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MBA students organize International Student Appreciation Week

MBA students organize International Student Appreciation Week

By Christine Ferrell

NC State Jenkins MBA students just wrapped up their inaugural International Student Appreciation week. Initiated and organized by students – with MBA program support – the purpose of the week was to demonstrate support for the program’s international community and to learn more about the multitude of cultures represented it the program.

Citizens of China, Croatia, Guyana, India, Nepal, Nigeria, Taiwan, Trinidad and Turkey are represented in the Full-time MBA program, along with many more cultures and countries of origin.

One of the student organizers, Himanshu Agrawal, said, “We’re in the midst of a lot of course projects and assignments, and many of us are also in the throes of a job search. So, we thought this would be a great community-building way to de-stress and enjoy one another.”

Activities during the week ranged from social to career development-oriented, and even alumni were invited to join:

Monday: International Potluck Lunch 

MBA students were invited to share traditional dishes from their home country and were encouraged to dress in traditional clothing. Several students submitted their recipes for sharing on the blog. You will see those recipes listed below.

Tuesday: Lunch and Learn: Job Searching for International Students

International students were encouraged to attend a session featuring Megan Mayes, PHR, who brought nearly a decade of experience in corporate HR and provided guidance on many of the concerns associated with a (international student) job search.

Wednesday: International MBA Alumni/Student Mixer

MBA students were invited to attend an informal networking event at McDaids Irish Pub meet and talk with NC State Jenkins MBA international alumni who went through the process of getting jobs and internships in the U.S as non-U.S. citizens.

Throughout the Week: Small Group Dinners

International students organized and hosted lunch and dinner treks throughout the week for the MBA students at a variety of phenomenal international restaurants. Restaurants frequented included Blue Mango (Indian), Bosphorous (Turkish/Mediterranean), Ashee Ethiopian Cuisine and Sitar (Indian).

Thanks so much to all the students, alumni and staff who helped organize what promises to become an annual NC State Jenkins MBA community-building week!

International Student Appreciation Week: Student Recipes

Below are a selection of recipes for dishes NC State Jenkins MBA students and staff prepared for the International Potluck Lunch.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Student: Mike Boehm

Steam 2 Heads of Cabbage in a few inches of water for about 5 minutes.

Mix the following by hand in a bowl:

2 lbs ground beef or ground pork (or a combination!)

1 large onion, diced

1 cup uncooked white rice

Salt & Pepper

Small amount of Caraway seed (optional)

Form this mixture into loosely packed meat balls.

Pull off an individual cabbage leaf, and loosely roll a meatball inside the leaf.

Form one layer of these cabbage rolls in the bottom of a deep pot.

Sprinkle Sauerkraut (drained & rinsed) over the layer.

Repeat this, making more layers until there are no more meatballs.

Pour 1 bottle of Tomato Juice into the pot, until juice is covering the top of the rolls.

Let this simmer on low heat for about 3 hours. Enjoy!

 

Ruskies

Student: Mike Boehm

Dough:

Mix by hand in a bowl:

2 sticks of butter (softened)

1 package of cream cheese

2 cups flour

Form this dough into a ball, wrap in clear plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator to cool.

Filling:

Mix:

1 bag of walnuts, crushed up

1 cup of sugar

Small amount of milk to bind the mixture

**This is for a walnut filling, but they also taste great with other nuts, fruit jam, etc.!

Roll out the dough onto a table, thinly and evenly (Sprinkle the table with a half and half mixture of flour and powdered sugar to prevent sticking and drying out!).

Use a drinking glass or cookie cutter to cut out circles from the dough.

Place a SMALL amount of filling (about the size of the top of your thumb) on the dough circle.

Roll up the dough in one direction, and then pinch the dough to close the dough on either side of the filling.

Spread out the Ruskies evenly on a cookie sheet, and bake at 325⁰ for about 10-15 minutes.

Take out of the oven and let cool for a while, then sprinkle with Powdered Sugar and serve!

 

Ukrainian Tea

Staff member: Belinda Dowdy

4 cups Hot Water

6-8 tsp. Red Rooibos Tea or 3-4 tea bags

Juice of 1 to 2 lemons juice (1-2 Tbps)

2 cups Apple Cider

1 1/2 Cups Orange Juice

1 1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg

1/2 tsp. Ground Cloves

Garnish with a couple Cinnamon Sticks and fresh Orange Slices, if desired.

