Weeknight Dinners 101

Story And Photographs By KEANE STRAUB

With the first month of the school year in the books, we figured it was a good time to catch up with students – in this case, students from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). With their busy schedules between early morning classes and day-to-day services at venues like The Highwood Kitchen + Bar, many student chefs have figured out ways to make weekday meals easy, tasty, and affordable.

Guided and encouraged by chef instructors, and inspired by their own experiences and backgrounds, the four student chefs highlighted this month are a perfect example of diversity in a kitchen, and in the industry. Who knows what the future will bring? One day they could be cooking in one of your favourite restaurants or the next big name on the culinary scene.

Watch out for our December issue with four featured Culinary students from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.

Growing up in a household where both parents worked, meant that second-year Culinary Arts student Alice Yip found herself cooking meals. “My mother was very busy, and sometimes her dishes weren’t very flavourful,” she explains. “That made me curious to learn how to improve and make better dishes.” by their own experiences and backgrounds, the four student chefs highlighted this month are a perfect example of diversity in a kitchen, and in the industry. Who knows what the future will bring? One day they could be cooking in one of your favourite restaurants or the next big name on the culinary scene.

While she has several favourite dishes, it’s those that are Hong Kong-style barbecue meat that standout – think char siu, roast goose, and suckling pig. The drawback is that these dishes are labour intensive, something that busy weekdays don’t always allow for.

Keep your midweek meal efforts minimal. “You can prep dishes the evening before such as marinating meat, or braising or slow cooking overnight,” Alice suggests. Choose vegetables that have a longer shelflife or try pickling some on the weekend to add to weekday dishes.

“Sweet and sour pork is a must-order when I dine at Cantonese restaurants,” she adds. “It’s a signature Cantonese dish, and one of my comfort foods. But it takes quite a bit of time because you need to deep-fry the pork twice. You can substitute that with pan-fried chicken – the flavour is still there, and you will not be able to resist having it with a big bowl of rice!”

When making the sauce, adjust the sugar or vinegar to find a flavour that suits you. “Cooking should be relaxing,” Alice reminds us, “So don’t be stressed because it’s a midweek meal. Happy cooking!”

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Serves 4

4 boneless chicken thighs

1 Tbs (15 mL) soy sauce

1 Tbs (15 mL) vegetable oil

1½ Tbs (22 mL) water

3 tsp cornstarch

¼ tsp white pepper

2 tsp minced ginger

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

½ onion

2 cloves garlic

5 fresh or canned pineapple rings, diced

1 Tbs (15 mL) vegetable oil, divided

To taste salt

Green onion, sliced, for garnish

Sauce

1 Tbs (15 mL) Worcestershire sauce

3 Tbs (45 mL) white or rice vinegar

1 tomato, thin sliced

4 Tbs (60 mL) ketchup

5 Tbs sugar

¼ cup (60 mL) water

½ lemon, juiced

1. Dice chicken thigh into 2.5 cm cubes.

2. Mix chicken with the next 6 ingredients and set aside for 15 minutes.

3. Cut red and green peppers, and onion into triangles, slice garlic and divide each pineapple ring into 8.

4. In a small saucepan, add all the sauce ingredients and mix well. Heat to boiling and the sauce thickens, around 4 minutes, then add lemon juice to adjust the sourness. Set aside.

5. Heat a non-stick pan with ½ Tbs vegetable oil at high heat, fry sliced garlic until fragrant, then add onion and toss briefly, follow with red and green peppers, stir well for another minute, seasoning with salt, then set aside.

6. Heat a non-stick with ½ Tbs vegetable oil, pan-sear chicken cubes at mediumhigh heat until golden brown, then stir-fry until fully cooked.

7. Add fried vegetables and pineapple, toss and stir well, seasoning with salt.

8. Pour in sauce, toss until hot, and garnish with green onion. Serve hot with jasmine rice if desired.

With a severe peanut and tree nut allergy, Michelle Kwong quickly discovered that the only way she could experience new foods without risking her safety was to learn how to cook. “Growing up, and even now, I am limited to the types of foods I can try. I hope one day to make baked goods from various cultures more easily accessible to those with allergies.”

As a second-year Baking and Pastry Arts student, Michelle considers herself more of a baker than a chef, so her love of baked goods knows no bounds. “For me, cooking is more about the memories you can make with the people you cook for and with. So, my favourite dish to cook is anything I can make and enjoy with my family.”

