Coconut Red Bean Pudding

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serve: 2

Ingredients:

Ø  150g coconut milk

Ø  110g cooked red bean

Ø  50g water

Ø  50g skimmed milk

Ø  10g gelatin powder

Ø  2 tbsp sugar

Method:

1.	Put coconut milk and skimmed milk in a small stove top pot or small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Heat the milk and stir it continuously to avoid solids sticking to the bottom and burning.
2.	Add 5g gelatin and 1 tbsp sugar into the warm milk and stir the mixture well to dissolve the gelatin.
3.	Pour the mixture into the moulds.  Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours until it is set.
4.	Place the cooked red bean and boiling water into a small saucepan over low heat.  Add 1tbsp sugar and 5g gelatin powder and stir well. Set aside and let it cool down.
5.	Once the milk mixture has set, pour over half the cooled red bean layer.  Chill for a further 3 hours.
6.	Turn out the pudding onto a plate (you may have to give a little jiggle to dislodge pudding) and serve.  Garnish with a halved strawberry.

Crunchy Honey Oat Biscuits

I was very excited and exhausted after spending three weeks in Asia.  All things are back to normal.  I baked some crunchy honey oat biscuits for afternoon tea.  What I love honey oat biscuits is that they take minutes to prepare. I feel very happy and relaxed to have these with a cup of Camomile.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serve: 3 (2 pieces each, 6 pieces)

Ingredients:

Ø  ½ cup oats

Ø  80g plain flour

Ø  25g brown sugar

Ø  40g margarine / light butter

Ø  1½ tbsp semi-skimmed milk

Ø  1½ tbsp clear honey

Ø  ½ tsp baking powder

METHOD:

1.	Preheat oven to 180°c.  Line a baking tray with a greaseproof baking paper.
2.	Add baking powder into the plain flour. Mix them well and sift the mixture into a mixing bowl.
3.	Melt margarine/butter, honey and milk in a saucepan and stir until heated through.  Add them into the mixing bowl and mix well with the premixed flour.
4.	Divide the mixed ingredients into six portions.  Spoon onto a baking tray and shape into rounds.
5.	Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes until golden brown.
6.	Leave to cool for 5 minutes before moving from the baking tray.

Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

I just finished moving home.  After spending over three weeks for packing and unpacking, I feel totally exhausted.  I need some easy meals.  This dip is so easy to make.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serve:2

Ingredients:

-  ½ celery (sliced)

-  200g rocket

-   ¼ red pepper (sliced)

- ¼ orange pepper (sliced)

-  3 slices of lettuce (finely sliced)

- 80g radish (sliced)

-  2 tbsp olive oil

- 10g sesame seed

 

Salad Dressing ingredients:

-  5 tbsp plain greek yogurt

- 1 tbsp mustard

- 2 tbsp clear honey

- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper

- ¼ tsp garlic powder

- 1/8 tsp low-sodium salt

-  ½ tbsp lemon juice

Method:

1.	In a salad bowl, mix celery, rocket, red pepper, orange pepper, lettuce, radish well with olive oil.  Sprinkle the sesame seed on top of the veggie.
2.	For salad dressing, mix green yogurt, mustard, honey, ground black pepper, garlic powder, salt and lemon juice well in a small bowl.

Gimbap / Kimbap (Korean dish)

Happy Friday!  Let's relax and have something special.  I have been  busy with packing for removal this week. This morning I prepared my gimbap lunch box.  Also I bought a pack of fried chicken and a can of beer.  Tasty! Today is a happy day!  Hope you enjoy your weekend!

