Elements and Performance Criteria

RANGE STATEMENT
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording in the performance criteria is detailed below.

Rice and rice dishes are varied and include those made from short and long grain rice as used in:
Chinese: plain boiled rice
Indian: patna, basmati, biriani and pilau
Thai: plain steamed rice
Indonesian: nasi uduk, nasi kunyi and nasi goreng
Vietnamese: rice porridge
Japanese: gohanmono
Malay and Nonya: nasi lemak and nasi kunyit.


Noodles and noodle dishes may be fresh or dried and be made from wheat, buckwheat, rice and eggs, and may include:
Chinese: glass and egg noodles
Thai: pad and khanom
Indonesian: mee goreng and mee soto
Vietnamese: egg and rice noodles
Japanese: udon, buckwheat and white wheat, egg noodles (fresh and dried) and soba (mori soba and kake soba)
Malay and Nonya: nasi goreng, mee goreng and mee siam.


Secondary ingredients may include:
fruits and nuts, including raisins and almonds
herbs, spices, flavourings and aromatics, including cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, saffron, turmeric, ginger, galangal, green tea and squid ink
vegetables
fats and oils, including ghee and coconut oil
meat, including pork, chicken and beef
seafood, including prawns and fish cakes
seaweed, including nori and wakame.


Preparation for rice and noodles may include:
washing
soaking
marinating.


Equipment may include:
traditional steamers
electric rice cookers and steamers
deep and shallow pots and pans.


Other dishes andaccompaniments served with rice and noodles may include:
main dishes based on meat, seafood or vegetables
salads
stocks and sauces, both hot and cold
condiments, including prepared sauces such as chilli, kecap, fish sauce and oyster sauce.

EVIDENCE GUIDE
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, the range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.


Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency
Evidence of the following is essential:
recognising the variety and quality of rice and noodles
applying the correct procedures and techniques in cooking to achieve desired outcomes
preparing and tasting a range of dishes using rice, noodles, accompaniments and sauces, appropriate to the particular Asian cuisine, using authentic and appropriate ingredients
safe occupational health and food hygiene practices for preparing, cooking, presenting and storing rice and noodles.


Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure:
demonstration of skills within a fully equipped, operational commercial kitchen suitable for Asian cooking, including industry-current equipment, as defined in the Assessment Guidelines
industry-realistic ratios of kitchen staff to customers
preparation of dishes for real customers within typical workplace time constraints.


Methods of assessment
A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:
direct observation of practical demonstration of preparing rice, noodles, accompaniments and sauces
tasting samples of dishes prepared by the candidate
written or oral questions to test knowledge of Asian cuisine styles, cultural aspects, use and importance of typical commodities and flavourings, safety issues and food quality indicators
review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate, such as menus and photographs.
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended.


Assessing employability skills
Employability skills are integral to effective performance in the workplace and are broadly consistent across industry sectors. How these skills are applied varies between occupations and qualifications due to the different work functions and contexts.
Employability skills embedded in this unit should be assessed holistically with other relevant units that make up the skill set or qualification and in the context of the job role.