Bulgogi and Wild Rice Pudding

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Bulgogi Our dinner tonight is Bulgogi with bok-choy and rice noodles, and wild rice pudding for dessert. Bulgogi is a popular Korean dish, grilled marinated thin beef. I normally marinade the meat overnight in soy sauce, cooking wine, garlic, ginger, onions, chili and sesame oil. When you cook the meat, make sure the pan is nice and hot and don’t crowd the pan otherwise you are stewing, not stir-frying. Add salt and pepper at the end. It is thinly sliced rib-eye or sirloin steak so you don’t need to cook for too long. It is yummy on rice or noodles with veggies on the side. Then we had wild rice pudding with tropical fruits for desserts, which I liked more than the main. I don’t normally like rice pudding as a dessert, but this one is different. Wild rice or forbidden rice has a beautiful purple colour when cooked, releases a nutty perfume and gives a nice bite when you chew. It is so divine and delicious! You can add any kind of fruits on top. Bananas, caramelised pear, blueberries, passion fruit, you name it. You can also serve this for breakfast, yum! You wouldn’t be able to skip this kind of breakfast, would you? If you are not into coconut milk, use non-dairy milk such as oat milk, almond milk or soy milk. Feel free to change the recipe depending on your taste.

Black Rice PuddingIngredients

100g wild rice
200g coconut milk
1 tsp of vanilla powder
1 tsp of cacao powder
1 tsp of maple syrup
a pinch of Himalayan salt
slices of mango, strawberry, pomegranate and coconut for topping

Rinse and soak the rice for overnight or a few hours to shorten the cooking time. Add coconut milk, vanilla powder, cacao powder and a pinch of salt into the pot and bring it up to boil. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the rice is tender. Stir frequently and add more coconut milk if needed. Add maple syrup at the end. Take it off the heat and pour into the bowl. Top with your favorite fruits and serve either hot or cold.

Posted in: Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner, Gluten Free, My recipes

Home Made Granola

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GranolaI used to be obsessed with oats for breakfast. Granola with milk or yogurt, quick oat porridge, oat muffins, etc. It is whole grains and healthy, gives you energy in the morning, yeah! Oats may contain gluten though so if you are gluten-sensitive like me, you need to look for gluten-free oats. Granola is baked rolled oats cereal with nuts and dried fruits. My hubby has a bowl of granola with milk for breakfast, and I normally pick on it when I feel like snacking during the day (Yes, I have been getting my hands on his jar during the day. Sorry Daniel!). Store-bought granola can be loaded with sugar and oil. It is best to make your granola at home to limit the amount of sugar and fat contents. Or look for low-fat granola if you choose to buy from the shops.

Granola has a number of health benefits – fibre, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. Main ingredients of granola, oats, bran and nuts, contain a good amount of fibre which helps to regulate digestion and prevent constipation. It also controls your blood sugar level and keeps you feel full longer. Good fats from nuts, seeds and coconut oil helps to lower cholesterol, blood pressure and reduce inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid, in granola are essential for proper brain function. Granola also contains vitamin E which acts as antioxidant, thiamin and folate which helps energy metabolism and nerve function. Essential minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium are also found in granola.

The recipe is so versatile. You can pretty much add any of your favorite nuts, seeds and dried fruits in the home made granola. Easy, and way cheaper than the store bought kinds!

Granola1
Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1/4 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup pepitas
1/4 cup dried pineapples
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp cacao powder
1 tsp fine sea salt

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the oats, coconut and wheat bran. Add the wet ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and stir well. Add the wet mixture (while still warm) to the dry mixture and stir making sure that all of the dry ingredients are fully coated with the wet ingredients. Spread onto a pan lined with baking paper and bake in the oven (180) for 45 minutes. Remove the pan from oven every 10 minutes and stir for even baking and crispiness. Cool granola before pouring into a bowl and adding dried fruits. It will crisp up as it cools.

Posted in: Baking, Breakfast, My recipes, Snack, Vegetarian

Green Fish Curry

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Fish Green CurryA friend of mine from Korea traveled Thailand for a couple of months and sent me a couple of postcards, which is so lovely of her. I’ve never been to Thailand myself, but all the photos and stories she posted on the mobile app looked like a relaxing place to visit. She even took a cooking class one day and made a pad Thai and green curry. Yum! I should definitely ask her to make one for me when we catch up next time and get some recipes to see how real locals make their curry.

I made this green curry with chicken breast last time, but tried with fish fillets today, which was as delicious! Thai green curry paste is made of turmeric, chilli, kaffir lime, lemon grass, garlic and galangal (similar to ginger root), which all have wonderful medicinal properties. Turmeric aids digestion and detoxifies your system. Chilli is an excellent antioxidant, rich in vitamin A and C. Kaffir lime stimulates digestion and prevents cancer and high blood pressure. Lemongrass helps to fight against cold, congestion, fever, cough and sore throat. Garlic, without a doubt, a powerful detoxifying agent. Galangal is also a stimulant for digestion. So overall curry is tasty as well as nutritious, but it is high in saturated fat and calories because of the coconut oil and milk in coconut-based curry. So eat in moderation. Opt for low-fat coconut milk if you are concerned.

