Spicy Fragrant Potatoes - Meatless Recipe

This dish follows the recipe of Spicy Fragrant Japanese Pumpkin which I posted earlier.  I just replaced the pumpkin with potatoes.

All the ingredients are very simple and easily available at the market.
- 5 medium-sized potaotes (peeled and cut)
- 3 red chilies (sliced)
- 1 bunch of basil
- 1 thumbsized ginger (crushed)
- 3 pips garlic (crushed)

Seasonings :  (to taste)
- 1/2 tbsp miso
- 1 tsp caramel sauce
- soy sauce
- salt
- sugar

Method :

1)  Heat enough oil in a wok to fry potatoes.  

2)  Fry potatoes until lightly brown.  Dish out and set aside.

3)  Leave some oil in the wok or pan and saute ginger, garlic and sliced chilies until aromatic.

4)  Add the fried potatoes, seasonings and some water.  Stir and mix well.

5)  Let it simmer for about a minute.

6)  Lastly add the basil, mix well and dish up.

This dish is simple and delicious.  Great for those who are looking for a meatless or vegetarian recipe.  Give it a try :)

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Refreshing Old Cucumber Soup (老黄瓜汤)

Old cucumber soup is one of our favourite soups. The soup is clear and very soothing.  Old cucumber is actually matured cucumber which has brownish skin. It is said that the older the cucumber is, the better it tastes! Old cucumber is not only cooling for hot weather but is also good for our complexion. and even helps to prevent aging! Now that's enough reason for us to have old cucumber soup as often as possible! 

Old cucumber is usually used for soup and there are variety of soups you can try depending on your preferences.  For a start, this is a very simple soothing soup with minimal ingredients and almost every Chinese knows how to cook it.  No doubt it is very simple, it is very refreshing and yummy too..... :)

Ingredients :

- half free range chicken (cut and blanched)

- 1 large old cucumber (skin thoroughly scrubbed and washed, de-seeded and cut into chunks)

- 1/2 (or less) stalk ta tau choy (salted mustard green) (soaked and cut)-do soak longer as it can be very salty

- enough water for the soup

Method :

1) Boil enough water in a big pot.  When water started boiling, put in all the ingredients.

2)  Boil at high heat for 10 minutes and lower the heat to medium low.

3)  Simmer for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours

4)  Add salt to taste and serve hot.

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Spicy Fragrant Japanese Pumpkin (南瓜 nán guā) - Meatless Recipe

Japanese pumpkin (南瓜 nán guā) is extremely nutritious as it is high in Vitamin A, C, beta-carotene and also a  good source of carbohydrates.  It is easily available in Asia and if compared to the usual western orange pumpkin, is smaller in size but far more sweeter. It can be stir fried or made into puree or soups.

Health Benefits of Pumpkin :

1. Feel Fuller
Pumpkin seeds pack about 1.7 grams of dietary fiber per ounce, while mashed pumpkin has only 50 calories per cup and 3 grams of fiber. “Fiber helps keep you fuller longer, which keeps your appetite at bay so you eat less overall,” says nutrition and fitness expert JJ Virgin, author of The Virgin Diet.

2. Boost Vision
A cup of cubed pumpkin contains almost twice the recommended daily intake of vitamin A, which promotes good vision, especially in dim light, according to the National Institutes of Health. It has also been found to slow the decline of retinal function in those with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease that can lead to blindness, according to researchers from Harvard. Bonus: Vitamin A also helps form and maintain healthy skin, teeth and bones.

3. Lower Blood Pressure
Pumpkin seed oil is full of phytoestrogens, which research shows are beneficial for preventing hypertension. When researchers fed rats a diet supplement with the oil, they found that it helped lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in just 12 weeks.

4. Sleep Better
Pumpkin seeds are rich in tryptophan, the amino acid that contributes to post-Thanksgiving dinner sleepiness, says Virgin. Tryptophan is also responsible for helping the body make serotonin, the feel-good neurotransmitter that helps you relax and unwind. Not only do pumpkin seeds promote better sleep, the serotonin will improve your mood, says Virgin.

