Garland Chrysanthemum (Tong Ho) Steamed Tofu with Tomatoes & Mushrooms

The simplicity and deliciousness of this dish cannot be undermined. I mean, it is tofu. And it is steamed. How can you ever imagined it to be tasty?

But it is.


When I saw the vegetarian steamed tofu from Little Inbox, I knew I gotta try it - just too easy to prepare (too hard to fail). Homemade taste and comfort. My kind of food. Of course, my dish - Steamed Tofu with Garland Chrysanthemum, Tomatoes and Mushrooms, looks completely different from what I was inspired from.  Don't ask me how it happened. Basically, I took back three (3) key words. TOFU ~ TOMATOES ~ STEAMED. Then add my (other) ingredients: carrots, mushrooms, Garland Chrysanthemum Tong-Ho, 茼蒿, green onions; and seasonings: ground white pepper, miso, sesame oil

Assembly in process...


Black Glutinous Rice Ball with Coconut Milk

As you are reading this (and maybe the next 1-2 scheduled posts), I am at where Internet access is limited or rather restrictive to certain sites such as Google (including blogspot.com) and Facebook. Arrrrghhhh...I am hating this "inconvenience" already. But be sure I will visit you at your sites once I get the chance.
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Today is another dessert! From Chapter 19: Desserts of The Everything Rice Cooker Cookbook (Everything Series) and you get Steamed Black Rice Pudding. Yes, the pudding version of the more commonly seen sweet-soup dessert Pulut Hitam!


Yes, since I have leftover of red/black glutinous rice after making Savory Steamed Glutinous Rice (Dim-Sum: Loh Mai Gai), I can only think of making Pulut Hitam.


This dessert was one of my childhood favorites but somehow, everyone is avoiding it because of the coconut cream/milk- I don't know why. It is the coconut cream that makes the dessert so fragrant, so aromatic and so delicious.

I am sharing this at My Meatless Mondays, Hearth and Soul

Other black glutinous rice recipes:
Black Glutinous Rice Porridge Dessert
Sticky Savory Glutinous Rice - Loh Mai Kai



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Fava (Broad) Beans - how to cook fresh fava beans

Yes I know broad beans, 扁豆 (Bian Dou). I made Stir Fry Broad Beans previously, and tried my friend's version of Mushy Broad Beans.

No, I don't know Fava beans. BUT...but...fava beans ARE broad beans. Oh, ok. Putting it clearly - I don't know fresh fava beans (in a pod). Those broad bean I have tried were all frozen beans.

I was glad when I saw fresh fava beans recently. This time I am not giving them a miss! They look like gigantic snow peas or snap peas! I know how to deal with them.

But. No. I don't.


Fava (broad) beans have similar nutritional benefits (source of protein, fiber, potassium) like the other common beans and are good sources of folate. They also contain levodopa (L-dopa), a chemical that the body uses to produce dopamine (the neurotransmitter associated with the brain's role in behavior and cognition, sleep, mood, and learning).

Have you tried Fresh Fava (Broad) Beans before?

After doing the much needed "research", on how to deal with these beans, i.e: (1) remove the beans from the pod, (2) blanch the beans, (3) remove the outer pale-green (shell) layer of the bean; I did just that.

I'm a bean in a shell in a pod. Boy, I am shy...I need to hide.


Fresh Fava Beans to be shared with folks at Weekend Herb Blogging - WHB#280 (April 18th to April 24th) with our host, Haalo, from Cook Almost Anything

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Parchment-Baked Cod (En Papillote), easy and nutritious meal

Wonder how easy cooking a nutritious meal can get? As easy as this!

Succulent fillet of pacific cod, moist and flaky; with the natural sweet flavors infused by finely cubed zucchini and yellow bell peppers.

Instead of salmon, I have used wild-caught pacific cod this time. And instead of steaming, another easy way is to wrap with parchment paper and send it to the oven, about 375F for 20-25 mins till done.

This method locks up all the "juices" and moisture. Nice...


