Gado-Gado Indonesian dish

Sixteen Indonesian students will be joining the Global Youth Village this summer as part of the Indonesian-U.S. Youth Leadership Exchange (IULX). Guess what we will be serving for dinner one evening during Session A?  GADO-GADO!

Mmmm…delicious

Try this outstanding vegetarian Indonesian dish made with authentic spices, eggs and vegetables. Our Indonesian youth who were here for summer camp at the Global Youth Village in previous years loved sharing their customs and traditions with other participants.  Making gado gado is the perfect way to promote intercultural communication and religious tolerance through delicious food and shared traditions.

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, and GYV promotes peace and reconciliation among the world’s diverse religions.  To learn more about the leadership training and intercultural summer experiences at the Global Youth Village, check out our summer programs page for 2011.

Ingredients:

Blanched/steamed vegetables
long green beans, cut into 4-5 cm long
Chinese cabbage, shredded
Bean sprouts

Fresh Vegetables

Lettuce
Tomato, wedged
Cucumber, sliced

Other Complements

Boiled/steamed potatoes, sliced
Boiled eggs, wedged
Fried/baked tempe
Fried/baked tofu
Lontong (rice cake with log shape), cut into 1 cm thick
Ready-to-use fried shallot
Melinjo nuts crackers
Brown rice crackers

Gado-gado sauce

10 cloves garlic, stir fried/fried/roasted
300 g roasted/fried peanuts (In this case, I used 1 cup of organic crunchy peanut butter)
1000 ml coconut milk
10 red chilies, discard the seed and stir fried/fried
1 tsp terasi substitute (dried miso paste or dry vegetarian soup stock)
1 block of coconut sugar (about 62.5 grams)
2-3 tbsp rice flour dissolve in a small amount of water

Sambal

20 chilies, boiled /steamed
1/2 tsp sugar
Sea salt as desired

METHOD:

Gado-Gado Sauce

1. Process garlic, peanuts/peanut butter, a half part of coconut milk, red chilies, terasi, coconut sugar in a food processor or blender.
2. In a sauce pot, combine processed mixture with the rest of coconut milk, stir and turn on the stove at low-medium heat. Stir occasionally.
3. Cook sauce until boiled, the volume reduced and the sauce surface looks a bit oily. Add rice flour mixture. Keep stirring until bubbling about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Sambal

Combine all ingredients and process in a food processor/blender or you can grind them with mortar and pestle.

Serving

Place lettuce, slices of lontong and boiled potatoes, blanched vegetables, wedges of boiled egg, slices of fried tempe and tofu, and wedges of tomato, slices of cucumber. Pour the warm sauce over, garnish with fried shallot, crushed brown rice crackers and emping nuts crackers. Put sambal on the side as people have different preferences when it comes to spiciness. You can omit the sambal if you don’t like the spicy sauce.

Tips

- If the sauce is too thick, add a small amount of water.
- Always try the sauce before you remove it from the heat so you can add salt or coconut sugar to match your taste buds.
- Serve gado-gado sauce while it is still warm. Warm up the sauce if it is cold.
- If you still have leftover sauce, keep it in a jar and refrigerate/freeze. You may use for other dipping purposes.

Annual GYV Essay Contest

We are now accepting submissions for the annual GYV essay contest!  Entrants are invited to answer one of the four following questions:

1. What do you think are the the most pressing barriers to the U.N. Millennium Development Goals and why? How can some of those barriers be lifted? (For a list of the goals, please visit: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/).

2. How do you personally define peace? What do you feel are three of the best ways to create peace in this world?

3. It’s the year 2050. Describe what our world will be like and what kind of qualities a future hero would need to possess.

4. Bullying is a now recognized as a serious problem, especially in the United States. Is bullying going on in your school or neighborhood? Describe the steps you would personally take to mitigate the issue.