Ingredients

2 basa fillets
1/2 cup of chopped basil
1/2 cup of chopped coriander
1 tsp of grated ginger
1 tsp of minced garlic
1/2 cup of chopped spring onion
1/2 cup of chopped zucchini
1 onion
1 potato
1 tsp green curry paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp coconut oil
1 cup of coconut milk
1/4 cup of water
salt and pepper to taste

Pat dry the fish fillets, season with salt and pepper, cook in a pan with coconut oil 2-3 minutes each side. Take it off the heat and set aside. Add another teaspoon of coconut oil in a pan and cook all chopped veggies and curry paste. When the veggies are cooked al dente, add coconut milk and water and simmer for 10 minutes. Put the fish back to the pan and combine with the curry. Serve over the rice. Garnish with fresh coriander and a squeeze of lemon/lime.

Posted in: Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, My recipes

Choosing The Base of Salads

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I have to admit how disappointed I was when I went to BBQs here. Grilling chuck steaks and sausages in a synthetic lining, bottles of barbeque sauce, sad looking salads, heavy salad dressings… Or maybe I’ve just been to all bad ones. I’m not a huge meat eater and thus going to a BBQ means pretty starving for me. Salads, especially, look so unloved. It’s just a side dish no one really touches. Can you name more than five salad veggies? Here is a thing. If you are a fan of healthy eating and cares about what goes into your body, then there is a homework for you. Go down to the local market or farmer’s market on the weekend and explore salad veggies. See how they look like, their names, smells, tastes, texture. You will be pretty impressed there is a whole world of veggies out there from spicy arugula to tender butter lettuce. Just in case I haven’t told you yet, I love going to the grocery shopping as much as clothes shopping. I will list some of the examples with photos and nutrition facts below.

  • Butter lettuce: Good source of vitamin A, K and folate. Soft and buttery textured leaves.
  • Cabbage: Dense, waxy, crunchy texture. Red cabbage has twice the vitamin C as green cabbage.
  • Iceberg lettuce: You will all know this one. Light and crunch texture. A good source of vitamin K, but that’s about it. Not much nutrition unfortunately.
  • Radicchio: Purple round heads of bitter leaves. Rich in phosphorus, calcium, vitamin B and C. Beautiful both raw and grilled
  • Romaine: Rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, beta-carotene, vitamin A, B and C
  • Arugula (Roquette, Rocket): Peppery mustard flavour and nutty flavour. Contains anti-cancer properties.
  • Spinach: Tender, sweet, salty leaves. Rich in vitamin A, B, C, folate, iron, calcium and magnesium.
  • Kale: Sweet and tender greens. Very high in beta-carotene, vitamin K and C, calcium, anti-cancer properties.
  • Watercress: Peppery and tangy flavour. Rich in iron, calcium, iodine, folic acid, vitamin A and C, anti-cancer properties.

Try to mix 2-3 different variety of greens when you make a salad, for example, mild lettuce + crisp romaine + peppery arugula. That’s the foundation of your salad. Then you can add other ingredients like carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, what ever you feel like. Some suggestions for salad topping?

  • Crunchy: Nuts, pita chips, edamame, sugar snap peas, sweet potato, broccoli, pumpkin, beetroot, fennel, celery
  • Chewy: Dried fruits, sun-dried tomatoes, peas, corns, lentils, beans, tempeh
  • Fruity: apple, pear, nectarine, mango, berries, grapes
  • Creamy: cheese, hummus, yogurt
Posted in: salads, Vegetarian

Chocolate Bark with Candied Honey Bacon and Pepitas

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Bacon ChocolateHave you had bacon in sweets? I was surprised how many sweets you can create with bacon. Bacon pretzels, bacon ice cream, chocolate bacon, bacon brownie, cupcakes topped with candied bacon… Wow they all sound quirky and amazing! I remember a friend of mine ordered the bacon on waffles with maple syrup when we had brunch together, which I thought it was a very odd combination. Then another time when Daniel and I went to his friend’s BBQ, Michelle made a bacon ice cream. It even made me a bit squeamish, how is that edible? So I had to experiment this bacon in chocolate today. Verdict? Surprisingly I don’t mind it. If you love bacon, if you love chocolate and if you love salty-sweet combination, give it a go. Maybe I can try it in brownies next time? Poor Daniel.. my ginny pig 🙂

Ingredients

4 pieces of rindless bacon
200g dark chocolate buttons
1 tbsp of honey
1/2 cup of pepitas
1 tsp of Himalayan salt
1/2 cup of coconut oil

Place bacon on a baking sheet and drizzle honey all over. Put it in the preheated oven (180) for 30-40 minutes until caramelised. Turn the bacon over about half way and add pepitas last 10 minutes. Cool it down until crisp. Melt the chocolate buttons and coconut oil either in microwave or in double-boiler until it’s all melted and smooth. Cut the bacon into pieces and arrange on a baking paper. Pour the chocolate mixture over the bacon and sprinkle toasted pepitas and salt. Place in the freezer for an hour or more to set.Once the bark is firm, break into pieces and store in the air-tight container in the fridge.

Bacon Chocolate2

Posted in: Baking, Dessert, Gluten Free, My recipes, Snack