I discovered moong dal (mung bean, 绿豆) through my Indian friend who introduced me to Indian cuisine some time ago. The husk of moong dal is green in colour, but the bean itself is yellow after de-husking.  It is commonly used by Chinese in making dessert (such as green bean soup and sweetened green bean paste). Amongst all the beans and lentils, split moong dal is the easiest to cook as it do not need pre-soaking or pressure cooking. It is also an excellent source of high quality protein that is easier to digest as compared to meat. Hence, the Indian ancient medical science Ayurveda recommends moong dal for children and the elderly.

This recipe is my own concoction. Although I uses very little mild Indian spices and herbs in this recipe, you are free to adjust the amount to suit your toddlers’ liking. It requires very minimum time and effort to create this dish. As this is a very versatile dish, you can easily recreate this recipe using any kind of lentils or beans such as green lentil, yellow lentil, red lentil, cow pea, chick peas etc. It is also a wonderful dish which you can hide include in your kid’s diet  a variety of vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, brinjals, beans, cabbage, raddish etc. Or, if you have to clear your leftover vegetables in the kitchen, this dish can be your solution. You can choose to make this curry either thick or thin, depending on whether you want to serve it with rice or chappati.

Despite its name, this dish is not spicy at all. Cooked with a variety of herbs and spices, the moong dal is infused with delicious flavour. The cooked pumpkin and tomatoes give it a velvety texture as well as enhancing its taste.

I love to cook this super-fast dish now and then as my son never seems to get tired of eating it over and over again. 

It’s good to start exposing your toddlers to cuisines from different culture so as to widen their choice of food  and they can grow up to be cultural rich.

Healthy food doesn’t need to be expensive. If you are looking for a quick and easy, healthy, hearty, meatless yet tasty meal without having to burn a hole in your pocket, this dish is just perfect for you.

Other reading reference: Click here

>>>>>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for lentil and vegetable curry recipe and step-by-step photos…………

My Legume Love Affair is created by Susan of the Well Seasoned Cook. This month, MLLA 22nd addition is hosted by Sowjanya of Ruchikacooks. You can participate by submitting an entry before 30 April 2010. Click here for the host line-up.

Lentils

Yes, it was a date with Chef Sam, the young, handsome and talented food technologist baker. Rain or shine I must turn up, that’s what I told myself. It was an important and special date for me.

On that faithful day, I went along to Orchard Central, with my bag in hand. No, it’s not a lady handbag with make-up stuff but my camera bag filled up with lenses and flash. Got the clue now? Sorry, no prize for the winner. Wakakakaa! 

The truth is……I wrote to Chef Sam to invite him to be my guest post. He got back to me with a better suggestion instead. He asked me to photo-shoot for him at Mayer’s showroom where he was scheduled to conduct a class on how to make hot cross buns and fresh fruit tarts. Thereafter, together with the photos taken at the class, I can feature his hot cross buns recipe on my food blog. His suggestion actually got me very excited indeed, but anxious at the same time as this is my first time shooting photos at a live baking demonstration. Thanks a lot to Chef Sam for giving me such a golden opportunity to shoot and blog his demo!

This is Chef Sam showcasing his two bake products at his baking class: fresh fruit tarts and hot cross buns

I must say that Chef Sam is truly a person who “bakes with loves and sincerity” as his slogan on his website. He is  generous in sharing his baking knowledge and tips with his students. Unlike other chef, he teaches his students the science behind food. This makes his baking class unique and interesting. From his past three baking classes that I had attended, I learnt a lot of new baking ingredients and techniques.

Chef Sam explained some baking terminologies and methods to his students. Whew! What a  heavy topic! I think I need more time to “digest” them.

After attending his baking classes, I started baking bread more often. In fact, I got hook on making bread now!! I managed to replicate his bread recipes at home, some of which I already featured like healthy multi-grain bread and Italian pesto bread.  When I encountered problems and wrote to him for advices, he was kind enough to trouble-shoot my mistakes and gave me lots of useful pointers. With these great supports, I’m glad that I am able to produce decent looking and tasty bread for my family now. This really helps to boost my confidence to continue pursuing my interest in bread making. 

