Chinese Violet (Telosma cordata 夜来香) Omelette (Meatless Recipe)

Chinese Violet, Yea Lai Xiang (夜来香) or Telosma Cordata is grown in many parts of tropical Asia not just for its alluring fragrance but also for culinary purposes as well!  Please click http://gardenlab.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/telosma-cordata-%E5%A4%9C%E6%9D%A5%E9%A6%99/ for more info on this Chinese Violet.

I first came to know about this edible flowers when a good friend of mine bought it for me from Ipoh.  She asked me to cook it with egg soup.  Since then, I am hooked to this flowers and I have cooked it in different ways.  I am trying to grow this fantastic plant on my own as I can't find the flowers in KL. 

For a start, here's a Chinese Violet fried with eggs.  There are more varieties of dishes using Chinese Violets in store for you!

Ingredients :

  - half bowl of fresh Chinese Violet (take the flowers only, washed)
- 6 eggs (beaten with salt)
- 1 big onion (finely sliced)
- salt (to taste)
- soy sauce(to taste)
- oil

Method :
1)  Heat oil in a wok.  
2)  Stir fry onions until aromatic.  
3)  Then, add the beaten egg to make an omelette.  Fry both sides of the omelette until fragrant.
4)  Add the fresh Chinese Violets.  Stir and mix well with the omelette.
5)  Turn off the heat and drizzle the soy sauce and give it a quick stir.
6)  Dish up and serve.

This is a very delicious and healthy dish.  Try this if you can get hold of the flowers :)

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Snake Gourd (Pudalankai) Stir Fried with Salted Egg (Meatless Recipe)

Snake Gourd (or) Pudalankai (Tamil) is an excellent vegetable that can be used for an instant curry.

Health Benefits of Snakegourd (source : http://www.vegrecipes4u.com/health-benefits-of-snakegourd.html)
The health benefits of snake gourd are rather interesting. Snake gourd juice and leaves are often recommended by experts in natural and alternative medicine for treating some common ailments and problems. Snake gourd is mentioned in ancient Ayurvedic texts for its medicinal properties.

The snake gourd plant (trichosanthes anguina) is a tropical creeper and is usually grown over wooden lattice frames, and the gourds dangle down from a canopy of leaves. Snake gourd (also known as potlakaya, chichinda, padwal in Indian languages) is so-called because it looks like a snake, and can grow anywhere from a foot to six feet in length, sometimes curling in on itself if not stretched out with a stone (or other weight) tied to the end while it's growing. 

Belonging to the cucurbit or cucumber family (pumpkin, bottle gourd, ash gourd), snake gourd is widely grown in India, Sri Lanka, China, Thailand, Nigeria, as well as Australia.

These days a smaller variety of snakegourd is cultivated and widely available in India and in Indian grocery stores in the US. The pale green or dark green with light striped gourd, is bland, or has a slight sweetness, and is absorbent and cooks easily if tender and fresh.

Snakegourd is quite a popular vegetable in Indian cooking. It's rather bland taste makes it ideal for use with different spices. In North India, snakegourd is usually cooked in dals (lentil soups), while in South India, snakegourd is used in dry and gravy curries, soups, and raitas.

Snakegourd and Health Benefits
According to experts in natural remedies, snake gourd juice has been found effective in treating dandruff. The juice should be massaged into the scalp. This is an easy home remedy for dandruff.

Snakegourd leaves have been found useful in jaundice (hepatitis). An infusion prepared by boiling snake gourd leaves in water combined with an infusion prepared by boiling coriander seeds is given to treat jaundice.

Snake gourd-leaf juice has also been found to be useful in treating palpitations (irregular heartbeat).

Like other gourds such as bottlegourd and ridgegourd, snakegourd is very high in water content and has a cooling effect on the body, hence this summer vegetable that nature provides in such a timely manner helps in handling the summer heat.

Because of its high water content, snakegourd is low in calories, fat-free but filling, and great to include in weight-loss diets.

Snakegourd also contains a lot of fiber which can help keep your digestive tract healthy. The fiber is also helpful for those with diabetes.

Snakegourd is a good source of minerals like magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus.

For more info on snake gourd, have a look at the link here : http://www.vegrecipes4u.com/health-benefits-of-snakegourd.html
Recently, I chanced upon a snake gourd recipe from Wendy and this gives me an idea to cook it with egg. However, I stir fried it with salted egg and it is so yummylicious...  Thanks Wendy!

Ingredients :

- 1 snake gourd (skin brushed, cleaned, discard the centre seed and sliced)
- 2 eggs (mixed with salted egg)
- 1 salted egg 
- 1tsp of dried shrimps
- garlic
- salt and soy sauce to taste
- cooking oil


Method :

1) Heat oil in a wok and saute garlic and dried shrimps until aromatic.

2) Stir fry snake gourd until soft.

3) Then push the snake gourd to one side and add the egg mixture.

4) When the egg is half set, mix the snake gourd with the egg and stir.

5) Season with salt and soy sauce.

6) Serve warm.

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Baked Beans with Scrambled Eggs and Potatoes (Meatless Recipe)

First of all, my sincere apologies for my long silence and absence as I have been extremely busy since late last year.  To keep it simple and to start off my 1st recipe post in 2013, here is a very simple and yet nutritious dish for you and your family.  Hope you like it.. :)

My girls like baked beans very much.  Sometimes I would just cook it with scrambled eggs and we would have it with rice or bread for breakfast.  For this recipe, I have added chinese leeks to the scrambled eggs and potatoes too.  Do give this a try and let me know whether you and  your loved ones like it or not.