Her bulgogi bao recipe is designed so that many components can be prepared beforehand.

“During the fall, when so many vegetables are ready to harvest, a variety of pickled vegetables can be made well in advance and stored in the fridge.” Keep in mind: the smaller you cut the vegetables, the quicker they will pickle.

“I created this dish with my sister, Amanda,” Michelle explains. “A tortilla was used as a vessel for the filling, but as an Asian Canadian, I wanted to share a recipe that highlighted my Chinese and Taiwanese background, as well as the diverse cultures and cuisines in Canada. The foundation is a steamed bao bun, the perfect envelope for Korean bulgogi beef, European garlic aioli, and Vietnamese pickled vegetables.”

Bulgogi Bao

Serves 4

4-5 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp sugar

2½ tsp instant yeast

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/3 cup (320 mL) warm water

Bao dough

1. Mix by hand in a large bowl or in a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment: flour, sugar, instant yeast and baking powder. Mix on low speed and slowly pour in the warm water. Allow to mix for 8-10 minutes or until dough forms a smooth ball. The dough should not be sticky.

2. Remove dough from mixer and divide into 12 even pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a ball then using either a rolling pin or your hands flatten into a ½ cm thick oval. Brush bao dough with a bit of oil then fold in half and place on parchment squares in a steamer basket. Allow to rest for approximately 30 minutes or until they have doubled in size and become lighter.

Bulgogi

4-5 cups beef, thinly sliced

4 Tbs cornstarch

½ cup (120 mL) soy sauce

¼ cup (60 mL) water

1 Tbs (15 mL) vinegar

2-4 Tbs brown sugar

1 Tbs ginger

2-3 cloves garlic

1. Slice beef into strips and gently toss with cornstarch until it is evenly coated.

2. In a pot or microwave-safe bowl combine soy sauce, water, vinegar and brown sugar. Heat until sugar is dissolved then add ginger and garlic.

3. Pour marinade over the beef and cornstarch mixture and let stand for at least 5 minutes.

1 cup (240 mL) white vinegar

1 cup white sugar

1 clove garlic

2 cups carrots, cut into strips

2 cups daikon radish, cut into strips

2 cups cucumber, cut into strips

2/3 cup (160 mL) mayonnaise

4 cloves garlic, crushed

To taste salt and pepper

2 tomatoes, washed and sliced

2 cups lettuce, washed and sliced

1. In a pot add vinegar and white sugar. Crush garlic using the flat side of a knife and add to pot. Heat on low until sugar is dissolved. Once sugar is dissolved add the vegetables to the pickling solution starting from the hardest vegetable, in this case the carrots. Allow to sit in pickling liquid and check after 5 minutes to see if desired crunch and flavour has been achieved. Repeat process with cucumbers and daikon radish (note that less time is required to achieve the desired effect for cucumbers).

2. In a bowl combine mayonnaise and crushed garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Place steamer basket with baos over a pot of boiling water and allow to cook for 14 minutes.

4. Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Once hot add beef mixture and sauté until sauce begins to caramelize and the meat is fully cooked through.

5. Spread garlic aioli on one side of the bao then add the bulgogi beef, pickled vegetables and tomatoes and lettuce.

Second-year Culinary Arts student Vikas Prithvinath says that growing up he was influenced by a lot of great home cooks, including his aunts and his mother. “There would be days where we’d all meet together in my grandmother’s house and they’d all huddle in a tiny kitchen, and each one would cook one part of the family meal for that day.”

Biriyani is his favourite dish. “In South India, biriyani is not a food, it’s an emotion. Every single household and restaurant will have their own version of it, and that shows you how much that dish has been manipulated and takes on its own identity.”

To tackle tight timelines for weekday meals, Vikas says your best bet is to use a pressure cooker. “It’s saved my life so many times, especially after a long day when you just want to eat something to fill your stomach and go to bed. Rice and dahl are big staples for me during the week, so I’ll put the lentils in the pressure cooker and forget about it.”

Vikas’ recipe for Prawn Vindaloo comes together with relative ease. Typically a red curry coloured by Kashmiri chilies, for this version arbol chilies are used as they’re easier to find in Alberta. “To adjust this to the North American palate there’s a bit more yogurt and cream to balance out the flavours,” he adds. And the prawns will cook quicker than traditional lamb or pork. Vikas adds that Indian cooking is pretty forgiving, but the most crucial thing about making curry is to ensure you cook your onions almost to the point of burning to give it a rich, deep flavour.

