Preview of Days 6 + 7

On Wednesday - Day 6 - we'll be involved in hosting Mr. Takashi Okui, President of
Okui Kaiseido Co., Ltd.

Mr. Okui will arrive around 11:00 AM and will give a presentation beginning at 1:00 PM in the Anheuser-Busch Theatre. 

Day 6 is not a service day -it's the first day of the Japanese Menu and, if we are well organized, should be able to have stations set and family meal ready by the time they arrive. With this in mind, I've invited Mr. Okui and his entourage to join us for family meal if they can. Here are a few links for information on his company and kombu, as a source of umami and nutrition, in general. Please give them a quick look, it's polite to inform yourself about a visitor before they arrive.

Okui Kaiseido is Japan's leading kombu (kelp seaweed) processing and wholesale company with over 130 years' tradition.
The essence of Japanese cuisine is dashi (broth), and is the key ingredient to dashi. It can be applied to various cuisines, Michelin starred chefs in New York are creating original dishes by using Japanese kombu for specialty broths and other applicatons. 

http://kyoudo-ryouri.com/en/journey/3095/4


https://www.umamiinfo.com/richfood/foodstuff/kelp.php

This following section - in bold - is specific to your group for Wednesday, April 4. Please read it through. There is more general information on how to set up each station - including sushi set up- after that, you should look at that as well.

April 4 K1 AM

Sous Chefs -  Start remouillage
                    - Start 2 gallons dashi 
                    - Begin procedure for 10 cups sushi rice (see recipe in Sushi Maki Section of                                    Website)
                    - Begin procedure for 8 cups long grain steamed rice
                    - chill 1 1/2 gallons for Day 7, use 1/2 gallon Day 6 for Miso soup
                    - Make Sunomono salad - give to station 6 for inclusion in sushi garnish MEP
                    - Oversee set up of sushi production stations on Station 2, and plating on station 3
                        (Chef will assist with this - there are photos further down in this blog)
                    - Set up soup station
                    - Set up demo table

Station #2 - Start 1 recipe of braised beef
                   - Check with chef about desalting miso pickles
                   - Prepare shrimp and set up station for 12 sushi maki rolls. Plan on making                                      California rolls, but we may receive tuna also- more information on station set up                        is  below, including a photo of the Maki station

Station # 3- Blanch Meat and bones for Pho from Vietnamese menu. Chill and store. Broth will                       be finished on Day 7 
                   -  Prepare shrimp and set up station for 20 pieces of sushi nigiri - more information                          below including a photo of the Nigiri station
                   - prep pork for 6 cutlets, including sauce, cabbage salad, and set up of fry station.                          More information is below

Station #4 - Start roasting pork belly right away - ask chef for advice on amount of salt to use. 
                  - Prep for 10 full portions of Ramen - see below for more information. We will                               receive two different styles of noodles, ask chef for advice on how to cook and hold                       them. Station set up for Ramen is described below. 

Station #5 - Make marinade for beef teriyaki, clean skirt steaks, prep vegetables for teriyaki -                        use about 1/4 pound snow peas, 1/4 pound mushrooms, 1/4 pound bean sprouts
                   -  marinate pork butt for Vietnamese menu - look in VN section of website for                                   recipe, it's under the Banh Mi heading
                   - Prep for 10 portions of sushi inari
                   - see more information on station set up below


Station #6 - Prepare sushi garnishes for 20 people (see details below).
                   - Prepare Shiitake-Kombu Dashi for 15 portions of Vegetable Harvest bowls, talk to                       chef EARLY about how to prepare individual vegetables, noodles, and tofu. 

GENERAL INFORMATION ON Japanese Menu and individual stations:

Heads up -Japanese do not generally cook in woks and the woks we have are used for many other, stronger, flavored dishes. On Days 6+7 we may use woks to steam or boil water, but not to cook in - the flavors come out "muddy".  You may use them to blanch vegetables, bones or noodles, or use the wok steamers; ask me if not certain about when a wok might be appropriate.

In advance of the Vietnamese Menu for Days 8+9 you should watch the videos in the side bar in the Vietnamese section of the website. If you do not, you'll be unprepared for several techniques you'll need to know while prepping ahead.

Sous Chefs:
The only things coming off of the steam table today will be the steamed long grained white rice and the Braised beef, You only need to use 1 steam table.

Making Sushi Rice is key. Watch the video and be prepared to start the process as soon as you come in at 7:00 am. Remember that we are using the Rice Cooker instead of the Steamer.
- Rinse and drain rice until water is clear - the more clear the water, the better the rice. Anticipate spending 15 minutes or so washing rice - be sure to handle the rice GENTLY so that it does not crumble as you rinse it.
- Soak rice for 1 hour in fresh, cool water
- Drain and Air Dry rice on lined sheet tray from 30 minutes
- prepare vinegar solution while rice dries
- Steam rice in Rice Cooker - CHECK WITH CHEF FOR DONENESS OF RICE BEFORE REMOVING FROM RICE COOKER.While rice is steaming, fill hangiri with cool water, when rice is finished cooking and while it's resting, dump water from hangiri, towel excess water out and then put rested rice into hangiri and add vinegar solution while "cutting" and fanning. Ask me for additional demo on this - I want to bring everyone in on it to watch.

- When rice is cool to the point that it's no longer steaming, stop "cutting" and divide rice into 3 1/3 hotel pans - one pan for each type of sushi. Cover rice with damp towels to keep from forming a crust and hold at room temp - don't refrigerate it.

Once the sushi stations are set up, I'll demo each type of sushi to get you started - if you're set up for demos by 10:00 am you can make all of the sushi slightly ahead hold it. It works best to set up all 3 sushi stations on the same table so you can share ingredients. Use stations 1 and 2 (because they should be finished their other prep by 10:00). When the sushi is made and the garnishes (from station 6) are all together, you can plate on small plates and hold for service on the shelves under station 5.

Sushi Plate:

Sushi Station Set ups

Maki Station:

From Japanese Plate Presentations

Nigiri Station:

From Japanese Plate Presentations

Inari Station:

From Japanese Plate Presentations

Make the Dashi for Miso soup in a stainless steel pot,not a wok, the wok makes it dark and muddy tasting. You should anticipate making about 1 1/2  gallons dashi all together so that other stations can draw from it, the exception will be for Station 6 - they need a Vegan dashi and will make their own. Save the solids when you strain the dashi, they can be used on Day 7 to make a "second dashi", please be very aware of the time and temperature instructions for Dashi - these are important. Also be VERY aware not to rinse or wipe away the white powder which may be on the kombu - this is very flavorful sea minerals. 