5. Protect Your Package
Pumpkins — especially the seeds — are rich in beta-carotene and other antioxidants with cancer protective properties, says Virgin. And pumpkin seeds could be especially healthy for men. Researchers in Taiwan found pumpkin seed oil blocked unhealthy prostate growth in male rats. A quarter cup of the seeds also contains about 2.75 mg of zinc (about 17 percent of the recommended daily intake for adults), which contributes to male sexual health. When young men in a Wayne State University study restricted their dietary zinc intake, they had significantly lower levels of testosterone after 20 weeks.

6. Have a Healthier Heart
All that fiber can also help protect your ticker, research shows. One Harvard study of over 40,000 male health professionals found that those who ate a diet high in fiber had a 40 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease, compared to those who ate a diet low in fiber. A more recent study by Swedish researchers found that women who ate a diet high in fiber had a 25 percent lower risk of heart disease compared with women who ate a low fiber diet. Men benefitted less, likely because they’re more likely to get their fiber from breads, while women are more likely to get their fiber from healthier sources, like fruits and vegetables, the researchers write.

That means pumpkin-laced desserts won’t quite cut it. For a healthier way to add pumpkin into your diet, adding pumpkin chunks to a roasted vegetable medley, or sprinkling pumpkin seeds on top of your salad. Feeling even more creative? Try pumpkin puree in place of nut butters as a spread, Virgin suggests. And for an energizing morning smoothie, blend a high-quality protein powder (like vanilla DailyBurn Fuel) with coconut milk, chia seeds, pureed pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Happy fall indeed!

Source : dailylife

Japanese pumpkin is very delicious when stir-fry with Thai basil (九層塔 jiǔ céng tǎ).  Here's the recipe I created at the spur of the moment when I was wondering what to do with the leftover Thai basil.

Ingredients :

- half Japanese pumpkin (washed, de-seeded and cubed)

- 2 sprigs of Thai Basil (washed)

- 1 tsp dried shrimps

- 1 red chili (washed, de-seeded and sliced)

- 1 thumbsized ginger (washed and crushed)

- 3 cloves garlic (crushed)

- 1/2 cup of water

- soy sauce (to taste)

Method :

1)  Heat oil in a wok and saute ginger and garlic until fragrant.

2)  Add dried shrimps and fry until aromatic.

3)  Stir in pumpkin and chili.  Stir fry for a while and add water.

4)  Cover and simmer until pumpkin is semi soft and add in Thai basil and soy sauce.

5)  Stir and mix well.  Dish up and serve immediately.

Note :

I did not add salt to it as I feel that soy sauce itself is sufficient to enhance the flavour of any pumpkin dishes.

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Stir Fried Bitter Gourd with Meat

Bitter gourd (melon) might turn some people away from it due to its bitterness. However, it can really sweeten your health because of its disease preventing and health promoting phyto chemical compounds.

Bitter gourd is very low in calories but rich in nutrients. It is an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, and B3, C, magnesium, folic acid, zinc, phosphorus and manganese. Besides, it is high in fiber too. Bitter melon is recommended as insulin replacement in some diabetic patients.

My children did not like bitter gourd when they were kids but I insisted that they gave it a try whenever I cooked it. Now they like it very much! :)

The other day I was quite busy and didn't have time to cook. So, my hubby packed 2 meat dishes from the restaurant nearby and I just fried a simple veggie dish. One of the dishes he packed was sweet sour pork. My goodness, we didn't finish this dish as it was too salty for us. So, the next day I cooked it with bitter gourd and well, not bad leh.... We love it so much.
Ingredients :

- 1 bitter gourd (washed, de-seeded and sliced)

- 1/2 bowl of deep fried pork belly

- ginger (washed and crushed)

- garlic (washed and finely chopped)

- 1/2 tbsp of taucu (bean paste)

- soy sauce (to taste)

- salt (to taste)

- 1 cup water

cooking oil

Method :

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

2)  Add bitter gourd and stir fry for 1 or 2 minutes

3)  Add deep fried meat and the remaining ingredients.  

4)  Stir and mix well and add water.

5)  Cover and let it simmer until bitter gourd is soft and cooked.