Look at how skillful Chef Sam pipes his hot cross bun paste mixture across the buns.

Being well known for his technology based culinary skills, Chef Sam has been featured in the local media. You can see them in the list below:

• The New Paper
• The Straits Times
• MediaCorp’s Channel U (Money week)
• MediaCorp’s Channel U (Yum Yum Lunch Box) whereby he taught the kids on how to make choux pastries.
• Lian He Zao Bao (联和早报) –a Singapore Chinese newspaper
• Y factor magazine (a quarterly issued magazine by YMCA) since 2008

Colourful and mouthwatering fresh fruit tarts are calling my name!

Apart from conducting baking classes, Chef Sam also runs an online bakery called Sam’s Cakes and Bakes. It is a one-stop solution for cakes and baked products, baking and culinary education and consultancy services. I love his baking mission which promotes healthier cakes without compromising on taste. This included his customized cakes which cater to vegan and diabetic. If you are interested, you can browse through his e-catalogue through this link. For his baking and culinary course schedules from April to June 2010, check out the list here.

Hot cross buns fresh from the oven. Help yourself please!

The hot cross bun recipe contributed by Chef Sam is also a healthy version as it uses whole wheat flour and brown sugar. By using sponge dough method, the buns will definitely be very soft and moist. Its taste is absolutely flavourful with the addition of cinnamon powder and raisins. The sweetness is just right, perfect for those who are watching their calories intake. These buns are only great to be baked for this Easter celebration but also suitable to be a tea time snack for your little tots. Why not bake some healthy hot cross buns during this Easter break? Bon appetite!

I am submitting this post to Yeastspotting.

>>>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for Hot Cross Buns recipes and detailed step-by-step photos………………….

Got distracted by these beautiful and colourful KitchenAid standing mixers during my photoshooting. Just can’t get my eyes off them.

It was only in recent years that cordyceps militaris/ chong cao hua (虫草花), a Chinese medicinal herb became increasingly popular among Chinese traditional medicine practitioners, nutritionist, chef, and even homemakers. I was first introduced to it by my mother-in-law recently.

Translated literally into English, it means “worm grass flower”. But it is neither flower nor grass, nor does it resemble a worm. In fact, it is a cultured fungus and has similar medicinal value and chemical composition as cordyceps sinensis (冬虫夏草). However, it may not be of comparable strength to the latter. But then, you only need to pay a fraction of the price for cordyceps sinensis. This is indeed a good news to consumers who can’t afford the expensive cordyceps sinensis.

Cordyceps militaris are neutral in nature (平性) and suitable for everybody in general. It has anti-inflammation (抗炎症）and anti-aging (抗衰老) properties. Apart from that, it can bring relieve for insomnia, strengthen one’s lungs (保肺) and benefit the kidneys (益肾) (N1).

I did a google search and found this simple and healthy soup recipe which uses cordyceps militaris.  The recipe also includes “dang shen” (党参) which can help to reinforce qi (补中益气), invigorate and improve blood circulation (养血) (N2).

I had tried it out and found it to be very delicious. It has a delectable clear taste, with a slight tinge of ginseng feeling on one’s taste buds. But just like any clear-based Chinese chicken herbal soups, it is packed with natural sweetness. My mother-in-law experienced better quality sleeps after consuming it couple of times.

Since the H1N1 flu is still pervasive in the world, it would be great to get some natural immunity booster for the entire family. Thus, I strongly recommend this nutritious yet affordable soup to everyone.

If you want to know more about cordyceps militaris, read this article.

