Week 3 Term 4 – 24 August 2026

Why methods?

We teach techniques, not recipes – because techniques are the building blocks of great cooking.  All our chefs are either trade qualified or Le Cordon Bleu trained, and we teach the way we were taught – using a ‘see it, do it’ model.  This means that for most classes our chef instructors use ‘running demos’ where they show you the skill and then you copy it – with assistance from your instructor as needed.   And in our express classes you will cook at the same time as the chef, following their lead.   We will give you an ingredients list and a method for each class, but you do not have to use it.

Our chefs will explain patiently and walk you through each class.   And if your dish doesn’t work out, that is OK – we run most classes 3 or 4 times a week so you can always come and try again!  Failure is part of learning.

Use these methods below to practice at home.

Cantonese fried rice with lap cheung (v – fermented soybeans)

This is a formula, not a recipe.  The main goal is for separate grains (not sticky, clumpy grains) of lightly seasoned rice.  No lap cheung?  Use leftover roasted chicken.  Lonely greens in the vegie draw?  Throw them in.  Leftover short grain or basmati rice?  Use it instead of jasmine – the best rice is whatever needs to be used up. 

  •  1 x 650ml container 

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Wok
  • Wok shovel or spatula
  • Bowl
  • Dariole mould/small container
  • Fork

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups cooked cold jasmine rice
  • 1.5 tbsp neutral vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 lap cheung sausage (Chinese sausage, available at Coles/Woolies) ( v – 1 tbsp fermented soybeans)
  • ½ onion
  • ½ carrot
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 40g chopped leafy greens (eg bok choy) or frozen peas
  • 1 green onion/scallion
  • 1 scant teaspoon light soy sauce
  • 1 scant teaspoon roasted sesame oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • ¼ cup water (for cooling wok if necessary)

Method 

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Break up the rice so the grains are separate.
  3. Prepare vegetables:
    a. Thinly slice onion (stir fry cut)
    b. Thinly slice green onion on the diagonal
    c. Mince garlic
    d. Thinly slice greens, if using
    e. Finely dice carrot
  4. Prepare lap Cheung (v – soybeans)
    a. Cut into 5mm slices
    b. Fry gently in a little oil
    c. Set aside in bowl.
    d. (v – put fermented soybeans in bowl)
  5. Prepare egg:
    a. Whisk with fork into container/dariole.
    b. Season with a pinch of salt and a pinch of white pepper.
    c. Heat wok until smoking a little.
    d. Add half the oil and swirl to coat.
    e. Add egg and cook for about 30 seconds until puffy and golden brown at the edges.
    f. Put into bowl with lap cheung (v – fermented soybeans).
  6. Cook vegetables:
    a. Return wok to light smoking point.
    b. Add onion, carrot and any woody stems of greens and toss constantly until onion is starting to become translucent (do not burn, add a little water and turn down heat if wok gets too hot).
    c. Put into bowl with egg and lap cheung (v – fermented soybeans).
  7. Cook rice:
    a. Reheat wok until lightly smoking.
    b. Add remaining oil.
    c. Add rice and cook until rice is pale brown and toasted (will take about 3 minutes).
    d. Add green onion and garlic and leafy part of greens, if using, and stirfry for about 30 seconds (do not burn, add a little water and turn down heat if wok gets too hot).
    e. Return vegetables, egg and lap cheung (v – fermented soybeans) to wok and toss.
    f. Add soy sauce, sesame oil and peas (if using).
    g. Check for seasoning.
  8. Plate (or into container).
  9. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Chicken Deopbap (Korean chicken and rice bowl) (v – mixed veggies and tofu)

In Korea, this comfort food dish is often made with leftover Korean fried chicken.  This recipe uses poached chicken breast, but you could also use leftover roasted or fried chicken.   

1 x 650ml container

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Frypan
  • Spatula
  • Small bowl
  • Fork

 Ingredients

  • 80g poached chicken breast (or leftover roast or fried chicken, does not have to be breast) (v – 80g tofu, 30g carrot, 30g green veg eg broccoli)
  • 2 tbsp kewpie mayonnaise
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ onion
  • 1 tbs soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp white sugar
  • 1 tbsp sake (or matsul, if you can find it – matsul is Korean cooking wine)
  • 90ml water
  • Neutral vegetable oil
  • ¼ green onion (scallion/shallot)
  • 1 bowl cooked shortgrain rice (chef to provide)
  • Salt and pepper

Method 

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Prepare vegetables:
    a. Finely slice green onion on the diagonal (white and green part)
    b. Finely slice onion
  3. Make scrambled egg topping:
    a. Whisk eggs in small bowl using a fork and add and mix in a pinch of salt.
    b. Fry in frypan with a little oil until just set.
    c. Set aside.
  4. Prepare chicken – shred using your fingers or a fork, or just slice with a knife (if using leftover fried chicken, heat in the oven or an airfryer until crispy). Set aside. (v – grate tofu, coarsely chop vegetables and fry both in a little oil in the frypan until lightly browned)
  5. Cook onions:
    a. Add to frypan with a little oil.
    b. Saute until translucent.
    c. Add water, soy sauce, sugar, and sake.
    d. Simmer until sauce is reduced to a slightly syrupy consistency.
  6. Plate:
    a. Put rice in bowl/container.
    b. Top with onions, then eggs, then chicken (v – tofu and vegies).
    c. Drizzle mayonnaise over the top.
    d. Garnish with green onions.
  7. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Chicken Pad Thai (v – eggplant and tofu)

NOTE:  this class is not suitable for anyone with a peanut allergy due to the risk of airborne cross contact.  This recipe is based on a Pailin Chongchinant recipe.

