VERSATILE, HALAL AND DELICIOUS #TRUEAUSSIELAMB EXPERIENCE

Versatile. Fast to cook. Even better and most delicious to eat. Words that are music to a busy mum’s ears once I discover how easy it is to cook with #trueaussielamb.

Having picked up lots of useful information from the recent Meat Livestock Australia (MLA) “Your Trusted Halal Australian Beef and Lamb, from Farm to Plate” Media Webinar, I realise #trueaussiebeef and #trueaussielamb both many advantages: the meat is Halal-certified, can be used for a wide variety of Asian or Western dishes, and are rich with vitamins and minerals.

Inspired by Chef Jason Manson’s Peranakan-style Beef and Belimbing uluh with Beancurd Sauce, and his version of Sabahan Beef Soto with Vermicelli, I decided to use a mild spice rub for the #trueaussielamb shoulder chops. The idea is to flavour the meat without overwhelming the natural taste.

To balance the rich meaty flavour, I chose a refreshing orange and cherry tomatoes salad to complement the seared lamb shoulder chops. The greens also helped to add healthy balance to my family’s daily diet. It’s a simple and fast recipe to prepare, plus delicious to boot!

 

SEARED SPICED LAMB SHOULDER CHOPS

with Orange & Cherry Tomatoes Salad

INGREDIENTS

For the lamb chops:

2 pcs Halal True Aussie Lamb Shoulder Chops

2 tablespoons curry powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon garam marsala

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Mix the spices together and rub onto the lamb chops.

Heat pan with oil. Sear lamb shoulder chops on high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side. Season to taste with salt and pepper if necessary. Remove from pan and set aside to rest.

For the salad:

8-10 cherry tomatoes

1/2 yellow or red onion

1 orange

1 packet baby spinach leaves

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Slice cherry tomatoes into halves.

Cut orange into dices.

Slice onion into julienne or strips.

Rinse baby spinach and toss dry to remove excess water.

Whisk olive oil with balsamic vinegar.

Toss spinach, cherry tomatoes, orange dices and onion thoroughly with salad dressing.

To serve, plate up seared lamb shoulder chops with a serving of salad on the side. Enjoy your serving of Halal True Aussie Lamb Shoulder Chops!

During the (MLA) Media Webinar, Sanjay Boothalingam, Australian Agriculture Counsellor, Australian High Commission reiterated, “the Australian Government ensures Australian beef, lamb and goat are of the highest quality and being halal compliant. Australian meat is also known for our safety, sustainability, reliability and traceability.”

Terry Nolan, Representative from the Australian Meat Industry Council assured us “exporters are committed to supplying halal meat from Australia’s farms to Malaysian consumers, ensuring quality and halal practices, and with all the SOPs in place.”

He also shared how Australian livestock are raised in pristine environment, free from diseases, and spoke on Australia’s red meat integrity systems. 

All cattle, sheep and goats processed in Australia for the Malaysia market are slaughtered under the Australian Government Supervised Halal Program by accredited Muslims, and are administered by the Federal Department of Agriculture in Australia. 

Additionally, all processing facilities in Australia employ only registered and trained Muslim slaughtermen from the Halal Certifying Bodies. They also comply with personal hygiene, operational sanitation and animal welfare requirements. These Halal Certifying Bodies are recognised and approved by JAKIM (Department of Islamic Development of Malaysia). The Halal systems and production facilities are regularly audited by internal quality and food safety assurance systems, (Australian and importing country representatives from DVS (Department of Veterinary Services of Malaysia) and JAKIM. 

#TrueAussieMy #australianbeefandlamb #premiumbeef #lambassador

For more information, visit the following websites:

www.mla.com.au

www.trueaussiebeef.com

www.trueaussiebeefandlamb.my

www.lambassador.asia

STAYING HOME TO COOK UP A TRUE AUSSIE LAMB EXPERIENCE

 

Making charaben or character bento is no child’s play. Learning to prepare it was fun though after I was persuaded to join Meat Livestock Australia’s (MLA) True Beef Up Contest. 

Prior to making the charaben, I reviewed the useful tips gleaned from the Beef Up webinar hosted by MLA. Some of the key takeaways I recall from Mary Easaw, senior lecturer at the International Medical University and consultant dietician at CVSKL Hospital Kuala Lumpur include:

•    Eating lean red meat three to four times a week is recommended for a healthy balanced diet

•        Beef, especially True Aussie Beef, is a good source of protein, iron, zinc and other essential nutrients. Australian grass-fed beef is naturally low in fat and cholesterol, while offering a higher level of Omega 3 fatty acids.

