Refreshing Water Chestnut Barley Dessert

Water Chestnuts have slightly sweet flavor and crunchy texture. It's also a hallmark of Asian cuisine and popular ingredient in the Chinese cuisine. Water chestnuts are known to posses a remarkable nutritional composition, which makes them an excellent food source. The best part is that they are free of any cholesterol and are almost fat-free. They are also gluten-free. They stay crunchy even after they’re cooked or canned.

Nutritional & Health Benefits of Eating Water Chestnuts

1) Water chestnuts are just the perfect choice of food for those who want to lead a healthy life as half a cup of water chestnuts contains only 0.1 g fat.

2) It is an excellent source of potassium. Half a cup of water chestnuts contains 350 to 360 mg of potassium.

3) Water chestnuts are known to have cooling properties and as such, they are just perfect to beat the summer heat. They are also known to have numerous curative and supplementary properties. 

4) Drinking water chestnut juice can help alleviate the problem of nausea and bad appetite in kids.

5) Water chestnuts are also known to contain detoxifying properties and are considered to be good for people suffering from jaundice.

6) Water chestnut powder helps to relieve cough. Grind water chestnuts to make powder and consume this powder with water twice a day. This dosage will bring quick relief in cough.

7) Most Chinese believe that water chestnuts are also good in treating conditions like measles. Boiling them in water makes the best drink for the measles patients, which can be given from the third day till the ninth day of the cycle. Know what? It's very refreshing and yummy too!

Selection & Storage Tips
- When selecting water chestnuts, look for the ones that are firm and have unwrinkled skin. Also, check that there are no soft spots. 

- Fresh and unpeeled water chestnuts can be kept for two weeks, in a plastic bag, inside the refrigerator.
Peel off the skin and cut off the top of water chestnuts, before you start cooking them.

Serving Tips
1) If you can get fresh water chestnuts, they must be peeled and rinsed well. Whether you use them raw, boiled or from a can, sliced water chestnuts work well in soups and any type of salad, including egg, tuna or chicken salad. They’re classically used in stir-fried dishes, where they can be mixed with any type of meat or vegetables. Add some flavor by marinating them in low-sodium soy sauce, ginger and garlic, then make a lettuce wrap with water chestnuts, carrots, mushrooms, chicken and cashews.

2) When make into dessert, it's very refreshing and cooling especially during summer and it's very effective in cooling a 'heaty' body.

As the current weather over here (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) is rather hot and humid, having a bowl of water chestnuts with barley acts as a 'coolant' to our body.

Ingredients : (to taste)

- 1 cup of barley (washed)
- 15 pcs of water chestnuts (peeled and diced)
- 1 cup of candied winter melon (diced)
- few cubes of sugar cane candy (to taste)
- 1 block of honey grass jelly/chin chow (cubed)
- some pandan leaves
- water (enough to boil 1 cup of barley)

Method :
1) Boil water and barley together.

2) When the barley is almost cooked or soft, add chopped water chestnuts and continue to boil at low medium heat.

3) Add screw pines (pandan leaves), candied winter melon and sugar cane candy. Continue cooking until the barley is fully soft and cooked.

4) Serve it warm with some grass jelly.

Refreshing and rejuvenating dessert

One bowl is not enough....

This simple dessert is simply slurpylicious....

Most kids love this....

Have a fabulous week ahead :)

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My Girl is Leaving Home for National Service Training Program /Pusat Latihan Khidmat Negara (NSTP/PLKN) and Healthy Mixed Congee with Ginkgo Nuts

Finally, my girl has grown up and has been selected for the National Service Training Program. Today (7 April 2014) is her 1st time she is leaving home and away from the family for 3 months. She is posted to Semarak Camp, in Pekan, Pahang. Of course, it’s very emotional for us; sobbing, hugging, encouraging and motivating words, and lots and lots of hugs and kisses.  We are going to miss her and she too.

For my foreign followers' information, the Ministry of Defence Malaysia had implemented National Service Training Program in 2002 and the program was fully operational since 2004. The first targeted group for National Service Program were teenagers born in 1986 or those 18 years of age in 2004. Since then, more and more teenagers who fall in this category are being randomly selected and expected to participate in the National Service Program.

 

The National Service Training Program (NSTP) is implemented to achieve the objectives as stated below:
1) To develop and enhance the spirit of patriotism among youths
2) To encourage national integration and racial unity
3) To build character through imparting core moral values
4) To instil spirit of volunteerism
5) To develop a young generation that is resilient, healthy and confident.