Ingredients :

- 1 can of baked beans (I prefer TST brand)

- 1 stalk of chinese leeks (washed and sliced)

- 2 potatoes (peeled and cubed)

- 6 eggs (mixed with a pinch of salt)

- Salt and soy sauce (to taste)

- Cooking oil 

Method :

1)  Heat a wok with some oil and fry cubed potatoes till soft.  Dish out and put aside.

2)  In the same wok, heat some oil.  Give the chinese leeks a quick stir and add in the beaten eggs.  Fry until the eggs have set.

3)  Then, add the cooked potatoes and baked beans to the scrambled eggs.  Mix well.

4) If too dry, add some water.

5) Add salt and soy sauce to taste.

6) Dish out and serve with rice or bread.

Hope you like this simple dish. It is excellent for breakfast!

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Braised Chicken with Eggs (Kay Hong Minus the Pork Belly)

The first time when I saw Phong Hong's post on Kay Hong (Terengganu Braised Chicken) at Terengganu Food Fest 2012 , I told myself I must try this dish. Too bad, I only tried last week and unfortunately without the pork belly as I have forgotten that day happened to be 'No Pork' day at the wet market. So, I just made do with just the chicken. On the other hand, I think this dish is also suitable for those who don't take pork.

I adapted this recipe from Phong Hong and at the same time from Daphne Hwee Lan Chua with some slight modification.

Ingredients :

 

 

- 1 whole chicken (cut into bite sized pieces)
- 10 hardboiled eggs (shelled)
- 10 shallots (finely sliced)
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2tbs preserved bean paste (tau cheong) to taste

- dark soya sauce (to taste)
- Palm sugar (gula Melaka) to taste
- Salt (to taste)
- Oil
- Water (enough to cover the chicken. Add more if you like to have extra gravy)
Method :

1) Heat oil in a wok or pot and fry the shallots until half brown. Then add in minced garlic. Fry until aromatic
2) Then, add tau cheong. Keep stirring over low-medium fire until fragrant.

3) Add in gula Melaka. Keep stirring until all the gula melaka is melted and started to caramelize.

4) Add the chicken and dark soya sauce. Stir well.

5) Add water, salt and hard boiled eggs.
6) Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer until the chicken is cooked and tender.

 

I have no regrets to cook this dish even though it is without the pork belly as it is indeed very delicious. I believe with the pork belly, it will be even better. Will cook it again but this time it will be with the pork belly.

Cook extra so that you can keep it overnight as it tastes even better. Yummy yummy!!

Serve it with steamed rice.

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Steamed Egg Tofu with Minced Meat

My nieces and my children like this dish very much during our Mid-autumn family gathering. It is easy to prepare.

Ingredients :

- 1 soft tofu (mashed)
- 8 eggs (beat)
- 2 tablespoons of water
- salt and pepper (to taste)

Toppings : (measurement depending on individual's preferences)
- Minced meat (marinated with preserved tung choy, vegetarian oyster sauce and sugar)
- 1 tablespoon of finely chopped preserved radish (tung choy)
- vegetarian oyster sauce
- sugar
- garlic (finely chopped)
- soy sauce

Method :

1) Boil water in a steamer.

2) Beat eggs with salt, pepper and water with mashed tofu.

3) Transfer the mixture to a deep plate or bowl.

4) Place the plate (the mixture) in a steamer when the water in the steamer has come to a boil.

5) Reduce heat to low and steam for about 15 to 20 minutes.

6) Meanwhile, heat oil in a wok. Add garlic and saute until aromatic. Then, add marinated minced meat and stir fry until aromatic. If too dry, add about 2 to 3 tablespoons of water and give it a quick stir. Dish out and set aside.

7) When the egg mixture is ready, remove from the steamer.

8) Pour the stir fried minced meat over the steamed egg tofu.

9) If you like, add soy sauce (to taste) on top and serve.

Stir Fried Swiss Brown Mushrooms with Chinese Leeks and Eggs

Mushrooms have a surprisingly high nutritional value. They are low in calories, cholesterol-free, fat-free, high in protein and fiber and low in sodium. Besides, they are also high in nutrients such as selenium, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin D and more.

With more than 14,000 kinds of mushrooms in existence, only 3,000 of those are edible and about 1,400 are actually recognized as poisonous.

Mushrooms are not only nutritious, they are delicious too! That's the reason we love mushrooms; any type of mushrooms and I can cook it anyway I like! Here's a dish of Swiss Brown Mushrooms with Chinese Leeks and Eggs.

Ingredients :

- 100g of mushrooms (1 box is 200g and I used only half) - washed and cut
- 3 stalks of Chinese Leeks - washed and cut
- 4 eggs (beat)
- ginger (sliced finely)
Cooking oil

Seasonings : (to taste)
- Salt
- Soy Sauce

Method :

1) Heat oil in a wok. Saute ginger until aromatic.

2) Add leeks and mushrooms. Stir well. Add salt.

3) Add beaten egg and let it set. Then mix well. Add some water if it is too dry.

4) Lastly, add soy sauce and stir.

 More mushrooms in your diet are not only tasty; they're good for you too!