Lava Queen

American ginseng is cool in nature and tastes bittersweet.  I usually like double boiling it with chicken and sometimes with added cordyceps militaris/ chong cao hua.  It can help to enhance Qi, nourish the body,  boost the immune system  and clear heat from the body. I simply love the bittersweet taste from the American ginseng :) This soup is warm and nourishing. It is good for the skin (white fungus) and respiratory system (Dried tangerine peel), and it can also prevent constipation (Papaya). Ingredients: 5 maces (Approx 18.9g) American ginseng slices 5 maces (Approx 18.9g) white fungus 1 green papaya 10 dried figs 1 pc dried tangerine peel Approx 300g lean meat 2500ml water Soak dried tangerine peel til soft. Scrape off the internal white pith. Soak and rinse white fungus for a few times til fully expanded. Rinse and set aside. Scald lean meat in boiling water for 5 mins. Rinse and set aside. Peel papaya, remove seeds and cut into pieces. Rinse the American

This morning when I served a whole meal bun with the blueberry jam that I made yesterday as breakfast for my LO, she totally rejected it >.< Though I kept explaining to her that it's made of blueberries (which she likes very much), she simply refused to even try. BUT, I was determined to make her eat it (Just being me, hah!), so... I thought of using it to make some tarts for afternoon teatime :P And, Guess what? She totally dig them!! You can pick other jam flavors, depending on what you like. You can also decorate the top with icing sugar, cut fruits or whatever you like :)  Jam tarts are one of those classic treats that never disappoint. They are cheap to make and are such pretty little treats. This recipe will have you making them in a quick and easy way - totally fuss-free. You can choose to make from scratch for an extra special homemade taste, or buy ready-made pastry. I usually prefer to make just enough to finish at one go or on the same day, but feel free to

Ahh~ A jar of fresh jam... Use as filling for sponge cakes, enjoy it with scones, spooning it into yogurt or on top of ice cream, and, of course, spreading it onto morning toast! One might ask, "Why bother making my own jam when it can be easily bought in stores?"  Well, in general, jams  require pectin (It’s what causes jam and ­jelly to gel),  use a LOT of sugar, and have reasonably long cooking times to thicken and set. The truth is, m aking jam is much easier than what we can imagine.  What I like most is, it lets me control the level of sweetness in the final product (A fruit jam should taste like real fruit, not sugar). For this easy peasy recipe, you simply need 4 ingredients, and t he entire process, from combining the ingredients to spooning the cooked jam into a jar, takes less than 1/2 an hour!   This recipe uses chia seeds to give it that sticky, jammy texture. When chia seed is exposed to liquid, it creates a gel - much like pectin does in jams and jellies. So be

One may not be familiar with the name monk fruit, but I'm sure most have heard of Buddha fruit (It was first used by Buddhist monks in the 13th century, hence the fruit’s unusual name), or  luo han guo ( Luo Han means monk and Guo means fruit). This fruit has been used for thousands of years as both a medicinal remedy for a variety of diseases and a useful food additive, namely as an artificial sweetener - its extract is 150 to 200 times sweeter than sugar with no impact on blood sugar levels, and contains zero calories. Some of the most important health benefits of monk fruit include its ability to treat diabetes, help with weight loss, prevent allergies, prevent certain types of cancer (It's packed with antioxidants), stop coughs and clear phlegm. Fresh monk fruit doesn't store well, so it is usually dried and used to make medicinal teas.  However, not everyone is a fan of monk fruit’s fruity taste, and that includes my hubby and I :P. It has an 'off' or unpl

My LO has taken a liking to the song, "Three little kittens" recently. Just this morning, she put a round-shaped toy on  one of the round Tupperware covers and served to me as 'pie'. Lol... As I was thinking what to cook for lunch  (Nothing much left coz been clearing the fridge since we are going outstation tomorrow) , suddenly I remembered the spaghetti 'pie' video that I saw somewhere the other day. Quite an interesting way to serve the spaghetti, I must say. After digging through, I realized I do have enough ingredients to make a simple one. Having decided on that, I asked her, "Do you want a pie for lunch?" and she happily said, "OK" . Throughout the meal, s he kept saying, "Some more pie" and finished the whole thing! :D So, here's my simple spaghetti 'pie': My Spaghetti 'pie' Pasta crust with meat sauce filling :) For this recipe, I used a 120 x 120mm tartlet mold with a removable base.

