Bossam - Korean cooking class @ KCO

It is near impossible to find a decent cooking class in Sydney CBD, let alone a korean one. What better way to learn Korean cooking then through the newly opened Korean Cultural Office on Elizabeth St, Sydney.

Word has spread like wildfire about this cooking class taught by Heather Jeong. It has attracted food writers including those from SMH, timeout out sydney and request from Crave Sydney to open a 4 week course in October. Heather Jeong has approx 20 yrs of cooking experience, food caterer and also works with SBS food safari.

KCO's cooking class started back in April 2011 and since then have successfully held 2 terms of fully booked courses. I was lucky to secure a spot at one of the classes.

At the particular class i attended, we learnt how to make traditional Korean Bossam and a David Chang inspired Bossam that he serves at his Momofuku Ssam Bar Restaurant in New York.

Ssam means to wrap, and Bossam is basically steamed pork (belly or shoulder) wrapped with anything from lettuce, sesame leaf, seaweed to thin slices of radish. Along with the pork you also put in fresh oysters, moo kimchee (korean radish kimchee) and salted shrimp paste, served with ssam jang (soybean chilli paste).



It was a very interactive class where there was a nice balance between hands on, demonstration and eating~! Heather is extremely generous and prepares extra dishes for the class to eat so you leave the room with a full tummy. Heather made some korean pasta soup, tempura vegetables, numerous korean side dishes and almond meal strawberry cake for dessert.



We learnt how to make moo kimchee which is essentially chilli radish which can be eaten straight off or fermented for the extra sourness. A tip with making chilli paste: buy packet chilli from korean groceries and mix a small handful with rice paste. A little chilli powder will then go a long way.


chilli powder with rice paste


salted shrimp paste with added chilli and sesame oil


moo kimchee with oysters!

Pork is basically boiled and retains its natural flavours with succulent layers of fat and meat intertwined. The pork accompanied by crunchy & chilli radish kinchee with goes well with the creaminess of the oyster and juicy cabbage.





As you can see i enjoyed savouring the wraps one after another...and another!



The traditional Bossam was then compared to a David Chang inspired Bossam. David Chang, the infamous American/Korean celebrity chef who has amazed the American restaurant scene with his pork bun and bossam, shot to fame with his fusion of different cultures' cuisine and creating explosions on plates.

In his Bossam, David Chang does not boil, he brines the pork. He also uses chinese shallot/ginger and rice in his wraps but retains the traditional bossam's use of oysters and ssam jang sauce.

What is brining?
Brining is a cooking technique used to produce juicy and tender meat, essentially cooking it in salt water and some sugar.

How does brining make the pork juicier you ask?
We learnt in biology back in high school about osmosis. As the salt concentration is higher in the water than inside the meat, the salt water moves into the meat. The heat in the pot then seals the salt water inside the meat rendering it juicier and more seasoned than its original state.

David Chang also uses chinese inspired shallot and ginger sauce to compliment and wrap his pork in butter lettuce rather than the traditional wraps.


Shallot and ginger

Unlike the chinese shallot and ginger sauce, this one adds a dash of vinegar.



freshly shucked oysters



The brined meat is rubbed with a layer of sugar and salt at the final stage in the oven so a crust is formed on the outside. Once it is ready, the meat is "pulled" into strands. Personally i prefer boiled pork in the bossam as it was juicier and full bodied compared to stringy pork meat in David Chang's version.







David's version is also served wrapped with rice but by this stage i was so full i could barely breathe and could not take in the carbs!



side dishes homemade by Heather


a ready made packet of korean pasta soup that can be purchased from Korean groceries


freshly made korean pasta soup

After devouring a mountain of food, i could not resist the irrestible: Dessert! Heather made the moistest almond meal cake i have tasted and so i helped myself to 3 big pieces =)



I will be posting up a series of korean recipes from my 4 week course in October, so stay tuned!

