A Multicultural Food Idea, About Japan

Sushi Making

Ingredients:
Sushi rice:
• ½ kg of sushi rice
• 2 dessert spoons of raw sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 5 dessert spoons of sushi seasoning

Filling:
• 5 sausages

Note: filling can be changed according to your taste.
You can use a can of tuna or cucumbers or carrots or fried finger chicken nuggets or beef floss, etc.

Sushi wrappers:
5 sheets of seaweed for sushi (nori)

For serving:
• soy sauce for sushi
• Japanese mayonnaise

How to make sushi:

• Put a piece of seaweed (the shiny side down) on a chopping board or a flat plate.

• Cover it with an even layer of seasoned sushi rice. 

• Put the filing on top of the rice closest to you according to your taste. 

• Hold the seaweed, rice and filling and then roll it away from you. 

• Squeeze the sushi roll tight so that the filing and the rice will stick together. 

• Cut the sushi roll according to your taste.

• Ready to be served


Sushi rice can be changed with mashed potatoes if you cannot eat rice

How to make mashed potatoes:
• Slice the 5 potatoes into 4 to 6 pieces each making them easy to steam and mash.
• Steam the cut potatoes until they are soft (about 10 minutes).
• Mashed them down.
• Let them cool down. 

• Ready to be used

©Tina Adi

A Multicultural Food Idea: Xiao Mai Making

Ingredients:

500 gr of minced chicken

4 cloves of garlic

2 chicken eggs 

15 gr of shiitake mushrooms 

2 medium sized carrots

½ of a teaspoon of sesame oil

¼ of a teaspoon of ground white pepper

¼ of a teaspoon of salt

150 gr of tapioca flour 

5 leaves of spring onions

2 dessert spoons of chicken powder (brand: knorr)

Dumpling skin wrappers:

100 dumpling skins (the round ones)

How to cook:

• Cut the mushrooms and carrots into small pieces.

• Combine all the ingredients and stir it evenly. 

• Place a desert spoon of the stirred ingredients on each dumpling skin wrapper. 

• Pinched together all side of the wrapper to form a flower like shape at the top, sealing in the minced chicken ingredients at the top. 

• Put each xiao mai in the steamer using a high heat setting.

• Steam them for 20 minutes.

• Ready to be served.

©Tina Adi

EMPLOYEES ARE COMPANY ASSETS

We need to remember that every company needs to work hand in hand with their employees to be able to operate their daily activities properly in order to achieve their philosophy, goals, visions, missions accurately. 

Every company needs to have a stable happy employees, so that the employees will not resign and force  the company to hire new employees. 

Instead of using the organisation's cash flow and  assets to hire and train new employees due to staff churn. 

There are things to do to create a positive and happy working atmosphere:

• treat the employees with respect 

• treat the employees with empathy 

• treat the employees with fairness

• create an environment where there is reciprocal respect between all organisational members (this will help with staff retention)

• hire the right person in the right position, at the right time, with the right attitude

• continually train their employees with professional development programs to improve their ability to achieve and to fulfill the organisational philosophy, visions, missions and goals. 

©Tina Adi

It is Important to Create a Respectful Atmosphere with Young Children

Young children, who cannot even speak yet, he or she understands our conversations. 

For example: I was about to wipe off the food from a child's face, hands and feet after eating. 

I asked him,"Can I wipe off the food from your face?". 

Surprisingly, the child moved his face into a position, where I could wipe it. 

I then asked him again,"Can I wipe your hands? Which hand do you want me to wipe first?". After that the child lifted up his left hand towards me.

I believe that the child trusted me to wipe his face, hands and feet even though it was the first time for him meeting me. He was calm and relaxed during the cleaning process. 

I think that the child understood that I have respected him by asking his permission to wipe his face, hands and feet. The child then responded positively and gave me permission to wipe his face or hands or feet by moving his face, hands and feet into a certain position, so that I could wipe his face or hands or feet easily. 

©Tina Adi

An Idea of Teaching Japanese and Indonesian Languages Through Cooking Activities

Exposing children to other languages other than English is a positive way to teach children about accepting and understanding that there are people who have Japanese and Indonesian cultures around them. 

This experience can be taught through cooking activities. 

Japanese rice bowl - 'karaage (karaage means fried chicken)' and learning simple Japanese words:

'こんにちは (Kon'nichiwa) = hello'

'はい (Hai) = yes'

'いいえ (Īe) = no'

'ありがとうございました (Arigatōgozaimashita) = thank you'

Source: Google translation  

Ingredients:

2 kg medium rice

2 kg chicken breast

200 ml of vegetable oil 

6 dessert spoons of mince garlic

3 dessert spoons of mince ginger

6 dessert spoons of kikoman soy sauce 

4 dessert spoons of cooking sake

1 dessert spoon of sesame oil 

1 cup of raw sugar 

2 tea spoons of salt

A pinch of pepper powder

2 cups of corn flour

1 dessert spoon of garlic powder 

2 – 4 dessert spoons of vinegar

1 big red chili

How to cook the karaage and the rice:

• Chop all the chicken breasts into small pieces 

• Marinate the chopped chicken with 3 desert spoons of mince garlic, all mince ginger, a pinch of salt, 1 dessert spoon of raw sugar, all soy sauce, all sake, all sesame oil for about 30 minutes.

