‘To harm another is to harm oneself. When you heal yourself, you heal the world’ – Yung Pueblo
Food for thought
The Lunar New Year is upon us. This year is the year of the snake, representing a time for personal growth, transformation and shedding bad energy.
When I think of transformation, I think of any inner journey. Your inner world reflects on your outer. The only thing you have control over is you. How you react in the face of change and uncertainty. Change is not easy. That is why I don’t make new year’s resolutions. My aim isn’t to give up one thing. It is to continue to iterate myself and my life at a realistic pace. To know that I am perfect just as I am and to give myself the grace to love all versions of myself. I believe that as I learn compassion for myself, I learn to give it to others. In learning to put less pressure on myself, I adjust my expectation of others. In the end we are all connected, we are not two but one.
The recipe
I taught this recipe to a group of 11-year-olds, who had never tried Bok Choy or heard of 5-spice, and they loved it. It is a 10-minute meal if you need it to be or a 1-hour class, lol. Feel free to add in or change the vegetables with the season.
Ingredients
- 1lb rice noodles (or spaghetti)
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 2 tbsp. sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp. 5-spice
- 1 green pepper
- 1 red pepper
- 1 orange pepper
- 1 bunch spring onion (green and white used separately)
- 1 bunch baby boy choi (4 pieces)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (for the stir-fry)
- Salt to taste
Method
- Prepare the noodles: boil some water, pour in a bowl, soak noodles. Set timer.
- Once timer goes off, drain in a sieve with small holes, rinse in cold water and put aside.
- Whilst waiting for the noodles, wash and dry vegetables. Show bear claw cutting method. Cut end of Bok choy and wash. Cut peppers into thin slices (julienne) and spring onions into round, separate white and green.
- Prepare dressing, by mixing all ingredients together (times 2). Put one portion on the noodles, one portion of the dressing on the vegetables when ready.
- Show stir-fry technique for vegetables. Stir-fry with olive oil.
- Mix veggies and noodles together at the end. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
- Sprinkle with green onions.
- Serve hot/warm