 1 x 650ml container

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Large saucepan or wok
  • Small bowl for soaking noodles
  • Small container for marinating
  • Small container for sauce
  • Scissors
  • Spatula

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 1 tbsp light Thai palm sugar (1 ‘tablet’)
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce (v – soy sauce)
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce (v – hoisin or sweet soy sauce)

Noodles

  • 60g dry rice noodles
  • 1 tbsp dried prawns (v – 2 cm piece kombu)
  • 1 large clove garlic
  • 1 small shallot/green onion
  • 40g firm tofu (v – 80g firm tofu)
  • 1 tbsp Thai or Japanese preserved daikon radish (optional)
  • Fat pinch dried chili flakes
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 120g chicken thigh fillet (or use breast meat if you must) (v – 200g eggplant plus 2 tbs neutral oil and 1 tbs water)
  • 2 tsp fish sauce (v – soy sauce)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 heaped cup (60g) bean sprouts
  • 5 garlic chives
  • 2 tbsp roasted peanuts
  • ½ lime
  • Salt and pepper

 

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Soak noodles according to packet instructions. (v – also finely chop and soak kombu, do this in a separate bowl from the noodles)
  3. Make sauce
    • Put all sauce ingredients in saucepan/wok
      1. 1 tbsp light Thai palm sugar (1 ‘tablet’)
      2. 1 tbsp water
      3. 2 tbsp tamarind paste
      4. 1 tbsp fish sauce (v – soy sauce)
      5. 1 tbsp oyster sauce (v – hoisin or sweet soy sauce)
  • Heat until sugar is dissolved.
  • Set aside in a small container.
  1. Prepare chicken (v – tofu and eggplant):
    • Cut chicken (v – tofu) into bite size pieces
    • Marinate with 2 tsp fish sauce (v – soy sauce)
    • (v – Cut eggplant into medium dice. Toss in oil and water. Roast in oven at 180C for about 10 minutes until soft, do not brown).
  2. Prepare dried prawns – chop finely. (v – omit)
  3. Change your board (v – no need to change).
  4. Cut the noodles in half with scissors.
  5. Prepare vegetables:
    • Mince garlic
    • Finely chop preserved daikon
    • Cut shallot/green onion into 2 cm pieces
    • Cut garlic chives into 2 cm pieces
    • Roughly chop peanuts
    • Cut lime into 3 wedges
  6. Heat wok until smoking a little. Add oil, just enough to coat the bottom.  Very quickly stirfry chicken.  Remove from wok.
  7. Add more oil, to generously coat the bottom. Add the following and stirfry until the shallots are wilted:
    • Tofu
    • Garlic
    • Shallot/green onion
    • Dried prawns (v – kombu)
    • Chilli flakes
    • (v – eggplant)
  8. Add noodles and sauce. Toss until sauce sticks to noodles. Check noodles are soft enough – if not, add a little water and keep cooking until noodles are done and sauce is completely absorbed.
  9. Cook egg:
    • Make space in the bottom of the wok.
    • Add oil to coat.
    • Break egg in, mix quickly, then toss with noodles.
  10. Add chicken and juices back in.
  11. Add and toss to combine:
    • Beansprouts
    • Garlic Chives
    • Half the peanuts
  12. Plate, serve with lime on the side and remaining peanuts on top.
  13. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Korean pork chops with sesame noodles (v – cauliflower)

Equipment

  • Cooktop
  • Frypan
  • Medium bowl
  • Small bowl
  • Cutting board with paper towel
  • Chef’s knife
  • Grater
  • Whisk or fork

