8 minute read

Cookery

Next Article
Judaism

Judaism

Another delicious recipe from Denise Phillips

For more recipes and inspiration visit my website: www.jewishcookery.com

Udon Noodle Tofu Ramen Soup

Ramen is an oriental noodle recipe that can be made into a hot soup or used as the base of a salad. Instead of a ‘takeaway’ by creating this at home you will make a ‘fakeaway’!

Food presented in a bowl, it is on the ‘trendy’ scene at the moment!

Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes Serves: 4

Ingredients 25g dried shiitake mushrooms 1 litre vegetable/ chicken stock ( use your leftover chicken soup broth) 1 tablespoon mirin 1 tablespoon soya sauce 1 garlic clove 2cm fresh ginger – peeled and finely chopped 1 red chilli – deseeded and finely chopped ~ 300g Udon noodles 50g Kale – washed and chopped 160g marinated tofu – sliced 2 spring onions – trimmed and sliced

Method 1) Pour the stock into a large saucepan. 2) Add the dried mushrooms, mirin, soya sauce, garlic, ginger, chilli. 3) Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes for the flavours to all diffuse. 4) Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, drain and transfer to large individual soup bowls. 5) Pour in the hot soup and top with kale, spring onions and tofu.

Transforming Your Chicken Soup

BY DENISE PHILLIPS

There is something very special about chicken soup, the soul satisfying and winter-warming broth. The wonderful element of traditional recipe is that it has numerous variations, but I like to use the chicken carcass or chicken wings with a saucepan jammed packed with vegetables. This includes, leeks, carrots, swede, turnip, onions with the skin on which gives extra flavour and colour to the soup, parsnip, bay leaves, one tomato, celery and a large bunch of fresh parsley.

But this delicious broth can easily be transformed into a different type of soup entirely. Make it Mexican style with the addition of tin ‘creamed’ sweet corn, garlic, cumin, chilli, strips of chicken and garnished with strips of baked tortilla bread strips, sprigs of fresh coriander and chopped avocado.

Add an Asian influence with a tin of coconut milk, spring onions, chopped ginger, lemongrass sticks, chopped red chilli, bok choy and some soya sauce. Garnish with sprigs of coriander and a slice of lime. Experiment and change the flavours to an Indian style with curry powder, chopped carrots, celery, rice, chickpeas, apples, coconut milk and fresh coriander, better known as Mulligatawny. This soup is richly flavoured and thickened with the rice.

Let the chicken soup take an Italian twist and add pasta, cannellini beans, stale crusty bread, chopped tomatoes, kale and some crushed chilli flakes. This is a Tuscan speciality called Ribollita, a wholesome bowl of goodness.

Comforting, vibrant and delicious use your chicken soup to make a Japanese style chicken ramen. Add soya sauce, shiitake mushrooms, mirin (Japanese rice wine), garlic, ginger, udon noodles, caramelised soya glazed chicken pieces, tofu or hardboiled eggs or fried egg and top with sesame oil, sesame seeds and spring onions.

What is your favourite way to make chicken soup? Email me on denise@jewishcookery.com I will add the most popular recipe to the next cookery column.

22 Business tips for 2022

With New years resolutions long forgotten, 2022 already feels quite stall. From a Business angle, the bad news keeps on coming – higher energy costs, scarcity of resources, record inflation levels, difficult trading conditions post-covid - the gloomy list is endless. Yet, a New year heralds a time for innovation and already the ‘smog’ of Covid seems to be lifting, with the distant dawn of a brighter economic outlook. Ironically, the time to start or invest in a business, is often during a financial ‘downturn’, and is the reason why JCommerce are re-doubling their efforts this year to provide business support services for the community. One of the most effective forms of business assistance is mentoring; it allows ‘newbies’ to gain the inside track and vital knowledge from industry veterans. So here are 22 tips from business mentors we work with, to help your business this year.

