CRIZ BON APPETITE

Everyone knows that a healthy appetite would reflect positive health on a person. What would happen when a person had a reduced or sudden loss of appetite? Most of the time, it might just be the causes of some prescribed medications or even emotional stress. Little do we know that loss of appetite might also be triggered by the presence of soon-to-come infections such as hepatitis, lungs/kidney infections, influenza, liver inflammation, etc. What you need would be a booster to strengthen your body’s immune system by having some brewed homemade soup such as the CHINESE STYLE APPETIZER BOOSTER SOUP (中式開胃湯).

Here are the recipes:

INGREDIENTS:
400g-500g of any white meat ribs (skinless chicken drumsticks would be best)
2 large carrots (remove skin & cut into coarse pieces)
10 Chinese mushrooms (soak & cut into 2-3 pieces)
3-4 cloves garlic (remove skin and slightly smash)
4g Ginseng slices (人參)
4g Polygonatum odoratum (玉竹)
3g Angelica sinensis (當歸)
3g Poria cocos (Tuckahoe/茯苓)
3g Cyperi (香符)
3g Glycyrrhizae (甘草)
1/2 tsp grounded pepper
2L water
Salt & soy sauce to taste

PREPARATIONS:
• Bowl 2L of water in a pot.
• While waiting for the water to boil, wash your ribs with some coarse salt and put them into a bowl. Pour some hot water into the bowl and let the ribs soak for about 5 minutes to get rid of any slimy stuff.
• As the water boils, pour in the ribs and the rest of the ingredients (except carrots).
• Lower the fire and let the soup simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add in the carrots and let the soup simmer for another 30-40 minutes.
• Add in salt and soy sauce to taste.

Note:
1. If you have a pressure cooker, it would be even easier to cook the soup. It would just take about 12 minutes for the soup to be ready.
2. If you are not sure what are the ingredients, just print the recipe and get any Chinese medicine shop people to combine them for you.

(Serve: 4)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

With such unpredicted hot and wet weather, who won’t get sick? Occasionally, we’ll need something to strengthen our immune system. Little known to the world is a miracle fruit that has been used as far back as the 1st millennium BC. Bael or commonly known as wood apple (Aegle marmelos/Bengal quince/beel/maja/maja batu/stone apple/golden apple/matam/木橘/硬皮橘), is a species of fruit with great medicinal properties, originated from native India but available throughout Southeast Asia. It’s also one of the ten best herbs frequently used in Ayurvedic medicines due to its strong digestive and carminative properties. All parts of the tree are believed to have many health benefits such as the improving digestion, remedy for respiratory infections, scurvy, peptic ulcer, diabetes, fever, chronic inflammation and more.

Well, there are no side effects in consuming this fruit whether it’s fresh or dried. Thus, let me share with you a simple soup that would keep the whole family free from any undesired illness during this period of crazy weather. As the health guru always state, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Let’s consume this different species of apple instead. Do enjoy this slightly bitter fragrant DRIED WOOD APPLE (BAEL) SOUP.

Here are the recipes:

INGREDIENTS:
400g-500g of any white meat ribs
5-6 slices dried bael fruit
6 red dates
100g dried longan
2L water
Salt to taste

PREPARATIONS:
• Bowl 2L of water in a pot.
• While waiting for the water to boil, wash your ribs with some coarse salt and put them into a bowl. Pour some hot water into the bowl and let the ribs soak for about 5 minutes to get rid of any slimy stuff.
• As the water boils, pour in the ribs and the rest of the ingredients.
• Lower the fire and let the soup simmer for 40-45 minutes or until the meat on the ribs become tender.
• Add in salt to taste.

Note: If you have a pressure cooker, it would be even easier to cook the soup. It would just take about 15 minutes for the soup to be ready.

(Serve: 4)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Chocolate has been the favorite of most ladies and thus it’s a great way to celebrate this Valentine’s Day with a dish not of sweetness but with a twist of savory and spicy delight. Let me share with you this simple concocted savory chocolate sauce that would go with just any meat dish, whether it’s grilled, baked or even batter fried to your preference. As for Valentine’s Day, I would couple the sauce with my baked chicken dish which I would call it as BAKED CHICKEN WITH SAVORY CHOCOLATE SAUCE.