Prawn Vindaloo

Serves 4

2 cups prawns, deveined

1½ tsp garlic puree

1½ tsp ginger puree

A pinch ground cumin

A pinch ground coriander

1 Tbs (15 mL) canola oil

Drain the prawns. Mix all ingredients apart from prawns together and marinate the prawns in the mixture. Spread out onto parchment-lined baking trays. Sear in the oven at 450° F for 5-10 minutes and reserve.

Vindaloo Paste:

100 g red onion, small dice

1 tbs (15 mL) ghee or clarified butter

1 tsp cumin seed

1 tsp coriander seed

½ tsp Kashmiri or dried chili (cayenne or arbol)

2 Tbs (30 mL) white vinegar

1 tsp black pepper, ground

1 Thai chili

Caramelize the onion with butter in a medium pot until just before burnt. This is the most important step. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool slightly and purée until smooth in a blender and reserve.

Curry:

It is very important that the curry sauce is puréed.

200 g onion, small dice

3 Tbs + 1 tsp (50 mL) ghee or clarified butter

1 tsp garlic purée

1 tsp ginger purée

2 cups (500 mL) chicken stock

Vindaloo paste (from above)

300 g yellow potatoes, peeled and large dice

1 Tbs (15 mL) plain yogurt

To taste cream (only to balance the heat)

Seared marinated prawns

1. Caramelize the onion with butter in a skillet or saucepan.

2. Add the garlic and ginger. Sweat 2-3 minutes more.

3. Add the vindaloo paste and stock, and combine well with the aromatics.

4. Add the potatoes and yogurt. Simmer until tender.

5. Finish by adding the prawns at the very end and simmer for a few minutes. Serve with rice.

Second-year Culinary Arts student, Earl Guieb, draws on diverse dishes from comforting home-cooked meals to intricate gourmet dishes, taking cues from different regions, techniques, and spices. “Knowing what’s in season locally drives me to create dishes that celebrate the natural rhythm of the year.”

Keep weeknights stress free and flavourful: “Incorporating seasonal and local ingredients enhances flavour and nutrition while supporting local farmers, is one way to make meals more manageable.” One-pot or sheet pan meals simplify both cooking and clean up. “Slow cookers are also great for making hearty meals with minimal effort,” he adds.

Classic Filipino dishes like crispy palabok and kare-kare are some of Earl’s favourites. “Growing up in a Filipino household, kare-kare was often at the centre of family celebrations and gettogethers,” he explains.

Preparing traditional kare-kare can be time consuming, which prompted Earl to create a simple spin on the dish for an easy and accessible weekday meal. “Various versions use different proteins like beef, oxtail, or seafood. Here I’ve used bacon and changed the rice to rice vermicelli noodles. Brussels sprouts replace banana blossom. This variation uses affordable ingredients available in Alberta, while maintaining the rich and comforting flavours of the traditional dish.” He advises choosing fresh or unsweetened peanut butter for depth of flavour. And don’t skip blanching the vegetables – it helps them retain texture and colour.

“Eating kare-kare always brings fond memories of enjoying a meal that was made with love. It’s more than just food, it’s a connection to my roots, and a way to share Filipino culture with others.”

Bacon Kare-Kare

Serves 4

500 g bacon, diced small

70 g onion, small diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup (250 mL) water

200 g peanut butter

75 g anatto powder

1 tsp (5 mL) fish sauce

2 tsp brown sugar

2½ cups (600 mL) cooking oil

400 g vermicelli noodles

1 zucchini, small diced

Green beans, small diced

1 bell pepper, sliced

Gail Lan

Green onions, sliced for garnish Roasted peanuts, for garnish

1. in a pan cook the bacon until the fat is rendered and it’s slightly golden brown. Remove and set aside.

2. In the same pan sauté onion and garlic for 6 minutes or until onion starts to soften then add the water, peanut butter, anatto powder, fish sauce, and sugar, and cook for 5 mins in a low heat. Set aside.

3. Heat cooking oil in a wok or cooking pot. Once the oil reaches 350º F, fry the vermicelli until it gets puffed and crispy. Remove from the pan and let the oil drip off.

4. In a pot with water and salt, blanch the zucchini and beans for 3 minutes. Let cool.

5. In a different pan, sauté your bell pepper and gai lan for 2 minutes then add your blanched veggies and your peanut sauce. Cook for 2 minutes.

6. Plate the crispy noodles and add your sautéed veggies with the peanut sauce.