4 minute read

The Lego Story

from Te Awamutu News | February 9, 2023

from Te Awamutu News | February 9, 2023, page 10

Mapping the future

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The definitive history of LEGO, based on unprecedented access to the company’s archives and rare interviews with the founding family who still owns the company

It’s estimated that each year between eighty and ninety million children around the globe are given a box of LEGO, while up to ten million adults buy sets for themselves. Yet LEGO is much more than a dizzying number of plastic bricks that can be put together and combined in countless ways. LEGO is also a vision of the significance of what play can mean for humanity.

This book tells the extraordinary story of a global company and a Danish family who for ninety years have defended children’s right to play— and who believe grown-ups, too, should make the time to nurture their inner child. The LEGO Story is built on Jens Andersen’s unique access to LEGO’s own archives, as well as on Andersen’s extensive conversations with Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, former president and CEO of the LEGO group and grandson of its founder, Ole Kirk Christiansen.

A riveting cultural history of changing generations’ views of childhood and the importance of play, The LEGO Story also a fascinating case study of how innovation and creativity helped leaders transform LEGO from a small carpentry business into the world’s largest producer of play materials and one of the most beloved brands in the world. Richly illustrated with never-before-seen photos from the family’s private archive, this is the ultimate book for fans of LEGO, revealing everything you ever wanted to know about the brand.

with Jan Bilton

Stir it up

We have the Chinese to thank for creating one of the world’s most popular methods of cookery — stir-frying. With fuel expensive and living conditions cramped, Chinese cooks sliced vegetables, meats and fish into thin strips so they could be cooked quickly in one pan. Distinctive halfmoonshaped pans — woks — were designed to channel the heat up the sides of the pan as it nestled on the burning wood or coal.

Special flat-based woks have been developed for electric hobs. However, they must be heavy so they retain heat. An alternative is a heavy frying pan.

For best results, prepare all the ingredients before you start stir-frying. Cut meats and vegetables into thin strips or pieces of about equal size. This applies especially to vegetables that are dense in texture such as carrots, cauli and beans. Blanch first, then pat dry if preferred.

Prior to cooking, heat the wok or heavy frying pan for a couple of minutes before adding the oil. Begin with the dense ingredients, a little at a time, stir-frying continuously to ensure they don’t ‘stew’. Sometimes, vegetables take more time to cook than meats so cook these first, remove from the pan then cook the meat. Return the vegetables to heat through.

DUMPLINGS WITH STIR-FRIED VEGETABLES

The dumplings are available from Asian food stores and supermarket freezers.

1 tablespoon rice bran oil

250g pork and prawn dumplings

1/2 cup water

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 medium red capsicum, seeded and cubed

3/4 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

100g snow peas, trimmed

2 small bunches bok choy, chopped

Sauce: 1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons each: oyster sauce, Chinese cooking wine, plum sauce

2 teaspoons brown sugar

Place half the oil in a large non-stick frying pan or wok Add the dumplings and stir to coat in oil. Cook until one side is golden. Turn them over, add the water and cover and simmer for 5 minutes, until cooked through. Place aside. Clean the pan. Heat the remaining oil. Add the garlic, capsicum and corn. Stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the snow peas and bok choy. Stir-fry until the bok choy is wilted. Combine the sauce ingredients well. Stir into the pan. Return the dumplings and heat through. Great garnished with sesame seeds. Serves 2.

CAULIFLOWER & SHIITAKE MUSHROOM STIR-FRY

5 shiitake mushrooms

2-3 tablespoons rice bran oil

1 small cauliflower, cut into small florets

1 onion, sliced

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Remove the stalks from the shiitake mushrooms. Thinly slice the caps.

Heat half the oil in a wok or non-stick frying pan. Add the cauliflower and stir-fry gently until browned. Remove and place aside. Add the remaining oil to the pan. Add the onion and brown sugar. Stir-fry until caramelised. Return the cauli to the pan together with the mushrooms, garlic and soy sauce. Stir well. Cook for 3 minutes then add the sesame oil. Serves 4 as a side.

SINGAPORIAN BEEF

Cook the rice and prepare a salad while the meat is marinating. The satay sauce could be replaced with peanut butter and a dash of curry powder.

500g sirloin steak

2 teaspoons each: soy sauce, sesame oil, cornflour

2 tablespoons each: water, canola oil

Sauce: 1 medium onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons each: satay sauce, Shaoxing (Chinese) cooking wine, soy sauce

1 teaspoon each: curry powder, sugar

2 tablespoons water

Discard any fat from the meat then slice into 5mm pieces. Flatten any thick pieces. Place in a bowl with the combined soy sauce, sesame oil, cornflour and water. Marinate for 15 minutes. Drain off any excess marinade.

Heat the oil in a wok or heavy frying pan and sauté the meat quickly in batches, until browned. Remove to one side. To make the sauce, sauté the onion until tender. Combine the remaining ingredients and add to the pan. Stir until boiling. Return the meat to pan to heat through. Serve immediately with rice and salad. Serves 4.