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What with the sad passing of Heath Ledger and the disappearance of close to 10 billion dollars from global investments, you may be excused for not noticing the national holiday down under. In case it does not appear on your calendar, it is called Australia Day. January 26 commemorates the completion of phase one of Captain Arthur Phillip’s orders– lead a fleet of eleven ships halfway around the world to a barely-known continent and set up housekeeping with a population of prisoners and their keepers. To the natives, of course, it was Invasion Day.
Botany Bay had been portrayed by Captain Cook as an attractive place with deep, dark soil and a fine meadow. That was not how Arthur’s party found it, so they sailed north and came across a beautiful, deep harbor with a stunning opera house… No, I’m getting ahead of myself.
Australia Day brings all the pundits out of the wordwork who feel qualified to write about what it means to be “Australian.” There is much blather about the “fair go,” “mateship,” and the bush but our local newspaper suggests with its photo spread and stories that Australia is now a multi-ethnic universe and it may be time to reconsider what it means to be “Australian.”
San choy bow is as significant as bratwurst on the barbie. Dim sum as important as meat pies.
With its current population of 21 million, there are 250 ancestries and 400 languages. A fifth of the continent’s residents were born overseas. Howard is history and Pauline Hanson’s powerful stranglehold is well and truly dead.
Raise a toast of fine wine to this country’s heterogeneous future. Australia has significant issues to address and it will exact the best human resources to forge a prosperous future. Cheers!
San Choy Bow
2 tblspn extra light olive oil
400 g cup mushrooms, chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
400 g chicken mince
¾ cup chicken stock
5 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tblspn lime juice
1 tblspn fish sauce
1 tspn brown sugar
1 baby cos lettuce
Heat wok over high heat until hot. Add oil, mushrooms and chilli. Stir-fry two minutes. Add chicken mince and stir-fry for 5 minutes, breaking up the lumps as you go. Add stock and ¾ of the green onions. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes or until stock has absorbed. Stir through lime juice, fish sauce and sugar.
Arrange lettuce leaves on plates. Top with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining green onions. Serve immediately.