Sources:
N1: Soups for expelling dampness and heat by Chiu Sang
N2: The World of Nourishing & Fine Soups by Kenny Chen

Adapted and modified: 百度知道

Serve: 4-5

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (about 1 kg) (I used free range chicken/ 甘榜鸡)
12g cordyceps militaris/ chong cao hua (虫草花)
5 sticks dang shen (党参)
2 tbsp wolfberries (杞子)
2 slices of ginger (姜)
12-15 red dates (红枣)
1200-1500 ml water (adjust accordingly)

Seasoning:
Salt to taste

Methods:

1. Remove the chicken skin. Trim the excess fat. Wash and rinse the chicken. Cut into large chunks. Blanch over boiling water. Rinse again and set aside.
2. Rinse dang shen and cut into 2 portions for each stick. Wash and rinse cordyceps militaris. Wash and removed seeds for red dates. Cut ginger into slices. Set aside.
3. Bring water to a boil. Put all ingredients (except for wolfberries) into the pot and bring it to the boil again. Reduce to medium heat for 10 minutes. Then simmer for another 2 hours. Add wolfberries just 5 minutes before the end of the cooking.
4. Turn off the heat. Season with salt and serve.

 

I am submitting this recipe to Weekend Herb Blogging #196, which is housed by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Anh of Food Lover’s Journey.

I am a big fan of Jamie Oliver, the famous English chef, not only for his unpretentious cooking style, but also his campaigns in promoting proper eating habits for kids as well as adults.

In 2005, he signed up as a dinner lady in the School Dinner TV series to challenge the junk food culture in schools by showing them that they too can serve fresh nutritious food that kids can enjoy eating as well. He actively campaigned for radical changes to have quality school dinners served in the UK.

He later wrote a new book in 2008 – Jamie’s Ministry of Food, backed by a TV show (also called Ministry of Food) to expand his food revolution. The idea is to inspire people to get back to the kitchen and start making simple, delicious food from scratch again.

If you visit the Ministry of Food’s website, you can find plenty of easy–to-follow recipes with detailed step-by-step instructions, photos and online cooking shows demonstrated by Jamie. I highly recommend this site to novices who want to learn the basic cooking skills especially for those who have never cooked western food before.

Amongst Jamie’s featured recipes, I decided to try out his meatball and pasta recipe and like to share it with you. The results turned out to be very satisfactory. Remember to watch the 9-mins video clip as it is a great help for you to understand the whole cooking procedure. The meatballs are easy-to-prepare and very flavourful as well with the usage of fresh rosemary and dried oregano. My son was so fascinated with the round-shape meatballs, he even claimed they resemble chocolate balls. However, the pasta sauce turned out to be a bit bland as I had omitted the chilli and balsamic vinegar as required by the recipe. Thus, I improvised using my own concoction of sugar, salt, tomato paste and chicken stock, adjusting the taste to my liking (note 1).

This is certainly a great recipe for people to kick start their cooking. If you have tried and like this recipe, remember to PASS IT ON to your friends so that more people will learn to cook.

“What we eat affects everything, our mood, behaviour, health, growth, even our ability to concentrate.” – Jamie Oliver.

I am submitting this dish to Presto Pasta Night, founded by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast, and hosted by Amy of Very Culinary this week.

>> Click on page 2 below for Meatballs and Pasta recipe……………

Have you tried eating brown beehoon (brown rice vermicelli) before? If this is the first time you come across it, don’t be taken aback with the word “brown” and associate it with brown rice or whole wheat noodles. The one that I tried is totally different in term of flavor and texture. It is a product of Thailand (Star Lion brand – see photo below) which I bought from my local supermarket. I stir-fried this beehoon by adapting and modifying recipes from my early post (no-frying noodles) and Hawker’s Fair – Best of all time favourites (Fried meehoon Singapore style). This one-meal noodle dish is not only healthy, it is also fantastically delicious! If you are craving for rice vermicelli next time, give this recipe a try.