Cooking Tip: Once cooked, do not unwrap the parchment paper immediately. Allow it to stand/rest for 5 minutes so that the flavors are allowed to combine further. A tip to share at Tip Day Thursday Carnival.


Earth Day: Let's change the way we EAT


I'm concurrently running a similar campaign/ promotion at my other blog - 地球日:以“吃”拯救地球".

Having personally create healthy dishes at home, I know that "Healthy" food is definitely not bland and tasteless eating. Healthy eating can be so delicious; well...if fresh, and natural flavors are what you are looking for.

The use of aromatics and spices as natural flavorings, not overly depend on store-bought seasonings; the variety of vegetables and fruits that adds "colors" (natural antioxidants); sustainable protein options, seeking plant foods (e.g. plant-based proteins) that are healthier not just for our bodies but also for the planet etc.

Purple Sage - Conscious Dining, to be launched on Earth Day 22 April 2011, will pioneer a new green initiative in the catering industry and this is definitely worthwhile to look forward to.

I was absolutely excited when I saw their Conscious Dining Buffet Menu. Finally, a menu so well-balanced in its dedication to vegetables and plant-based proteins, where vegetables and plants take center-stage.

Purple Sage has taken that step - now it is YOU who will empower yourself, your family, and friends to choose healthier food alternative (conscious about what you eat) and the ability to exercise social responsibility through deciding how food is consumed (conscious about how you eat).

Regardless the cliché – what we eat, is really what we are.

For more information about Purple Sage, visit their website.  To find out more about the menu and/or to order, also visit Purple Sage or alternatively call 6396 6990.
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Campaigns and Promotions:
(1) From 22 April 2011 to 6 May 2011“Like” Purple Sage on Facebook, and Purple Sage will donate $1 to Singapore Environment Council (to campaign for greater environmental awareness) for every 1 more like to their Facebook Fan Page.  Join them now to receive first-hand information and promotions

(2) $100off Menu Price voucher (*valid for 1 year from date of issue*, ** for use with Minimum Spending of $600 on Standard Food Menu only**)

(i) To receive this $100off Menu Price voucher for use on your next catering event, email: marketing@purplesage.com.sg with your particulars and QUOTE An Escape to Food by tigerfish -OR-  吃出健康 by tigerfish

(ii) To find out more about the menu and/or to order, visit Purple Sage or call 6396 6990.
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Let's change the way we EAT, and let's start with Purple Sage.


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Fair Trade food and drink products

Premcrest Fair Trade Wholesaler has 40 years experience in selling fair trade food and drink products. Do you use fair trade products in cooking and every day life?


Tofu, Shrimps & Celery Soup - 豆腐虾仁芹菜汤

A "羹" (Geng) is a kind of thick soup in Chinese cuisine, almost like cream-based soup in Western cuisine but relatively lighter. Usually, corn starch or egg is used as a thickening agent to thicken the soup. However today, I am taking a fresh new spin on Steamed Shrimps with Celery, to make a Tofu "Thick Soup" 豆腐羹(Dou Fu Geng)-inspired...Tofu, Shrimps and Celery Soup - 豆腐虾仁芹菜汤.

Yes, not any thick soup but a light yet substantial soup with vegetables and proteins. A perfect soup for spring and maybe a regular during summer. Those succulent shrimps, tender cubes of tofu and added crunch from the celery dices - the textures are exciting and flavors promising.



Amaranth - Power Substitute Rice, Porridge, Congee

Amaranth, similar to quinoa, contain essential amino acids that are nearly complete for plant-based protein - those essential amino acids that our body can't make and needs to get through food.


Most fruits and vegetables do not contain a complete set of amino acids (in proteins), thus make sure you eat an extensive range of vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains and seeds, especially when you are a vegetarian.

Another power congee of mine: red quinoa, amaranth, lentils, green beans. Amaranth is high in fiber and nutrient-rich, with a high concentration of lysine, an essential amino acid - makes it a complete protein.

