MEAT LIVESTOCK AUSTRALIA LAMBASSADORS’ WORKSHOP AT HILTON KL

(left-right) Hilton Chef Steven Wong, Australian High Commissioner Dr Justin Lee, Chef Eric Siew and Agriculture Counsellor Sanjay Boothalingam

Australian lamb is not only lean, tender, and healthy but also versatile and easy to cook. With many different cuts available, the meat is suitable for both Asian and Western cooking. 

Meat Livestock Australia (MLA) recently hosted a fun-filled Lambassadors’ Workshop to showcase the great attributes of Australian lamb at Chambers Restaurant, Hilton Kuala Lumpur.

Australian High Commissioner Dr Justin Lee (left) and Agriculture Counsellor Sanjay Boothalingam joined local media members in making open-face lamb pies in a hands-on workshop conducted by Lambassador Chef Eric Siew and Hilton KL Chef Steven Wong.

In his welcome speech, Dr Lee highlighted that 38% of the global supplies – approximately 431,000 tonnes – of sheep meat comes from Australia. Malaysia is the second largest destination for Australian sheep meat in South-East Asia as the country imports 84% of its sheep meat from Australia.

Dr Lee said: “Our red meat export industry is underpinned by a strong biosecurity framework and export regulations in addition to our world-class food regulatory system. Australia also supplies over 17 Islamic markets with Australian halal red meat. We abide by importing country requirements, Australian export legislation, and the Australian Government Authorised Halal Program (AGAHP).”

After observing the two Lambassador Chefs in action (refer to recipe enclosed), the media members then made and decorated their own lamb pies. They were also treated to an array of afternoon tea treats featuring Australian beef and lamb prepared by the Hilton KL team.

According to Valeska, Meat & Livestock Australia’s Regional Manager for South-east Asia, maintaining current production and consumption levels of Australian red meat – beef and lamb – will not contribute to additional global temperature rise – otherwise known as ‘climate neutral’. This means eating Australian lamb does not have an adverse impact on the environment.

“In addition, greenhouse gas emissions from our red meat industry have halved over the last 16 years. There is significantly more tree cover on Australia’s grazing lands than there was 30 years ago, and it takes 68% less water to produce a kilo of beef,” she said.

Australian lamb is halal to the bone. The animals are slaughtered under the Australian Government Supervised Halal Programme, by Muslims approved by accredited Islamic certifying authorities in accredited processing plants, according to strict Islamic law or Syariah, and in compliance to importing country’s strict halal protocol. This programme is guaranteed under the Australian law, and administered by the Federal Department of Agriculture.

A good source of protein, Australian lamb contains 13 essential nutrients required for good health. Among them are Iron, Zinc, Omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins.

For more Australian lamb recipe ideas, visit: https://www.trueaussiebeefandlamb.my/#
 

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.

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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
 

MEAT LIVESTOCK AUSTRALIA CHALLENGES CHEFS TO RAISE THEIR GAME

Doubletree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur emerged as the Champion of  the 2019 Golden Bull Culinary Competition at this year’s Culinaire Malaysia 2019 which was held from 24-27 September.

The five-man team beat eight other teams in creating the best beef and lamb dishes, to win a challenge tropy, cash prize of RM6,888 and medals. The 1st Runner-Up Royal Brunei Catering walked away with a challenge tropy, cash prize of RM5,888 and medals. Fudehui Group from China grabbed the 2nd runner-up spot, bagging a challenge tropy, cash prize of RM3,888 and medals.

Held in conjunction with Culinaire Malaysia, Meat Livestock Australia (MLA) is the main sponsor of the Golden Bull Culinary Competition. 

 

 

 

 

A total of nine teams from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Korea, China, Brunei and Taiwan cooked up a storm, pitting their culinary skills and versatility in creating beef and lamb dishes.

 

 

 

 

Judging was based on the teams who displayed best use of secondary cuts of Australian beef and lamb for appetisers and main course. Points were also awarded for cooking temperature, texture, cutting, preparation and seasoning.

 

 

For the MLA Iron Butcher Challenge, Muhamad Adam Yahya from Sama-Sama Hotel KLIA was declared the MLA Iron Butcher champion. He went home with a special knife set, a challenge trophy and a certificate of achievement.

The 1st Runner-Up was Muhammad Faizal Mokhzir from Atlas Gourment Sdn Bhd and 2nd Runner-Up was Mohamad Fauzan Abdul Rahman from Hero Market Sdn Bhd also received similar prizes.

 

This year, 21 butchers from the retail and food-service sectors competed in the preliminary rounds, cutting and portioning out beef carcass and primal cuts of lamb within the allocated 1.5 hours.

 

 

 

 

Judges watched the competitors like hawks, awarding marks for preparation and boning techniques, value-adding ideas (marination), cuts applicable to food service, clean muscle separation, time management, good hygiene practices, orderliness at work, minimisation of food wastage, cost effectiveness and presentation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the quality Aussie beef and lamb for both MLA competitions were supplied by Stanbroke, Murray Pure and Thomas Foods from Australia.