Served: 4 – 5

Ingredients:
80g brown rice beehoon (rice vermicelli) – soaked with tap water until soft and drained
20g glass noodles (dong fen) – soaked with tap water until soft and drained
(The ratio for these 2 noodles is varied subject to personal preference.)
3 nos fresh mushrooms (about 50g) – julienne
(* For  fresh ones, blanch over hot water.)
(* For  dried ones, soaked with water, dash of sugar and oil; retain the water for stir-fry.)
30g carrots – julienne
80g cabbage – julienne
1 medium-sized red onion (60g) – sliced thinly
80g chicken breast meat – julienne
(* marinated with light soya sauce, sugar and cornflour for at least half an hour.)
1 egg – beaten, fried and shredded
1 lime (for garnishing) – optional

Seasonings:
2 tbsp tomato sauce/ ketchup
3 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp oyster sauce
2 tsp light soy sauce
½ tsp chili sauce (Add more if you like spicy food)
½ tsp dark soya sauce
1 tsp sugar
50ml water
Dash of pepper and sesame oil

Methods (AMC method):

1. Heat up wok with oil, sauté onion until golden brown and fragrant. Set aside.
2. Heat up wok with oil, stir-fry chicken until fragrant. Set aside.
3. Heat up wok with oil, fry egg and shred thinly. Set aside.
4. Put 1 tbsp oil (preferable fried shallot or garlic oil) on the AMC wok.
5. Spread evenly cabbages, carrots, mushrooms, onion and both types of noodles (beehoon & dong fen)
6. Pour over the seasonings on the ingredients.
7. Cover the lid and cook under medium heat until the AMC timer indicates 1 o’clock.
8. Open the lid and toss the ingredients until it is well-combined.
9. Cover the lid and let it cook until the timer shows 1 o’clock again.
10. Off the heat and wait until the timer returns to 12 o’clock.
11. Add in shredded eggs and squeeze some lime juice over it.

Methods (normal method)

1. Heat up 3 tbsp oil, add in soaked and drained beehoon and pan-fry it until golden brown and aromatic. Blanched (烫一烫) it in hot water for a short while (1-2 seconds). Dish and drain.
2. Heat up 2 tbsp oil,  sauté onion until fragrant and golden brown.
3. Add in all ingredients and stir-fry until fragrant. Add in beehoon, seasonings and stir-fry until it is well mixed. Dish up.
4. Add in shredded eggs and squeeze some lime juice over it.

*Note:  Alternative, beehoon may be soaked with water till soft but the pan-fried beehoon will yield more aromatic flavour.

I am submitting this dish to Presto Pasta Night,  founded by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast, and hosted by Kitchenetta of  Got No Milk this week.

In our healthy promoting diet, black bean is an exceptionally great legume with its unique and solid nutritional profile. They are an excellent source of molybdenum, fat-free high quality protein, dietary fiber, flavonoid anti-oxidants (anthocyanins), vitamins (B1) and minerals (folate, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and iron). It also contains a small amount of omega-3 fatty acids which is about 3 times more than other beans.

A list of health benefits derived from black beans is as follows:
- detoxifying sulfites (note: sulfites are a type of preservative commonly added to prepared foods)
- lowering cholesterol
- good choice for individual with diabetics, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia
- preventing constipation and digestive disorders.
- rich in antioxidants
- acts as a protection against cancer
- stabilizing blood sugar levels
- increasing your energy
(Source: WHFoods)

Now, the question is how to incorporate black beans in your meal plan? If you do a search online, you may find a variety of cooking methods for black beans. But today, I share with you a very simple and easy black beans soup which I used to drink as a child.

The recipe is adapted and modified from here.

Ingredients:
150g black beans
300g pork ribs
15 nos red dates (removed seeds)
2 slices of ginger
1200 ml water

Methods:
1) Put black beans in a frying pan and dry fry over a medium-low heat until the beans’ coat starts to crack slightly. Dish up and rinse. (Note: this method is to remove the smoky smell from the beans.)
2) Blanch pork ribs over boiling water. Rinse, drain and set aside.
3) Bring water to a boil and add in all ingredients.When the water re-boils, reduce the heat and simmer for another 2 hours.
4) After 2 hours, turn off the heat and serve.

My Legume Love Affair is created by Susan of the Well Seasoned Cook. This phenomenal event draws a large volume of entries each month. This month, MMLA 10th helping is hosted by Courtney of Coco Cooks. You can participate by submitting an entry which must be either a starter or dessert before 30 April 2009. Click here for the host line-up.

