn mushy. (authough even when mushy it still tastes delicious)

Here is a video on more tips for when making lasagna by Karin Dubois!