Contest Rules

All essays must comply with the following contest rules before submission:

• No literary form other than an essay will be accepted.
• Each essay must reflect the contestant’s own research, writing and original thinking.
• Only one (1) essay may be submitted by each contestant.
• Essays must be typed.
• Essays must be a minimum of 800 words.
• Send a copy of the essay to:
  

  Global Youth Village
  Att: Innocentia Afa
  1020 Legacy Drive, Bedford, VA 24523

• If you wish to send the essay by e-mail, contact Innocentia Afa at iafa@legacyintl.org.
• Entries must be postmarked on or before contest due date which is April 20, 2011.
  

Essays will be judged on the following 4 categories: comprehension, organization,  creativity and writing (spelling, punctuation grammar etc). The winner will receive a $1,200 scholarship to the Peace Building program, July 5-16.

Good luck!

Nowruz: Persian New Year Welcoming Spring

NOWRUZ SPRING FESTIVAL OR NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION

In harmony with the rebirth of nature, the two-week Persian New Year celebration, or Nowruz, always begins on the first day of spring.  President Obama recently made important remarks on Nowruz: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/03/20/remarks-president-obama-marking-nowruz.  On that day-which may occur on March 20, 21, or 22 - Nowruz celebrations include many traditions and wonderful foods:

Nowruz ceremonies consist of a series of symbolic actions dating back to ancient times, including:

• Cleaning of the environment, cleansing of the self, confession of sins, the exorcising of devils, or divs, from the house and the community.
• Forgive yourself and your enemies and a time for making up relationships.
• Dowsing and re-lighting the fires.
• Processions to borders, seas, and rivers.
• Disruption of the normal order of things with boisterous parties.

A few weeks before the New Year, Iranians thoroughly clean and rearrange their homes. They make or buy new clothes, bake pastries and germinate seeds as signs of renewal. Troubadours, called Hadji Firuz or heralds of rebirth, disguised with makeup and wearing red satin outfits, sing and dance through the streets with tambourines, kettle drums, and trumpets to spread good cheer and the news of the coming New Year. The celebration of renewal is attributed to the Sumerian god of sacrifice, Domuzi, who was killed at the end of each year and reborn at the beginning of the new year. The Hadji Firuz‘s disguised face represents his return from the world of the dead, his red costume symbolizes the blood and tragic fate of the legendary Prince Siavush and the rebirth of the god of sacrifice, while his happiness and singing represent his joy at being reborn.

In every Persian household a special cover is spread onto a carpet or on a table. This ceremonial setting is called sofreh-ye haft-sinn (literally “seven dishes’ setting,” each one beginning with the Persian letter sinn). The number seven has been sacred in Iran since antiquity, and the seven dishes stand for the seven angelic heralds of life-rebirth, health, happiness, prosperity, joy, patience, and beauty. The symbolic dishes consist of sabzeh, or sprouts, usually wheat or lentil, representing rebirth. Samanu is a pudding in which common wheat sprouts are transformed and given new life as a sweet, creamy pudding, and represents the ultimate sophistication of Persian cooking. Sib means apple and represents health and beauty. Senjed, the sweet, dry fruit of the wild olive, represents love. It has been said that when the wild olive is in full bloom, its fragrance and its fruit make people fall in love and become oblivious to all else. Seer, which is garlic in Persian, represents medicine. Somaq, sumac berries, represent the color of sunrise; with the appearance of the sun Good conquers Evil. Serkeh, or vinegar, represents age and patience.