I really enjoy experimenting grains and seeds from the bulk bins. That is when I can buy just the quantity I want to get my taste buds excited - and just in case, my taste buds are not, nothing is wasted!

 


Another option for grains (seeds) to be shared with folks at Weekend Herb Blogging - WHB#279 (April 11th to April 17th) with our host, Anh, from A Food Lover's Journey



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Asparagus & Seafood Pasta Aglio e Olio

I started stuffing myself silly with brussel sprouts during Fall; then kale and collard greens during Winter. It must be too easy to expect that I will continue to stuff myself silly with Asparagus during Spring. Spring analogous to Asparagus in vegetable language.


Not only obvious, almost a no-brainer how I will cook my asparagus. In stir-frys or steamed, they shall be. And since I was able to adapt this Oven-Baked Shrimps rather easily for Aglio e Olio - here comes Scallops and Shrimps Angel Hair Aglio e Olio with Asparagus!



Easy Spinach Balls

How to make yourself eat lots of spinach without realizing it? Make them into spinach balls!

Basically, cook (steam/blanch) spinach for 30secs. Trim the leaves from the stems. Gently squeeze moisture/water out from the leaves by using your palm and fingers, rounding them into balls at the same time. Set aside.


When ready to use,  *blop blop blop* - add them to noodle soups. I do love them in my noodle soup!


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Cupcake on a Edible Stick

I just came across a news snippet over the Internet yesterday about the cupcake craze crumbling soon. Well, how could that be with the presence of such unique cupcakes? I am not a big fan of cupcakes as you all know; but objectively, I do think that Popsycakes - cupcake on an edible stick is quite an innovative cupcake.


Daikon Fried Egg, Stir-Fry Veggies - Everyday Meal

There is no recipe or specific topic today. Just sharing the typical home-cooked fare at home; dishes that are enjoyed with steamed rice or plain congee. When more time can be expended, a few dishes will be cooked (e.g. Garlic Kale and Daikon Fried Egg) for one meal...

Garlic Kale: Organic kale stir-fried with garlic for 10 minutes or less, pinch of salt and white pepper to taste. USD2.00 for bunch of organic kale.


Beer-Infused Meat Sauce Pasta

With Fat Tire Ale* (also New Belgium Brewing Company's best seller beer), the decision was to fall back on a tomato-based pasta sauce which I have made before and re-making it with this beer. Remember that beef and beer is like the "bull" boosted by the booze.


White Himalayan Raw Honey Strawberries

I bake myself no cakes. So I don't get homemade chocolate cakes or chocolatey chocolate cake. Indulgence for me will be...fresh organic strawberries


drizzled with organic white Himalayan raw honey from Heavenly Organics (I have also tried YS Royal Jelly/Honey Bee - Raw Honey, 22 oz gel - equally good!)

Sharing this with My Meatless Mondays, Hearth and Soul.

What is your favorite sweet indulgence?



At the same time, check out April's Basil Magazine, read my article Traditional Congee, Modern Interpretation. It is my first time writing for this magazine, essentially about Eat. Drink. Live. Give. If you feel lucky, enter for a chance to win one of these Basil Giveaways.

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Steamed Eggplant Miso Dressing

One of my least favorite vegetables with this second eggplant feature but it's a vegetable that I have gradually embraced. I try to include this as part of my meals due to the the "rainbow colors" offering  to a meal. It is harder to find a purple vegetable than a purple fruit (e.g. grapes, blueberries). What purple vegetable can you think of other than eggplant?

I usually make a light easy dressing of soy sauce, white pepper and sesame oil for these steamed babies. However, this time I replaced soy sauce with red miso. The latter gives an added complexity to the otherwise "flatter" savory soy sauce.

Note: A simple technique to making a non-grainy bowl of miso soup is to slowly strain the miso over warm water. Hot boiling water might "kill" the good bacteria in miso. Adding miso-paste directly to boiling water will also be disastrously "grainy", sometimes "lumpy".