"Sunomono" means "vinegared things" in Japanese. The sunomono salad is supposed to be placed on the sushi sampler plate as a garnish - small pile, about 1 TBSP. per plate. The sunomono can be made early and dressed closer to service, around 10:00-10:15

The steamed long grained white rice should be made in the Rice Cooker, the same way as the rice for the Chinese menu.


Station 2:
The braise is pretty self explanatory. For Day 6 make only 1/2 recipe - for Day 7 make 1 full recipe.  Choose a small rondo - you don't want too much surface area or your braise will burn. When finished, hold it hot in a deep 1/2 hotel pan in the steam table. See photo in recipe for plate presentation with Toasted sesame seeds, long, thin, bias cut scallions and Miso Pickles, set on oval plates with white rice and miso pickles -usually the miso pickles are VERY salty right out of the container, so taste them with the chef and then, if needed,  soak them in cool water for at least 3 hours before service, then drain, this may have been done ahead, but talk to me anyway to be sure before we serve them.. On Day 6 Remember to soak Long Grained Sticky Rice on day 7 for Day 8.

Station 3:
Pork Cutlet is also self explanatory, you will clean a pork loin, trim off all silver-skin and external fat, cut into 1/2" thick slices and then pound into very thin, wide cutlets. The recipe on the website has a photo of how to use a sheet of plastic cut from a heavy plastic trash bag when pounding cutlets with a mallet, talk to the chef about how to set this up if it isn't clear to you.You should anticipate frying each cutlet ala minute and plating directly from the fry station, so draw a detailed diagram of how the station will look, make sure to consider work-flow in your diagram . You can fry in the fryer, turn around to the table behind you and slice the pork, plate it with the salad and a ramekin of sauce and then pass to the steam table for rice. The sauce should be in 1 oz. ramekins, (remember, this sauce is very intense in flavor, do not apply salt or pepper to the cutlets when you bread them), the cabbage salad should be dressed ahead of service, and the cutlets fried to order - if they are pounded thin enough they take less than 1 minute to fry. You'll need a cutting board and knife on your station to slice pork before plating - everything in Japanese service is cut to "bite size" before plating because there are typically no knives at the table.Remember to make the Pho Broth for Days 8+9. It's important to start this very early so it develops good body, so blanch the bones and meat on Day 6 and have them ready to start for broth as soon as you arrive on Day 7.

Station 4:  The Pork Belly for The Ramen Noodle Recipe should have been left to dry in the cooler on Day 5 for Day 6 by station 3. You should do it on Day 6 for Day 7 It only has to be removed from the package, placed on a rack, and air dried in the cooler over night, but you can't forget!  The rest of the procedure is self explanatory from the recipe (make sure to review embedded PowerPoint on preparing the pork), feel free to ask me any questions on Day 5. For setting up the Noodle station : Set up the station using the 4 burners on the right side of the range. The 2 left burners will be for station 5 to saute their vegetables. Have one large pot of boiling water with a china cap in it to refresh your noodles ala minute and then have 3 small pots with lids that you can use to make small 1-2 portion batches as needed throughout service.
Prep for days 8+9 includes making spicy beef filling for Beef in La Lot leaf, this MUST be done- let me know if you need help.


Station 5:
Beef Teriyaki - Make sure you watch the demo on cleaning skirt steak., ALL external fat and silver skin must be removed from the main muscle before you portion it. Do Not Portion into individual steaks without having Chef inspect it. Cut and portion into 5 oz. portions. Marinate steaks and prep vegetables. You will cook and plate from your station, so Draw a detailed diagram of how the grill station will be set up - Grill cloth, oil, grill brush, resting pan with rack, cutting board to slice meat, slicing knife, tongs. Also, you will be sauteing the veg (snow peas, bean sprouts, mushrooms) in small batches on the range. Set your station up so that you are "self contained". Grill set up - saute/veg set up- plates on shelf above saute line- cutting board on end of table closest to grill- chaffing dish set up with two 1/2 hotel pans in it , one for rice and one to hold your veg batches as they cook. Again - if you draw a detailed diagram of your entire station and label all of the items you'll need, setting up will be much easier and you'll look like a rock star. Hint - Beef teriyaki is very popular. You're going to get hit hard as soon as the doors open. Have 5 steaks grilled and resting(not cold,just resting) at 11:00 and have 1/3 of your vegetables already sauteed and in the chaffing dish ready to go. As you get an order for one steak, fire another. Skirt steak should be cooked to medium doneness. Medium rare is too chewy. Prep for Days 8+9 includes roasting pork butt and baking pate for Banh in the Vietnamese menu - this must be done!

Station 6:
The Steamed Vegetable Harvest requires an assortment of vegetables to be cooked in advance, reheated and served in a bowl of vegetarian mushroom broth (Shiitaki Dashi) and other seasonning liquids - check recipe; the recipe is self explanatory, just be sure to read up on any vegetables you're not familiar with so you know how to treat them.
Besides your menu items, your big job is getting all of the sushi garnishes prepped and collected. Each sushi plate will need, see the photo at the top of this page.
- 1 oz ramekin soy sauce
- 1 shiso leaf
- small amount of drained pickled ginger - house made yesterday.
- wasabi for the plate and wasabi for the sushi production - see below
- sunomono salad - get from sous chefs
- blanched soy beans (make sure you get the ones IN the pods - the store room usually messes up the order and sends the ones out of the pods)

Get all of this stuff together early. The soy sauce in ramekins -enough for the class on Day 6 and  about 80 ramekins on Day 7 for service - and all of the other stuff together on a sheet tray so you can bring it to the sushi production area when they need it (hopefully by 10:00 am). The wasabi paste must be made in two different consistencies. Start by mixing the dry powder with small amounts of water and mix to combine until it has a "clay-like" texture - easy to shape and mold. Remove 1/2 of the wasabi from the bowl for use on the plate. With the remaining wasabi in the bowl, continue to add water and stir until it's thin enough to spread - a "toothpaste" consistency. This will be used on the sushi as it's formed. Communication with the other teams and sous is important. You can see a picture of the finished plate with all of the garnishes in the photo at the top of this post. Prep for days 8 + 9 include making the shrimp force meat for Shrimp on Sugarcane in the Vietnamese Menu, this MUST be done- ask for help peeling shrimp early on Day 7.