To reconfirm the hopes and wishes expressed by the traditional foods, other elements and symbols are also placed on the sofreh. Books of tradition and wisdom are laid out: usually a copy of the holy Koran; and/or a divan of the poems of Hafez. A few coins, representing wealth, and a basket of painted eggs, representing fertility, are also placed on the sofreh. A Seville orange floating in a bowl of water represents the earth floating in space, and a goldfish in a bowl of water represents Anahita, one of the angels of water and fertitily, which is the main purpose of the nowruz celebration. The fish also represents life and the end of the astral year associated with the constellation Pisces. A flask of rose water, known for its magical cleansing power, is also included on the sofreh. A bowl of fresh milk, representing nourishment for the children of the world. Pussy willow branches, pomegrantes, figs, and olives, representing time. Nearby is a brazier for burning wild rue, a sacred herb whose smoldering fumes are said to ward off evil spirits. A pot of flowering hyacinth or narcissus is also set on the sofreh. On either side of a mirror are two candelabra holding a flickering candle for each child in the family. The candles represent enlightenment and happiness. The mirror represents the images and reflections of Creation as we celebrate anew the ancient Persian traditions and beliefs that creation took place on the first day of spring, or Nowruz.

On the same table many people place seven special sweets because, according to a three-thousand-year-old legend, King Jamshid discovered sugar on Nowruz (the word candy comes from the Persian word for sugar, qand). These seven sweets are noghls (sugar-coated almonds); Persian baklava, a sweet, flaky pastry filled with chopped almonds and pistachios soaked in honey-flavored rose water; nan-e berenji (rice cookies), made of rice flour flavored with cardamom and garnished with poppy seeds; nan-e badami (almond cookies), made of almond flour flavored with cardamom and rose water; nan-e nokhodchi (chick-pea cookies), made of chick-pea flour flavored with cardamom and garnished with pistachios; sohan asali (honey almonds), cooked with honey and saffron and garnished with pistachios; and nan-e gerdui (walnut cookies), made of walnut flour flavored with cardamom and garnished with pistachio slivers.

On the eve of the last Wednesday of the year (Shab-e chahar shanbeh sury, literally “the eve of Red Wednesday” or “the eve of celebration”), bonfires are lit in public places and people leap over the flames, shouting, “Sorkhi-e to az man o zardi-e man az to!” (Give me your beautiful red color and take back my sickly pallor!). With the help of fire and light, symbols of good, celebrants pass through this unlucky night-the End of the Year-and into the arrival of spring’s longer days. Tradition holds that the living are visited by the spirits of their ancestors on the last days of the year. Many people, especially children, wrap themselves in shrouds to symbolically reenact the visits. By the light of the bonfire, they run through the streets, banging on pots and pans with spoons and knocking on doors to ask for treats. This ritual is called qashogh-zany and reenacts the beating out of the last unlucky Wednesday of the year. In order to make wishes come true, it is customary to prepare special foods and distribute them on this night: Ash-e reshteh-ye nazri (Noodle Soup); a filled Persian delight, Baslogh, and special snacks called ajil-e chahar shanbeh soury and ajil-e moshkel gosha. The last, literally meaning unraveler of difficulties, is made by mixing seven dried nuts and fruits-pistachios, roasted chick-peas, almonds, hazelnuts, peaches, apricots, and raisins.

A few hours prior to the transition to the New Year, family and friends sit around the sofreh-ye haft-sinn. Everyone sings traditional songs, and poems of Hafez and verses from the Koran are recited. I remember an amusing story about my aunt. She would always carry a tattered divan of the poems of Hafez and, just prior to the Tahvil, while we were all sitting around the sofreh, she would ask each of us to make a wish so that she could ask Hafez about our fortune. Then she would lay the closed book, spine down, on the palm of her left hand while she passed her right index finger several times up and down the page edges. With her eyes closed she would ask out loud:

Ay Hafez-e Shirazi to ke mahram-e har razy! To ra be Shakh-e Nabatat qassam. . .

Oh Hafez of Shiraz, knower of all secrets, by the love of your sweetheart, Shakh-e Nabat . . .

She would continue with the rest of her questions in silence and finally she would open the book by placing her fingernail randomly into the pages. With the first glance at the verses on the page, she would cry out, bah- bah! wonderful, wonderful, how beautiful! She would go on like this for a good minute or two while we sat round-eyed and impatient, waiting to know our fortunes. At last she would begin the first verse of the poem:

Exactly at the moment of the equinox, my father would recite a prayer for the transition, wishing for a good life, and we would all repeat after him out loud.