Steep tea in the hot water to make a very strong tea (approximately 4-5 minutes); use a mesh tea strainer or bag if using loose leaf tea. Remove tea bags/strainer. Stir in juices and spices. Taste, and adjust flavors as necessary. Heat before serving.

Note: Depending on the sweetness of your fruits/juices, you may want to increase the apple juice up to 4 Cups and the orange juice up to 2 Cups. Makes approx. 1/2 Gallon.

 

Poori

Student: Garima Bansal

Yields – 7-9 pooris (depending on the size)

Ingredients needed:

Whole wheat flour – 1 cup (I used aashirwad atta)

Salt – 1/2 tsp flat

Ghee – 1 tsp (optional)

Oil for deep frying pooris

Little wheat flour for dusting

Method:

Mix flour, salt and ghee in a bowl. Then add water little at a time and make a slightly stiff and smooth dough. Dough should not be too stiff or too soft. Start making pooris as soon as the dough is ready.

Knead well and roll into two loaves.

Make equal sized smooth balls from the dough. Flatten it slightly.

Roll it out into circles with a help of a rolling pin dusting a little flour. The rolled out pooris should not be too thin or too thick. It should be of medium thickness and smaller in size (diameter) than chapati. Another point to note is to avoid dusting too much flour as the excess flour will leave a burnt residue in the oil. Alternatively you can apply a little oil on the rolling surface and then roll out pooris, so that the dough does not stick to the board. Spread all the rolled out puris in a plate and start heating oil in a kadai.

Oil temperature:

To check if the oil is hot for frying the pooris, drop a small piece of dough into the hot oil, if it sizzles and comes up to the surface immediately, then it is the right temperature for frying pooris. If the dough becomes dark brown, then the oil is too hot, so you should reduce the heat a little. The point to be noted is that-the oil should be hot but not too hot. Now start frying the puris one at a time.

When the oil is hot enough, take one rolled out dough and gently slide it from the side of the pan into the hot oil. After a few seconds, slightly press the poori with the slotted ladle and flicker hot oil on top of it. This will help the poori to puff up nicely. Flip to the other side and fry till golden brown. Remove with a slotted ladle and place it in a colander to drain excess oil.

Repeat the process for the rest of the dough. Serve hot with pototo masala or any vegetable of your choice.

 

Liberian Rice Bread

Student: Janelle Tracy

5-6 large ripe bananas (really ripe for best results)

1 box cream of rice

1 egg

1 C cooking oil

2 tsp baking soda

3/4 C sugar

1 tsp salt

1 C water

Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour one 13×9 inch baking pan or two – 8 or 9 inch pans.

Peel the bananas and mash them in a mixing bowl using a potato masher or a fork. Add the egg, sugar, and oil to bowl. Beat for one minute with a mixer at low speed.

Add the cream of rice, baking soda, salt, spices, and water to mixture. Beat on high speed three minutes or until well mixed.

Pour into pan(s). Bake 50-55 minutes.

 

Scotch Eggs (gluten free)

Staff member: Jen Arthur

Ingredients:

2 pounds country-style sausage, crumbled (no casings)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon salt

8-10 hard-boiled eggs, shells removed

1 cup gluten free panko

Creole seasoning, (recipe below)

1/2 cup flour (I used gluten-free)

2 beaten eggs

Vegetable oil for deep-frying the eggs

Creole Seasoning:

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano

1 tablespoon thyme (dried or fresh)

Directions:

In a large bowl combine the sausage, 1/2 tsp cayenne and 1/2 tsp salt. Grab a scoop of the sausage mixture and flatten into a patty with your hands. Place 1 hard-boiled egg on the sausage round and wrap to enclose the egg, patting gently to smooth the surface.

Season the panko with Creole seasoning. Dredge the sausage-wrapped egg in the flour, then dip in the beaten egg and roll in the bread crumbs until well coated. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to cook.

In a deep fryer or large, heavy skillet, heat 2 to 3 inches of oil to 350 degrees F. Fry the eggs until golden brown and crisp, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels before serving.

Dipping sauce:

1 egg

1/4 cup yellow mustard

1 cup mayonnaise

2 T sugar

2 cloves garlic (smashed into a paste)

Crack one egg into a saucepan and stir in mayo, mustard and sugar (heat on low). Stir in garlic and any additional seasonings you want. Remove from heat when it begins to boil. Chill.