Quinoa, Vegetables, Egg, Dried Anchovies, Peanuts Salad

Salad is the norm. How about Sushi? Omairashu? "Rice" cakes? And how do you see quinoa playing a part in all of them?

Quinoa is in the house!


Consider a plate of "Nasi Lemak" look-alike made with quinoa sans the coconut milk. No lemak (coconut cream), no nasi (rice).

Rather, a healthful plate of veggies (roasted broccoli and carrots) with quinoa topped with egg shreds, ikan bilis (dried anchovies) and peanuts..


Enjoy!


Sharing this with Souper Sunday

Tag: quinoa, nasi lemak

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HappyCall Pan (HCP) Stir-Fry Rice Rolls 煎炒肠粉

This Stir-Fry Rice Rolls 煎炒肠粉 is a nice change from our typical weekend breakfast oats.

What is your breakfast routine? Do you ever break the routine and have something different? What is it then?


The store-bought fresh rice rolls were purchased from the Asian grocery store - 99 Ranch. Before stir-frying them, these rolls were sliced to bite-size, then stir-fried with some green onions and eggs. Finally garnished with toasted sesame seeds and served with squirts of chili sauce and cucumber garnish, the taste is surprisingly good!

Probably we have been missing out on savory breakfasts for a while. And the HappyCall Pan comes to the morning breakfast rescue.


Stir-Fry Rice Rolls with Egg and Toasted Sesame Seeds 煎炒肠粉
Ingredients: 2-3 long fresh cooked rice rolls sliced to bite-size, 1 organic egg whisked, 2 green onions finely chopped, separate the white and green portions, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds, 1 mini organic cucumber sliced to fine shreds

Directions: Add the white portions of onions to the pan, and sweat for about 3 minutes. Add the rice rolls pieces and fry at medium heat till warm. Gently and slowly add the whisked egg, then soy sauce and gently break up the eggs in the pan amongst the rice roll bites. Fry for about 5 minutes, then cover the pan to gently cook the mixture for about 3-5 minutes. Open the pan, sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and then green parts of the onions then serve warm, topped with thin shreds of cucumber.



Sharing with Hearth and Soul.


Tag: stir fry rice rolls, rice rolls

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Steamed Ginger Scallions Ridgeback Shrimps

When I saw these live jumping shrimps in the tank, I did not know they had such a strong hardy shell. No wonder RidgeBack Shrimps are sometimes also called Rock Shrimps.


I got about half a pound and on the same day, steam them with ginger, scallions and cooking wine. They taste really delicately sweet!

Ridgeback Shrimps are one of the few cold-water shrimps that we are able to get here. Cold-water shrimps have a sweet, delicate taste and are relatively more flavorful than warm-water varieties. Warm-water shrimps can be farmed or wild vs cold water variety that is always wild. Almost all cold-water shrimp is considered sustainable (Source: Monterey Bay Aquarium, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History).

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Asian Food Channel - The Big Break finale

On Wednesday, 30 January 2013 at 10.00pm, Resorts World™ Sentosa (RWS) and the Asian Food Channel (AFC) will unveil the winner in The Big Break - a one-hour finale on StarHub, Channel 435.

Only three remain to compete in this final episode - Nico from Singapore, Lawrence from the Philippines and Eli from Malaysia, who will battle for a grand prize of a scholarship at At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy in Singapore, co-sponsored by RWS. In the one-hour finale, they will have to compete at the Joël Robuchon Restaurant at RWS for a place at the finals. There, they will learn the intricacies of fine dining, and Executive Chef Tomonori Danzaki will issue them a daunting challenge of creating French haute cuisine in the signature Joël Robuchon style. The two finalists will battle it out in the biggest and most challenging task of the entire competition – to prepare a fine dining meal for 150 of RWS’s VIP guests at its latest attraction, the S.E.A Aquarium.

There is just too much adrenaline and excitement. So catch the finale episode of The Big Break exclusively on the Asian Food Channel.

The Big Break was produced by the Asian Food Channel in partnership with Resorts World™ Sentosa, and is proudly sponsored by Unilever Food Solutions – leading food & beverage solutions provider specializing in brand ingredients and professional services for chefs, Del Monte Asia Pte Ltd – manufacturer and marketer of premium packed quality food and beverages and Stewards Solutions – a one-stop solution provider for the Food & Beverage industry.

Cauliflower Potato Cheddar Cheese Soup 菜花土豆乳酪汤

With the half potato used in the Black Bean Potato Cakes/Patties, I had another half, plus the remaining few florets of cauliflower left in the fridge - which is how the Cauliflower Potato Cheddar Cheese Soup came about.

Sometimes, it just clicks, and happens. The soup that was unplanned for but was made - thanks to weird quantities of ingredients remaining, sitting around.