Then traditionally the oldest person present begins the well-wishing by standing up and giving out sweets, pastries, coins, and hugs. Calm, happiness, sweetness, and perfumed odors are very important on this day of rebirth, since the mood on this day is said to continue throughout the year. An old saying goes, “Good thought, good word, good deed-to the year end, happy indeed.”

The New Year celebration continues for twelve days after the equinox occurs. Traditionally, during the first few days, it is the younger members of the family who visit their older relatives and friends in order to show their respect. Sweet pastries and delicious frosty drinks are served to visitors, and there is a general air of festivity all around. The children receive gifts, usually crisp new notes of money; in America, dollar bills. In the remaining days, the elders return the visits of the younger members of the family.

According to the ancients, each of the twelve constellations in the zodiac governed one of the months of the year, and each would rule the earth for a thousand years, after which the sky and the earth would collapse into each other. The Nowruz celebrations, therefore, lasted twelve days, plus a thirteenth day (representing the time of chaos) celebrated by going outdoors, putting order aside and having parties. On this thirteenth day, called Sizdeh bedar or outdoor thirteen, entire families leave their homes to carry trays of sprouted seeds in a procession to go picnic in a cool, grassy place. Far from home, they throw the sprouts into the water, which is thought to exorcise the divs and evil eyes from the house and the household. Wishing to get married by the next year, unmarried girls tie blades of grass together. There is much singing, dancing, eating, and drinking. With this, the Nowruz celebrations are completed.

The traditional menu for the Nowruz gathering on the day of the equinox usually includes fish and noodles. It is believed they bring good luck, fertiltiy and prosperity in the year that lies ahead.

• Noodle Soup – Ash-e reshteh, noodles representing the Gordian knots of life. Eating them symbolically helps toward unraveling life’s knotty problems.
• Rice with Fresh Herbs and Fish-Sabzi polow ba mahi, fresh herb rice representing rebirth, fish representing Anahita, one of the angels of water and fertility. Or rice with noodles, dates and raisins, or rice with barberries, candied orange peels and carrots.
• Herb Kuku- Kuku-ye sabzi, the eggs and herbs represent fertility and rebirth.
• Bread, Cheese, and Fresh Herbs – Nan-o panir-o sabzi khordan, representing prosperity.
• Wheat Sprout pudding – Samanu, representing fertitlity and rebirth.
• Sprout Cookies – Kolucheh-ye Javaneh-ye Gandom, representing prosperity and fertility.
• Ice in Paradise - Yakh dar Behesht, representing nourishment for the children of the world.
• Saffron Sherbet and Saffron Tea with Rock Candy – Sharbat-e Zaferan va Chai-e Zafaran ba nabat, representing sweetness and light.
• Baklava, Chick-pea Cookies, and Sugar Coated Almonds – Baqlava, Nan-e Nokhodchi, Noghl, representing prospertiy.

Find recipes on http://www.asiafood.org/persiancooking/newyear.cfm from New Food of Life: Ancient Persian & Modern Iranian Cooking & Ceremonies or Silk Road Cooking: a Vegetarian Journey, copyright Najmieh Batmanglij 1986-2004. Courtesy of Mage Publishers, 1032 29th St. NW, Washington, DC 20007.

Tips for Starting an Organic Garden

Tom Taylor has been the master gardener at GYV for the past 20 years. He often invites GYV youth to join him in the gardens for community service and is a featured guest speaker in the Green Your World Workshop.  Right now we have lettuce, arugula, parsley, and green onions ready to eat.  If you’ve been trying to eat more organic foods, both to decrease the amount of pesticides you and your family consume, and to help protect the environment from overloading with toxic chemicals, you know it can be expensive. Here are some tips on starting your own garden.   Luckily, there’s a way to grow your own delicious, fresh produce, while having fun and learning at the same time: organic gardening!

