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How can you keep the cost of meals down without compromising on taste when you’re on a budget? ie: adding herbs, marinating, cooking cheaper cuts for longer etc

[Dylan] Incorporating more vegetable-based proteins like legumes and wholegrains can add substance and bulk to your meals. Soaking and cooking dried legumes is cheaper and ultimately more tasty than using canned ones. It doesn't necessarily require more work, just a little bit more planning. You should soak legumes overnight to make them more digestible, and they'll cook more evenly that way as well. Being open-minded and adaptable about trying new vegetables, and whole ingredients is key! Often, what's cheapest, and tastiest are what's in season. Tomatoes in July? Probably not.  Get outside of your weekly supermarket excursion and explore some ethnic small businesses. You'll find a trove of new flavour-boosting ingredients on the cheap. If you're unfamiliar, just push yourself to find one new ingredient each trip and find a couple ways to incorporate it into your cooking. Overtime, you'll build up a repertoire of familiarity with a whole range of new things. Don't be intimidated by trying something new and experimenting with it. 

[Anan] Also, know what you are spending on and setup a simple system to monitor food costs - for example price comparison apps - e.g. smartcart, wiselist, furgl). Portion control is also another way to keep costs down, make sure portions aren’t to big and bulk with legumes and wholegrains.

What are your top five tips for getting the most out of fresh produce?

[Dylan]  Storing your vegetables properly can give them extra life! Herbs can be wrapped in damp chux towels so they don't wilt, or if they have roots, lightly submerged in a cup of water. Mushrooms should be wrapped in paper bags. To get the most out of my produce, I like to turn to centuries-old preservation methods: pickling, marinating in oil, fermenting and salting. Having a few quick-pickle recipes or easy fermentations up your sleeve buys your vegetables a longer shelf life and often transforms them into something even more tasty. A small pile of pickles or kimchi elevates an otherwise standard meat-and-two-veg situation. 

[Anan]  Shop Local. Separate, Separate, Separate (store and freeze small portions, they cook faster and avoid waste. Maintain your fridge - keep it clean and keep open spaces so the air circulates correctly.

What are some lesser known, or less common, food choices or options that are all-rounders and can be prepared in a variety of ways?

[Dylan] I love having a few varieties of dried mushrooms on hand. Porcini, dried shiitake especially. They rehydrate quickly and you can use the soaking liquid as a delicious and earthy stock which goes great with just about everything. Similarly, I  always make sure to have a few umami-rich ingredients stocked in my pantry as reinforcements to any bland food that befalls me. A couple sundried tomatoes blended into a stew. A few sneaky dashes of fish sauce in your pasta, a spoon of miso in your barbecue sauce. Anchovies in your creamy salad dressing. These are my secret weapons for flavour. 

[Anan] Bones to make stock/soup. Bulgar wheat. Ham hock. Lamb shanks.Tinned fish 

What are your top 5 ‘shopping on a budget’ tips?

[Dylan] Don't buy pre-made food. Don't buy spices from the supermarket, they're a fraction of the price at your nearest Indian purveyor and of far superior quality. Venture out to your local Asian supermarket. Don't be intimidated by anything squiggly, or any plant matter that is unfamiliar to you. Learn to like organ meats- they're healthy and affordable, and you'll seem more cultured if you know how to cook, prepare and eat them. 

[Anan] Buy seasonal. Make most of your meals with mainly vegetables. Plan your meals writing a weekly list and do meal prep for the week. Go to local markets rather than supermarkets.

Do you enjoy indulging in Asian cuisine? Have you ever thought about cooking it at home? With the right knowledge and tools, creating delicious Asian dishes at home is easy and affordable. In this blog post, we will share some simple tips that you can use to cook your favourite Asian meals right in the comfort of your own home.

Invest in the Right Cookware and Utensils

When it comes to cooking Asian cuisine, having the right cookware and utensils is key. Woks are a popular choice for cooking Asian dishes, as they distribute heat evenly and allow you to cook your food quickly. Non-stick frying pans are also useful for cooking stir-fries and other dishes. Investing in a good set of chopsticks, bamboo steamers, and a rice cooker can also make your cooking experience more enjoyable.

Stock Up on Essential Ingredients

Stocking up on essential ingredients is a must when cooking Asian cuisine at home. Some of the essential ingredients include soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. You should also have an array of spices and herbs such as ginger, garlic, chili flakes, and lemongrass. Keeping these ingredients in your pantry will allow you to whip up delicious Asian meals anytime.

Get Creative with Vegetables and Proteins

One of the best things about Asian cuisine is the variety of vegetables and proteins used in dishes. Don't be afraid to try new vegetables and proteins and experiment with different textures and flavors. Mushrooms, bok choy, eggplant, edamame, tofu, and shrimp are just a few examples of ingredients that you can use to create delicious meals.

Practice Stir-Frying

Stir-frying is a traditional Asian cooking technique that involves cooking food in a wok or frying pan over high heat. It's a great way to cook vegetables and proteins quickly while retaining their nutrients and flavors. To ensure your stir-fries are a success, cut your ingredients into small, evenly sized pieces and cook them in batches. This technique allows the food to cook evenly, without becoming mushy.