Here are the recipes:

INGREDIENTS:

SAVORY CHOCOLATE SAUCE:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic (chop & blend)
1 large onion (chop & blend)
1/2 tsp cumin (blend)
1/2 tsp grounded nutmeg (blend)
1/4 tsp grounded cloves (blend)
1 tsp paprika or 1/2 tsp chili powder (blend)
1 can (220g) tomato puree
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tbsp chopped coriander
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
Some sprinkles of grounded black pepper
Water

MEAT:
2 large size chicken drumsticks (about 450g each – remove bones)
1 stalk rosemary
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Dash of Worchester sauce
Pinch of salt & black pepper

SIDE DISHES 1:
1 large potatoes (300g – slice thinly)
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp parsley (chop finely)
Some sprinkles of grounded black pepper

SIDE DISHES 2:
1/2 mango (dice)
4 cherry tomatoes (dice)
1 tbsp parsley (chop finely)
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon parsley oil (or a light squeeze of lemon juice and olive oil)
Some sprinkles of grounded black pepper

GARNISHES:
Coriander leaves (whole)
Some cherry tomatoes

PREPARATIONS:
• Marinade the chicken pieces in a sealable plastic bag with all the ingredients above for 2-3 hours in the chiller. Use a fork to poke through the meat evenly for better flavor.
• Remove the chicken from the chiller and let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Heat the oven at 200°C for 5 minutes and arrange the rack in the middle. Bake the chicken for 40-45 minutes or until the skin has turned golden brown.
• While waiting for the baked chicken, blend the chopped big onion, garlic, cumin, grounded nutmeg and grounded cloves until fine.
• Heat up 2 tablespoon of extra virgin oil and sauté the blended ingredients until fragrant. Pour in the tomato puree and the rest of ingredients and stir thoroughly. Add in some hot water to get your required thickness.
• For Side Dish #1, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan and sauté the sliced potatoes until cook. Add in the chopped parsley and some sprinkles grounded black pepper to taste.
• For Side Dish #2, just toss everything in a bowl and keep in the chiller until needed.

(Serve: 2)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

For those mushroom lovers, you are in luck today as I’m going to share a simple bean curd sheets dish with an assortment of the earthly flavored mushrooms. I call this dish DEEP FRIED BEAN CURD SHEETS WITH ASSORTED MUSHROOMS. The rich in antioxidant mushrooms are low in fat and carbohydrates plus zero cholesterol with high proteins, vitamins, minerals, water and fiber. They contain natural insulin and enzymes which break down the starch and sugar in food. So, it’s surely a healthy dish for all~

INGREDIENTS:
10pcs fresh bean curd sheets (tao bor/yuba/腐皮卷 – Each piece cut into 3 pieces. Deep fry until golden brown)
1/2” young ginger (scrape off skin, julienne)
1 palm size wood ear fungus (soak, cut into bite size)
10 medium size Chinese mushrooms (soak, cut into halves)
20 straw mushrooms (cut into halves)
2 packs Shimeji mushrooms (50g x 2, cut off roots, wash well, drain dry)
1 small carrot (remove skin, cut into half and slice into 1/4” thick semi circle, blanch)
5-6 tbsp mushroom sauce/vegetarian oyster sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1tbsp corn flour (dilute in some water)
1 cup vegetable stock
2tbsp vegetable oil
Salt & pepper to taste

OPTIONAL:
Enoki mushrooms
Button mushrooms
Shao Xing wine (1 tsp)
Spring onions (cut into 1” length)

PREPARATIONS:
• Heat up the oil in a wok and sauté the julienned young ginger until fragrant.
• Add in the mushroom sauce and sesame oil. Stir evenly for about 1 minute.
• Add in the vegetable stock and bring to boil.
• Set fire to LOW and add in the wood ear fungus, Chinese mushrooms, straw mushrooms and Shimeji mushroom and simmer for another 5 minutes.
• Add in salt and pepper to taste plus the diluted corn flour to thicken the gravy.
• Pour in the deep fried bean curd sheets and sliced carrots. Stir evenly for about 2-3 minutes.
• Scoop out and serve with hot steaming rice.
• You might want to garnish with some spring onions to bring out the colors.