Great job on the quiz!

For those of you who responded to the Image ID for Star Anise and/or Szechuan Peppercorns, the correct responses got reversed.

It appears that you identified the images correctly, but the answer key was wrong (probably MY mistake)...so, no worries. I'll fix it in the morning and you'll receive credit where it's due. Thanks for helping me with the first run of this style of testing. Good News, Everyone Passed this section. Hope you all do as well - or better - on the ID section at 7:00 tomorrow.

See you then - MP

Info for day 3

ALL STATIONS - be prepared to serve 80+ portions of each Dim Sum item. See details below and on web site. Each station making Dim Sum should be ready for me to do a demonstration at their station at 9:00 AM. If everyone is set up, we can do the demos at the same time and then each person can try their hand at forming the various pieces - similar to the way the Wontons were done on Day 2

OK, Day 3 

Prepping for Day 3 means being comfortable enough with the regular menu items that you can step up and add an extra item to your routine and still be on time. Everything must be ready by 10:45.

Sous Chefs - You will need to have your station set up to make Wontons by 9:00 AM - please have everything in it's place as shown in the wonton video.
You'll need to have a new service diagram for the Dim Sum. We don't have space on the steam table, so we usually set up two chaffing dishes with sterno on table 5, make sure we have sterno on hand before you place the supplemental order! Think about how you would lay it out and draw a detailed diagram with each item in place and labeled as what it is, the diagram should be well thought out for work flow - if everything is in it's place? Can one person efficiently plate fast enough to keep up with service?Two chaffing dishes with three 1/3 pans in each. You'll need a pan for the steamed dumplings, the pan-fried dumplings, the spring rolls, the ribs, and the stuffed peppers and an empty one to fill the space and keep the heat in. Everyone who comes to K1 will get a Dim Sum plate on Day 3. Presentation will be on 8" round plates with a ramekin of ginger-soy dipping sauce in the center. The five dim sum items will be positioned around the dipping sauce and a dab of spicy mustard will go on the plate next to the spring roll - the mustard does not go in a ramekin. Make sure that you know who will be doing what during service- figure it out ahead of time and tell the people involved what their duties are well before service, everyone will need to multi-task and hustle.

Draw a diagram of what's been described above on a 8" inch plate and show it to me first thing in the morning along with your station diagram so we can make sure you're on the right track.

I gave you a station diagram on the day 2 blog.

Salads will be served on smaller - 6"- plates.

Be sure to know the difference between the salad plates and dim sum plates.

Station 2 - Braises PLUS Steamed dumplings (Shao Mai) know which are the proper wrappers.

Remember that you are responsible for each dim sum plate getting a 1 oz ramekin of the ginger soy dipping sauce (only fill each ramekin 1/2 way).
The dumplings can be steamed ahead using the wok steamer and then re-heated as needed during service. They are brought to the service line in 1/3 hotel pans.


Station 3 - Moo Shu PLUS Pan Fried Dumplings. The dough should have been made on day 2. The dough must be kept cold. As soon as it's rolled and cut, it should be stacked in single layers- with parchment paper between each layer - in a 1/2 hotel pan, covered and kept in the cooler. After they are shaped and filled, they should be held in similar fashion. When brought to the cooking line, the pan containing the dumplings should be nested on another pan of ice. If these dumplings become warm before cooking they stick like crazy and are very difficult to work with.
You will set up a station for cooking these dumplings on the range top, you'll share that space with another station, so plan to use the two burners on the right - closest to the fryer. Draw a diagram of how that station will be set up - show each piece of equipment and each component/ingredient needed, label each item. Focus on having all mise en place within reach and being able to cook small batches of dumplings throughout service. 

Station 4- Spring rolls - filling should be made and cooked on Day 2, rolls filled on Day 3 .
For Spring Roll Wrappers, The Brand may differ, but the basic package looks the same.

 Once they are rolled, they should be kept cold - layered between parchment paper sheets in a 1/2 hotel pan. Set up a proper fry station and fry them in batches as needed for service. Remember - you're responsible for the spicy mustard that's served with them.Draw a diagram of how the fry station will be set up - show each piece of equipment and each component/ingredient needed, label each item. Focus on having all mise en place within reach and being able to properly fry small batches throughout service.

Station 5- Ribs may be put in Chinese oven with the Roasts early in the day. When they are cooked through you can cut them and hot-hold them, covered, until service. Bring them to the line in a deep 1/3 pan.  Because the Dim Sum service will take up space where you typically have your carving station, move to the end of Station #6. Draw a diagram of how that station will be set up - show each piece of equipment and each component/ingredient needed, label each item.

Station 6- In addition to the Grandmother's bean curd, you'll need to fill, cook, and finish the stuffed peppers. They can all be steamed ahead and held at room temp - covered - for service. At service they should be sauteed in small batches as needed, 10-15 at a time, and brought to the service line in a 1/3 pan.Plan to use the two saute burners closest to the grill, you'll be sharing the range with Station 3 so space will be tight. Draw a diagram of how that station will be set up - show each piece of equipment and each component/ingredient needed, label each item. Focus on having all mise en place within reach and being able to cook small batches of dumplings throughout service.

Day Two - be sure to watch wonton video!

Day 2 requires that you know the Day 1 menu and set up PLUS add new items to the line and prep for Day 3. Please be sure to go over your successes and mistakes from Day 1, learn and move ahead, and to use what you learned today to prep for Days 2 + 3 with better planning and more confidence.

OK - Information specific to Day 2:

Sous Chefs: Remember that the diagram for Day 3 will be much different from the one I gave you for Day 1 and that it's up to you to design a layout that makes sense. Each member of the team should make their own, individual diagrams for Dim Sum service.  We usually set up two chaffing dishes on Station 5 and it should look something like this, but I want to see your own interpretation of the set up.

                                                                    Station #6

                                                                                                                                               

Soup Cups		Salad Service Area						Pork Carving Station
Serving Trays		Plate Wipes	Empty 1/3 Pan	Pork Ribs	Spring Rolls	Steamed Dumplings	Pan fried Dumplings	1 oz ramekins Of dipping sauce
Serving Trays		Small Cup Prepared Mustard						8” round plates
Dim Sum Plating

                                                                                                                                            

                                                                       

                                                                     Station #5 

Give it your best effort and show me the results early on day 2 so I can help you figure out mistakes ahead of time .