Experiment with Different Asian Cuisines

Lastly, don't be afraid to experiment with different Asian cuisines. There are so many delicious flavors to discover. Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese cuisines are just some of the many options available. Try different dishes and techniques, and find the ones that you enjoy the most.

Cooking Asian cuisine at home is much easier than you think. With the right cookware and utensils, essential ingredients, and a little creativity, you can prepare a variety of delicious Asian dishes from the comfort of your own kitchen. Give it a try, and you'll be surprised by how quickly you can become a pro.

Cooking has always been a part of our lives, whether it’s for an ordinary day or special occasions. It’s an activity that brings people together, and it’s a skill that can be useful in any part of the world, especially when traveling. One of the common challenges, however, is finding the right cuisine and learning how to cook it. Fortunately, Otao Kitchens has come up with an innovative solution that not only solves this problem but also provides opportunities for multicultural chefs. In this blog post, we’ll explore Otao Kitchens and the benefits it offers.

Otao Kitchen is a Melbourne-based business that allows foodies and visitors to learn how to cook various cuisines, including Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Dumpling, Greek, Korean, Indian, Spanish, and Mexican and more. Their instructors are professional chefs who grew up eating and cooking the cuisines they teach. Chef Anan, for example, has always been passionate about the way food brings people together, and his dream of cooking with her grandmothers inspired her to join Otao Kitchen.

One of the advantages of Otao Kitchen is its small class size, which provides a more intimate and personalised learning experience. The kitchen is clean and updated, making it feel like a leisurely afternoon spent with friends rather than a formal cooking class. The atmosphere reflects the culture of the cuisine being taught, and the students get to interact and learn from the chef throughout the cooking process.

Otao Kitchen’s initiative also supports multi-cultural cuisine and provides opportunities for talented chefs. The business gives chefs a chance to share their knowledge and passion for cooking, showcasing their cultural heritage and cuisine. In a way, Otao Kitchen allows them to do more than just sit in the kitchen and listen to stories of the old country. They get to interact with people from different parts of the world, share their culture, and learn from their students.

It’s no surprise that Otao Kitchen is popular among tourists visiting Melbourne. About 30 percent of the attendees are tourists, and Otao Kitchen’s multicultural cuisine and interactive classes make it an attractive option when exploring the city. It’s a great way to experience the culture and learn a new skill while traveling.

Conclusion:Otao Kitchen has made a significant impact in the cooking industry by providing a solution to multicultural cuisine and cooking problems. It offers a personalized and interactive learning experience, supports talented chefs, and showcases various cultures and cuisines. The business has definitely transformed the way people learn and experience cooking, and its success speaks for itself. If you’re looking for a fun and immersive way to learn how to cook delicious dishes, Otao Kitchen is definitely worth checking out.

Kiwi Knife Asian Cleaver

When it comes to Asian household, everyone will have one of these. Cheap and Cheerful. The cleaver is mostly used to slice boneless meats, chop, slice. It is an excellent tool for smashing garlic and ginger and also use it to transfer food from cutting board to wok or frying pan. You can use for cut meat such as chicken, beef for making minced meats. It is multi-purpose kitchen knives. This Thai cleaver looks much like the butcher cleavers familiar in butcher shops in the west, but thinner. Made from high quality stainless steel. The blade is around 20 cm long, 28 cm height and 15 cm wood handle. Product of Thailand.

Buy On Amazon Fr $33.92

Japanese Santoku Knife

Santoku means three virtues is a blade-style perfect for chopping, mincing and dicing vegetables. This  16.5 cm Wasabi Black is the handy knife you'll turn to again and again in your kitchen. This Wasabi line of knives is made in the traditional Japanese blade styling. To reduce food sticking, the blades are sharpened on a single side or sometimes being slotted. Although it has a traditional blade-style, it is paired with a uniquely modern handle material, polypropylene blended with bamboo powder, and impregnated with an agent for super clean food preparation.

Buy On Amazon Fr $48.97

Cut Resistant Gloves

The cut resistant gloves let you handle your grater, knives, and mandolin slicer while worrying less about bandaging a finger or worse. Great for the kids too.
Made of food-safe ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, glass fibre and Spandex, these gloves have been designed to resist cuts from even the sharpest blades. We use these gloves for clients to make a salad so they don't cut themselves. Different Size.

NoCry Cut Resistant Gloves with Secure-Grip Microdots and Level 5 Cut Protection. Comfort-Fit. Food Grade, Size Medium. Includes Free eCookbook!" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: rgb(46, 145, 252);">Buy On Amazon Fr $16.99

 Whetstone 

When your kitchen knives are being used during every service you'll need to revive the blade to keep it sharp.

Just a few minutes using the 400 grit side and you'll restore dull blades. A few more minutes on the 1000 grit side and that edge will be sharper than before.

Wet the whetstone's surface to float away from the swarf. The silicone base keeps the whetstone in place, so you can keep a consistent angle.

Buy On Amazon from $26.99