Cooking Equipment for Food Catering Business

Some of us find the most unique cooking equipment not in regular retail stores but in wholesalers (or suppliers) of cooking and kitchen equipments. CFM (Commercial Food Machinery) based in Australia, is a leading supplier of commercial catering equipment to the hospitality industry. A one-stop-shop that supplies commercial catering equipment, hospitality supplies & kitchen equipment including refrigeration, stainless steel cutlery and crockery and even  table-top accessories for food display.


Cheater Chicken Pau (Bao)

I was recently self-engaged in the Pau (or Bao) Project. WHAaat?

Well, since I am not one who bakes - I decided... the "flour" (and measurement) thing was out for me. As a result, I turned a cheater and scavenger for cheater Pau (Bao)-dough/skin.

Lucky for my memory, I remembered those Cheater Baos from Foodgal.com. But I had to confirm the brand of the product. Came these Cheater Donuts from Rasamalaysia.com that register this brand "Pillsbury" in my mind, again. Yes, I need to buy that.

But alas, I bought the wrong product. Hmmm, maybe I was half-right. I got the Pilsbury Buttermilk Biscuits for my Chinese Pau(Bao)-Dough/Skin but it was the jumbo version. Bleh heh heh. It was the only version on the shelf - how on earth was I supposed to know if it was Jumbo or Regular if I had no benchmark for comparison? I was not even given a choice! Anyway, a person who does not bake AND who does not know processed product well is bound to make mistakes when it comes to area of non-expertise.

It may be a blessing in disguise in some way. The Pau (Bao) I was craving for and was stuck in my head was the Chicken Pau from Anncoo Journal. In Singapore, Chicken Pau is usually a large Pau (Bao) - 大鸡包. So maybe...I can use jumbo biscuits to make jumbo Chicken Pau (Bao) - 大鸡包!


Introduction to Tiger Chef

Let me introduce Tiger Chef today. What?! Who? Definitely not Tigerfish turning chef; or the chef of infamous Tiger-Mom. Lame lame lame! My apologies.

Well, if you are interested to get hold of kitchen or restaurant supplies once in a while from a reputable source; this online restaurant supply company might just have a supply of what you are looking for. Just watched your favorite chef cook on TV, in his professional kitchen, in his very own restaurant and instants later, you go "I want this! I want that! I want that grill and griddle! I want that pasta cooker!" - Tiger Chef might be that source to check out. Tiger Chef is not just any online restaurant supply company. They are also experts in the kitchen equipments with relevant extensive contacts and satisfied clients in the food service industry.


Mail-Order Pharmacy Services

Where I grew up, there was no local service that offered mail-order pharmacy services (drugs). You either go to the doctor, get some professional advice and his prescription, or self-diagnose and visit the pharmacy on-site for some self-medication. I believe the system of "how things work" is different across the world. I ask, would I buy drugs online? I don't need to do that at this moment, so it becomes redundant. However, when it gets down to buying brand names or generic drugs online, some of the most important things to look for are: approval, certification, accreditation and assurance from some kind of medical board and professionals. We need strict safety when it comes to drugs.


Peas Peppers Garlic "Fried" Rice - no-mess, garlicky, delicious

With roast chicken recipes out there that call for 40 cloves of garlic, I don't see why you can't do it with rice. I mean, not 40 cloves of garlic in rice but the idea of getting garlic-infused rice. Garlic Fried Rice with (Chinese) Dried Anchovies, Sweet Peas and Red Peppers. First, does it look like fried rice to you?

I am a lazy cook. I hate washing the wok with the aftermath of fried rice! Well, in order for the fried rice not to stick to the wok (I don't use a non-stick pan), I have to use lots of oil and high-heat cooking too - which is incidentally NOT my style of cooking. So I pre-fried all the ingredients (including aromatics) WITHOUT the rice, in the wok. At the same time, have the rice cooked separately in the rice cooker. The advantage? You don't even need a huge wok to contain all the rice in the frying wok! Just a normal pan to pre-fry the ingredients (and aromatics) will do.