On Day 2:
We will be making wonton soup on Day 2,  watch the video in advance so, if you have questions, I can answer them in class before we get started. On Day 2, set your station up so that I can do a "live demo" for the class no later than 9:00 AM. We can then engage the rest of the class in helping shape the wontons. Set up the station exactly as it is in the video and ask for verification before we stop the class for demo at 9:00.

EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH THIS VIDEO PRIOR TO CLASS ON DAY 2:


Class Tasting - 

Team 6- Below is a photo of an abbreviated tasting tray for Day 2 should look like, but it's been expanded to include 19 items. You should include whole pieces of things that would be cut up or re-hydrated for tasting (just so you can see both forms). Make sure you have all of the ingredients for the tasting before we place a supplemental order - talk to Chef about the set up early. The tasting itself will occur after service. Make 1 tray for each 3-4 students. If you have 16 students, make 4 identical trays for them to share.
When tasting is done, please cover and wrap remains - as in second photo - and store in AM cooler. We can use this to review for tests later in the cycle.

Also Team 6 - On the tracking schedule for Day 3, you are assigned to make Broth for Day 4 soup. Look ahead tonight for the recipe in the Korean Menu for "Spicy Beef Soup". Although you will make the broth on Day 3, you will save time and have a better result if you blanch the beef bones and beef shoulder EARLY on Day 2, discard the blanching water, and save the bones and shoulder in the cooler for Day 3. On Day 3, you can start simmering the bones and beef right away and have a longer cooking time and more full bodied broth by having blanched them on Day 2.


Everybody else: Make sure you know what you're supposed to be prepping ahead for Day 3 and that IT ALL GETS DONE. The reason it was assigned as prep a day ahead is because you will be in the weeds on Day 3 if you have to start from scratch.

From Day 1 K1 China

Information for Day 1 - March 26, 2018

 In coming Groups :
 Hi, This is where you should look each day for information about the course in general and instructions specific to your class and station. It's VERY important that you read and analyze your recipes, watch all videos AND read the daily information posted here. A significant part of your grade hinges on being prepared for class and these are the tools to prepare with. Day 1 begins at 7:00 AM.  Please be prepared as instructed in advance.

This Blog is your text book for the course, as part of your daily required assignments you must Read the entire Blog post Every day, you are expected to be familiar with not only your station, but where you fit into the bigger picture. There will be information under other station's headings which may pertain to you - you will be responsible for knowing that.

It's important the watch all of the "Pre Day One Videos" listed on the Course Website. There is an updated version of the Knife Cuts and Vegetables for Asian Kitchen loaded on the Moodle Site, this is required viewing prior to class on Day 1.

 Several of you have asked about the proper format for a "Time Line" in my class. BE SURE to check the bottom of this post to see the required format. Each student must have their own, individual timeline, in this format, at the beginning of each day. Failure to have a properly formatted, complete time line will require you to leave class and return only when you are properly prepared .

PLEASE NOTE THAT FAILURE TO READ ENTIRE BLOG, ANALYZE ALL RECIPES FOR YOUR STATION, AND OTHERWISE PREPARE YOURSELF USING THE MATERIALS POSTED OR GIVEN TO YOU WILL RESULT IN A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN YOUR DAILY GRADE. PLEASE REFER TO GRADING RUBRIC IN COURSE GUIDE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

I really can't stress this enough. In order for the class to run smoothly and for you to succeed as a group and as individuals, you all have to be well prepared and well informed each day. If you're not, you will be asked to leave class and receive a "Zero". 

If you have questions, please use the "Comments" section at the bottom of this post. I generally do not check CIA e-mail from home, but I do check the comments posted from you to the Blog. 


Heads up -
Some basic rules in my kitchen:
- If you don't know, look it up
- If you still don't know - ask
- Know your product before coming to class - use Google and Google Images to see unfamiliar products
- Look before you order...10 point deduction applies to ordering items already in stock
- All produce is washed/cleaned before final preparation for use
- Don't prep more than you need
- Don't save cut or cooked foods for service the following day without permission from Chef
- Don't serve "left-overs" to customers
- Keep a clean, moist towel on you station at all times
- Step back from your station every 10 minutes, inspect, straighten, wipe down
- "Yes Chef" means that you understand, agree and will comply
- "Yes Chef" does not mean "Go away, you make me nervous"
- The Chef's desk is not your work station - NO FOOD or SUPPLIES may be placed there without Chef's prior approval
- Metal containers are used for holding hot food, don't store food overnight in them unless instructed by Chef
- Papers, quizzes, tests submitted without full name, or other appropriate information (version of test, etc. )  on page will receive no credit
- EQUIPMENT SAFETY - Never use a piece of equipment you have not been trained to use properly and NEVER put your hand or any utensil in a machine while it is running!


The most common mistakes made on Day 1, class wide, are:
Not observing the Basic Rules
Not having a complete and detailed time line in the correct format
Not analyzing recipes fully
Not researching terms, ingredients, techniques that you are unfamiliar with
Not knowing how to set up a basic work station
Not knowing basic cooking fundamentals covered in Skills such as - how much starch do you need in a slurry to thicken a set amount of liquid "How much corn starch thickens one cup of soup?"
Not knowing basic measurements - how many pints in a gallon?, etc...

The MOST COMMON MISTAKE OF ALL is not following directions - this especially includes the direction to read all material and be prepared for class. If you read and listen and then ask questions if you need further clarification, you'll almost certainly have a successful and enjoyable class.

The Daily  Schedule will run as follows:

Day 1 AM
7:00AM -  Arrive, meet with Chef, discuss class objectives, introduction to kitchen and ingredients
7:30 - 10:00 - Prep and Demos
10:00-10:45 - Set up for Service/finish ala minute preparations with Chef
10:45-11:15 - Plate Demos/Family meal
11:15- 11:30 - Final Prep before service
11:30-12:00  - Service on Alternate days
12:00-12:45  -  Clean kitchen/inventory
12:45- 1:30 -   Lecture + Tasting


Cleaning towels - each student will be issued two clean cloth towels at the beginning of each day, these are to be used for general cleaning and station maintenance instead of paper towels. Please keep your station and work areas clean by "wiping down"  between each task, or as needed.