Korean Cultural Office
255 Elizabeth Steet
Sydney
Tel - 02 8267 3467
http://koreanculture.org.au

Healthy Chef Cafe

When my colleague first boasted about this place, i was a bit hesitant mainly because of the seemingly mundane name for a cafe and the fact that it is located in far away Avalon (near Palm Beach). But as i googled and read about Teresa Cutter the owner of the cafe (who has written 4 cookbooks) and the cafe's philosophy of creating a place where people "come and nourish their bodies with delicious food" where their passion is in promoting healthy eating, i was inspired.

Situated on the corner, it was easily spotted as our car zoomed by. It is only a petite cafe where patrons can chose to sit inside on cushioned sofas/wooden benches or outside to enjoy the sun.

They not only serve breakfast and lunch but a healthy selection of cakes and cookies and campos coffee.



The cafe is to be commended (unlike the majority of eateries in sydney) as it caters for the increasing number of people with dietary requirements e.g. wheat free, low carb, gluten free, organic, vegan, raw and detoxing.

All the items on the menu are low in saturated fat, sugar, salt and refined ingredients as they strive to serve ingredients as close to its natural state as possible to maxiumise nutrients.

So you can eat as much as you want and not feel guilty!!



The menu offered an array of healthy and tantalising options scribbled on the blackboard. I was tempted by the detoxing juice, stressbuster smoothie, bean & sweet corn nachos and the detox energy salad, which set me back at $51 for 2 people. Not particularly the cheapest lunch, but reasonable considering it is cafe styled food using high quality ingredients.


Detox juice - apple, organic spirilina, lemon, parsley and ginger


Stress buster smoothie - Blueberry, banana, soy milk and honey

I am the biggest nachos fan and shamefully admit I eat it at least once a fortnight. Hence I had high expectations of how nachos can be transformed into something healthy yet still yummilious.

The corn chips are organic with a generous portion of seeds on each one. The evil sour cream has been replaced by natural yogurt but retains the tangy creamy sour cream elements so you dont feel ripped off. Guacamole is thrown out the window and substituted with half an avocado. The beans are apparently slowly simmered with tomato, carrot, celery, smoked paprika and sweet corn. The beans maintained its bite and did not feel like mushy baby food. What is even better is that the dish is wheat free, gluten free, packed with protein and low GI, yet still tastes like the real thing.


Nachos



The detox salad was a generous mix of salad leaves, baby spinach, broccolini, avocado chunks and goji berry with handfuls of roasted walnuts, pumpkin seed and ground flax seed. Apple balsamic vinegar and olive oil is separately provided so you can add as much or as little as you want.

The broccolini looked so enticing lying on top of the salad covered in seeds. The broccolini was crunchy and super fresh. The avocado chunks added some creaminess to the otherwise plain spinach and salad leaves whilst the acidic apple balsamic vinegar makes you salivate and lure you in for more. The walnuts and seeds are also a much welcomed addition to add that extra crunch. Even better, this salad is full of omega 3, protein and antioxidants, is wheat free, gluten free, low carbs and low GI.


Detox salad



We specially ventured to Avalon to try it out and we were not disappointed. After a nourishing meal we strolled along Avalon beach enjoying the sun, what more could you ask for?


Healthy Chef Cafe
17 Avalon Parade
Avalon beach
Tel -02 9973 3233
http://www.teresacutter.com/healthy-chef-cafe/
(open 7 days for breakfast and lunch)

ZenQ Dessert - Chatswood

It was by chance that my friend knew this place was opened and by luck that it was still open when we found it at 10pm. ZenQ is the newest dessert addition to the chatswood scene! (they are open from 12pm-12am)

Comparable to Meet Fresh in Sydney's Chinatown, it is a dessert place that features traditional taiwanese desserts serving an array of hot and cold desserts (including shaved ice) and drinks. They also serve thick (and i mean thick) cut toast, both savoury and sweet.

ZenQ (which is from the same company as Chatime) made its debut in Australia with this Chatswood shop which opened on 2 September 2011.



