Mapo tofu----by Hanxi

Mapo tofu is one of the popular Chinese dish from Sichuan province. It consists of tofu set in a spicy chili and bean-based sauce. Materials are tofu, minced beef or minced pork, chili and pepper, etc.
Ma is for the pepper's taste, po is for " popo" which is means old woman .But for the beginning of the Mapo tofu , the words Ma is the pock on the founder's face , so people often call her Mapo, and she is the first person who cooked this. Many people like this , and more people learn to cook. So after this , people named this dish to Mapo tofu.
People who like spicy most like this dish, different people will cook this dish in different ways,also is want to suit for more people ,so some restaurant cook this dish in vegetarian way .






Reference

Schrecker, Ellen with Shrecker, John. Mrs. Chiang's Szechwan Cookbook. New York, Harper & Row, 1976. p. 220.

The most popular Japanese dish

Hello to those that are reading! We hope you have been enjoying our food culture blog lately. We have been posting up quite frequently this week and hope those who are reading are enjoying this :)

Today's post will be about sushi, now who DOESN'T love sushi..!

Sushi is one of the most well-known dishes of Japanese cuisine. It consists of rice dressed with vinegar that is shaped into bite-sized pieces and topped with raw or cooked fish, or formed into a roll with fish, vegetables or egg and wrapped in seaweed or stuffed in a tiny tofu pouch.

Contrary to popular belief, sushi does not mean "raw fish" -- it actually refers to rice that has been prepared with vinegar, sugar and salt.

For those people who haven't tried sushi (basically have been living under a rock their whole lives), sushi is chewy and somewhat sticky to the touch! It sounds pretty gross, but let me tell you, sushi is one of the world's greatest inventions.

The filling that is inside the sushi can vary. It is usually based around raw or cooked fish like tuna, salmon, eel, sashimi, prawn, crab, chicken or beef. The vegetables that accompany the meat/fish can include avocado, cucumber, lettuce and many more! The choices are limitless.

There are many different types of sushi! These are some of the most popular ones:


Mazizushi: Rice with raw fish/chicken/beef/crab/cooked fish/prawn/crab and vegetables. The most popular type of sushi and also the most variable! It can differ in the ingredients used and also the thickness. The sushi can also be "inside-out" with the rice being on the outside and the seaweed on the inside.

Nigiri: Small rice balls with fish or shellfish on top. Can also have tuna, shrimp, eel, squid, octopus and fried egg on top.







Gunkan: Small seaweed cups filled with rice and fish eggs! It is not something that everyone may like! Therefore this is quite a daring type of sushi to try.







Temaki: Similar to Nirmaki, except are cone shaped.









Inari: Sushi rice in a tiny deep fried tofu bag.








Sushi is usually formed with the help of a woven bamboo/wooden mat. First the seaweed is placed onto the mat, then the rice and the fillings. It is then rolled into a cylindrical shape using the mat.

These sushi can be found in almost every shopping centre! Just check the food court and you can find many different sushi booths that sell different types of sushi as well as combination boxes that include all of these!

Sorry if we made you hungry after reading this, hahaha. Thank you!

- Jenny

Reference:

Sushi. 2016. Sushi. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2038html. [Accessed 7/05/16]

All photos from Google images

Butter Chicken: A punch of flavour

Today's post will be about Butter Chicken, a traditional Punjabi dish, also known as Murgh Makhani.

Flavourful food and special cuisine is very essential in the Punjab culture. When family or friends are visiting, Punjabi people pride themselves in serving the best food and making sure everyone's tastebuds are satisfied and their stomachs are full! Traditional Punjab food is known for it's use of spices and herbs -- hence why Indian food has a very strong smell and lingers around the room.

Arguably the best known of all Indian dishes, Butter Chicken is an authentic Punjab non-vegetarian dish served in mildly spicy curry sauce. Before serving, the chicken has to be marinated for several hours in a cream/yoghurt and spice mixture. The spices may include ginger, garlic, lemon, coriandor, pepper, salt, cumin, turmeric, chilli or garam masala. 