At the end of each day, Sous Chefs will collect the towels, count them, and place them in a plastic garbage bag for return to Central Issuing.

On a station by station basis, here is more in depth info for you:

Sous Chefs - STATION 1:

Sous chefs Important - please read: Making stock, preparing rice, soup, and salad are cooking tasks performed by sous chefs, but sous chefs are considered "Kitchen Management" and, as such, should focus on organization and set up of the kitchen for service, overseeing and delegating cleaning and sanitation duties, and making sure that the food storage areas are clean, organized, and that a proper inventory is taken at the end of each day. Unless directed by the chef, sous chefs should not be washing pots or cleaning floors if there are "managerial tasks" to be done. Sous chefs are expected to plan and work as a team (although each individual should submit a their own time line each day). Sous Chef Timelines must include management tasks - opening duties, setting up service line and expediting, delegating cleaning duties, taking inventory,and using closing check list.

All China and dish ware must be stored (hot or cold) as soon as you come in and the carts taken back to the dish room. Hot plates are kept in the warming box near the refrigerator, make sure it's turned on as soon as you arrive. This is standard every day, a "China Checklist" will be supplied to you and you must be aware of what plates, bowls, cups, etc. we need for service each day and alert me before 8:00 AM if anything is missing. A supplemental sheet should be started on a clean sheet of paper. The supplemental will list Item Ordered, Quantity, and Station ordering the item. Usually the supplemental is due to me no later than 7:30 AM, but on Day One 8:00 AM is acceptable.

Stock - Sous Chefs are responsible for making stock/remouillage each day. Each day we make either a stock - based on chicken feet and pork hocks - or a remouillage from the previous day's bones. We will make a stock using remouillage on Day 1, a remoillage from the bones on Day 2 and, from that point on, will use the liquid from each remouillage to make a stock with the next batch of fresh bones. Please see recipe loaded in the Chinese Section of Moodle. Each student is required to have a printed copy of this recipe to follow each day. 

Rice - Rice should be rinsed according to video demo and ready to cook by 10:00 AM. Do not cook rice earlier than 10:00 AM to ensure freshness at service, but realize that the Rice Cooker takes longer to heat up and cook than the convection steamer - factor that into your timing. Watch BOTH video demos on rice cooking but be ready to use the electric Rice Cooker, talk to me before you start anything to make sure you understand the procedure. Your team is preparing rice for the entire class, the only other station preparing rice today should be Team 4 in preparation for Fried rice on Days 2 + 3. Rice cooked in the Rice Cooker - Do not cook more than 12 US cups of rice in the rice cooker at one time. Rice Cooked in Convection Steamer - Use only 2" deep hotel pans - not deeper; Do not cook more than 10 cups of rice in a single pan.

The soup Mise en place should be assembled on a sheet tray and set near a large wok so that I can help you start it no later than 9:00.

The Bean Starch Sheets for the salad should be rehydrated early, cut, and the salad assembled by 9:30 as well.

Sous Chef's Paper Work, each day you receive a clip board with these papers. It's your responsibility to know how to use them and do so. If not sure - ask in advance. On the Day before you are assigned to be a sous chef, it is important for you to review this.

Menu: You will receive a laminated menu for each service day, be sure that it's posted on the wall nearest the kitchen door. If unsure of where to post it, ask chef early in the day to avoid confusion at service time. 

Early Morning Supplemental. Note "Item-Quantity-Station Requesting"

Sanitation Supply Ordering Sheet, based on par-stock system. Amount we SHOULD have on hand is listed, order what we need to get UP to that amount. If we have enough already, fill in blank with an "X"

Flip Side of the Sanitation Sheet. This is the end-of-the-day cleaning check list to make sure everything is left clean and orderly

Daily inventory sheet. While the rest of the group cleans, the sous chefs inventory what we have for the following day's menu.This allows me to order more if we are short, or back something out of the next morning's order if we are over stocked. Important to do this accurately - it shortens early morning supplementals and keeps our cooler from getting over crowded. Sous Chefs should fill in ONLY the far right column. Be sure to count and record specific QUANTITIES of each items or a "zero"- blank spaces and or check marks are not "counting". 

Station #2:

You should plan to start the lamb braise no later than 8:30 and the cabbage no later than 9:00, they need to be finished, hot held, and the woks clean before other teams can step in to stir fry at 10:15. Analyze your recipes and let me know if you have questions. Common mistakes are : Not knowing how much cornstarch is used to thicken a set amount of liquid, cutting ALL MEP and garnish for the lamb BEFORE braising begins(you should start the lamb cooking and THEN start working on the vegetables and garnish) and not asking for help with unfamiliar ingredients or appliances.

Station #3:
Dough is prepped ahead for you for Day 1, be prepared to complete the dough and roll it out,  make 1x  for Day 2 and allow to rest in the cooler over night.You will need to roll and cook the pancakes for Day 1, so write that into your time line. You should plan to prep the vegetables and other MEP for the Moo Shu as quickly as possible - watch the Vegetable prep video and work in a clean, organized fashion. On day 1 you only need one batch to cook for family meal. On service days  break the MEP for the stir fry into 4 batches so that we can fire them as needed during service. The sauce should be made and pre-portioned into 1 oz. white china ramekins, these will be held on the side to accompany each plate. The Pancakes need to be rolled out as soon as the dough has rested -The prep table under the spice rack near the prep sink is The Place place to work on that. Ask me to help you get started, but see if you can walk yourself through the procedure and get all of the necessary equipment in place before you ask me for a demo. Remember to pre heat the cast-iron skillets while you prep the pancakes so that the skillets are hot when the pancakes are ready to cook. Common mistakes - not cleaning bean sprouts properly or cutting vegetables properly, pre heating the cast iron skillets too hot and burning the first batch of pancakes, not watching videos closely enough to understand the procedures.