Ingredient

  • 1 pork loin steak or pork scotch fillet steak about 150g (thin if you can get it – about 1 cm thick) (v – 2 thick slices of cauliflower)
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce 
  • ½ tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp gochujang (sub sriracha if you don’t have gochujang)
  • 2 cm piece ginger
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp ground white sesame seeds
  • 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
  • ½ stalk spring onion/scallion
  • 90g wheat noodles vac packed
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Tie back long hair, wash hands and wear an apron. Stabilise your cutting board using damp paper towel.  Gather your ingredients and equipment.
  2. In a bowl, whisk together ¼ of the sesame oil and all of the following:
    1. 1 tbsp soy sauce
    2. ½ tbsp honey
    3. ½ tsp gochujang
    4. Grate in 1 cm piece ginger
    5. Grate in 1 clove garlic
  3. Put pork (v – cauliflower) into marinade and flip to coat. Set aside.
  4. Slice green onion on the diagonal and set aside.
  5. Heat frypan over medium heat. Add ¼ of the oil.  Put noodles in (do not separate) and cook until slightly brown.  Flip and heat until you can separate with a fork.  Put in small bowl and add remaining sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, ground sesame seeds.  Mix and add salt and black pepper to taste.  Set aside.
  6. Put remaining oil in frypan and heat to medium.
  7. Add pork (v- cauliflower) and fry. Cook pork to 63c (v – cook cauliflower until a knife goes in easily.  You may need to add half a cup of water to the pan and cover so that the cauliflower cooks and softens). Scrape remaining marinade into the pan and heat until bubbling a little.  Remove from heat and put pork on cutting board to rest.
  8. Clean down, and run equipment through the dishwasher (leave noodles, spring onion, saucepan and pork (v – cauliflower)). Wipe and put cooktop and all other equipment away.  Quickly sweep your area.
  9. Slice pork against the grain (v – slice cauliflower into 1 cm slices). Plate noodles/put noodles in a storage container and top with pork (v – cauliflower), remaining sauce and sliced spring onion.
  10. Run all remaining equipment through dishwasher and scrape, clean, squeegee and sanitise bench. Put remaining equipment away.
  11. Enjoy your meal! (If eating in the dining area, please sweep up after yourself and wash and put away your dishes/cutlery/glassware).

Larb gai, or Thai chicken and lettuce cups (v – mushrooms and tofu)

1 x 650ml container

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Wok or frypan
  • Spatula/wok shovel
  • Small container/dariole mould
  • Fork

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp rice flour
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 x 3 mm slice galangal (or ginger, if galangal isn’t available)
  • Single makrut lime leaf
  • ¼ stalk lemongrass (white and pale green part)
  • 120g chicken mince (v – 60g mushroom and 100g firm tofu)
  • 1 tbs chicken stock (v – vegetable stock)
  • Fat pinch chilli flakes
  • Fat pinch brown sugar
  • 2 tsp fish sauce (v – soy sauce)
  • ½ shallot/green onion
  • ½ golden shallot
  • 2 big sprigs coriander
  • 2 big sprigs mint
  • 2 -3 baby cos lettuce ‘cups’
  • ½ lime
  • 3-5 cm piece cucumber
  • 1 tbsp peanuts
  • 2 small pieces pork crackling (v – 1 tbsp fried shallots)
  • 1 cup short grain rice or jasmine rice (chef to prepare)

 

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Prepare ingredients (keep separate):
    1. Very (very!) finely chop makrut lime leaf
    2. Very (very!) finely chop lemongrass
    3. Mince galangal/ginger
    4. Peel and slice golden shallot
    5. Finely slice shallot/green onion
    6. (v – finely chop together mushroom and tofu to pieces about the size of a sunflower seed)
  3. Make sauce by mixing with a fork in a small container/dariole mould:
    1. Rice flour
    2. Water
    3. Brown sugar
    4. Fish sauce (v – soy sauce)
  4. Cook chicken
    1. Heat stock in wok until bubbling.
    2. Add chicken mince (v – mushroom and tofu mix), galangal/ginger, lemongrass and makrut lime and toss.
    3. Turn off heat when mince has just lost its pinkness (v – when mushrooms are cooked).
    4. Add and stir:
      1. Sauce
      2. Chilli flakes
  • Lime juice to taste.
  1. Add golden shallot, shallot/green onion.
  2. Tear in most of the herbs, leaving a few aside for garnish.
  3. Mix, taste and adjust for seasoning.
  4. Plate:
    1. Spoon steamed rice into lettuce cups.
    2. Top with chicken (v – mushroom and tofu) mix.
    3. Sprinkle over pork crackling (v – fried shallot), crushing with your fingers.
    4. Sprinkle over chopped peanuts.
    5. Sprinkle over remaining herbs.
    6. Serve with cucumber on the side.
  5. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Apple tarte tatin

This recipe requires some familiarity with preparing caramel.

 1 x approx. 30cm square or round lidded container.

 Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Small saucepan
  • Small frypan
  • Offset palette knife
  • Rolling pin
  • Whisk
  • Baking paper

Ingredients

  • 250g plain flour
  • 90 g caster sugar plus 150g caster sugar
  • 125 g butter plus 60g butter
  • 5ml vanilla essence
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 2 granny smith apples
  • Spray oil

Method

  1. Heat oven to 180C. Add a pan of water to bottom of oven.
  2. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  3. Cube butter.
  4. Slice apples into 1/8ths.
  5. Make pastry:
  • Rub 125g butter into 90 g caster sugar until sandy in appearance.
  • Mix in flour and vanilla paste.
  • Knead until just combined.
  • Roll to a flat round 3mm thick between 2 sheets of baking paper and chill.