The sauce for the chicken is made with pureed juicy tomatoes and spices cooked in butter, and is finished off with fresh cream. The best way to cook Butter chicken is in a traditional clay oven, where the temperature reaches higher than a regular oven. 

To perfect the dish, it will take 6-7 hours of preparation and 10-20 minutes of cooking. As there are many different spices and herbs in the dish, and the proper preparation of the chicken is a tedious process.

There are not many Indian restaurants that do not serve butter chicken. Many Indian people say that if an Indian restaurant cannot cook a great Butter Chicken, then it is not worth returning to a second time. 

If you want to visit an Indian restaurant, try Surry Hills or go to a local food court -- Indian food is easily found there! 

Thanks for reading

- Jenny

References

NewsLifeMedia. 2016. Butter Chicken Recipe - Taste.com.au . [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/6475/butter+chicken. [Accessed 05 May 2016].

Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken) | eCurry - The Recipe Blog. 2016. Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken) | eCurry - The Recipe Blog. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.ecurry.com/blog/indian/curries/gravies/murgh-makhani-butter-chicken/. [Accessed 05 May 2016].

Brazil's beaches aren't the only thing that's burning hot

Hi All!

I hope you are enjoying our blog so far, here is another culinary treat from a different culture. Today I will be presenting the Churrasco, A Brazilian restaurant serving of grilled meat, on most occasions beef.



Churrasco, is one of the iconic meals one can have in Brazil, Churrasco is served on a grill skewer for eating and decoration purposes, This allows waiters to come around with the meal and slice it to the customers liking. Churrasco comes from the term 'Churascaria' which is understood to be Steakhouse, - well presenting the idea of being able to show a wide and various styles of being presented makes it a delectable meal with a various number of sides or even being served as a side.


Churrasco is cooked on a barbeque grill, usually slightly charred or medium rare. This is due to the texture of the 'churrasqueira' they cook it on, which is slightly touched with butter / oil to give it a more burnt feel.

Churrasco is well known for being a diving part of south america, as there is no one way to eat it, the various countries in south america love to eat the grilled meat in different styles bringing a cultural factor into play. Churrasco is more renown in Brazil for the style they use making it more popular to cook it the Brazillian way. Ironically this is a great way to traditionally or casually enjoy a grilled meat skewer, the variety the different cultures bring is astounding in changing taste and providing a different feel each time. The many different styles and flavors brought by the different cultures and ways of making the dish can vary from meats, to cooking times and even unique sauces made out of things you would never expect to taste good.

As a personal recommendation, Churrasco is well served with sides including usually an Alcoholic beverage, a supplementary ( Potato Chips, Onion Rings, Black fried beans ) and some picked salad. This adds on to it's unique taste giving the meat the filling required to be classed a meal.



Churrasco isn't the most available dish to find, however if you do find yourself with a choice of picking up one of Brazil's most iconic foods and it's recommended by the store, by all means put your coin on the counter.

- Alex

Chinese Dumplings -----By Hanxi

When people talk about China they will also know this is a country which has a long history. China also has many traditions, food culture is one of that.

Dumpling one of the most famous Chinese food.

Dumplings are around of plant made and with fillings inside. The fillings can be made of meat, vegetables and seafood -- they can have different mixes up to more than hundreds of different types of fillings. Dumplings can also be cooked in different ways. They can be can steam pan-fried, boiled and even cooked in soup.


Because dumplings have many different types of fillings, people will eat dumpling when they have a family dinner. This is because there is more people to eat all the different types of dumpling and the preparation of the different fillings would all be eaten.

 
The most important thing is the shape of dumpling. In tradition, the way that the dumpling is made is that so it is the shape an old type of money which people used in early than 300 years. Some people like to eat dumpling in the Chinese New Years as it can mean get more wealth/money in the New Year.

Thank you for reading :)


Reference:

Wikipedia. 2016. Dumpling - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumpling. [Accessed 16 May 2016].

Name a Vietnamese dish..

Hello, this post will be all about the Viet's most renowned dish, Pho.