Station 4:Set up the wok steamer and stake out the large wok next to it as "yours" for Bok Choy. The fish is fairly simple, I can demo how to cut it. Make sure to know all of your ingredients and how the steaming process works. All of the Bok Choy we receive is for you to prep, so use it all- cut as directed, cleaned, blanched in heavily salted water, shocked, gently squeezed dry, divided into 4 batches for service. Garlic should be sliced into thin "chips". Please ask me to help you with the first batch of Bok Choy - the garlic can burn very easily if you don't control the wok heat. The rice for Fried Rice has been made and chilled in advance for Day 1, get it out of the cooler, separate the grains onto lined sheet pan, and have it ready to begin frying by 10:00, fired rice may be made in advance and hot held until service.  Be completely ready to start the fried rice by 10:00 AM in the same large wok you will later use for Bok Choy - you'll need to be finished with the fried rice by 10:30. Common mistakes are - not understanding how the fish is cut or garnished, not cutting garnishes properly, not knowing what type of ham to use, burning the garlic for the bok choy.


Station #5:There are Pork Butts in Marinade for Days 1 +2. You will also be receiving 2 butts to complete the entire process yourself over 3 days. For day 1, put 1 marinated pork butt in the Chinese roasting oven at 325F as early as possible. Make sure you know how to use the oven, if you do not - ASK. Before the end of the day you will need to put the fresh Butts in Brine . Once that's started, begin prepping the chicken. Cut and clean the chicken thighs and get them into the marinade, preheat the fryer,make the sauce in a small wok, and cut all of the vegetables, fry the chicken pieces ahead of service - Make sure you understand what type of frying you are doing and how to best accomplish it. All of the MEP for the chicken should be divided into 4 batches for firing as needed during service except the sauce. Sauce can be held in a bain marie with a ladle on your wok station. You are also responsible for setting up a pork carving station for service on the end of Station #5 near the oven. The pork should be held in the conventional oven at 200F on a sheet tray with a rack. When you get an order, the steam table line will pass you a plate with rice and cabbage on it - you will take a pork butt from the oven, slice a portion, plate it, and put the pork butt back in the oven to keep it warm. Common mistakes are - not having a complete recipe and understanding of how to fabricate, brine, marinate and roast pork;  not knowing how to fry battered items properly ( the chicken for the Tangerine Chicken dish is battered and fried ahead of service), or how to set up a fry station efficiently, not knowing how to use cornstarch to thicken the sauce, not following directions and getting flustered as service approaches.

Station #6: Since your dish is essentially a braise, you may start it ahead and hot-hold it. Follow the recipe for Grand Mother's Bean Curd and taste with Chef.  Early in the morning you should assist/delegate the putting away of plates, etc and return the carts to the dish room/store room, complete sanitation supplemental supply order, be involved and aware of the Sous Chef duties - you will be sous chefs later in the cycle, so it's good to look ahead. On the Second Day of Each Menu, Team 6 will be responsible for setting up the class tasting for the unit. On Day 2  you will be responsible for setting up the class tasting for the Chinese Tasting, so please talk to me about this before the end of class on Day 1 so you understand what you need to do, you'll need a copy of the tasting sheet from the Chinese section of the course guide.

MANDATORY 
Use This Time Line Grid to help organize yourself + team to work in sequential order and not forget anything. It may seem like a lot of work at first, but if you train yourself, it becomes easier to do and frees you of most anxiety in the kitchen, making cooking more fun and success more likely. 

 You are required to use THIS format to organize your time-line ; make two copies - one for you to work from and the other to hand in to the Chef  - all timelines are due upon arrival to class at 7:00 AM - typed and neatly organized as shown below. Failure to submit a complete timeline in this format will result in a 50% reduction in grade for not following instructions and being unprepared for class and you will be asked to leave the kitchen and return only when you are properly prepared. 

 The example below shows only two items, but you should create a similar one out-lining all of the items your station is responsible for. This is not a group or team project - EACH PERSON must create a time line of their own. List each menu item for the entire station, putting them in the order to do them , and include detailed lists of equipment and ingredients. The final column "Method" will put each step of the plan in sequence. Use bullet points and short words, do not clutter it up with a "narrative". Do not "Cut + Paste" directly from the recipe. Think about it and put things into your own words. Copying directly from the recipe or submitting a time line significantly similar to your team mate's will be considered plagiarism and result in a failing daily grade. DO NOT GIVE YOUR TIME LINE TO A TEAM MATE TO COPY!!! You might think you're "helping out" but if they submit the same, or closely similar, work as you,  both fail. 

Sequence	Task	Equipment	Ingredients	Method
#1	Stock---	-Wok -Skimmer -Stock pot -Ladle -Cont. for Mire   Poix -Cont. for straining -Chinoise -Storage container	-Water to blanch -Bones -Remouillage – 10 l -Onions – 2# -Carrots – 1# -Celery – 1# -Ginger – 4 oz -Garlic –  1 oz -Dry shitake  - 2 oz -Kombu – 3 oz.	-Blanch in wok           --Skim/dump water           --Transfer to Stock pot            --Simmer 2 ½ hours           --Add Aromatics ½ hour          ---Off heat/Add kombu  1 hour           Strain – save solids
#2	Noodle Salad	Pot to heat water Bowl to soak noodles Board Towel under board Chef’s knife Measuring spoons Measuring cups Whisk- Sm. Bowl for mustard Lg. bowl for salad dressing and mixing	-GBSS Noodles -Cucumber ,thin ½ ea. -Cabbage,.75 #,  1” wide -Mustard , I Tbsp finished -Dark Rice vinegar 1 oz -Light Soy Sauce 1 oz -Sugar 1.5 Tbsp -Scallion 1 Tbsp -Garlic 1.5 tsp. -Sesame oil .5	-Heat water for noodles and cabbage           Soak noodles         --- -Cut/Blanch/ shock cabbage            --Rinse + cut noodles 1 inch  -         -- Make mustard for dressing -1 Tbsp. only            - Dress + hold

Update for Day 12 - March 23rd. India for current Group

Here's my plan for Friday, March 23. After the quiz, you'll each prepare 1-2 dishes from the Indian menu, I'll be able to take some time to show you some things you don't want to miss, we'll have family meal and finish the day. We don't have to prepare much, it should be a relaxed and educational way to end a weird block.

Yoonseo - Sous Chef: 

- Make 2 qts of the Tomato Dal Rasam Soup
- 1 small portion - 1/4 recipe? - of the Kachumber salad
- 6 cups of Rice pilaf - we can decide on the seasoning tomorrow
- 1 quart of Lhassi - make the base - without the Mango puree, and I'll help you season it.

Ray - Station #2

- Make a small batch of Lamb Khorma - maybe using 1.5# of lamb. Start it as soon as you can - it's a long, gentle braise which scorches easily. Use a small pot/rondo with a heavy bottom and a tight fitting lid.

