With the first months of the school year in the books, we figured it was a good time to catch up with students – in this case, students from SAIT’s School of Hospitality and Tourism. With their busy schedules between early morning classes and day-to-day services at venues like The Highwood Kitchen + Bar, many student chefs have figured out ways to make weekday meals easy, tasty, and affordable.
Guided and encouraged by chef instructors, and inspired by their own experiences and backgrounds, the four student chefs highlighted this month are a perfect example of diversity in a kitchen, and in the industry. Who knows what the future will bring? One day they could be cooking in one of your favourite restaurants or opening the next big name on the culinary scene.
Watch out for our December issue with four students from NAIT!
Growing up in a household where both parents worked meant that second-year Culinary Arts student Alice Yip found herself cooking meals. “My mother was very busy, and sometimes her dishes weren’t very flavourful,” she explains. “That made me curious to learn how to improve and make better dishes.”
While she has several favourite dishes, it’s those that are Hong Kong-style barbecue meat that standout – think char siu, roast goose, and suckling pig. The drawback is that these dishes are labour intensive, something that busy weekdays don’t always allow for.
Keep your midweek meal efforts minimal. “You can prep dishes the evening before such as marinating meat, or braising or slow cooking overnight,” Alice suggests. Choose vegetables that have a longer shelf-life or try pickling some on the weekend to add to weekday dishes.
“Sweet and sour pork is a must-order when I dine at Cantonese restaurants,” she adds. “It’s a signature Cantonese dish, and one of my comfort foods. But it takes quite a bit of time because you need to deep-fry the pork twice. You can substitute that with pan-fried chicken – the flavour is still there, and you will not be able to resist having it with a big bowl of rice!”
When making the sauce, adjust the sugar or vinegar to find a flavour that suits you. “Cooking should be relaxing,” Alice reminds us, “So don’t be stressed because it’s a midweek meal. Happy cooking!”
With a severe peanut and tree nut allergy, Michelle Kwong quickly discovered that the only way she could experience new foods without risking her safety was to learn how to cook. “Growing up, and even now, I am limited to the types of foods I can try. I hope one day to make baked goods from various cultures more easily accessible to those with allergies.”
As a second-year Baking and Pastry Arts student, Michelle considers herself more of a baker than a chef, so her love of baked goods knows no bounds. “For me, cooking is more about the memories you can make with the people you cook for and with. So, my favourite dish to cook is anything I can make and enjoy with my family.”
Her bulgogi bao recipe is designed so that many components can be prepared beforehand. “During the fall, when so many vegetables are ready to harvest, a variety of pickled vegetables can be made well in advance and stored in the fridge.” Keep in mind: the smaller you cut the vegetables, the quicker they will pickle.
“I created this dish with my sister, Amanda,” Michelle explains. “A tortilla was used as a vessel for the filling, but as an Asian Canadian, I wanted to share a recipe that highlighted my Chinese and Taiwanese background, as well as the diverse cultures and cuisines in Canada. The foundation is a steamed bao bun, the perfect envelope for Korean bulgogi beef, European garlic aioli, and Vietnamese pickled vegetables.”
Second-year Culinary Arts student, Earl Guieb, draws on diverse dishes from comforting home-cooked meals to intricate gourmet dishes, taking cues from different regions, techniques, and spices. “Knowing what’s in season locally drives me to create dishes that celebrate the natural rhythm of the year.”
Keep weeknights stress free and flavourful: "Incorporating seasonal and local ingredients enhances flavour and nutrition while supporting local farmers, is one way to make meals more manageable.” One-pot or sheet pan meals simplify both cooking and clean up. “Slow cookers are also great for making hearty meals with minimal effort,” he adds.
Classic Filipino dishes like crispy palabok and kare-kare are some of Earl’s favourites. “Growing up in a Filipino household, kare-kare was often at the centre of family celebrations and get-togethers,” he explains.
Preparing traditional kare-kare can be time consuming, which prompted Earl to create a simple spin on the dish for an easy and accessible weekday meal. “Various versions use different proteins like beef, oxtail, or seafood. Here I’ve used bacon and changed the rice to rice vermicelli noodles. Brussels sprouts replace banana blossom. This variation uses affordable ingredients available in Alberta, while maintaining the rich and comforting flavours of the traditional dish.” He advises choosing fresh or unsweetened peanut butter for depth of flavour. And don’t skip blanching the vegetables – it helps them retain texture and colour.
“Eating kare-kare always brings fond memories of enjoying a meal that was made with love. It’s more than just food, it’s a connection to my roots, and a way to share Filipino culture with others.”
Second-year Culinary Arts student Vikas Prithvinath says that growing up he was influenced by a lot of great home cooks, including his aunts and his mother. “There would be days where we’d all meet together in my grandmother’s house and they’d all huddle a tiny kitchen and each one would cook one part of the family meal for that day.”
Biriyani is his favourite dish. “In South India, biriyani is not a food, it’s an emotion. Every single household and restaurant will have their own version of it, and that shows you how much that dish has been manipulated and takes on its own identity.”
To tackle tight timelines for weekday meals, Vikas says your best bet is to use a pressure cooker. “It’s saved my life so many times, especially after a long day when you just want to eat something to fill your stomach and go to bed. Rice and dahl are big staples for me during the week, so I’ll put the lentils in the pressure cooker and forget about it.”
Vikas’ recipe for Prawn Vindaloo comes together with relative ease. Typically a red curry coloured by Kashmiri chilies, for this version arbol chilies are used as they’re easier to find in Alberta. “To adjust this to the North American palate there’s a bit more yogurt and cream to balance out the flavours,” he adds. And the prawns will cook quicker than traditional lamb or pork. Vikas adds that Indian cooking is pretty forgiving, but the most crucial thing about making curry is to ensure you cook your onions almost to the point of burning to give it a rich, deep flavour.
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