 

  1. Make caramel:
  • Put sugar and water in small saucepan over medium heat and cook until deep golden brown. It is important to get the caramel dark enough – if it is not dark enough then the flavour will be insufficiently developed when the tarte is cooked.
  • Remove from heat and whisk in cubed butter.
  1. Spray frypan with neutral oil and line frypan with baking paper to come right up the sides.
  2. Arrange the sliced apples on top of the baking paper – overfill as they will shrink as they cook and cook.
  3. Pour in caramel. Cover with a cartouche made from baking paper.
  4. Cook in oven for 10 minutes. Allow to cool.
  5. Roll out the sweet pastry until it is 2mm thick, remove cartouche, cover the apples and tuck in the edges.
  6. Bake in oven again until pastry is cooked and a deep golden brown.
  7. Flip over onto a plate, above baking paper to catch any drips.
  8. Final clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Double Meal Prep – Macarona Bechamel and Brazilian chicken

This class involves you preparing 2 meals to be finished in the oven at home.  If you have them, please bring 2 x casserole dishes with lids – small (4 litre capacity) if you are cooking 2 serves per meal, or medium (6 to 8 litre capacity) if you are cooking 4 serves per meal.  Otherwise, you can buy a ‘containers’ pack on our website for a couple of dollars. 

Macarona Bechamel (Egyptian pasta bake) (v – brown lentils and mushrooms)

Pasta bakes are a common dish in many Middle Eastern countries.  This one is a bit different to many as it uses bechamel rather than a tomato based sauce.

Equipment

 

Cooktop

Saucepan

Frying pan

Strainer

Cutting board w paper towel

Chef’s knife

Bowl

 

Ingredients

 

250g penne

250 g minced beef (v – 200g tinned brown lentils (about half a can) and 100g mushrooms)

½ onion

1 clove garlic

180ml tomato passata

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp cinnamon powder

½ tsp Aleppo pepper or other chilli flake/powder

½ tsp dried thyme

¼ tsp nutmeg

3 tbsp plain flour

3 tbsp butter

500ml milk

½ cup grated cheese

Salt and pepper

 

Method

 

  1. Get pasta and equipment.
  2. Cook the pasta:
    1. Cook in salted water (salty like the sea) for 2 minutes less than packet instructions.
    2. Usually 9 minutes for penne – so cook for 7 minutes or until still quite al dente.
  3. Get other ingredients together while pasta is cooking.
  4. Drain pasta and put into base of casserole dish, coating with half the olive oil. Rinse saucepan (you will need it for the bechamel).
  5. Cook onion and garlic:
    1. Finely dice onion.
    2. Mince garlic.
    3. Add to frypan with remaining olive oil over medium low heat. Cook until translucent (about 5 minutes).  Set aside.
  6. Cook minced beef (v – lentils and mushroom) and make sauce:
    1. Using the same frypan, turn heat up and fry beef (v – mushroom) until browned (not grey, you want caramelisation on the outside).
    2. Add thyme, cinnamon, Aleppo pepper and tomato passata (v – and drained lentils) and simmer until reduced by about 20% (around 10 minutes).
    3. Adjust for seasoning.
    4. Add onions back in, taste again for seasoning, pour over pasta in casserole dish.
  7. Make bechamel:
    1. Melt butter in saucepan, add flour.
    2. Add flour. Mix until you have a smooth paste.
    3. Cook until it smells a bit toasted.
    4. Whisk in milk, stirring constantly.
    5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir continually.
    6. Add nutmeg, salt and white pepper to taste.
  8. Finish pasta bake:
    1. Pour bechamel over sauce in casserole dish.
    2. Top with grated cheese.
  9. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
  10. At home, preheat oven to 180 degrees and cook for 45 to 60 minutes (until a skewer or knife tip inserted into the middle comes out hot).
  11. Serve with steamed vegies or a green salad.

Galinhada – Brazilian chicken (v – mushrooms) and rice

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Frypan
  • Bowl

Ingredients

  • 1 small onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Handful parsley
  • 1 heaped teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 heaped teaspoon paprika
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 250g chicken thigh fillets (or breast, if you must) (v – 200g mushrooms plus half a tin of brown lentils)
  • ½ calabrese or chorizo sausage (v – 2 tbs dried porcini mushrooms)
  • 1/3 small carrot
  • 3 tbsp white wine
  • 5 cups chicken stock (v – vegetable stock)
  • 100g white long grain rice
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 medium tomato
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Prepare vegetables:
    a. Finely dice onion.
    b. Mince garlic.
    c. Finely chop parsley
    d. Dice carrot
    e. Dice tomato
  3. Make marinade: Add half onion, garlic, parsley, turmeric, ACB, EVOO and salt and pepper to taste to a bowl.  Note this can be done up to 24 hours before.
  4. Cut sausage into slices (v – soak porcini mushrooms and chop finely)
  5. Cut chicken (v – cut mushrooms and drain lentils)
    a. Cut into bite sized pieces.
    b. Put in marinade and mix.
  6. Cook sausage (v – omit): brown on both sides, put in casserole dish
  7. Cook chicken (v – mushrooms): brown, put in casserole dish along with reserved marinade.
  8. Cook veg: saute onion and carrot.  Deglaze pan with wine.
  9. Put all ingredients into casserole dish and pour over stock. Mix and cover tightly with foil.
  10. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
  11. At home, cook at 180C for 25 minutes (35 minutes for 4 portions) until rice is soft. Add more time if necessary. There should be a little liquid left – the rice should not be dry.