- Make 1 recipe of samoosa filling and 1 recipe of the dough. let me help with making the dough, it's a pastry and should be very tender and flaky.

Zheng - Station #3
Cut the fish and make the fish curry. Let me help you with that, it's a tricky dish the fist time.
Make 1/2 recipe of pooris dough amd Ill show you how to fry them.
Brine and marinate pork for the Chinese menu on Day 1


Spencer - Station #4
- Plan to make a small  (about 3#) batch of Pork Vindaloo, like ray's dish above, Start it as soon as you can - it's a long, gentle braise which scorches easily. Use a small pot/rondo with a heavy bottom and a tight fitting lid.
- Once that's started, there are lentils soaking for your Dal Sambar - get that started early too.

Jinae - Station #5

- Make the marinade for the Tandoori Chicken as soon as you arrive. I will make the dough for Naan. While the dough is rising and the chicken marinating, please prepare the Paneer Saag - about 1/2 recipe. Making the cheese is a good experience to share with everyone. We can ask the others to help prep the spices and aromatics for it.

See you all tomorrow. 

Must Read - Important information about your grade and Instructions for Day 8 On-Line Quiz

Because of the Snow Days and missed class time, I am changing the weight of the quizzes and dropping the final exam from the course grading.

Your grade will still be weighted at 70% Daily Performance and 30% quizzes and tests, but without the final test;  it will be the total of the 3 quizzes only. There will NO FINAL TEST. Each quiz will now be weighted at 10%.

You have already taken Quiz #1 in class, the score for that will be valued at 10% of your final grade. For example - if you scored 80% on quiz #1,  that would equal 8 points toward your final grade.

Instructions for Quiz #2:

The Identification section will be administered in class on Monday afternoon - this has already taken place.

Jinae - please see me at the beginning of class on Tuesday morning to arrange to take an alternative ID quiz.

The multiple choice section will be administered on Moodle.

   - Go to the course Moodle Site
   - Scroll down to "Topic  5" this will be labeled  Quiz #2 Japan and Korea
   - The quiz will be open to you from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM tonight - March 19, 2018.
   - The Quiz consists of 15 multiple choice questions from key terms, study questions, Power Point          presentations, lecture, tasting, and menu terms.
   - Once you begin the quiz, you will have 15 minutes to answer all 15 questions. Be sure to have 15         minutes of uninterrupted time before you begin. Unanswered questions or unfinished quizzes               will be graded on the same scale as completed ones.
   -  You will receive only one attempt at this quiz.
   - The Moodle system will generate different randomized questions for each student, no two quizzes        will be the same.
   - Moodle will score your quiz immediately.


Currently, we are planning to administer Quiz #3 on Friday morning, March 23. This will cover information from the Vietnamese and Thai sections for the course guide. The format will be the same as Quiz #2. We will discuss the time and location of Quiz #3 in class tomorrow.

If you have any questions of concerns about this new procedure, please message me using the comment window at the bottom of this post.

Thank you ,

Chef Michael Pardus

Thai Menu - Days 10 + 11

Know Your Thai Curries

Sous Chefs-

Plating: Street food similar to VN menu, sauce in the center is mentioned below.

Curries are served as a "sampler plate", meaning that a small amount of all 5 curries are served on each plate.
Know your Thai Curries - See poster above - Each curry should come to the service line in a deep 1/3 hotel pan.


 Use a  12" rimmed "soup plate" (the shallow bowls) with Jasmine Rice, with rice in the center.
Pad Thai is stir fried in batches, as needed, and served from the steam table in a deep bowl, garnishes are roasted peanuts and a lime wedge.

Chicken Rice is served from the station producing it. They will have a chaffing dish for their own rice and will plate and pick up without needing assistance from other stations.

Stir Fried Squid will be cooked in small batches for Day 11 service and be served from the steam table.

Hot and sour soup for Day 10- watch demo on how to cook shrimp in broth, make soup in a wok, hot hold. Scale to 1 gallon on Day 10.

Day 11 is Coconut Chicken soup, make 1/2 full recipe , just follow the recipe and taste for fish sauce and lime with me when it's done.

Salad - Green papaya, watch demo on papaya fabrication - 1/2 recipe on Day 10 and 1 full recipe on Day 11. To be placed on street food plate.

Jasmine rice - 6 cups Day 10, 14 cups Day 11 - Talk to me about using the Western Steamer or a Rice cooker, or both.

Set up Street food station - similar to Vietnamese set-up - Look back to the Blog post for Days 8 + 9 for a photo - chaffing dish on Station 5 with 1/3 pans for hot food, cool food, salads ( there are two salads on Street Food Plate - cucumber salad and papaya salad) plates, sweet chili sauce, etc. should all be set up near the chaffing dish. Draw a complete diagram of how the station will be set up with all components and items labeled in diagram. Talk to me before assembling the dipping sauce so I know you have the proper ingredients, and fill the ramekins only HALF way! Peanut sauce for Satay DOES NOT go in a ramekin - hold it in a small plastic cup on the side and put a dab on top of each satay as it goes out. On Day 10 we only need enough sauce for 15 people. Day 11 - enough to serve about 65.


The Steam table will need to be used to hold the curries, the pad thai, stir fried squid and the jasmine rice. Put each curry in separate, deep 1/3 pans, same with the squid.  Pad Thai should be in a deep 1/2 hotel pan, and the Jasmine rice in a full hotel pan. Draw a diagram of the line set up and make it complete. Plates: Currys in a 12" shallow bowl with Jasmine rice, Pad Thai in a deep noodle bowl with roasted peanuts and a lime wedge on top of each. Stir fried Squid in deep 1/2 pan, the squid itself is served in a round casserole dish sitting on an ovel platter with jasmine rice sitting on the side - similar to presentation of steamed fish from Japanese menu.

Station #2 -  Be prepared to make 1/2 recipe of Yellow Shrimp Curry on Day 10 and a full recipe on Day 11. Read the entire recipe, but the yellow curry paste should have been made on Day 9 by Station 3. Using that, you will make the sauce and poach the shrimp in it.  This will be brought to the line with a 1/3 pan.