This soup is full of natural nourishing ingredients that works to expel heat and balance our intake. It also contains a few ingredients that can help boost metabolism and enhance beauty:  White fungus contains plant gelatin, proteins and vitamins. It clears heat, moisturizers the lungs and body.   It also increases the metabolism of cells, in the process whitening and moisturizing the skin. Job's tear is effective in whitening skin, expelling heat, promoting metabolism and has diuretic effect to help lose weight.  Chinese mushroom tastes sweet, benefits the liver and kidney, improves stomach, boost brain power, enhances beauty, reduces high cholesterol level and high blood pressure.   It is said that this soup is suitable for weak stomach and intestine, slimming, reducing blood fat and expelling of heat from the body.  It's naturally sweet and it is nourishing for the skin at the same time :D Ginkgo nuts are a traditional food item in the oriental cuisine. In Chinese c

Saw a post by someone in the cooking group that I'm in and it inspired me to cook my own version of braised pork with peanuts. I've chosen to use pig trotters (Pork belly works well too) since I have a bag sitting in my fridge. You can add Chinese mushrooms but because I've added the mushrooms in my soup for tonight, I didn't put them in for this dish. I've also added some dried chillies just to give 'spice' things up a lil bit. Hehe. Spoon the thick and sticky gravy into a bowl of hot steamed rice....mmm... taste like heaven! The trotters have a nice gelatinous texture that contributes to the sticky consistency of the gravy :D Serve with hot rice ~ Taste like heaven! Ingredients: 350g pork trotters, cut into pieces 60g peanuts, soaked for 2 hours 1 star anise 2 slices ginger 3 cloves garlic, lightly crushed with skin on Some dried chillies (Depending on how spicy you like) 1 tbsp light soya sauce 1 tbsp rock sugar 1 1/2 tsp Shaoxing wine

This soup is said to be suitable for those who suffer from insomnia, with poor metabolism, excessive heat in the body, fatigue and indigestion:  Burdock promotes diuresis, reduces swelling and detoxifies, radish clears heat and promotes digestion, lily bulb nourishes lungs, euryale seeds strengthen spleen and expel dampness, and goji berry benefits essence and brightens eyesight.  We love its earthy aroma and taste :) Burdock root generally is considered an edible food product, especially in Asia. They are known to have been anti-oxidant, disease preventing, and contain health promoting properties. The root is earthy and has a distinctive taste. Some say the flavor can be slightly astringent, somewhat like ginseng.  Burdock root's white flesh can oxidize after it is peeled. To prevent this, submerge the root in water and use immediately after cut. Ingredients: Approx 300g burdock Approx 600g radish 5 maces (Approx 18.9g) euryale seed/qian shi 1 tael (Approx 37.5g)

Cookies for teatime (Or breakfast)! These cookies are full of dried fruits, nuts and healthy oats. In texture, they are somewhat chewy with a little extra crunch! They  are also sugar free, dairy free and egg free. For this recipe, I used the pre-packed mixed nuts-fruits which I got for my homemade granola bar recipe. If your LO is allergic to nuts, you can choose to use only raisins or other dried fruit mix. Chewy with a little extra crunch! They're boosted with healthful ingredients. Ingredients: (Makes 9) 3/4 cups quick/steel cut oats 1/2 a large ripe banana, mashed 1/2 cup unsweetened apple puree 1/4 cup mixed nut  + dried fruits, chopped 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp honey Preheat oven to 180°C and line a tray with baking paper. In a large bowl, combine banana, apple puree, cinnamon, honey and the nut-fruit mix. Then add oats and mix til just combined. Scoop tablespoonfuls of mixture on to the prepared baking tray. Flatten a little with the back of t

Chinese Drunken Chicken is a well-known Shanghainese dish. It is traditionally made by poaching a whole chicken but you can also choose to steam it. This dish is a great representation of Shaoxing wine's true essence as its main flavor/taste comes from the wine itself.  Bite-sized pieces of chicken with a shiny and bouncy skin, surrounded by wine spiked aspic that melts in your mouth! :D It's pretty simple to make (though needs a bit of waiting time) and doesn't require much ingredients. As long as you have some Angelica roots, goji berries, ginger and Shaoxing wine, of course, you are good to go :)  You can serve it alone as an appetizer - eaten cold or at room temperature (the usual way), with a bowl of noodles in hot chicken broth, or with hot steamed rice for a juxtaposition of temperatures.  The usual few ingredients, along with sugar and salt :) Ingredients: 1 'kampung' chicken whole leg 1 tbsp goji berries 3 large slices of ginger Few slice

It was a cool evening when we were shopping at 1 Utama. As I mentioned before, on cool rainy days like this, I usually crave for something hot and soupy like steamboat/bakuteh or something spicy. Walking towards Aeon for some grocery shopping, the yellow shiny neon-lit signboard of Thai Hou Sek caught our eyes. To be honest, this isn't the first time we've passed by this shop, but the long queues usually put us off. Since the queue wasn't that bad on this very day, we decided to have our dinner here. Thai Hou Sek serves cuisine that is inspired by the street food that you would find at Yaowarat Road in Bangkok. It is a Thai-Chinese (the name literally translates to 'Too delicious' in Cantonese, except they used 泰, which means Thai, instead of 太, which means too - both sound the same) restaurant serving comfort porklicious meals. Thai Hou Sek has been designed to reflect the rustic charm of Yaowarat in a modern setting. The ambient lighting creates the mood like yo