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Cantonese fried rice with lap cheung (v – fermented soybeans)

This is a formula, not a recipe.  The main goal is for separate grains (not sticky, clumpy grains) of lightly seasoned rice.  No lap cheung?  Use leftover roasted chicken.  Lonely greens in the vegie draw?  Throw them in.  Leftover short grain or basmati rice?  Use it instead of jasmine – the best rice is whatever needs to be used up. 

  •  1 x 650ml container 

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Wok
  • Wok shovel or spatula
  • Bowl
  • Dariole mould/small container
  • Fork

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups cooked cold jasmine rice
  • 1.5 tbsp neutral vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 lap cheung sausage (Chinese sausage, available at Coles/Woolies) ( v – 1 tbsp fermented soybeans)
  • ½ onion
  • ½ carrot
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 40g chopped leafy greens (eg bok choy) or frozen peas
  • 1 green onion/scallion
  • 1 scant teaspoon light soy sauce
  • 1 scant teaspoon roasted sesame oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • ¼ cup water (for cooling wok if necessary)

Method 

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Break up the rice so the grains are separate.
  3. Prepare vegetables:
    a. Thinly slice onion (stir fry cut)
    b. Thinly slice green onion on the diagonal
    c. Mince garlic
    d. Thinly slice greens, if using
    e. Finely dice carrot
  4. Prepare lap Cheung (v – soybeans)
    a. Cut into 5mm slices
    b. Fry gently in a little oil
    c. Set aside in bowl.
    d. (v – put fermented soybeans in bowl)
  5. Prepare egg:
    a. Whisk with fork into container/dariole.
    b. Season with a pinch of salt and a pinch of white pepper.
    c. Heat wok until smoking a little.
    d. Add half the oil and swirl to coat.
    e. Add egg and cook for about 30 seconds until puffy and golden brown at the edges.
    f. Put into bowl with lap cheung (v – fermented soybeans).
  6. Cook vegetables:
    a. Return wok to light smoking point.
    b. Add onion, carrot and any woody stems of greens and toss constantly until onion is starting to become translucent (do not burn, add a little water and turn down heat if wok gets too hot).
    c. Put into bowl with egg and lap cheung (v – fermented soybeans).
  7. Cook rice:
    a. Reheat wok until lightly smoking.
    b. Add remaining oil.
    c. Add rice and cook until rice is pale brown and toasted (will take about 3 minutes).
    d. Add green onion and garlic and leafy part of greens, if using, and stirfry for about 30 seconds (do not burn, add a little water and turn down heat if wok gets too hot).
    e. Return vegetables, egg and lap cheung (v – fermented soybeans) to wok and toss.
    f. Add soy sauce, sesame oil and peas (if using).
    g. Check for seasoning.
  8. Plate (or into container).
  9. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Chicken Deopbap (Korean chicken and rice bowl) (v – mixed veggies and tofu)

In Korea, this comfort food dish is often made with leftover Korean fried chicken.  This recipe uses poached chicken breast, but you could also use leftover roasted or fried chicken.   

1 x 650ml container

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Frypan
  • Spatula
  • Small bowl
  • Fork

 Ingredients

  • 80g poached chicken breast (or leftover roast or fried chicken, does not have to be breast) (v – 80g tofu, 30g carrot, 30g green veg eg broccoli)
  • 2 tbsp kewpie mayonnaise
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ onion
  • 1 tbs soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp white sugar
  • 1 tbsp sake (or matsul, if you can find it – matsul is Korean cooking wine)
  • 90ml water
  • Neutral vegetable oil
  • ¼ green onion (scallion/shallot)
  • 1 bowl cooked shortgrain rice (chef to provide)
  • Salt and pepper

Method 

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Prepare vegetables:
    a. Finely slice green onion on the diagonal (white and green part)
    b. Finely slice onion
  3. Make scrambled egg topping:
    a. Whisk eggs in small bowl using a fork and add and mix in a pinch of salt.
    b. Fry in frypan with a little oil until just set.
    c. Set aside.
  4. Prepare chicken – shred using your fingers or a fork, or just slice with a knife (if using leftover fried chicken, heat in the oven or an airfryer until crispy). Set aside. (v – grate tofu, coarsely chop vegetables and fry both in a little oil in the frypan until lightly browned)
  5. Cook onions:
    a. Add to frypan with a little oil.
    b. Saute until translucent.
    c. Add water, soy sauce, sugar, and sake.
    d. Simmer until sauce is reduced to a slightly syrupy consistency.
  6. Plate:
    a. Put rice in bowl/container.
    b. Top with onions, then eggs, then chicken (v – tofu and vegies).
    c. Drizzle mayonnaise over the top.
    d. Garnish with green onions.
  7. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Chicken Pad Thai (v – eggplant and tofu)

NOTE:  this class is not suitable for anyone with a peanut allergy due to the risk of airborne cross contact.  This recipe is based on a Pailin Chongchinant recipe.

