Fitzroy Primary School Newsletter

Kitchen Garden


This week in the Kitchen Garden program the 1/2’s continued to work with the ingredient rice. They used two rice products (puffed rice and rice malt syrup) to make healthy snack bars. We investigated rice malt syrup, which is a sweetener made with rice and barley malt powder. This has been used in Asian countries for centuries when access to sugar was unavailable. 

 

‘Brown rice syrup is also called rice malt syrup, rice syrup, or maltose syrup. It is made by cooking brown rice and exposing it to natural enzymes. These break down and turn the rice's starches into sugars (maltose, malt triose, and glucose), and the resulting sweet liquid is then boiled and reduced down into a light brown syrup.

 

The syrup is often all-natural and organic. It contains no fructose or gluten, low levels of glucose, and has a high glycemic index. Vegans may prefer it to refined sugar, which is sometimes refined using bone char from animals. It's often used in rice milk and processed foods that are marketed as healthy and natural, such as granola bars and beverages, which would otherwise be made with refined sugars or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).’

 

Students were interested in seeing this process which can be seen here

https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/ssal-jocheong

 

"Not quite LCMs"

Not quite LCMs are the perfect replacement for store bought LCM bars, or rice crispy bars!

 

Servings: 25 squares

  

Ingredients

  • 4 cups puffed rice I bought these from a health store- no sugar etc
  • 1 cup desiccated coconut
  • 1 cup flaked quinoa (or extra coconut)
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup rice malt syrup
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

  • Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
  • On the stove over medium heat combine the rice malt syrup, honey and coconut oil. (In the video I did this step in the microwave, until it was bubbling)
  • Add the wet to the dry ingredients, mixing well to stir and combine all the bits from the bottom of the bowl.
  • Press into a lined 24 cm square baking dish (I used a 22 cm square silicone cake pan this time- no need to line!).
  • Refrigerate for three hours or until set.
  • Cut into the sizes you want.
  • Keep in the fridge.

 

 

Students also investigated the Australian bittern bird and constructed models of these and rice farming equipment.

 

 

-Robbie & Vicki