Her friends came to send her off :)

She is fortunate her good friend is under the same batch and camp as her.

For this posting, I have mixed congee with ginkgo nuts. With the current hot weather, it is great to have congee for lunch. Instead of plain rice congee, try adding your favourite ingredients. I love mixed congee and this time, I have ginkgo nuts added to the congee.

Ingredients :

-2 cups of rice (I used brown rice - washed)
-enough water for congee (add more water if you prefer your congee to be watery)
- 1 cup fresh ginkgo nut (membrane peeled, split and remove the pith/embryo)
- 1 tbsp Chinese Wolfberries
- 1 bowl of chopped kai lan/chinese kale
- 1 cup of mixed vegetables
- 2 thumb sized ginger (crushed)
Seasonings : (to taste)
- 1 tbsp miso
- salt
- soy sauce
- pepper

Method :
1) Add enough water to boil rice. Add ginger. If you prefer watery congee or porridge, add more water accordingly.

2) When rice have split but not fully cooked, add ginkgo nuts and mixed vegetables.

3) When congee is cooked, add Chinese kale and Chinese Wolfberries. Stir and mix well.

4) Lastly, add seasonings to taste.

5) Serve hot or warm.

Just for your info, I won't be available from tomorrow till next week. Till then, have a nice day and cheers :)

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2nd Blogoversary and My Maiden Attempt in Chocolate Cake

Unbelievable!!! Today, 18 March 2014, without realizing it, Simply Beautiful and Healthy Living is in her 2nd year. Well, time passed by without my knowledge and honestly speaking, when I first started blogging, I had neither goals nor expectations. I was merely blogging for fun and for my eyes only (syiok sendiri, hehehe). I had no idea or knowledge that as a blogger, I need to do some blogwalking and knock at other bloggers’ doors! I just blog whatever that comes into my mind and expect other bloggers to read what I wrote!! So naive!!! As time goes by, I realised that in order to attract comments to my posts, I need to put comments on other blogs. Since then, I get to know some bloggers who are so kind enough to pay me a visit and left their fingerprints and some even their footprints! Most importantly, I have made some great friends along the way. Initially, I only blogged on healthy living and later I had the courage to blog on food. Gradually, I found myself loving blogosphere more and more.

  

I am proud to say that I take pride in surviving into my 2nd year of blogging. Over time and along the way, I am lucky to meet and get to know some very good blogger friends who have constantly give me sweet compliments and encouraging words. Without these regular followers and readers, I won’t be here today. A very BIG THANK YOU to all of you who have taken your time to drop by and commented on my postings. You all are my biggest inspiration for better improvement!

Blogging does take up a lot of my time. Besides being a working mum and wife, I still managed to steal some time for blogging. At times, no doubt I feel very tired, however, I am still motivated to blog when seeing my fellow blogger friends tirelessly giving me encouragement and motivation to move on. I am also glad to say that on my blog’s  1st blogoversary, there were 29,982 page viewers. However, today, exactly 2 years, the page viewers of Simply Beautiful and Healthy Living has soared to 171,030! Without your support, I won’t be this far!

Once again, my BIG THANK YOU and gratitude to each and everyone here who takes a little time out of your busy schedule to read and put comments on my posts. It really means the world to me. At the same time, I always love reading all your comments too. Thank you everyone for your generous and tireless support! 

Another good news is that, today I'm also glad that I get to share with all of you my very first cake which turned out to be quite successful and delectable too; recipe courtesy of MamaFaMi. How is my STEAMED CHOCOLATE CAKE??? Passed??? hahahha…

I am even more thrilled about this post as the photo shooting turned out to be not too bad lah, hehehe. My photography skill has improved too over the years, hahahaha… (*So vain!) Most importantly, hubby and my two girls gave me their two thumbs up.

This is my first maiden cake post and frankly speaking, I am instantly encouraged by the end result of this awesome and delectable maiden chocolate cake! Ahem…. feeling happy and proud of it…. aiyoh, so egoistic, hehehe…..

*Remember to be patient when waiting for the cake to set.  Don't be like Ivy, a bit impatient to cut the cake when it was not completely set yet. Notice the runny chocolate at the bottom of the cake? Hehehe... so, please be patient...:)*

This cake is indeed very simple and easy to make and for those who have countless cakes ended up in the garbage bins (*wink* who else, but yours truly!), this cake will be in no time ended up in your tummy and it’s a sure fail-proof! MamaFaMi, thanks for your recipe!

