Zachra Shafira Ramadhanty (9) a student at Madrasah Pembangunan elementary school in Jakarta was very excited when her twin aunts Sari and Dian took her to Aksara Kids’ Festival, a celebration of stories, music, food and art.

On Sunday 30 September, children aged 8-12 gathered at a corner in Aksara,  a popular place to shop for books, gifts and music in Jakarta.

The store was decorated with trinkets like balloons, flags and a long table full with cooking appliances and utensils.

Zachra had mixed feelings. She was happy, confused but curious entering Aksara accompanied by her aunts, but she soon adjusted and made new friends.

Joining Aksara at the festival was the Young Chefs Academy (YCA)  a cooking school just for kids, teaching children that cooking can be creative, full of discovery, and a whole lot of fun.

Omar Niode Foundation wrote about YCA a few months ago in this blog post. 

At 12.00 children enthusiastically put on their aprons and stood around the table ready to cook tuna fishcakes.

Safety first

Prior to the cooking lesson, chef instructors at YCA explained safety procedures as it is more important that just cooking good food, especially for young children who like to cook imitating their parents.

Safety procedures when cooking:

• Wash hands with clean water
• Use an apron
• Prepare and make sure the ingredients and cooking utensils needed are available and safe to use for children.
• Always read the recipe 
• Do not forget to ask for help from parents or adults when cooking. Guidance from parents and adults is necessary to avoid burns or wounds due to mishandling of cooking tools.

After the safety procedure, chef instructors began teaching how to cook tuna fishcakes step by step.

Little Zachra was a bit tense. Before this festival she has never cooked, but always watches her mother cooks at home and occasionally helps bring prepared dishes to the dining table.

When reading the recipe Zachra was scared that she had to put the fishcakes in a pan of hot oil but after listening to the chefs’ instruction Zachra was confident that she would make zesty tuna fishcakes that her parents would be proud of.

Tuna fishcakes recipe courtesy of YCA

Ingredients

• 250 gr of potatoes (peeled and chopped)
• 350 gr of tinned tuna (drained weight)
• 90 grams of finely crushed cornflakes
• 1 pinch of salt
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tsp. of chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tsp. of fresh parsley Dijon
• 2 eggs
• 1 spring onion (finely chopped and trimmed)
• 200 ml of vegetable oil

Equipment

• Medium saucepan
• Colander
• Masher
• Mixing bowl
• Fork
• Large plate
• Cling film
• Dish
• 2 Medium plates
• Frying pan
• Slotted metal spatula
• Kitchen paper

Create it!

• Half-fill the saucepan with water. Add the potatoes and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to the boil and cook for 12-15 minutes or until soft.
• Thoroughly drain the potatoes and put them back into the pan. Mash the potatoes and leave them to one side until they are cool enough to handle in step 4.
• Break the tuna into small pieces in a bowl. Stir in the mashed potato, mustard, spring onion, and parsley until they are fully mixed in season.
• Lightly dust your hands with flour and shape the mixture into 8 cakes. Place the fishcakes on a plate, cover with cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
• Beat the eggs together in a dish and put the breadcrumbs and flour on a seperate plates. Coat each fishcake in flour, egg, and then cornflakes.
• Heat the oil over medium heat. Shallow fry the cakes for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden. Drain them on a plate lined with kitchen paper.

Chef's tip: the fishcake fry in 2 batches of 2 or 4 and keep the cooked ones warm in the oven. Serve with salad and lemon or lime wedges.

The very hungry caterpillar

When the children finally finished cooking they happily showed the results to parents and adults accompanying them. One mother was so touched as that was the first time her child cooked and it was surprisingly tasty.

Cooking tuna fishcakes was not the only program of the day.  Children loved the story telling session about The Very Hungry Caterpillar a book by Eric Carle. At the craft corner some children created clay character while some browsed the eclectic collection at the Children’s Book Sale spot. The event closed with a sing along by We Love ABC. 

Zachra went home happy with a box of savory and crunchy tuna fishcakes for her parents and hope to join more cooking classes as she is a die-hard fan of Isabella and Sofia Bliss of Junior Master Chef Australia

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Photos by Dian Anggraini