 1 x 650ml container

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Large saucepan or wok
  • Small bowl for soaking noodles
  • Small container for marinating
  • Small container for sauce
  • Scissors
  • Spatula

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 1 tbsp light Thai palm sugar (1 ‘tablet’)
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce (v – soy sauce)
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce (v – hoisin or sweet soy sauce)

Noodles

  • 60g dry rice noodles
  • 1 tbsp dried prawns (v – 2 cm piece kombu)
  • 1 large clove garlic
  • 1 small shallot/green onion
  • 40g firm tofu (v – 80g firm tofu)
  • 1 tbsp Thai or Japanese preserved daikon radish (optional)
  • Fat pinch dried chili flakes
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 120g chicken thigh fillet (or use breast meat if you must) (v – 200g eggplant plus 2 tbs neutral oil and 1 tbs water)
  • 2 tsp fish sauce (v – soy sauce)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 heaped cup (60g) bean sprouts
  • 5 garlic chives
  • 2 tbsp roasted peanuts
  • ½ lime
  • Salt and pepper

 

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Soak noodles according to packet instructions. (v – also finely chop and soak kombu, do this in a separate bowl from the noodles)
  3. Make sauce
    • Put all sauce ingredients in saucepan/wok
      1. 1 tbsp light Thai palm sugar (1 ‘tablet’)
      2. 1 tbsp water
      3. 2 tbsp tamarind paste
      4. 1 tbsp fish sauce (v – soy sauce)
      5. 1 tbsp oyster sauce (v – hoisin or sweet soy sauce)
  • Heat until sugar is dissolved.
  • Set aside in a small container.
  1. Prepare chicken (v – tofu and eggplant):
    • Cut chicken (v – tofu) into bite size pieces
    • Marinate with 2 tsp fish sauce (v – soy sauce)
    • (v – Cut eggplant into medium dice. Toss in oil and water. Roast in oven at 180C for about 10 minutes until soft, do not brown).
  2. Prepare dried prawns – chop finely. (v – omit)
  3. Change your board (v – no need to change).
  4. Cut the noodles in half with scissors.
  5. Prepare vegetables:
    • Mince garlic
    • Finely chop preserved daikon
    • Cut shallot/green onion into 2 cm pieces
    • Cut garlic chives into 2 cm pieces
    • Roughly chop peanuts
    • Cut lime into 3 wedges
  6. Heat wok until smoking a little. Add oil, just enough to coat the bottom.  Very quickly stirfry chicken.  Remove from wok.
  7. Add more oil, to generously coat the bottom. Add the following and stirfry until the shallots are wilted:
    • Tofu
    • Garlic
    • Shallot/green onion
    • Dried prawns (v – kombu)
    • Chilli flakes
    • (v – eggplant)
  8. Add noodles and sauce. Toss until sauce sticks to noodles. Check noodles are soft enough – if not, add a little water and keep cooking until noodles are done and sauce is completely absorbed.
  9. Cook egg:
    • Make space in the bottom of the wok.
    • Add oil to coat.
    • Break egg in, mix quickly, then toss with noodles.
  10. Add chicken and juices back in.
  11. Add and toss to combine:
    • Beansprouts
    • Garlic Chives
    • Half the peanuts
  12. Plate, serve with lime on the side and remaining peanuts on top.
  13. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Korean pork chops with sesame noodles (v – cauliflower)

Equipment

  • Cooktop
  • Frypan
  • Medium bowl
  • Small bowl
  • Cutting board with paper towel
  • Chef’s knife
  • Grater
  • Whisk or fork

Ingredient

  • 1 pork loin steak or pork scotch fillet steak about 150g (thin if you can get it – about 1 cm thick) (v – 2 thick slices of cauliflower)
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce 
  • ½ tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp gochujang (sub sriracha if you don’t have gochujang)
  • 2 cm piece ginger
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp ground white sesame seeds
  • 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
  • ½ stalk spring onion/scallion
  • 90g wheat noodles vac packed
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Tie back long hair, wash hands and wear an apron. Stabilise your cutting board using damp paper towel.  Gather your ingredients and equipment.
  2. In a bowl, whisk together ¼ of the sesame oil and all of the following:
    1. 1 tbsp soy sauce
    2. ½ tbsp honey
    3. ½ tsp gochujang
    4. Grate in 1 cm piece ginger
    5. Grate in 1 clove garlic
  3. Put pork (v – cauliflower) into marinade and flip to coat. Set aside.
  4. Slice green onion on the diagonal and set aside.
  5. Heat frypan over medium heat. Add ¼ of the oil.  Put noodles in (do not separate) and cook until slightly brown.  Flip and heat until you can separate with a fork.  Put in small bowl and add remaining sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, ground sesame seeds.  Mix and add salt and black pepper to taste.  Set aside.
  6. Put remaining oil in frypan and heat to medium.
  7. Add pork (v- cauliflower) and fry. Cook pork to 63c (v – cook cauliflower until a knife goes in easily.  You may need to add half a cup of water to the pan and cover so that the cauliflower cooks and softens). Scrape remaining marinade into the pan and heat until bubbling a little.  Remove from heat and put pork on cutting board to rest.
  8. Clean down, and run equipment through the dishwasher (leave noodles, spring onion, saucepan and pork (v – cauliflower)). Wipe and put cooktop and all other equipment away.  Quickly sweep your area.
  9. Slice pork against the grain (v – slice cauliflower into 1 cm slices). Plate noodles/put noodles in a storage container and top with pork (v – cauliflower), remaining sauce and sliced spring onion.
  10. Run all remaining equipment through dishwasher and scrape, clean, squeegee and sanitise bench. Put remaining equipment away.
  11. Enjoy your meal! (If eating in the dining area, please sweep up after yourself and wash and put away your dishes/cutlery/glassware).