1. BE PREPARED Take a good look at your business. How well are you handling the different strands? Operationally are things running as they should? Perhaps it is time to acknowledge that some tasks are best done with professional help. 2. NEW BEGINNINGS If you are starting a new business, your business plan is vital to strategise different aspects of the business and set goals. It’s that old saying about life “if you don’t know where you’re going how will you know when you get there.” 3. WORKING FROM HOME Hailed as the new way of working, it can certainly lead to increased productivity, but the biggest upside is that allows you to start almost anything from home, with minimum overheads. 4. BE CURIOUS If you are developing a new product, do your research, be prepared for plenty of experimentation and try to get hands on experience. Thomas Edison, the prolific inventor, most notably of the light bulb fame said “I have not failed, I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” 5. BE PRESENT Multi-tasking is so overrated! Practice mindfulness and be in the moment by prioritising tasks that need to be done; others can wait, or be delegated. 6. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY If you are looking at a new version of a current product, think seriously about what improvements you would make and how would you make it better. 7. TURN UNCERTAINTY INTO A SAFE BET Although we are still in unchartered waters in terms of post Covid economics, on your own ‘macro’ level, know what you are getting in to; identify the needs and then the solutions. 8. CUT COSTS spiralling costs are the nemesis of any business and can often catch people unawares. This is especially true against the current backdrop of raw material costs, production AND transportation leading to increasing prices. So be lean in the areas you can without cutting important corners. 9. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS Networking is defined as “Exchange of information and ideas amongst those with a common interest, usually in an informal setting.” Follow up on leads, go to events and speak to people. You never know which connection will get you to the next step. 10. KNOW YOUR COMPETITORS… research and be familiar with their business model and what you would do differently. Conversely, you can also build bridges not walls by collaborating with someone else in the same field. Sometimes your expertise can complement or you will find opportunities to pass on business to each other.

11. … AS WELL AS YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

trying to be all things to all people means you could spread yourself too thinly and end up not pleasing anyone. Know who your end user is and engage with them endlessly. 12. STAND OUT Find your unique angle that sets your business apart. Think Cokes secret ingredient or Amazons’ same day delivery. If you don’t have something unique - lets face it, you cant always re-invent the wheel - then make a [true] claim before your competitors do and you will ‘own’ it [Tesco: Every little helps] 13. LISTEN TO THE CUSTOMER The most fundamental question to any business is, “Is this what customers really want?” Ask customers for their feedback and use this to your benefit. If you are starting out, look for opinions on similar products or organise a focus group or survey. 14. ASK QUESTIONS - AND ASK AGAIN Pitch yourself to professionals and carry out market research….and use your mentor! 15. FINANCE AND FUNDING Probably the toughest part for new businesses, however if you are committed, passionate and have a good business plan, don’t be afraid to approach family, the banks and numerous business loan providers to raise capital. 16. CREATE A BRAND Clever branding establishing who you are, allows you to create a unique and lasting image that molds customers’ perception to believing in your product. 17. MARKETING Build awareness through consistent messaging and constant promotion of your service or product to remind people that they need what you have. Use satisfied customer testimonials and recommendations as well as word of mouth to create traction. 18. PEOPLE ARE YOUR BEST ASSET As people re-adjust their prioritise for a post-covid work/life balance, many talented individuals are looking for new opportunities; use their well-honed skills to shore up any gaps in your knowledge and surround yourself with the right people 19. BE PREPARED FOR GROWTH Whilst things seem sluggish now, be well positioned to take advantage so that you don’t miss the boat when the market ticks upwards, which it will eventually. 20. GO DIGITAL Using technology in the various different business operations, can in the longer term provide better value to your customers and be more economic for you. 21. WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT Having an online presence is your calling card and provides credibility. It can also be a sales tool allowing you to ‘boast’ about what you do well, or even have an online selling facility. 22. CLEAR FINANCIAL RECORDS A must for any business start-up or small medium enterprise; failure to do so can quickly lead to disaster and unravel what otherwise would be a good going concern.

Jcommerce is a charitable organisation set up to support businesses in the North West Community to economic self-sufficiency and address business challenges. For more information about our business support services including, video soundbites from successful entrepreneurs, business advice and mentoring go to www. jcommerce.org

This article is from: