Richmond Community Kitchens Potluck 2009

Several of the Richmond Community Kitchens gather to celebrate the end of the 2009 session. We had a lot of food from the participants as usual.

We had a good spread of food from noodles, soup, salad, finger foods and lots of desserts.

It took us a while to get the group photo taken as more people arrived after the initial group photo.

Here are the food in detail. Minoo made an Indian sweets called Burfi. It is made with sweetened condensed milk, non-sweetened grated coconut, chopped Pistachio and cardamom. The ingredients are mix together and cook on the stove on low heat for 10 minutes and roll into balls. The Burfi is then coated in grated coconut.

Lorna made a big platter of salad of potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, apple, pear, seedless grapes, artificial crab meat and water melon seeds. The salad is seasoned with miracle whip. Lorna decorated the platter with some beautifully crafted cucumber blossoms.

Tanni made some crispy baked tofu puff at the kitchen. This is so simple to make. Just bake the tofu puff on a greased baking sheet at a 450F preheated oven for 10 minutes turning once.

I made Lychee jelly.

Cranberry Orange Trifle

This Cranberry Orange Trifle is the dessert for the South Arm Cooking Club for seniors celebratory lunch. Stella decorated the dining tables with such festivities that adds the holiday mood to the meal.

This Cranberry-Orange Trifle recipe is adapted from Cooking Light. According to Cooking Light, the cranberries and custard can be made up to three days ahead. Then, simply assemble and refrigerate the trifle up to 24 hours before you plan to serve it.

Ingredients

Cranberries:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries

Custard:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons constarch
• 2 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Remaining Ingredients:

• 1 (10.75-ounce) loaf pound cake (such as Sara Lee)
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon orange rind

June, Christina and Chris work on this Cranberry Orange Trifle recipe which serves 12.

Light and Fluffy Carrot Souffle

I’ll consider this Light and Fluffy Carrot Souffle as a dessert but it is also considered as a sweet side dish. Frank made this delightful casserole.

This Light and Fluffy Carrot Souffle is an easy, healthy alternative to sweet potato casserole.

Ingredients

• 7 cups chopped carrot (about 2 pounds)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar for garnishing

P/S: we used real butter instead of margarine. I could’nt locate the butter when I took this picture and just grab the margarine from the fridge. This Light and Fluffy Carrot Souffle is adapted from Cooking Light, and it serves 8.

Green Beans and Potatoes in Chunky Tomato Sauce

For the side dish, Paul and Frances made Green Beans and Potatoes in Chunky Tomato Sauce. For this recipe, we used canned whole tomatoes. If you prefer fresh tomatoes, this is how to peel the skin easily. Make a small X on the bottom side of the tomato with a sharp knife. Place tomato in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove tomato using a slotted spoon; immediately submerge in a bowl of icy cold water. Let stand for one minute. Skin should pull off easily with a sharp knife.

The green beans are cooked perfectly and they are tender and yet still crisp.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 cups diced red potato
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 pounds green beans, trimmed
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro or 1/4 cup chopped basil
• 3/4 pound plum tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped (or drain and chop 1 1/2 cups canned whole tomatoes)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

This Green Beans and Potatoes in Chunky Tomato Sauce is adapted from Cooking Light, and it serves 8.

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Basil

The South Arm Cooking Club for seniors had a celebratory meal on the last cooking session of 2009. As usual, the seniors made 4 dishes in the kitchen. For this kitchen, there are two desserts which I enjoyed most.

The main dish is a chicken dish called Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Basil.  This chicken dish is fit for a party.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breast halves, skinned
• 1/2 cup fresh goat cheese, about 100 grams
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 3 basil leaves, shredded or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Sun-Dried Tomato and Mushroom Sauce

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 

The Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Basil is adapted from Bon Appetit and it serves 4. Marcel, Helmut and Ken worked on this recipe.

Vietnamese Cuisine: Cassava Strips Dessert (Che Khoai Mi)

Doris made some Cassava Strips for dessert. Doris served the Cassava Strips Dessert with a Coconut Milk Topping called Nuoc Dua in Vietnamese.

The Cassava Strips is lightly chewy. According to Doris, the authentic Cassava Strips should be rolled in freshly grated coconut which is more moist than those store-bought grated coconut.