• Wash the rice with water 3 times and then add water around 2 cm above the rice. After that cook it using a rice cooker.

• Pour 1 cup of corn flour into a plate and then add the garlic powder, a pinch salt and pepper powder. After that dip the chicken breasts into corn flour and then shake it.

• Heat the oil in a frying pan. Use a wooden spatula to check

whether the oil is ready for frying by dipping it. If the oil is bubbling, it means that the chicken breasts can be put into the frying pan. Fry the chicken until the colour is golden brown.

How to cook the sauce:

• Blend 3 desert spoons of mince garlic, red chili and ¼ cup of water according to the taste. 

• Pour the blended garlic into a sauce pan and then add the vinegar, the rest of the sugar, chopped red chili and ½ cup of water to boil. 

• Dilute 1 dessert spoon of corn flour with 2 dessert spoons of water. Then mix it while you pour it little by little into the sauce until it boils. 

How to serve:

• Put the cooked rice into a serving bowl and then put the karaage on top of the rice. After that pour the sauce on top of the karaage.

Bubur Sumsum - Indonesian rice pudding and learning simple Indonesian words:

Halo = hello

Ya = yes

Tidak = no

Terima kasih = thank you

Ingredients:

500 gr rice flour 

1 litre of coconut milk 

1 tea spoon of salt

4 sheets of pandan leaves

½ cup of coconut sugar

How to cook the pudding:

• Pour the coconut milk into a big pot and then add the rice flour. 

• Stir the coconut milk and the rice flour until it is smooth. Then tied 2 sheets of pandan leaves into a knot and put it into the pot.

• Stir the coconut milk and the rice flour while cooking it using medium heat. 

• Add a pinch of salt and keep stirring it until it forms thick porridge. 

How to cook the sauce:

• Pour a cup of water into a sauce pan and then add the coconut sugar, a pinch of salt and a knot of 2 sheets of pandan leaves.

• Stir the sauce until it boils. 

How to serve:

• Put the pudding into a small cup and then pour the sauce on top of it

Note: 
It is very important to do risk assessment first, such as: food allergy, cross-contamination during cooking activity, hot stove, cooking area, etc.

©Tina Adi

How to Create a Welcoming Atmosphere

As a Teacher, it is very important to create a welcoming situation to all of your students, colleagues, other professionals and parents at all times.

There are ways to create a welcoming atmosphere:
• Take deep breaths and release them 3 times or more, so that you can feel calmness inside of you.
• Smile with your eyes and lips.
• Greet others: Good morning!, Hi!, Good day!
• Listen attentively during the conversations.
• Respond positively while listening: ...yes, ahh.., ok, I see
• Be friendly
• Be positive

©Tina Adi

How to Communicate Effectively to Children with Asperger's Symptoms

Based on my reading, Asperger's symptoms is connected to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Asperger's symptoms is also connected to:
A. the ability to receive information.
The best way to communicate effectively to children with Asperger's is by giving specific information. Make sure, that the way we are communicating is showing the fact, that is understandably, clear and without involving any feelings.
Example:
There is a boy with Asperger's climbing a 3 metres high tree.
How to communicate effectively:
• The fact:
》Remind the boy to check first before climbing the tree, whether:
1. there are any mats under the tree to protect him from any injuries, in case he falls.
2. there are ropes to be attached to his body to prevent him from falling.
3. there is a helmet to wear to protect his head from hitting his head accidentally.
4. there is a certified supervisor for the climbing activity.
5. there is a nurse on the premises, that can handle medical emergency.
6. there are First Aid and medical supplies to treat any injuries.

》Ask questions:
1. What will happen to him, if he climbs without checking the information above?
2. What will happen, if he falls?
3. What will happen, if his hands are injured?
4. Will he need help to eat or to wear the clothes/ shoes/ pants, in case he injures his hands?

》Encourage the child to decide the right and safe decision for him/her self:
The educator can give five minutes to think to the child about his/her decision.

B. the ability to control their emotion.
The educator can give the child support by giving the child a space to express their anger without injuring him/her self and others.
It will be good, if the premises provides a room with a Whac-A-Mole equipment. This equipment can help the child to express his/ her anger effectively.

C. the ability to do activities, that need hand-eye-coordination (throwing and catching a ball or snap card games).
The educator can train the child before starting the activity and then pair the child with Asperger's with another child, that has the same level of the ability, so they will not become frustrated. Make sure, that the educator pays more attention to child with Asperger's during the activity to minimise any aggressive behavior, that might happen.

©Tina Adi