The cheese imparts a savory depth to the soup while the seven-spice powder gives a magic kick to the otherwise basic white soup. 

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Black Bean Potato Cakes Patties 黑豆马铃薯（土豆）煎饼

I have said before that I don't cook legumes (beans) often enough and it is still true. More beans and legumes, please.

Self-reminder.

So today, this Black Bean Potato Cakes/Patties 黑豆土豆煎饼 is vegetarian, with Black Beans replacing the "meat" proteins.


Like other beans, black beans is a good source of protein and fiber but what makes it different from other beans is that black beans has a rich antioxidant profile due to its black color coat; rich in anthocyanins which is the same flavonoid found in red and purple fruits and vegetables (Source: Whole Foods)


I always look for nutritionally-dense ingredient, so to make these vegetarian patties, how could I forget black beans?

And what's with that soda cracker biscuit?

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Gai Lan Chinese Broccoli Soup 芥兰黄豆汤

Though the idea is not exceptionally wild or creative, this is (indeed) my first time having Gai Lan (in) Soup.


And you know what? I will cook this soup again when stir-fried Gai Lan (Chinese broccoli) gets boring once in a while. Truth is: the same stir-fried Gai Lan can't be posted repeatedly in this blog....:O

It is few basic ingredients but the smokiness of toasted ikan bilis and pan-fried tofu definitely adds flavor depth to the soup (stock made from organic soy beans and toasted ikan bilis -dried anchovies).


And the light-tasting notes of the soup did not overshadow the mild mustardy taste of Gai Lan in any way. This can be a quick soup to put together if you are short on time and have ready home-made stock on hand.

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Managed dedicated servers & VPS solutions

BurstNET provides a wide range of professional internet services: managed servers, servers co-location, virtual private servers (VPS), backup and storage solutions, that will cater to different needs and demands of individuals and companies. Managed dedicated servers allow control, configuration, power, and accessibility that are sensible solutions for popular sites, large companies, ecommerce websites, and reseller or hosting providers.

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Stir-Fry Carrots & French Beans 清炒胡萝卜

I have been using more and more onions in my everyday cooking. From 2-3 medium-size onions for every week's grocery shopping, to 4-6 onions. With an average of half or more onion used in any single dish, the onions in my pantry can be used up really fast!

Onions contain flavonoids such as quercetin and anthocyanins, with anti-inflammatory benefits. Not only onions offer a range of health benefits, they easily flavor a simple stir-fry of carrots and green (French) beans so well!


This easy Stir-Fry Carrots & French Beans 清炒胡萝卜 is inspired by Little Corner of Mine's Easy Stir-Fried Carrots. I never thought of using carrots as the main ingredient in a side dish. This is indeed budget-friendly, nutritious and tasty!


To scale up to a one-dish, add more greens such as kale and add more bulk by adding green beans. Then add noodles and out comes a one-dish stir-fry noodles!

Sharing with Hearth and Soul.

Other French Beans recipes:
Garlic Haricot Verts
French Beans,Woodear Mushrooms and Ginger Stir-Fry
Garlic French Beans with Toasted Sesame Seeds
French Beans Egg Fritters

Tag: vegetarian noodles, stir fry carrots

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Chicken Liver and Tomatoes Pasta 鸡肝番茄意大利面

Chicken livers, anyone? Innards? I do not mind, just that I seldom cook it as it is hassle prep. work that involves cleaning and marinating to rid the smell. Certain cuisines calls for soaking chicken liver in milk prior to cooking, then using cooking wine in the cooking process.


In Chinese cuisine, chicken liver is typically marinated in Shaoxing cooking wine, soy sauce and some slices of ginger - to rid the strong smell. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.


The nutrition of chicken liver has been covered previously. It is high in Vitamin A (surpasses that of milk, egg and fish)., Vitamin B-group (B6 and B12), iron (10 times higher than the meat itself),  DHA (YESsss, DHA!!! for learning, intelligence, and visual acuity) and is a good source of protein. When consumed in moderation, chicken liver can be good for a toddler's vision development. Like cod liver oil, chicken liver is a nutrient-packed superfood supplement that can help boost energy, muscle growth, brain power, and general health.
 

This Chicken Liver Pasta dish is actually a two-step process. First,  pre-fry the chicken liver to par-cook to livers,  set aside; then cook the sauce (of the pasta) and add the chicken livers back to the sauce and allow flavors to develop.

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Mushrooms with Gai Lan Chinese Broccoli “鸡丝”芥兰

Remember this broccoli dish? I also did the same (vegetarian "shredded chicken") with Gai Lan - Chinese broccoli, with a slightly different execution.


Oyster Mushrooms with Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli) “鸡丝”芥兰
First, stir-fry the Gai Lan with garlic, cooking wine, salt and ground white pepper to taste - dish out on a plate. Then saute/stir fry the mushrooms (already marinated with soy sauce and cooking wine) till cooked, ground white pepper to taste, then top the mushrooms over the Gai Lan.