Lady finger (also known as okra) is a powerhouse of valuable nutrients, nearly half of which is soluble fiber in the form of gums and pectins. According to Ms Sylvia W. Zook, Ph.D. (nutritionist), this versatile vegetable has many important health benefits as belows:
1) stabilizes blood sugar level
2) binds cholesterol and bile acid carrying toxins dumped into it by the filtering liver.
3) prevents constipation
4) feeds good bacteria (probiotics) residing in our body.
5) good for those feeling weak, exhausted, and suffering from depression.
6) good for healing ulcers and to keep joints limber
7) treats lung inflammation, sore throat, and irritable bowel.
For further reading, click here.

To retain most of its nutrients and self-digesting enzymes, it should be cooked as little as possible, eg with low heat or lightly steamed. Some even eat it raw. My son and I love consuming lady fingers in a very simple way – steam lady fingers until cooked, cut into bite-sized pieces (for toddlers), toss with fried shallots oil and light soy sauce, and serve immediately. However, I have a big tot (my hubby) who doesn’t like lady fingers as much as we do. He always hinted at me to leave his portion out whenever I cooked lady fingers. Of course, I will never agree with him since this vegetable has so many nutritional values. After giving much consideration to these 2 tots’ personal preference and taste, I concocted the following simple and healthy recipe. To my surprise, my big tot happily ate the dish without complaint!

Instead of slicing the lady fingers, my method called for the lady fingers to be cooked with its entire stem intact. This will prevent them from becoming slimy during the cooking process. The chili shrimp sauce that is served together with it enhances the dish with the much needed tasty flavour to those who dislike the bland taste of cooked lady fingers. And, it goes well with plain white rice too.

I strongly recommend this recipe to those who dislike lady fingers. Besides the common method of either stir-frying or have them cooked and served in curry gravy, this dish makes the lady fingers more appealing to the palate. You may find them coming back for a second serving of rice (if there are still some lady fingers left). It can be finger-lickin’ good too!

A) CHILI SHRIMP SAUCE

Ingredients:
30g dried shrimp (minced) – rinse, soak & pat-dry
4 pcs shallots (minced)
1 clove of garlic (minced)
½ -1 red chili (minced)

Seasonings:
2 tsp oyster sauce
½ tbsp sugar
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp water

Methods:
1) Heat up oil in a small non-stick frying pan/ saucepan.
2) Sauté shallots, garlic and dried shrimp with medium heat until fragrant.
3) Add in red chili and seasonings. Stir-fry until mixed well. Bring mixture to cook until boil.
4) Adjust seasoning if necessary. Dish up and set aside.

B) LADY FINGERS (OKRA) – 10 STEMS

Methods:
1) Wash and rinse the lady fingers.
2) Remove the top and tip (optional) of the lady fingers.
3) You can cook your lady fingers by way of steaming or blanching. But I prefer option (a) as it can retain most of its nutrients and self-digesting enzymes.
a) For steaming: Place the lady fingers on a steaming tray and steam until cooked. Discard water if any.
b) For blanching: Add water to a wok and bring it to a boil. Blanch lady fingers until cook. Dish up and arrange on a serving plate.
4) Pour the chili shrimp sauce over the lady fingers and serve immediately.

Note:
1) If your lady fingers turn dry, add some cooked shallot oil.
2) Do not over-cook the lady fingers until it turns soft and yellow in colour.
2) For toddlers, you can cut the cooked lady fingers into bite-sized for easy chewing.
3) When choosing okra, look for brightly coloured pod which is not more than 4cm long. Avoid dull, bruised, soft and blemished pods. (source: this link)
4) If you cannot finish using the sauce, keep it in an air-tighted container. It can be added when stir-frying other vegetables ie cabbage, french beans and long beans.

 

I am submitting this recipe to Weekend Herb Blogging #176 Hosting, which is housed by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Anna of Anna’s Cool Finds.

Before posting the photos I shot in Penang, I would like to begin my 2009 posting with a food recipe.