•        Moderation is key to a healthy diet. The basic guideline for a healthy plate is ½ plate colourful, non-starchy vegetables, ¼ plate carbohydrates (potato, pasta, rice) and ¼ plate protein (meat, fish, chicken or tofu)

•           1 serving of meat = the size of the palm of your hand with the thickness of a deck of cards (65-100g) 1-2 x per week.

Air-fried Aussie beef Salad Nicoise-style shown by Chef Victor Chow

From the Beef Up webinar, we got some practical tips and inspiration from Chef Victor Chow who showed us 3 simple and delicious recipes on how to cook beef. More recipe ideas and information are found in the comprehensive media kit provided to us.

Since I opted for lamb, I decided the True Aussie Lamb Shabu Shabu slices would work well in a lunch box. To ensure it remains in the ‘lamb’ light, a charaben would be a cute and attention-grabbing way to showcase the meat.

It was the pack of Kikkoman Garlic Teriyaki Sauce that gave me the charaben inspiration. 😄

TRUE AUSSIE LAMB CHARABEN

 

100g Aussie lamb slices

1 pack (25g) Kikkoman Garlic Teriyaki Sauce

1 small pc nori sheet

200g cooked rice

2 tsp vinegar

1 tsp mirin

Pinch of salt

½ tsp mayonnaise

1 pc baby romaine lettuce (chopped)

2 eggs (beaten)

½ tomato (diced)

 

Marinate Aussie lamb slices with Kikkoman Garlic Teriyaki Sauce for 15 minutes.

Heat pan and sauté lamb slices quickly. Set aside.

Cut nori sheet into two round discs and long “sheep ear” shapes.

Mix cooked rice with vinegar, mirin and salt. Shape and mould into rice balls.

Place each nori disc onto the rice balls with the “sheep ears” on the side. Dot some mayonnaise on top of the nori discs for the “eyes”.

(Tip: Use cupcake or muffin liner to hold rice balls)

Fry beaten egg into omelette, roll it up tightly and slice.

Fill lunch box with chopped baby romaine lettuce.

Place rice balls on top. Fill one quarter of lunch box with sautéed lamb slices. Decorate with diced tomato.

Fill remaining quarter of lunch box with sliced omelette rolls.

# # #

The whole experience was easier than I had anticipated. Not only the lamb slices cooked within minutes, everyone also enjoyed the delicious and meltingly tender meat. For us busy working mothers, #TrueAussieLamb is quick and easy to cook and that’s a godsend!

Bear in mind, lean red meat has lower fat content than chicken too. Trimmed of separable fat, lean beef has average 2.7g fat per 100g raw weight while skinless chicken has 3.5g.

Nutrient-wise, red meat is a great source of Iron (important for brain function), Zinc (for healthy bone development, fertility and immunity) and Omega-3. Other essential nutrients to be found include magnesium, selenium, niacin, potassium, phosphorous, Vitamins B5, B6 and B12 - vital for brain function, muscle development and function, immunity and energy.

During the Beef Up webinar, Sanjay Boothalingam, Australian Agriculture Counsellor from the Australian High Commission, highlighted Australian beef, lamb and goats are renowned for their quality, safety and halal compliance.

“Malaysia is the 3^rd largest market for Australian mutton,” said Sanjay. “Australian meat are known for safety, quality, sustainability, reliability and traceability.” 

He also spoke at length on the stringent Halal compliance and legislature framework implemented by the Australian government, covering everything from animal welfare and husbandry, slaughter, on-field and plant audits by JAKIM, to import permits. 

For more information go to: https://www.trueaussiebeefandlamb.my/ and
https://www.mla.com.au
 

HANDY KITCHER HELPERS FROM TURBAN CHOPSTICKS

While I love cooking things from scratch, I do use pre-made curry pastes occasionally. At the recent Tasty Australia showcase, my interest was piqued by Turban Chopsticks after I met the brand founder, vivacious Mei Sann Yong.

A quick chat revealed the friendly entrepreneur was born in Malaysia but grew up in Perth, Australia. According to Mei, she founded Turban Chopsticks when she encountered cooking inconveniences in her busy life, early in her career.

Mei said: “As a busy working professional who travel constantly, I didn’t have much time for cooking. After a long day, I wanted home-cooked meals - the kind I grew up with - that were healthy and tasted amazing. But I also didn’t have the time to source and cook everything from scratch nor do I want to use prepackaged food with suspicious ingredients and origins.”