The shop is packed on a saturday night, no doubt filled with curious first timers. What i instantly liked was the menu which had a much wider selection than Meet Fresh. Sorry, this post may end up being a ZenQ vs Meet Fresh post!!

You are able to create your own dessert. First choose your base (grass jelly, red bean soup, black glutinous rice soup or pudding) for $4-$5.60 and then you add your favourite toppings ($0.60-$1 per topping):



Must admit, the price is a bit dearer than Meet Fresh, but the flexibility of being able to mix and match different base/toppings may justify the price differential.




Create your own: grass jelly base with pudding, milk and sweet potato $6.20


Signature dessert no. 1 - Grass jelly with ZenQ signature Q balls with pearls $6.20

We were about to order the hot grass jelly but fortunately we were warned that hot grass jelly comes out in a liquid consistency. That was when i remembered the terrible experience i had at Meet Fresh where the dessert looked like hot gooey black jelly. Thanks ZenQ for the heads up! I'm glad they care about their customers satisfaction =)


Create your own: pudding (green tea, chocolate and milk flavours) with taro mash, red bean and caramel sauce $6.40

What is disappointing is the dessert bowl serving size as it is a bit smaller than Meet Fresh's.

I had the create your own dessert with the 3 puddings. I liked the chocolate and green tea puddings as they werent overly sweet, but some may consider it bland. The chocolate pudding is chocolatey when it hits the palate but then the flavour disappears, but i didn't mind as it allows the sweetness from the red bean and taro mash to shine through.

ZenQ Dessert
Shop 223, Chatswood Westfield (entrance via Victoria Ave)
Chatswood Sydney
Tel - 02 9411 6882
http://izenq.com.au/

Zen Oasis - vegetarian buffet

I had a major craving for vegetarian food and reminisced the last time i visited Zen Oasis (especially their milk green teas). So it was decided we would venture to Berrima to endulge in some Zen on a saturday morning, and booked a table in advance on their website.

It was a nice drive south, about 1.5hrs from sydney. We turned off at Berrima and found Zen Oasis' sign at the start of a very long driveway. Lined with beautiful pinetrees on either side of the driveway we finally sighted the tiny wooden cottage which is the restaurant. I loved the serenity of the place - a massive manmade pond with a beautifully well groomed japanese style garden outside.





We knew it was going to be quite packed as it is only opened on saturday and sunday for 11.30-1.30 session only (unless you have a private function in the afternoon). For $31 per adult, it is an all you can eat buffet but a $10 surchage applies if there is excess food on your plate. But why would you not finish it all when it is so finger licking good =)



Without a doubt there is a lot of culinary skills and thought behind the creation of each dish. I love how it isn't the traditional chinese vegetarian food you would expect with flavoured gluten and steamed tofu, but food that appeals to your senses and surprises you with their flavour. The dishes are replicas of actual meat dishes minus the meat, but with the same appearance and textural satisfaction.

There is a wide selection from fried sweet seaweed strips and vege curry puffs to dim sums, tempura 'prawns' (which taste like real prawn with the same bouncy firm texture), cream and mushroom 'chicken' and sweet n sour 'pork' with lychee. Not to mention the myriad of drinks and desserts on offer!!





My favourite is indisputably the sweet seaweed strips!! Deep fried with a sprinkling of sesame seeds, it was a crunchy sensation that is so addictive i literally couldn't stop.

I also liked the sweet and sour pork with lychee. The 'pork' is skewered with a stick of sugar cane and is absolutely delish when accompanied with the juicy lychees.













At the dessert stand, little pieces of goodies are lined up waiting to be tasted. Fruit, puddings, cakes, mochi, chocolate cake, cookies and plum jellies, the choices are limitless.



My favourite was the plum jelly. There was more gelatine than the normal wobbly jellies which made it texturely tougher but the flavours were so authentic. It was a solidified version of the chinese sour plum juice with a dried prune suspended in the middle. Irresistably good.



Zen Oasis
2 Medway Rd
Berrima
Tel - 02 4877 1285
www.zen-oasis.com