Cultural Cooking Collaboration Teaching Cantonese Cuisine
A delegation from the Guangzhou Institute of Technology (GIT) in China was hosted at NorthTec’s Raumanga campus in Whangārei last week
Three of GIT’s top cookery tutors were in attendance allowing for a demonstration of Cantonese cooking techniques and a show of Māori culture by NorthTec’s tutors.
“Our cookery students in Levels 3, 4, and 5 got to watch and learn from these amazing chefs,” says Lisette Buckle, Pathway manager for Hospitality at NorthTec. “It’s a fabulous opportunity for them to see the similarities and differences between the cooking techniques.”
The GIT tutors consisted of; Chen Huanhuan, programme coordinator of Cooking Technology and Nutrition major; Feng Li, programme coordinator of the Intelligent Catering Management major, and Peng Zining, teacher of the Cooking Technology and Nutrition major.
Also, in attendance were two of Wenzhou College of Science and Technology’s tutors who will remain in New Zealand for the next three months as part of a tutor exchange programme. The programme is used as professional development for the tutors, allowing them to experience a new culture and different way of teaching and learning, and learn to adapt western pedagogy to their teaching practices.
Chen Huanhuan and Peng Zining made two different fish-based dishes, including the Wulin Pine Nut Fish which featured a unique cooking technique where the fish is sliced and fried in oil in a way that makes the cooked flesh resemble the scales of a fish.
“In China, there is a large focus on not just the taste of the food, but also the appearance,” explains NorthTec Cookery tutor Hughie Blues. “Food is expected to engage all of the senses, the taste, texture, smell, and look of each dish is carefully balanced. There is also often a story behind each dish which adds to the experience.”
Feng Li made pork and vegetable steamed dumplings. She not only demonstrated the traditional way the dough is created and kneaded, but she was also able to teach both students and NorthTec tutors alike two separate folding methods to produce different shapes and patterns.
Tutors and students were given the chance to try the fold techniques, with varying degrees of success among the students but a lot of enthusiasm from all involved.
The NorthTec tutors then reciprocated by teaching the visiting chefs a range of skills used in cooking a hangi, including how to weave baskets from harakeke (flax), pack the baskets with a range of native plants and herbs and identified particular plants and explained how each plant flavours the food that’s placed in the baskets. They then produced a previously laid hangi allowing everyone to try the traditional Māori cuisine.
“It was a fantastic event,” says Hughie. “The chefs were amazing. The ingredients available in New Zealand differ from what is available in China, so it can be incredibly hard to come to a new country and operate in a new space with varied ingredients while trying to exhibit your craft. There is also a difference in what each culture eats. In New Zealand, we don’t eat the heads or fins of fish, whereas in China they do. So, the recipe also needs to be adapted to account for that. They adapted perfectly.”
Guangzhou Institute of Technology is one of NorthTec’s partner schools in China. The delegation arrived in New Zealand to solidify the partnership. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) committing to further joint ventures was signed by both parties on the day.
