an afternoon with chef John See

cooking and cleaning often go hand in hand and we couldn’t agree more! while we dare say nobody else does cleaning more stylishly than us, we’d prefer leaving the cooking in the good hands of chef John See. checkout what we had in store for the participants to help them get a head start on their lunar new year delicacy preparation!

12 participants arrived punctually on what we called a good-for-lounging-Saturday afternoon. workstations were well set up and everyone had sufficient working space. they put on their apron and were greeted by an energetic and spirited chef John. everyone was eager to be introduced to the chef’s version of 2 most popular CNY delicacies:  prosperity mini roasted pineapple cake and a thai-style abalone “yusheng” with spicy lemon dressing and fruits. now, don’t drool yet! there was just one thing we needed everyone to do before getting their hands dirty.

food hygiene! and when you think about getting your hands washed, what would you think of? method of course! our new range of kitchen gel hand wash made its debut during this session and watch how the participants savour the moment of washing hands. press, rub, smell, wash, smile!

featuring basil, clementine and thyme fragrances [above image, from left to right]

once participants cleaned their hands, it was time to get their hands messy all over again! preparation for the prosperity mini pineapple cake were underway. everyone listened attentively to chef John, who asked a light-hearted question to get everyone in a jovial mood, “how do you crack 2 raw eggs together?” the answer is only 1 egg would crack when 2 eggs collide. have you tried to crack 2 eggs together and both cracked at the same time? we’d love to see that!

ingredients

125gm   butter

100gm   fine sugar

2              whole eggs

125gm   self-raising flour(preshifed)

1tbsp     UHT milk

garnish

3tbsp     roasted fresh pineapple filling

MOW

1. place the butter and sugar into the owl, beat it to creamy texture.
2. then, add in the egg one by one.
3. finally, add in the flour bit by bit.
4. beat the mix to a smooth batter.
5. layer a baking tray or cup with baking paper and garnish it with sugar.
6. bake the cake in a preheated oven of 165°C for 8 to 12 minutes or until it’s cooked.
7. remove the cake only after it has totally cooled down. top the cake with roasted pineapple filling.

ingredients for pineapple filling

350gm   fresh pineapple (chopped to small size or blend to small bit)

2tbsp     fine sugar

1tbsp     unsalted butter

MOW

1. combine all ingredient together well and lightly fry the pineapple filling for half hour or until it is almost dry. use low heat.

more washing!

after everyone successfully baked the prosperity mini roasted pineapple cake, chef John wasted no time and quickly prepared the ingredients for the thai-style abalone “yusheng” with spicy lemon dressing and fruit.

here’s the recipe for the “yusheng” and it serves 8 people.

ingredients

200gm                   Abalone volute slices

chinese-thai marinade

3tbsp                     Lee Kum Kee lemon sauce

1tbsp                     LKK plum sauce

half cup                LKK viet dressing

half cup                LKK thai dressing

70gm                     coriander leaf root

20gm                     coriander leaf

4tbsp                     thai fish sauce

1tbsp                     white vinegar/apple cider (opt)

garnishes

180gm                   thinly sliced white radishes strips

180gm                   thinly sliced carrot strips

80gm                     marinade orange (peeled and wedges)

80gm                     canned lychess

80gm                     canned longans

80gm                     canned pineapples

80gm                     candiced winter melon

80gm                     vegetable / prawn cracker

80gm                     cashew nut

2tbsp                     toasted baby dried shrimp

80gm                     toasted sesame seed

40gm                     coriander leaf

1                              freshly squeezed yellow/green lime

MOW

1. combine all the marinade into a magimix blender and puree it to fine, smooth mix.
2. shred the carrot and soak it in cold water. Drain away the excess water in a salad spinner.
3. place garnishes onto the big platter neatly as shown and place the abalone over it and linger the sauce over it.

everyone had such great time during the cooking class eating savoury and sweet yusheng and brought home their pineapple cakes. not forgetting their hands smelled so good that they could lick them. when it’s time to get dirty, method has your back. whether it’s hands or body washing, cleaning dishes or laundry, right down to cleaning your cooker, surfaces and bathroom, method does it effectively without any toxic chemicals, allowing you to enjoy the process with delightful scents.  fear no mess.