(Serves: 5-6)

You might wonder what fresh bean curd sheets are? Here’s a photo on this wonderful ingredient.

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Have you ever got tired of having rice with your dishes? Maybe you could try cooking a vegetarian curry dish that would go very well with bread of any type or even wrap it in those pre-packed spring roll skins and deep fry for some great snacks. Let me share with you my simple CHICKPEAS AND SWEET POTATOES CURRY recipe today. It’s up to your own creativity whether you would love to have it as stuffed pita, vegetarian curry spring rolls, curry puff, samosa or simply dip your chapati, naan, roti canai (roti paratha) or bread in it. The options are endless.

INGREDIENTS:
500g sweet potatoes (remove skin & dice into 20mm cubes)
300-400g of chickpeas (steam until cooked or canned ones)
1 small carrot (remove skin & dice into 15mm cubes, blanch until cook)
2 tomatoes (remove seeds and dice)
2 stalks of curry leaves (replaceable with 3 basil leaves)
2 tsp ginger powder (replaceable with grated ones)
1 tsp chili powder (add more for a spicier version)
1 tsp turmeric powder (kunyit)
2 tsp ground cumin (jintan putih)
3 tsp ground coriander (ketumbar)
1.5 cups vegetable stock
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt, sugar and pepper to taste

OPTIONAL:
1 big onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
Mustard seeds
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Long beans
Coconut milk
Evaporated milk

PREPARATIONS:
• Heat up about 2 tablespoon of oil and sauté the ginger powder, chili powder, turmeric powder, ground cumin and ground coriander until fragrant.
• Add in the curry leaves and sweet potatoes and stir fry thoroughly.
• Add in the vegetable stock and bring to boil. Once boils, switch your fire to LOW and let the potatoes simmer until tender. It would take about 20-25 minutes.
• Add in the steamed chickpeas and carrot. Let it simmer for another 5 minutes or so.
• Add salt, sugar, pepper to taste.
• Scoop out and serve with your choice of starch (rice, bread, etc).

(Serves: 4-5)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Many Asians love to have some stir fried rice vermicelli as not only would the dish be cheap and good but also quite filling. It has been known as the “Poor Man’s Sharks Fin” to many. However, what I’m going to share today would be something out of this world as this dish would not be available for sale anywhere on the streets. It’s FRIED VERMICELLI WITH FERMENTED SOY BEANS AND BEAN CURDS. This dish would taste nice either hot from the wok or even cold from your chiller.

INGREDIENTS:
250g rice vermicelli/bee hoon (soak in water until 70% soft)
1 small carrot (remove skin & julienne)
1/2 cabbage (slice thinly)
10 Chinese mushrooms (soak & slice thinly. Retain juice. Marinated with some soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and pepper)
Oil

Frying sauce:
2 tbsp grounded fermented black bean paste (tao cheong)
2pcs fermented red bean curd (tao joo/nam joo)
2pcs fermented bean curd in chili & sesame oil
3 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1.5 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup water

Note: Smash the fermented bean curds into paste and mix the rest of ingredients above thoroughly. Lastly, add the water to make it into a sauce for frying later.

PREPARATIONS:
• Heat up about 2 tablespoon of oil and sauté the sliced mushrooms until fragrant. Scoop and leave aside.
• Add in another 3 tablespoons of oil and pour in the “frying sauce” combination and sauté for about 5 minutes until fragrant.
• Add in one cup of the retained mushroom juice. If not enough, you can add in some hot water to make it up to a cup. Once boils, switch your fire to LOW.
• Add in the julienned carrot and sliced cabbage and let it cook about 2 minutes.
• Add in the soaked rice vermicelli and sauteed mushrooms.
• Stir evenly until the rice vermicelli softened to the texture you prefer.
• Scoop out and serve with some vegetarian sambal belacan. If you can’t buy it, you can make some with my vegetarian sambal belacan recipe here.