Ingredients :
(A)
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 cup corn oil
- 1/2 cup condensed milk
(B)
- 3 eggs
(C)
- 1 cup self raising flour

Method :
1) Mix ingredients (A) and cook in double boiler until sugar melt.
2) Let it cool completely.
3) Beat 3 eggs (B) until light and fluffy and add in to the cocoa mixture.
4) Fold in 1 cup self raising flour (C) and mix well.
5) Grease cake tin, pour in the batter and cover with aluminium foil.
6) Steam for 45 minutes.
7) Cool the cake completely at room temperature.

Topping :
- 1 cup chopped chocolate
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup condensed milk

Method :
1) Mix all together and cook in double boiler.
2) Pour on top of the chocolate cake.
3) Chill the cake in the refrigerator until the topping is set.

I topped it with pieces of chocolate and some mixed dried fruits

The cake is so moist and tempting

If Ivy Sew can do it, so CAN YOU!!!

Have a wonderful week ahead and cheers :)

Salmon in Japanese Vermont Curry

Japanese Vermont Curry is a  curry sauce mix which my children enjoy it very much as it has a touch of apple and honey. It comes in mild, medium hot and hot.  Hubby likes to stock up on Vermont Curry as it is very convenient and easy to prepare.  Moreover, it comes in quite handy when we have run out of ideas what to cook or have a craving for curry. 

We usually cooked it with chicken meat. Once I was very busy and asked hubby to pack food for dinner.  He said he would cook for us.  Of course, go ahead, dear...  I was grinning from ear to ear and here is the Salmon in Japanese Vermont Curry cooked by dear hubby!

It's very easy to prepare.  Even my girls can cook this too.

Ingredients :

- 2 cubes of Vermont Curry

- 1 salmon fillet (cubed)

- 2 potatoes (cubed)

- 1 cup of mixed Veggies

- 1 big onion (chopped)

- 3 to 4 cups of water (depending on how thick you want your sauce to be)

- oil

Method :

1)  For this, hubby just saute some chopped big onions in a medium pot until fragrant.

2)  Then, he added some cubed potatoes and mixed veggies and gave it a quick stir fry.

3)  Later, he added some water just enough for the sauce and let it boil.

4)  When the mixed veggies are almost cooked, he broke the curry sauce mix into pieces before adding it into the pot.

5) Cook over low heat and keep stirring until the curry cube is well mixed with the mixture.

6)  Lastly, he added pieces of salmon fillets.  Continue to simmer until the curry is thickened and the salmon in cooked.

7)  Dish up and serve it with steamed rice.

A simple dish with added special ingredient - LOVE

~Thanks dear for such a wonderful meal~

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Stir Fried Tempeh with Onions (Tempeh Masak Bawang) - Meatless Recipe

 
What is Tempeh? 
Tempeh is a traditional soy product originated from Indonesia. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form, similar to a very firm vegetarian burger patty.

It is a staple source of protein especially for vegetarians. Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but it is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities. Tempeh's fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins. It has a firm texture and an earthy flavor which becomes more pronounced as it ages. Because of its nutritional value, tempeh is used worldwide in vegetarian cuisine; some consider it to be a meat analogue.

In the kitchen, tempeh is often prepared by cutting it into pieces, soaking in brine or salty sauce, and then frying. Cooked tempeh can be eaten alone, or used in chili, stir frys, soups, salads, sandwiches, and stews. Tempeh's complex flavor has been described as nutty, meaty, and mushroom-like. It freezes well, and is now commonly available in many western supermarkets, as well as in ethnic markets and health food stores. When thin-sliced and deep-fried in oil, tempeh obtains a crisp golden crust while maintaining a soft interior—its sponge-like consistency makes it suitable for marinating. Dried tempeh (whether cooked or raw) provides an excellent stew base for backpackers.

To know more about tempeh, please click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempeh

My family members like tempeh and I usually cook it in different ways. Since this is my first post on tempeh, I am posting a simple stir fried tempeh with onions. I will post different recipes on tempeh from time to time.... so do stay tuned...

Ingredients :

- 2 packets of tempeh (sliced)
- 2 big onions (sliced thinly)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp of sweet soya bean sauce (kicap manis pekat)
- salt (to taste)
- sugar (to taste)
- cooking oil

Method :

1) Heat oil in a wok and fry tempeh until slightly brown. Set aside.

2) Heat some oil in the wok again and saute garlic until aromatic.

3)  Add fried tempeh and onion.  Stir fry until fragrant.

4)  Add salt, soya bean sauce and sugar.  Stir and mix well.  If too dry, add some water.

5)  Serve hot.

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