Again, it looked like shredded chicken on a plate of green veggies, right?


I have cooked the simplest dishes and repeating a lot of my older recipes even when the "new" kitchen is supposed to inspire me. Oh, what have I been doing...what have I been doing?

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Ham, Apples, Cucumbers Pita Sandwich

Like what Tyler Florence said, "Go Honeycrisp or go home"! Honeycrisp says it all, these apples are sweet and crisp! Even it they are always more expensive than Braeburn, Red Delicious, or Gala apples, they are worth it!

Slice the apples thinly (or further to matchsticks thickness) and use them to fill your sandwich, together with ham, cucumber, avocado, hard-boiled eggs!

Homemade Sweet Potato Crisps

I enjoy adding sweet potatoes to plain porridge/congee and sometimes, roast them as sides (pair with proteins) or load these roasted bites with other veggies to make quinoa salad.




Few months ago, I made Sweet Potato Crisps snack, recipe from Food-4tots

As I do not have a Mandoline Slicer, the sweet potato crisps were not of uniform thickness resulting in some crisps cooking faster (more charred at the edges) than the others. Nonetheless, they are tasty healthy snacks.

What is your favorite way to use sweet potatoes?






Tag: sweet potato

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Eleven2 dedicated cloud servers for heavy traffic sites

If you are new to the web, owns as online blog, runs a small online business, you might want to consider a shared hosting service plan that provides a user friendly control panel, a script installer with 225+ scripts (for blogs, forums, shopping carts, etc.), site builders and templates.

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Servage reliable & secured clustered servers

Very clearly, one glance at Servage.net website and we know it specializes in web hosting. Each Servage account spans a spectrum of technical features, web features and email features.

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Register.com Do-It-Myself or Do-It-For-Me

The search box on Register.com front page made is so easy to search for available domain names. I keyed in teczcape and found the domain name still available, together with an associated email related to the domain name.

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Napa Cabbage with Mushrooms and Carrots

My friend always makes vegetarian Chinese spring rolls using this veggie combination (Napa cabbage, carrots, mushrooms - can be shiitake mushrooms, woodear mushrooms or even crimini  mushrooms) as the filling. Today, I am simply going to use this veggie mixture for a stir-fry side dish


Napa Cabbage with Mushrooms and Carrots
Sweat some onions and ginger till onions are soft. Add finely diced carrots then 6 baby bella mushrooms finely sliced previously seasoned with soy sauce and cooking wine (Note: the baby bella mushrooms are relatively bigger than brown crimini, so if using brown crimini mushrooms, double the quantity of mushrooms used. You can also use fresh shiitake mushrooms. Cook for about 15 mins. Add Napa cabbage and fry on medium-heat for about 10 mins till all the veggies are cooked. Salt and ground white pepper to taste.


Sharing this with Hearth and Soul

Tag: cabbage, mixed vegetables stir-fry

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Get free product samples (they are travel-friendly too!)

Ever since the restriction on fluids was implemented on flights bounded to or within the US, I find myself learning how to pack toiletries more effectively. If the vacation is more than a week and via international flights, I will usually pack my toiletries - typical medium-sized bottles of shampoo, conditioners, mouthwash etc. with the check-in luggage. However, with short two-three day vacation within the domestic US, I usually don't check in the luggage, so everything (including toiletries) has to pack nicely into the carry-on.

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Soybeans Ikan Bilis Stock, Broth 黄豆江鱼仔汤底

Never be stingy on tomatoes, here I said.

An aura of insecurity fills the the kitchen one day....

Not a single tomato at home!

NOOOooo.....!!!


It's like losing the ability to cook! A little exaggeration maybe but truly, I feel comfortable when the kitchen is well-stocked with tomatoes. Even a single tomato left in the pantry or kitchen would leave me feeling assured as I know very well that with any other ingredients in the kitchen or fridge, there is bound to be something I can put together, and done rather quickly.

Do you have an ingredient you cannot do without ? Not having it makes you insecure?


Okay. Not having onions and garlic makes me insecure too.

As 2012 drew an end with these fanciful vegetarian wonton cups appetizers, the challenge today on my first 2013 posting, is to return to the basics - making a quick tasty stock/broth without tomatoes; so here, a stock/broth made with organic soy beans and dried anchovies (ikan bilis).

This broth is usually what makes the Yong Tau Foo （酿豆腐） soup-base in hawker stalls and eateries back in Singapore. The clear broth is light-tasting, savory and suitable as a soup-base for vegetables and tofu/stuffed tofu.

And now I found my survival route in the absence of tomatoes! :)

Tag: organic soybeans, dried anchovies,dried anchovies soybean stock

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