Note: You can chill any remaining of the dish in your chiller. It tastes great being chilled too.

(Serves: 3-4)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Many Chinese restaurants would serve this ingredient in the menu but not many diners are aware of its versatility as it can be used in many ways depending on how it’s been prepared. Some would just deep fry it as a snack and serve with chili sauce. Some would use it as another ingredient in their vegetarian dishes which would consist of mainly of vegetables and mushroom. This special ingredient is fresh bean curd sheet and sometimes known as yuba. Today, I’m going to share with you how to cook VEGETARIAN SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH GINGER IN SESAME OIL. It’s so simple that you can just stir it up within minutes without any skills.

INGREDIENTS:
10pcs fresh bean curd sheets (tao bor/yuba/腐皮卷 – Cut into 5mm length)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sesame oil
200g young ginger (scrap off skin, fine julienne)
Pinch of salt and sugar
Some pepper
Soy sauce to taste

PREPARATIONS:
• Heat up both the vegetable and sesame oil in a wok and sauté the julienned young ginger until fragrant.
• Add in just a light pinch of salt and sugar. Stir evenly.
• Add in the sliced fresh bean curd sheets and stir thoroughly.
• Sprinkle some grounded pepper and soy sauce to taste.
• Scoop out while straining out all the remaining oil and serve with hot steaming rice.

(Serves: 5-6)

You might wonder what fresh bean curd sheets are? Here’s a photo on this wonderful ingredient.

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

From a Nyonya dish yesterday, let’s head on for something Indonesian today with the use of tempeh (pronounced as tem-pay). Tempeh which uses soybeans would undergo a fermentation process. The fermented soybeans would form a cake like block and normally would be wrapped in banana leaves to be sold at the wet market. Though bland in taste in raw form, this delicious staple food of the Indonesian, either as snack or used in cooking, had become the alternative ingredient for vegans as meat substitution. The best part is that you would have no cholesterol worries at all. This nutty rich flavored, chunky textured and chewy consistency tempeh has a high source of protein, dietary fiber and vitamins. So for today, it’s just a simple SPICY STIR FRY YARDLONG BEANS WITH TEMPEH recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
300g yardlong beans (cut into 1.5”/4cm length, blanch semi cook, drain)
20-30 pc tempeh (bite sizes)
4 tbsp olive oil/vegetable oil
2-3 tbsp vegan sambal belacan (cultured soy beans, sea salt & chili paste)
1/2 cup vegetable stock/1tbsp Vegeta with 1/2 cup hot water
Salt & sugar to taste

Note: If you can’t get vegan sambal belacan at your local vegan grocery store, you can use my recipe below.

Vegan Sambal Belacan Recipe:
12 red chilies (remove seeds)
5 bird’s eye chilies (cili padi)
2” galangal
3” lemongrass stalk (slice thinly)
2-3 Kaffir lime leaves
1 small tomato (remove skin and seeds)
1 tbsp ginger flower (bunga kantan, thinly slice)
2 tbsp miso paste/blended fermented black beans
3 tbsp toasted mushroom stems (coarsely blended/pounded)
A bit of water (for easier blending)

Preparations: Just blend all the ingredients above in a food processor. Add a light pinch of organic sugar and some sea salt to taste. Heat up 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the above until semi dry. Add in some lime juice when needed to serve with fried items.

OPTIONAL:
A handful of toasted cashew nuts/peanuts
French beans (substitute)
Four angled beans (substitute)

PREPARATIONS:
• Heat up the olive oil in a wok and sauté the vegan sambal belacan until fragrant.
• Add in the tempeh and stir evenly.
• Add in 1/2 cup of vegetable stock and let it simmer until the gravy thickens under LOW FIRE.
• Add salt and sugar to taste.
• Add in the blanched yardlong beans (sometimes known as snake beans with a rougher surface) and stir evenly until cooked.
• Scoop out and serve with hot steaming rice.