Chicken Rice - Scale recipe to use 2 whole chickens on Day 10 and 4 whole Chickens on Day 11. This dish is served room temp in summer, or prepared and then reheated in a wok steamer across from Table #2 in the cooler months, most westerners don't "get it" when it's served at room temp, so set up the wok steamer. Entire plate is picked up from your station. You need to make your own rice, make it pilaf style and use rendered duck fat to parch the rice. Be sure to discuss Pilaf Method with Chef before you start, this is a common area for mistakes. Pandan leaf is available from the store room- order it on supplemental if you don't see it on the invoice in the morning. For Service you will need:
- Chaffing dish to hold rice
- Shallow "gratin" dishes to hold chicken and sauce, gratin dish sits on large oval plate with rice and cucumber/tomato/cilantro garnish (this is like and undressed salad tossed together).
- Service utensils to plate. Draw a complete diagram of how the station will be set up with all components and items labeled in diagram.

Typically, there will be 9 whole chickens delivered on Day 11, NOT ALL OF THESE are for you. Station 5 needs 5 chickens to marinate for Day 12.


Red Chili Chutni - Your responsibility to make this for the Indian Menu. It's used as a condiment, but also as an ingredient by other teams, make sure it gets made early in the day so that it can be available for others to use.



Station 3-
Make sure you find both of the satay grills (We have two) and charcoal before the supplemental goes in. I'll show you how to set it up, but it must be done early, you may need to fire up both grills with charcoal for service on Day 11 and keep feeding the grill with more charcoal as it burns down.

The Beef Satay - 1/2 recipe for Day 10 and 2x recipe for Day 11. Trim off external fat and collagen from Flank steak and let me show you how to cut it for satay. You will trim and cut the meat, then put it on skewers, THEN marinate it. Talk to me or one of the people from Station 5 Day 8+9 about how to set up the Satay grills,the Satay grills need charcoal and it needs to be lit far enough ahead to be hot when needed but not so far ahead that it's run out of heat by the time you're ready to cook. Speak to chef about how to light coals, Be sure to feed fresh coals to the grill before you leave for family meal so you'll have a hot fire when you return for service on Day 11. Also be sure to check that we have some charcoal when you place your supplemental order in the morning When service is over, place hot charcoal in a hotel pan to cool, then add water before putting in the compost.

Peanut Sauce - Should be made on Day 10 and used for both days. When cooled to use the following day, it needs to be reheated gently, and it may break - it's an emulsion. If it DOES break, fix it the same way you would fix a hollandaise or mayonnaise (and if you think I mean "use an egg", you need to do more research). Peanut sauce should be held at room temp on the street food line and a small dab placed onto each skewer as it's plated.

Yogurt for Indian Menu - and understand recipe from Indian recipe section. The amount may vary depending on the block, but carefully follow this procedure::
 - Heat milk
 - Add dried milk powder to hot milk, stir to dissolve
 - Place NEW 2 qt plastic containers and lids in steamer to sanitize for 2-3 minutes
 - Remove steamed containers from steamer
- Place containers in deep hotel pan
- Fill containers with hot milk
- Place lids on containers to seal
- Add ice to hotel pan to surround sealed containers
- Check temperature of milk occasionally
- When Milk temperature reaches 105F degrees, remove plastic containers from ice
- remove lids from containers
- Add approximately 1 oz. of existing yogurt to each container of warm milk, whisk to combine
- Place lids back onto containers to re-seal
- Place containers in warm place over night - see chef for details of where to store milk, it varies with season and ambient room temperature.


Station #4 -
Scale the meats to make 2# of the Massaman and Jungle and Green Curry on Day 10, and 3# on Day 11. It's important to start them early, so hustle. Use a small rondo or large sauce pot with a cover - size matters here, too big and you'll burn the curry, too small and it's too crowded - remember to keep covered until the meat is tender to avoid drying out and burning by evaporation. Also remember that you can braise in the oven if the range gets crowded later in the morning, if you don't have room on top of the stove, you can finish in the oven. The braises should go to the steam table in deep 1/3 hotel pans - -covered.


Station #5-

Duck Curry, the duck should have been marinated on Day 9, we'll use 1/4 of the marinated duck on Day 10 and the rest on Day 11 - recipe is pretty self explanatory. Pan Roast Duck, while duck is roasting, prepare sauce. When both duck and sauce are finished, hold both separately. Near service, gently heat sauce, add duck and gently heat duck in sauce. Ask for clarification on the blog if you need it. Served from a deep 1/3 hotel pan on the steam table.

Remember - we'd like to render out the duck fat left from butchering the ducks on Day 9


Fish cakes - We need to make 1# of fish on Day 10 (1/2 recipe) and  Double on Day 11 - we can shape and size the cakes to meet the required number of portions for each day. It's important that you have a VERY sharp knife to hand mince the fish. Also very important that the long beans are sliced into PAPER thin rounds, if you slice them thicker, the cakes fall apart. Please ask for a demo on slicing the beans before you start. Cakes should be fired in a 325F fryer in small batches as needed for service and put on the street food station in 1/3 pans. I will show you how to form them. They will be served on the street food plate - talk to the sous chefs ahead of service so they can direct you on where to put them when they are cooked, fry them as close to service as possible.

Day 11 - Prepping Tandoori chicken - the marinade requires red chili chutney. This is made by Station #2 for the class. Be sure to check with them early in the day to discuss when it will be available to you. Also be sure to speak with station #2 and get your chickens for marinating. ASK CHEF FOR DEMO before beginning to fabricate chicken, there is a different technique than you are probably used to.


Station #6
Pad Thai- 1x recipe on Day 10 and 3x recipe on Day 11. This is a  Stir fried dish and will be cooked "ala minute" in batches for Day 11 service, divide MEP into 4 batches, it's ok to combine ingredients for sauce ahead. Make sure to have lime and peanuts for garnish. Served from 1/2 hotel pan in steam table into deep noodle bowls. Be sure NOT TO OVER SOAK THE NOODLES - about 5 minutes in very hot tap water(NOT BOILING WATER). The idea is for them to be pliable, not ready to eat. In the wok you will add more liquid and heat and they will become done at that point. Here's an updated Video of the procedure. Follow this one in class, please

Seafood "yam" is the seafood salad. Make 1x recipe for Day 10 and 1.5x for Day 11. It's easy to make, hold at room temp in a 1/3 or 1/6 pan for use on the street food station.

Pork Vindaloo - Please talk to me about the advance prep on this dish for the Indian menu, the amount we prepare varies each block..