Do you like salad? I never have a chance to made one so far as my Emperor is not supportive enough for this idea. But after all the Christmas and New Year festive celebrations, I desperately need one now. Remember what I mentioned in my last post? It is my 2009 New Year resolution! As we know, another festive celebration is approaching – Chinese New Year. During this period, we will have to attend family reunion dinner and friend and relatives’ open house. All the yummilicious stuff are awaiting for us!! If I don’t seriously watch my diet now, then I have to prepare to upgrade my clothing size after CNY. Oh, no! please don’t let this happen to me!!!!

Today I would like to share with you a light, simple and healthy recipe I found from my favourite cookbook – “Children’s healthy & fun cookbook”. Although this was my 1st attempt in making salad, to my surprise, my son could accept raw vegetables such as baby butterhead. He loved eating it so much. I guess it was because most of the ingredients used in this salad were his favourite (ie tomato, corns, raisin and prawns) and the thousand island dressing provides extra flavour to the salad.

This salad is very versatile. You can mix and match any ingredients using your own creativity. Below is my own modified version that is enough to serve both my son and me for today’s lunch.

Ingredients:
60g pasta shells – cooked and drained well
4 large prawns – cooked and peeled, cut each prawn into 4 portions
1 medium size tomato – removed seeds and chopped into cubes
½ ear of large sweet corn – steamed or boiled, kernel removed from cob
1 small Japanese cucumber – removed seeds and chopped into cubes
Handful of black raisins and sunflower seeds
A few leaves of baby butterhead (cut into strips)

Other ingredients you may consider:
- small tomatoes (ie cherry or roma tomatoes), carrot, potato, avocado, lettuce leaves, green peas, capsicums, celery, cooked egg, pine nuts, ham,  chicken (instead of prawn), tofu (instead of prawn for vegetarian)

Dressing (thousand islands sauce):
4 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tsp lemon juice (start with 1 tsp)
2 drops of Tabasco sauce (optional)
Dash of pepper
Sugar or salt (if necessary)
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for mixing later)

Methods:
1) Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the pasta and follow the cooking instructions on the packet. Drain well and leave to cool.
2) Prepare the dressing, cover with cling wrap and keep in the fridge.
3) Prepare all the ingredients.
4) Put all the ingredients into a salad bowl and mix well with the dressing. Alternatively, you can divide the ingredients between the serving bowls and then drizzle over the dressing. Serve and enjoy!

I am submitting this pasta salad to Presto Pasta Night, founded by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast, and hosted by Ivy of Kopiaste this week.

Other recommended colourful dishes:
- special egg rolls with rice, salmon and spinach
- millet porridge
- stir-fried capsicums & cucumber with stewed vegetarian mutton

I always love to admire those beautiful sushi rolls posted by other food bloggers but have never attempt to make it myself. Until recently, when my son started to crave for Japanese food especially sushi, I decided to give it a try. It took me quite a while to learn the “theory” before proceeding to the “practical”. As compared to baking, the risk of “disaster” is definitely lesser. No matter what disaster you face, you will still manage to “salvage” all the ingredients.

For this posting, instead of writing in details, I am going to share with you all the relevant links I had used before so that you will not miss any great tips from the original source. Below is a simple guide for you to go through these links.

“What is your favourite vegetable?” “BROCCOLI!!”
That’s the immediate response I always get from my son. The strange thing is he enjoys eating broccoli using his fingers. Maybe it is really a “finger lickin’ good” vegetable!

When I first started to make my own baby food, I read about broccoli is one of the high-nitrate vegetables (besides beets, cabbage, carrots, celery, spinach etc) which should not be fed to babies in large quantities. The naturally occurring nitrates in these vegetables can change to nitrites, which bind iron in the blood and make it difficult to carry oxygen. This can make breathing become difficult and the skin to turn blue. As a health freak mommy, I prefer to boil/ blanch broccoli to remove this potentially harmful nitrates. Since then, it has become a personal preference in my cooking. Besides broccoli, I also boil/ blanch other green leafy vegetables because it is the simplest, easiest, fastest, healthiest and tastiest way as compared to other cooking methods. As long as my family doesn’t file a “complain”, I will try to keep my cooking as simple as possible.