Written and Photographed by Susan Ng

As a Culinary Consultant at Toronto District School Board’s (TDSB’s) Newcomer Services I have had the great privilege of cooking with so many wonderful students – including youths and parents from different backgrounds new to Canada. I host multiple cooking programs as well as provide guidance to school facilitators running culinary sessions which ceased due to COVID-19. As a senior instructor with TDSB Learn4life Continuing Education, I continue to teach my Asian Cooking Program online with seniors. Creating a dynamic cooking experience for all ages!

A great initiative I have also been a part of is The Neighbourhood Table At Home with St. Philip's Lutheran Church, currently in its third season addressing food insecurity in partnership with newcomer communities. A pivot from a summer cooking program held in the church two years prior where I taught cooking to young children aged 6 to 12 and together produced a four course meal at the end to serve families. With the home program initiative, United Way Grants enabled the church to purchase Food Share boxes with volunteers delivering on various routes to the needy families, coupled with an online cooking component led by me. We service an average of 75 families including seniors every season. Since the start of the program, it has been greatly heart-warming and wonderful to hear the immense appreciation from these families.

I am often inspired by other generous chef-friends. They tirelessly salvage food, produce and bread from restaurants and stores to send to a community kitchen to help feed the homeless. Notably, Chef Steph Lo at Mama Lo's Bakery & Kitchen raised nearly $13,000 to cook over a thousand hot meals for the Christmas holiday for those in encampments. Learning of this, it urged me to ask myself how I could do more for the community. 

Which led me to host a Virtual Chinese Cooking Class, in partnership with Chef Lo, to honour of the Lunar New Year. All proceeds went to support Chef Lo’s food program to again cook a thousand hot meals for this upcoming Easter!

My hope is that we can collectively end food insecurity and help inspire others to eat well. With improved fresh food access, food knowledge and skills to cook for ourselves, the healthier the outlook for our future and the next generation will be.

Golden Beef Stir-Fry with The Lucky Trio

This beef stir fry is paired with a lucky trio of ingredients, including lotus roots, black fungus mushrooms and red chilis. It is a lovely dish full of luck for The Year of the Golden Ox!

For the first ingredient, lotus roots used in a Lunar New Year dish are particularly auspicious due to their name, shape and fibrous texture. Their Chinese name lian au means "together a pair" and is symbolic of abundance. The roots grow in sections like bamboo and are shaped like branches signifying growth and opportunities. Combined with the two other lucky ingredients: black fungus mushrooms represent longevity and red chilli peppers for their energetic presence of the auspicious red. This dish makes for a combo of crunch, savoury goodness and meaning that sends tons of positive vibes for the Lunar New Year. 

Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. cooking oil

3 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces, reserving some green parts for garnish

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. chilli bean paste (also known as Toban Djan)

2 long red chillies, seeded, cut into long strips about two inches 

1 medium lotus root, roots trimmed, peeled, thinly sliced

8 wood ear mushrooms, rehydrated in water for two hours, drained and cut into bite-size pieces

1 Tbsp. Chinese cooking wine

1/4 cup chicken stock

2 tsp. oyster sauce

Marinade for meat

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce

1 Tbsp. Chinese cooking wine

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

375 g flank steak, thinly sliced across the grain

Tip: Freeze the beef for two hours to make slicing easier.

For more great recipes, visit Susan's Savour-It!