Larb gai, or Thai chicken and lettuce cups (v – mushrooms and tofu)

1 x 650ml container

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Wok or frypan
  • Spatula/wok shovel
  • Small container/dariole mould
  • Fork

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp rice flour
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 x 3 mm slice galangal (or ginger, if galangal isn’t available)
  • Single makrut lime leaf
  • ¼ stalk lemongrass (white and pale green part)
  • 120g chicken mince (v – 60g mushroom and 100g firm tofu)
  • 1 tbs chicken stock (v – vegetable stock)
  • Fat pinch chilli flakes
  • Fat pinch brown sugar
  • 2 tsp fish sauce (v – soy sauce)
  • ½ shallot/green onion
  • ½ golden shallot
  • 2 big sprigs coriander
  • 2 big sprigs mint
  • 2 -3 baby cos lettuce ‘cups’
  • ½ lime
  • 3-5 cm piece cucumber
  • 1 tbsp peanuts
  • 2 small pieces pork crackling (v – 1 tbsp fried shallots)
  • 1 cup short grain rice or jasmine rice (chef to prepare)

 

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Prepare ingredients (keep separate):
    1. Very (very!) finely chop makrut lime leaf
    2. Very (very!) finely chop lemongrass
    3. Mince galangal/ginger
    4. Peel and slice golden shallot
    5. Finely slice shallot/green onion
    6. (v – finely chop together mushroom and tofu to pieces about the size of a sunflower seed)
  3. Make sauce by mixing with a fork in a small container/dariole mould:
    1. Rice flour
    2. Water
    3. Brown sugar
    4. Fish sauce (v – soy sauce)
  4. Cook chicken
    1. Heat stock in wok until bubbling.
    2. Add chicken mince (v – mushroom and tofu mix), galangal/ginger, lemongrass and makrut lime and toss.
    3. Turn off heat when mince has just lost its pinkness (v – when mushrooms are cooked).
    4. Add and stir:
      1. Sauce
      2. Chilli flakes
  • Lime juice to taste.
  1. Add golden shallot, shallot/green onion.
  2. Tear in most of the herbs, leaving a few aside for garnish.
  3. Mix, taste and adjust for seasoning.
  4. Plate:
    1. Spoon steamed rice into lettuce cups.
    2. Top with chicken (v – mushroom and tofu) mix.
    3. Sprinkle over pork crackling (v – fried shallot), crushing with your fingers.
    4. Sprinkle over chopped peanuts.
    5. Sprinkle over remaining herbs.
    6. Serve with cucumber on the side.
  5. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Apple tarte tatin

This recipe requires some familiarity with preparing caramel.

 1 x approx. 30cm square or round lidded container.

 Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Small saucepan
  • Small frypan
  • Offset palette knife
  • Rolling pin
  • Whisk
  • Baking paper

Ingredients

  • 250g plain flour
  • 90 g caster sugar plus 150g caster sugar
  • 125 g butter plus 60g butter
  • 5ml vanilla essence
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 2 granny smith apples
  • Spray oil

Method

  1. Heat oven to 180C. Add a pan of water to bottom of oven.
  2. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  3. Cube butter.
  4. Slice apples into 1/8ths.
  5. Make pastry:
  • Rub 125g butter into 90 g caster sugar until sandy in appearance.
  • Mix in flour and vanilla paste.
  • Knead until just combined.
  • Roll to a flat round 3mm thick between 2 sheets of baking paper and chill.