Go to http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/organic-gardening-tips-460309 to get some tips on starting an organic garden.

International Cuisine

The Global Youth Village international summer camp menu is predominantly vegetarian with tasty international foods.  The food enhances our participants’  cross-cultural experience.  Dishes are prepared with natural foods and whole grains.  A poultry dish is served twice a session.  Legacy can accommodate special dietary restrictions.  Below is a sample of what foods to expect during the course of your stay:

BREAKFAST:

• cereals (hot and cold)
• pancakes/french toast
• fruit & yogurt
• eggs
• muffins/bagels
• vegetable/cheese/olives

LUNCH

• soups
• salad/vegetable plate/ coleslaw
• vegetable quiche
• beans
• grilled cheese and other sandwiches
• cottage cheese
• potato salad
• tacos and chili
• rice dishes
• egg salad
• pizza/calzones
• cornbread
• macaroni and cheese
• fruit/cookies/cake

DINNER

• lasagna, pasta
• salad/vegetable plate
• soups
• fresh vegetables
• humus, pita
• spanish/indian rice
• vegetable stew, curries, dahls
• apple sauce
• baked and mashed potatoes
• corn on the cob
• barbeque tofu
• rolls, garlic or pita bread
• spanokopita
• falafel
• tabouli
• stuffed filo triangles
• fresh fruit and fruit salad
• baklava
• brownies, cakes, cookies

Intercultural Chicken Scaloppini

At the Global Youth Village we have great innovative chefs. Did you know chefs are some of the first intercultural specialists? Every year our participants share and learn about international cuisine. They combine traditions and flavors and take ideas from all around the world and meld them together.  This week we want to feature Chef Tal. He was a guest on the Oprah show and has a great vegan recipe called Gardein Chicken Scaloppini.  READ MORE

 

Gardein Chicken Scaloppini Recipe

Serves 4

Udon Noodle Cakes:

• 4 packs (7-ounce single-servings) precooked udon noodles , still in their packages
• Sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

Pea Shoots:

• Pinch sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 1/2 cup faux chicken stock
• 2 cups packed pea shoots

“Chicken”:

• 4 Gardein breasts
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound shiitake mushrooms , stemmed and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 cup dry sake
• 1/2 cup faux chicken stock
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance (butter substitute)
• 1 Tbsp. minced fresh chives
• Microgreens to garnish

Place a large sauté pan over high heat. Sprinkle the bottom with a pinch of salt and heat for 1 minute. Add the oil and heat for 30 seconds, being careful not to let it smoke. This will create a nonstick effect.

Add the noodle cakes and fry until browned and crisp on both sides, seasoning with salt and pepper as they cook, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet and put in the oven to keep warm. 

To make the “chicken“: Flatten the Gardein breasts with your hand to 1/2 inch thick, then cut each into 3 pieces. Season with salt and pepper, then dredge in the flour.

Wipe out the pan you used for the noodle cakes, and add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Heat over medium heat, then add the Gardein pieces and cook until browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, heat over medium heat, then add the mushrooms and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until softened. Deglaze the pan with the sake and cook until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and cook for 2 more minutes.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the Earth Balance 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly so that the sauce doesn’t separate. Stir in the chives. Return the Gardein to the pan and toss to coat it with the sauce. Cover to keep warm while you make the pea shoots.

To make the pea shoots: Place a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Sprinkle the bottom with a pinch of salt and heat for 1 minute. Add the oil and heat for 30 seconds, being careful not to let it smoke.

Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the stock and pea shoots and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until wilted. Drain the excess liquid.

To assemble the dish: Place a noodle cake in the center of each plate. Top each cake with a spoonful of pea shoots, then top the pea shoots with 3 pieces of the Gardein. Spoon a little of the sake and mushroom sauce over the Gardein and drizzle it around the plate. Garnish with microgreens and serve immediately.

 

 

 

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