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serve: 2

Ingredients:

Ø  3 sheets of seaweed  

Ø  1 cup cooked rice

Ø  250g beef frying steak (sliced, about 0.5 cm x 6 cm)

Ø    ¼  pickled daikon radish (cut into matchsticks)

Ø  6 strips of yellow pickled radish (cut into matchsticks)

Ø  60g baby spinach

Ø  ½ cucumber (cut into matchsticks)

Ø  ¼ red pepper (cut into matchsticks)

Ø  1 egg     

Ø  1 garlic clove (finely chopped)

Ø  2 tsp soy sauce

Ø  1½ tsp salt

Ø  ½ tbsp sesame oil

Ø  ½ tsp vegetable oil

Method:

1.	Add ½ tsp salt and sesame oil into the cooked rice and stir well.  Let it cool down and set aside.
2.	Crack an egg in a bowl and add a tiny pinch of salt into it, then use a fork to beat them together.  Put a small non-stick pan over low heat and spray oil on the pan.  Pour in the egg and tilt the pan immediately so the egg coats the entire bottom.  Let it cook in 1-2 minutes.  Flip it over with a spatula and cook until it is well done. Gently slide the egg on a chopping board and cut it into long skinny strips.  Make sure they are pretty even in length.  Set aside.
3.	Meanwhile, cook the carrots.  Spray oil on a pan over medium heat and put the carrots into the pan.  Add a tiny pinch of salt and 2 tbsp of water. Cover and cook for 1-2 minutes until it is cooked.  Set aside.
4.	For the baby spinach, spray oil on a pan over medium heat and add baby spinach.  Add 1 tbsp of water and cover for 1 minute until it is done.  Set aside.
5.	Then cook the cucumber, spray oil on a pan over medium heat and add cucumber.  Add a tiny pinch of salt and fry until it is done.  Set aside.
6.	Marinate the steak with soy sauce, garlic, ground black pepper, sugar, and sesame oil.  Spray oil on a pan over medium heat and cook the steak until well done.
7.	Roll the gimbap: place a seaweed sheet on a bamboo mat and spread half of the cooked rice evenly onto the seaweed, leaving 4-5 cm at the top. Place the strips of the veggies, egg and beef onto rice.  Roll the bamboo into a long roll by first folding the bottom third in then roll it up. It should look like a tube of some sort. Now remove the roll from the bamboo. Use a serrated knife to cut the roll into 8 rounds.  Wipe and clean the knife occasionally with a wet paper towel in order to have cuts easily.

Stewed chicken with chestnuts

I like eating chestnuts especially those roasted/fried with sugar.  It is one of my favorite snacks in the winter. When I was young, it was very common to find food carts on the streets.  After I finished school, I always bought a pack of roasted/fried chestnuts.  The traditional way to roast or fry chestnuts is in a big wok. They are stir-fried with sugar and black sand.   

Last Sunday I found there are cooked chestnuts sold in the supermarket.  People here like eating chestnuts with salad.  Before I live here, it is easy for me to buy raw chestnuts in the market.  But it takes more time to cook this dish by using raw chestnuts.  

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serve: 2

Ingredients:

l  480g chicken legs (cut in pieces)

l  200g chestnuts (cooked)

l  2 garlic cloves (sliced)

l  ½ tbsp vegetable oil

l  ½ cup water

l  1 spring onion (chopped)

Seasoning:

l  4g ginger (sliced)

l  1 tsp wine

l  1 tbsp soy sauce

l  1 tbsp dark soy sauce

l  1 tsp corn flour

Sauce:

l  1 tsp soy sauce

l  ½tsp sugar

l  1 tsp corn flour

l  2 tsp oyster sauce

l  1/8 tsp ground black pepper

l  1/8 tsp sesame oil

Method:

1.	Marinate the chicken with wine, ginger, soy sauce, dark soy sauce and corn flour for 20 minutes.
2.	Heat the wok with medium heat and add oil.  Add garlic and chicken into the wok and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
3.	Then reduce to low-medium heat, add water in the wok, stir and cover for 4 minutes.
4.	Add the chestnuts and mix with the chicken.  Cover for another 5 minutes.
5.	Mix the soy sauce, corn flour, sugar, oyster sauce, sesame oil and ground black pepper well in a bowl.  Add the sauce in the wok and stir well until the sauce is thickened.
6.	Garnish with spring onion.  Serve with rice.