6)  Dish out and serve.

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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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Stir-Fry Zucchini with Fresh Button Mushrooms

Zucchini has a delicate flavor and can be partially boiled, steamed or made into juice.  Besides, Zucchini can also be eaten raw, sliced or shredded in a cold salad. To get maximum benefit, don't forget to eat with the skin– it's edible! 

Zucchini not only offers delightful taste and texture to many dishes, but is packed with beneficial nutrients including Vitamins C and A, potassium, folate and fiber. It is said to decrease  the risk of stroke, reducing high blood pressure and lowering cholesterol. One cup of zucchini has 36 calories and 10% of the RDA of dietary fiber, which aids in digestion, prevents constipation, maintains low blood sugar and curbs overeating.

 So, don't you think that you should  include Zucchini  in your diet?  Here's a simple stir-fry Zucchini dish and hope you like it. :)

However, before you start, do take note that in order to get rid of its bitterness, you should cut both ends off. Then, take the ends and rub them on the surface you cut them from with some salt. By rubbing both cut ends, it will get rid of the bitterness. Lastly, throw the ends and wash the white foam from the rubbings and you are ready to slice the Zucchini anyway you like.

Ingredients :

- 2 Zucchini (both ends cut and rubbed with salt.  Washed and sliced)

- 6 fresh button mushrooms (washed and cut)

- 2 tomatoes (washed and cut)

- 5 flavoured fish balls (washed and cut)

Seasoning :

- Garlic (peeled and minced)

- Salt and soy sauce (to taste)

- 1 tsp of Chinese cooking wine (Shao Hsing Wine)

-Cooking oil

Method :

1)  Heat some oil in a wok.  Saute garlic until fragrant.

2)  Add all ingredients into the wok and stir fry until cooked.

3)  Season with salt and soy sauce.  Lastly, drizzle the cooking wine and give it a quick stir.

4)  Dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.

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Braised Chicken with Beet

Beet has many benefits.  It is delicious and nutritious when make it into juice.  To know more about its benefits, go to Beetroot + Grape Juice.

Beet can be braised with meat or also make it into soup.  The gravy or the soup itself is very delicious..  Here, I have chicken braised with beet.  Do give it a try and you will love it ^_^

Ingredients : (no exact measurement)

- 1/2 chicken (cut into bite sized and blanched)

- 1/2 beet (peeled and cut)

- 2 tomatoes

- 2 carrots

- 1 big onion (cut into chunks)

- 1 whole garlic (lightly crushed)

- 1 thumb sized garlic (crushed)

- 1 star anise

Seasonings :

- salt

- 6 white peppercorns (crushed)

Method :

1)  Add all ingredients into a medium-sized pot.

2)  Add enough water to cover all the ingredients. (To make soup, just add more water).

3)  When boiled, add seasonings and simmer until chicken is soft and tender. 

4)  Serve hot.

The gravy itself is already very yummylicious!!

This dish is simple and when you are busy, just dump everything into the pot and simmer it.  When I have no time to cook, this will be my one dish pot!  My children like to 'banjir' (mix lots of gravy with rice) their rice with the gravy...  Isn't it easy peasy??

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Stir Fried Eggplant with Chili Paste

Eggplant, brinjal,  aubergine, terong or whatever it is called, is one of my favourite veggies.  Be it a simple stir-fry with taucu or miso or just with soy sauce, I just love it.  However, today I decided to cook it with homemade chili paste which my sister-in-law gave me.  It is a simple dish and yet our favourite too.

Ingredients :
 
- 3 medium-sized eggplants (sliced)

- 2 tablespoons of dried shrimps (minced)

- 2 tablespoons of Homemade chili paste

- 1  garlic clove (crushed)

- 1 piece of ginger (crushed)

Seasonings : 

- salt, soy sauce and sugar to taste

cooking oil

Method :

1)  Heat cooking oil in a wok.  Fry garlic and ginger until fragrant and add in dried shrimps.

2)   Add in eggplant and chili paste.  Add in water if too dry. Stir fry until soft. 

3)  Add in seasonings and stir well.

4)  Serve with steamed rice.

A simple dish but satisfying!