Doris is so sweet that she also brought some Vietnamese coffee to share with us.  Doris had just return from Vietnam and the coffee is 100% Vietnamese coffee. This bag of 1kg ground coffee costs about CAD10.  Vietnamese coffee is strong and best serve with condensed milk.

Ingredients for Cassava Strips:

• 2 packs of frozen grated cassava
• 5 ounces coconut milk
• 1 cup sugar
• a dash of vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup water
• 4 tablespoons glutinous rice flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for Coconut Milk Topping (Nuoc Dua):

• 1 can coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 to 2 teaspoons rice flour, dissolved in some water as thickener

Vietnamese Cuisine: Sweet and Sour Soup (Canh Chua)

Doris’ second dish is a soup dish. It is simply called Sweet and Sour Soup. In Vietnam, this soup is usually made with fresh fish but for simplicity, Doris made this dish with store-bought tofu fish. You may use any kind of seafood for this dish, according to Doris.

Ingredients

• 1 pound Bac Ha vegetable
• 1/2 pound bean sprout
• 1 pound tomato
• 1 tablespoon tamarind
• 1 pound fish
• 2 sprigs of Ngo Om herb
• few garlic cloves, minced

Vietnamese Cuisine: Spring Rolls (Cha Gio)

We were very excited when Minoo told us that she had invited one of South Arm Community Kitchen’s pioneer member, Doris to demonstrate some Vietnamese dishes. Doris is a third generation Chinese Vietnamese here. It is such a privilege to be able to invite her to demonstrate in the kitchen as she is a very busy hair dresser now.

The spring roll is deep fried until the skin is crispy. This is a great appetizer or finger food for holiday entertaining.

Of course, the spring roll has to go with the Fish Sauce dipping sauce. The sourness of the dipping sauce cuts back the heaviness of the meat.

Ingredients for Spring Roll:

• 2 pounds ground pork
• 5 pieces black fungus, reconstituted in some water, finely chopped
• 2 bunches of mung bean vermicelli, soak in some water to soften and cut into smaller strands.
• 1 pound taro root
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 egg (optional)
• 1 package spring roll rice paper wrap (Asian boy brand recommended)
• salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for Fish Sauce for dipping:

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (or 3/4 tablespoon vinegar)
• 1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce (optional)

Korean Cuisine: Japchae

Japchae is another popular dish in Korean cuisine.  Julia demonstrated this dish at the Gilmore Park Church community kitchen. Japchae literally means a mixture of vegetables. It can be served as a side dish or as a main dish on its own.

Japchae is a noodle dish made with sweet potato noodles. It is loaded with vegetables and has a strong sesame oil flavour. Japchae can be served hot or cold, hence it makes a great potluck dish.

Ingredients

• 500g Oriental (sweet potato) noodles i.e. 2 bundles
• 300g spinach (1 bunch), wash, blanched in salted water and drained
• 200g carrot (1 medium), peel, slice into match stick
• 10 pieces Pyogo mushroom, slice
• 200g onion (2 small), thinly slice
• 300g rib eye beef, cut into thin strips, marinate with salt and pepper
• 4 to 5 cloves of garlic, minced

Seasonings:

• 3 to 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
• sesame oil
• salt
• oil

Korean Cuisine: Bulgogi

Julia is a ESL student in Peace Mnenonite Church and she is a member of the community kitchen at that location. Julia made two very popular Korean dishes at the Peace Mnenonite Church Community Kitchen and Minoo invited her to do the same at the Gilmore Park Church Community Kitchen. We are so glad to have her. Julia invited her Korean friend, Michelle to be her interpreter.  Michelle is an intern pastor in the Peace Mnenonite Church. Not only that Julia brought along an interpreter, she also invited her ESL teacher, Mona to come along.

Julia learned her Korean cooking skills not only from her mom but she also attended a Korean cooking school for a year. She is a perfectionist in the kitchen.

Bulgogi is a popular Korean dish made with thinly sliced beef. This dish is best served with rice and lettuce or seaweed.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds rib eye beef (ask the butcher to thinly slice for you)
• 3 small onions (grate one to marinate the beef while two thinly slice)
• 1 bunch (about 5) green onions, cut into 1-inch strips
• 1/4 pear
• 10 cloves of garlic, minced
• 5 pieces of pyogo mushroom, slice

Seasonings:

• about 1/2 cup Korean BBQ sauce
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar

This recipe serves 10.