(Serves: 3-4)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Who does not like curry dishes, especially with the frequent chilly weather? As the Indian Ayurvedic medicine records had mentioned that a bit of spices in your diet occasionally would strengthen your body even more. All the spices used here have at least some medicinal properties against some ailments. Well, the statement would be quite true unless you are a person with a weak stomach issue. Since it’s still the vegetarian food period for most Chinese Buddhist, two main ingredients such as shallots and garlic have been removed from the recipe due to their beliefs. Alternatively, salted fish bones had been replaced with deep fried bean curd sticks and other seafood had been omitted. As for today, I’ll be sharing my VEGETARIAN SALTED FISH BONE CURRY recipe, a Nyonya style cuisine which we had loved for generations. As some of my friends who had tasted this dish had said, “You can’t get enough of it even though it was cooked to suit vegans.”

INGREDIENTS:
300g bean curd stick (cut into 1” length and deep fry)
20-30 tofu puff (cut in diagonal halves)
1 stalk lemongrass (wash, cut into two, roughly smashed)
20 long beans (wash, cut into 1.5”/4cm length)
100g cabbage (wash, cut into 2cm x 5cm wedges)
1 carrot (remove skin & diagonally cut into 10mm thickness)
2 tbsp chili paste (add more for extra spiciness)
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1.5” young ginger (grated)
2 cups vegetables stock/1-2 tbsp Vegeta with 2 cups of hot water
1/2 cup thick coconut milk (you can add another 1/4 cup for a creamier version)
Oil
Salt & sugar to taste

OPTIONAL:
1 long eggplant
Some mustard seeds
Some curry leaves
Pineapple slices
10 shallots and 4 cloves garlic (blended – for non-vegetarian)
Salted threadfin fish bones (tan au kiam hoo kut – cut into chunks, soak, drain & deep fry – for non-vegetarian)
Prawns and/or cockles

PREPARATIONS:
• Heat up about 3 tablespoons of oil and add in the grated young ginger, chili paste, curry powder, turmeric powder, smashed lemongrass and saute until fragrant.
• Add in the vegetable stock and bring to boil under MEDIUM FIRE.
• Add in 1/4 cup of coconut milk, sliced carrots, long beans and cabbage and let them simmer under LOW FIRE for about 10 minutes or until the carrots are cooked.
• Add the deep fried bean curd sticks, tofu puff, salt and sugar to taste. Let them simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
• Add in the remaining 1/4 cup of coconut milk. Bring to a quick boil and off the stove.
• Dispose the lemongrass.
• Let the cooked dish sit in the wok for 10-15 minutes to absorb more flavors before serving with hot steaming rice.

(Serves: 5-6)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Here’s another simple and healthy vegetarian recipe for this season. My STIR FRY LOTUS ROOTS WITH CEREAL would surely keep you filling up that plate of rice. Lotus root is said to melt mucus accumulation in the body, especially in the respiratory system. On the other hand, cereal is a great food source for energy. As for vegan butter/margarine for this dish, it might not be easily available in some countries. Alternatively, you can replace this ingredient with olive oil or tahini but the taste might differ extensively.

INGREDIENTS:
1 lotus root (about a foot/30cm, remove skin and cut into 5mm thickness)
10 cili padi/5 green chilies (bird’s eye chilies – cut into small slices)
3 stalks curry leaves (wash well and pluck all the leaves)
5 tbsp vegan butter/margarine
40g/8 tbsp Cereal (Using Nestum brand here)
Salt & sugar to taste

PREPARATIONS:
• Heat up some oil in a wok and deep fry the cut lotus roots until cook. Scoop and drain excess oil on kitchen towel.
• Empty the wok and heat up the vegan butter/margarine under LOW FIRE until melted.
• Add in the cereal, cili padi, curry leaves and stir fry until fragrant.
• Add the deep fried lotus roots and stir thoroughly.
• Add in salt and sugar to taste.
• Serve immediately with hot steaming rice.

(Serves: 5-6)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.