 

  1. Make caramel:
  • Put sugar and water in small saucepan over medium heat and cook until deep golden brown. It is important to get the caramel dark enough – if it is not dark enough then the flavour will be insufficiently developed when the tarte is cooked.
  • Remove from heat and whisk in cubed butter.
  1. Spray frypan with neutral oil and line frypan with baking paper to come right up the sides.
  2. Arrange the sliced apples on top of the baking paper – overfill as they will shrink as they cook and cook.
  3. Pour in caramel. Cover with a cartouche made from baking paper.
  4. Cook in oven for 10 minutes. Allow to cool.
  5. Roll out the sweet pastry until it is 2mm thick, remove cartouche, cover the apples and tuck in the edges.
  6. Bake in oven again until pastry is cooked and a deep golden brown.
  7. Flip over onto a plate, above baking paper to catch any drips.
  8. Final clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Double Meal Prep – Macarona Bechamel and Brazilian chicken

This class involves you preparing 2 meals to be finished in the oven at home.  If you have them, please bring 2 x casserole dishes with lids – small (4 litre capacity) if you are cooking 2 serves per meal, or medium (6 to 8 litre capacity) if you are cooking 4 serves per meal.  Otherwise, you can buy a ‘containers’ pack on our website for a couple of dollars. 

Macarona Bechamel (Egyptian pasta bake) (v – brown lentils and mushrooms)

Pasta bakes are a common dish in many Middle Eastern countries.  This one is a bit different to many as it uses bechamel rather than a tomato based sauce.

Equipment

 

Cooktop

Saucepan

Frying pan

Strainer

Cutting board w paper towel

Chef’s knife

Bowl

 

Ingredients

 

250g penne

250 g minced beef (v – 200g tinned brown lentils (about half a can) and 100g mushrooms)

½ onion

1 clove garlic

180ml tomato passata

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp cinnamon powder

½ tsp Aleppo pepper or other chilli flake/powder

½ tsp dried thyme

¼ tsp nutmeg

3 tbsp plain flour

3 tbsp butter

500ml milk

½ cup grated cheese

Salt and pepper

 

Method

 

  1. Get pasta and equipment.
  2. Cook the pasta:
    1. Cook in salted water (salty like the sea) for 2 minutes less than packet instructions.
    2. Usually 9 minutes for penne – so cook for 7 minutes or until still quite al dente.
  3. Get other ingredients together while pasta is cooking.
  4. Drain pasta and put into base of casserole dish, coating with half the olive oil. Rinse saucepan (you will need it for the bechamel).
  5. Cook onion and garlic:
    1. Finely dice onion.
    2. Mince garlic.
    3. Add to frypan with remaining olive oil over medium low heat. Cook until translucent (about 5 minutes).  Set aside.
  6. Cook minced beef (v – lentils and mushroom) and make sauce:
    1. Using the same frypan, turn heat up and fry beef (v – mushroom) until browned (not grey, you want caramelisation on the outside).
    2. Add thyme, cinnamon, Aleppo pepper and tomato passata (v – and drained lentils) and simmer until reduced by about 20% (around 10 minutes).
    3. Adjust for seasoning.
    4. Add onions back in, taste again for seasoning, pour over pasta in casserole dish.
  7. Make bechamel:
    1. Melt butter in saucepan, add flour.
    2. Add flour. Mix until you have a smooth paste.
    3. Cook until it smells a bit toasted.
    4. Whisk in milk, stirring constantly.
    5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir continually.
    6. Add nutmeg, salt and white pepper to taste.
  8. Finish pasta bake:
    1. Pour bechamel over sauce in casserole dish.
    2. Top with grated cheese.
  9. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
  10. At home, preheat oven to 180 degrees and cook for 45 to 60 minutes (until a skewer or knife tip inserted into the middle comes out hot).
  11. Serve with steamed vegies or a green salad.

Galinhada – Brazilian chicken (v – mushrooms) and rice

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Frypan
  • Bowl

Ingredients

  • 1 small onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Handful parsley
  • 1 heaped teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 heaped teaspoon paprika
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 250g chicken thigh fillets (or breast, if you must) (v – 200g mushrooms plus half a tin of brown lentils)
  • ½ calabrese or chorizo sausage (v – 2 tbs dried porcini mushrooms)
  • 1/3 small carrot
  • 3 tbsp white wine
  • 5 cups chicken stock (v – vegetable stock)
  • 100g white long grain rice
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 medium tomato
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Prepare vegetables:
    a. Finely dice onion.
    b. Mince garlic.
    c. Finely chop parsley
    d. Dice carrot
    e. Dice tomato
  3. Make marinade: Add half onion, garlic, parsley, turmeric, ACB, EVOO and salt and pepper to taste to a bowl.  Note this can be done up to 24 hours before.
  4. Cut sausage into slices (v – soak porcini mushrooms and chop finely)
  5. Cut chicken (v – cut mushrooms and drain lentils)
    a. Cut into bite sized pieces.
    b. Put in marinade and mix.
  6. Cook sausage (v – omit): brown on both sides, put in casserole dish
  7. Cook chicken (v – mushrooms): brown, put in casserole dish along with reserved marinade.
  8. Cook veg: saute onion and carrot.  Deglaze pan with wine.
  9. Put all ingredients into casserole dish and pour over stock. Mix and cover tightly with foil.
  10. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
  11. At home, cook at 180C for 25 minutes (35 minutes for 4 portions) until rice is soft. Add more time if necessary. There should be a little liquid left – the rice should not be dry.
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