I initially thought that making fresh pasta was very intimidating. But, having seen more and more people succeed in making pasta from scratch, I realised that my perception was wrong. Getting inspired, I began my pasta making journey.   The steps in making pasta are pretty straight-forward. They can be summarised as below: • Combine the ingredients • Knead the dough • Rest the dough • Roll...

  On hotter days, I often skip doing any serious cooking and turn to making simple and easy-to-prepare meals for lunch, like this cold soba noodle salad. This Asian inspired fusion one-dish meal is welcomed most by my family who loves both noodles and salad. It’s so refreshing and appetizing yet filing that we don’t mind having it as meal for the whole day.   Soba noodles, a type of Japanese thin...

  A couple months back, a cooking method on how to whip up a super-fast congee (Chinese rice porridge, 快速煲靚粥) was widely circulated among the internet users, as well as being demonstrated on cooking shows in Hong Kong and Taiwan.   The secret behind this method lies on the application of a little scientific know-how. Washed raw rice after being frozen will undergo a structural change. This...

  Lately, my family has a new liking. That’s my multigrain congee (rice porridge). Having this tasty yet healthy meal makes our bellies feel so satisfied and great.   This congee is not exactly 100% multigrain. Instead, it’s made up of 50% multigrain, 20% millet and 30% short grain rice. The presence of millet and short grain rice gives the texture a new dimension from toothsome to smooth, as...

  Apart from vegetables, fruits, and proteins, eating more whole grains is an important component for an overall healthy diet. Whole-grains are made up of the entire grain kernel consisting of the bran, germ and endosperm. Thus, they provide more proteins, fiber, vitamins and minerals than those of refined grains. Some of the common whole grains products are brown rice, millet, buckwheat, quinoa, rolled...

  Whenever I recommend avocado to new parents, most of them either dislike it or have no idea how to go about eating it. Hmmm….does this explain why avocado is one of the least popular fruits among Asian kids? Maybe, but I am still pondering about it.   I don’t have many recipes for avocado. However, from time to time, I would come out with some adventurous way of enjoying it. On one occasion,...

  Broccoli is one of the few vegetables that seem to have an universal appeal to children. Given its vibrant colour and distinctive flavour, toddlers are often happy to pick it up as part of their meal. That explains why many mums told me that they had the least headache when introducing broccoli to their children at an early stage even for those who were fussy on eating greens.   Broccoli is a member...

It’s almost three weeks since my last posting. We went back to my hubby’s hometown to celebrate this Lunar New Year and reunite with our family members and relatives, catch up with old friends and ex-colleagues, as well as to indulge in those “bad for health, hard to resist and once a year not-to-be missed” festival dishes and goodies (feeling guilty now after gaining weight ). Even though we had...

  Congee or porridge (粥) is not only a staple food among the Chinese community but also one of the first few baby foods recommended for weaning. It is a versatile dish which can be easily prepared and served with added ingredients like fish, chicken, pork or veggies to enhance the flavour and increase its nutritional value. The texture and consistency of the congee is determined by three main factors...

Beside apples, oranges are the most common imported fruit that my mom usually used to buy for the family when I was a child. But, I disliked oranges then, as more often than not they weren’t sweet but rather sour. I thought I was the only one who had this bias against oranges until I discovered that my hubby also disliked oranges. Maybe, we might also have influenced our son who also didn’t show much interest...