Pho is a traditional dish in Vietnam and is sold anywhere, from nice restaurants to street vendors. It is a hot soup that consists of broth, flat rice noodles, meat (either beef or chicken) and few herbs (cilantro, bean sprouts and basil leave).

Although being a renowned dish in Vietnam, Pho is a rather simple feed, nothing too fancy. It is a dish made to be eaten at any time of the day (Viet's occasionally eat Pho for breakfast or lunch, not just dinner).


Ordering at a restaurant: 

There are many selectable variations from which you may choose when ordering a bowl of Pho in regards to the meat. This ranges from different types of beef to chicken, each with their own unique and exquisite taste.

Asian restaurants will always allow their customers to enhance or alter the flavour of the dish to their own liking by providing a range of sauces and garnishes on the table for free! The most common are Hoisin Sauce, chilli sauce, fish sauce and fresh chilli.



In addition, a plate of fresh vegetables consisting of basil leaves, bean sprouts, slices of lemon and fresh chilli (if not already provided) is always served with any bowl of Pho free of charge. Depending on your taste and preferences, you may choose to add these to your meal or leave them aside.

Prices for Pho are relatively cheap, commonly ranging from $10-$15 (depending on the size you order - small/medium/large).


Craving for Pho? Go grab a fat bowl at your local Asian restaurant!

- Tommy

Reference:

The Craftsy Blog. 2016. What Is Pho?. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2016/01/what-is-pho/. [Accessed 3 May 2016]

A korean culinary treat

Hello, today's blog post will be focused on Korean Barbeque and show you just what to expect!

Korean barbeque is becoming increasingly more popular in Australia. As more and more Korean bbq restaurants open, there is no better way to dine out as a group than to gather some friends and spend your night eating from a selection of different meats with a whole lot of side dishes!


What to expect

The Korean bbq experience is very different from other types of Barbeque (like the ones that go on in your backyard on a Saturday afternoon!). The main dishes that are served are solely meat. There are so many different types to choose from - marinated, spicy, thin, thick, different cuts. You can choose from different types of chicken, beef, pork,brisket, ox tongue etc. These dishes are often prepared and served at the charcoal grill that is built into the table itself.

These meats are often accompanied with a wide range of side dishes, called Banchan! Some of the most common Banchan are - Kimchi, potato salad, seaweed salad, an assortment of leafs, bean sprouts, radish, tofu, pickled vegetables, green beans, fish cake and many, many more!!

And let's not forget about the dipping sauces! The most common sauces are - gochujang (red pepper paste), ssamjang (mix of soybean paste, oil, onion, garlic, pepper paste) or a mix of sesame oil and sea salt.

People regularly eat their meat by itself or with rice! Or if you want to eat like a Korean, you can make your own "korean taco" by grabbing a lettuce leaf and putting your choice of meat in there and adding some red papper paste! You can personalise each taco you make by adding different meats and sauces!

Most people who go to Korean bbq also enjoy drinking Soju, which tastes like a sweet, mild vodka, however it is quite weak and good for casual drinking. It comes in different flavours such as Rice, raspberry and blueberry. A fun fact about soju - When pouring soju, pour with both hands and always fill the glass to the top. This shows respect. Soju usually costs around $13 for a 600ml sized bottle in Sydney Kbbq restaurants.

Where to eat Korean Barbeque

Some places in Sydney that have the most popular Korean bbq restaurants are Strathfield, Campsie and Eastwood! Most of them are buffets, or A la Carte restaurants. If it is a buffet, it will cost $35 for all you can eat! If A la Carte, depending on how much meat you get will decide how much it costs.

We hope you enjoyed this post, and hopefully you get to visit a Korean bbq restaurant one day! Note, wear clothes that you don't mind smelling of smoke afterwards as the smoke blows onto you while you are cooking. :)

Thank you for reading!

- Jenny

References
Bon Appétit. 2016. How to Eat Korean Barbecue at Restaurants - Bon Appétit. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.bonappetit.com/restaurants-travel/article/korean-bbq. [Accessed 3 May 2016].