She soon identified a gap in the market for pre-made meal kits and curry sauces with bold flavours that used clean ingredients. That’s where Turban Chopsticks’ convenient, pre-made meal kits and ready-to-use sauces come in.

 

Raised by a full house of bakers, chefs, restaurant owners, food businesses, home cooks, and (some say extreme) food lovers, Mei has put her own exposure to various cuisines and exotic ingredients as the starting point of Turban Chopsticks.

 

“Turban Chopsticks gives busy mums and dads, working professionals, and enthusiastic home cooks a sneaky shortcut to beautifully home cooked Asian and Indian inspired meals.  They can use it as a foolproof foundation to create their own tasty masterpieces. Cooking food from the heart is something everyone can nail with Turban Chopsticks.”

Putting Turban Chopsticks to the test, I used Turban Chopsticks Red Curry Sauce to cover a whole red snapper. After wrapping up the fish in banana leaves, I chucked it into the toaster oven to bake. 

Half an hour later, the fragrant aroma permeated the whole house and we soon sat down to a delicious, robustly flavoured fish for dinner. A few days later my 20-year old daughter spread the remaining Turban Chopsticks Red Curry Sauce to grill salmon with equally scrumptious results.

 

For more information about Turban Chopsticks, visit: 

https://turbanchopsticks.com.au

TASTY AUSTRALIA SHOWCASE AT ISETAN KLCC

A total of 12 new brands with more than 80 products made their debut at Tasty Australia 2019 at Isetan KLCC, officially launched by Australian Deputy High Commissioner to Malaysia, Michael Growder (pix below).

 

 

Also present at the launch were Koji Oyama, Director/Managing Director of Isetan Malaysia (2nd from left), and Vivien Lee, Executive Director of The Model Cook (far right).

 

A collaboration between The Model Cook and Isetan Malaysia, Tasty Australia 2019 showcases the best of regional Australian food & beverage from 30 August to 11 September. It’s the sixth year Tasty Australia has been held in Kuala Lumpur.

 

Vivien Lee said: “Our passion is to promote healthy eating by offering GMO-free and healthier alternative food with real health benefits.  We always strive to ensure the healthier food alternatives present its value for money and nutritional content in the actual products themselves.”

 

 

Apart from The Model Cook’s traditional best-selling 25 brands from South Australia, Tasty Australia 2019 highlights primarily food, drinks, products and brands from South Australia and Western Australia. Most of the new brands have chosen Malaysia as their first country of export.

 

To emphasise Tasty Australia 2019’s focus on clean eating, sustainability and a conscious choice of GMO-free foods, several founders of the new brands were also at the event to meet and interact with Isetan customers, and to share their respective brand stories.

Among them were Bevan Eatts, Director of Southern Forest Flavours (top pix) who touted his high flavonoids, ready-to-eat and good-for-the-heart dried Bravo apple slices and 100% natural dehydrated fruit straps; Mei Yong, Director of Turban Chopsticks (2nd pix above) whose range of bottled Asian sauces and convenient easy-to-cook meal kits won us over within minutes; dynamic duo Elizabeth Simaliak with Issy Bilal, Founders of Nestar & Ms Sweetie Vegan Chocolates, and Kim Fewster, Founder & CEO of Fewster’s Farm Honey who promoted his indigenous Western Australia certified organic Jarrah honey.

 

Us food lovers also had a field day shopping for fine Australian products including Western Australia’s iconic superior class black Perigord truffle oil and seasonings, raw Southern Forests honey, gluten-free kettle-cooked tasty Jonny’s Popcorn Delight, gourmet vegan chocolates, 100% Australian grown quinoa, Australian produced cheeses, muesli and multi-grain cereals, biscuits, bottled drinks and wines from Australia, and even premium frozen seafood.

 

The Isetan Food Market will be bustling with activity during Tasty Australia. Besides a striking Popcorn Fountain, Tasty Australia 2019 will offer lucky draws with prizes comprising RM500 gift vouchers, food hampers and Australian souvenir giveaways with purchases.

Shoppers can also sample a selection of typical Aussie dishes like Salt Beef Sandwich, Burgers, Seafood Pasta and Fish & Chips at the Australian Gourmet pop-up restaurant from 11am to 9.30pm. Value buys of certain Australian food and beverage products especially during the one-hour “Meet the Makers” period will feature extra special buys so keep an eye out for that.

For more details on “Tasty Australia” best buys, please visit TheModelCook Facebook page.