CRIZ BON APPETITE

Our daily meals would mostly contain many sinful feasts that would make us worry about the consequences of overloading. At times, I would just pep up a simple Chicken Borscht Soup to control my fat, carbohydrates and calories intakes. Not only is the antioxidant packed dish colorful, it’s also rich in vitamins and minerals. The soup can be one meal that would provide you with all the necessary nutrients without undermining your health goals. It’s a great dish that most dieters would love to have constantly. 🙂

Here’s the simple and healthy recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
1 large chicken breast meat (skin & bone removed, wash with salt and cut into cubes)
3 cloves garlic (smash and remove skin)
1 large onion (fine wedges)
1 stalk celery (peel off the fibrous skin, slice 5mm thickness)
1-2 tbsp chopped parsley stalk
2 large red tomatoes (seeds removed, cut into wedges)
1 big carrot (peel the skin, slice 10mm thickness)
1 small head of broccoli (cut into small petals)
1 small head of cauliflower (cut into small petals)
1 small cabbage (cut into 50mm x 50mm squares)
4 small bay leaves
1 tsp mixed dry herbs
1 can tomato puree
5 cans chicken broth/stock
1/4 cup olive oil
Black pepper
Salt
Sugar

OPTIONAL:
Potatoes (regular julienne 5mm x 5mm x 50mm)
Beetroot
Sour cream or yoghurt for some extra creaminess

MARINATES (FOR CHICKEN):
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
Some sprinkles of black pepper

GARNISHES:
Parsley leaves

PREPARATIONS:
• Marinate the chicken cuts with the sesame oil, soy sauce and some dashes of pepper for about an hour.
• Heat up the olive oil in a deep pot on MEDIUM-HIGH fire.
• Add in the garlic cloves and big onions. Saute thoroughly until caramelized.
• Add in the cubed chicken meat and bay leaves. Saute until meat cook.
• Add in the can of tomato puree, mixed herbs and chopped coriander stalks. Stir for about 5 minutes.
• Add in the red tomatoes, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower and stir for another 10 minutes.
• Pour in 5 cans of chicken broth/stock (using back the same can as the tomato puree). Add more if you prefer the soup to be a bit more diluted but not advisable as the vegetables would emit some juices. Bring to boil.
Note: If you do not have chicken broth/stock available, you can always use 5 cans of filtered water plus 4-5 tablespoon of Vegeta No MSG added, a multi-purpose seasoning.
• Cabbages to be added in last. Let it cook for another 5-10 minutes or more until the cabbages are roughly softened.
• Add in coarsely blended black pepper, salt (more Vegeta if using the seasoning) and sugar (about 1/2 – 3/4 tablespoon or minimal for a healthier lifestyle) to taste.
• Serve hot or chilled with some parsley leaves as garnishing. Serving some toasted garlic bread would be nice too.

(Serves: 6-8)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Sometimes, a simple recipe would keep the appetite of any diner happy. Here’s a quick and easy recipe to storm up a beautifully tasting Sweet & Sour Sesame Chicken. I hope you all love the dish as I did~ Happy cooking~ 🙂

The recipe is so simple that you can have your meal within minutes. Here’s the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
4 chicken drumsticks (remove bone, wash with salt and cut to bite sizes)
2 garlic cloves (finely chop)
1 large onion (fine brunoise: 1/16” cubes)
1 red chili (fine brunoise: 1/16” cubes, replaceable with capsicum or bird eye chilies for extra spiciness, keep some for garnishing)
1 tbsp coriander stalk (cut finely, keep leaves for garnishing)
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (keep some for garnishing)
3 tbsp plum sauce
2 tbsp Thai chili sauce (strain if you do not like the seeds)
Oil

MARINATES:
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce (add more if your soy sauce is not the salty type)
1 tbsp ginger juice (grate young ginger and juice)
Pepper
Multipurpose frying flour

GARNISHES:
Red chilies, coriander leaves, toasted sesame seeds

PREPARATIONS:
• Marinate the chicken cuts with the sesame oil, ginger juice, soy sauce and some dashes of pepper for 1-2 hours.
• When you are ready to cook, coat the marinated chicken cuts with enough multi-purpose frying flour until the chicken pieces won’t stick together.
• Heat up enough oil on MEDIUM-HIGH fire and deep fry the chicken until golden brown. Scoop, drain dry and leave aside.
• Leave about 2 tbsp oil in the wok and sauté the garlic and onions until caramelized.
• Add in the red chilies and coriander and sauté for another 2 minutes.
• Add in the plum sauce and Thai chili sauce and stir well. Add a tiny bit of hot water if it’s too sticky.
• Pour in the deep fried chicken pieces and toasted sesame seeds and stir coat thoroughly.
• Scoop onto a serving plate, garnish with some red chilies, toasted sesame seed and coriander as suggested/shown above.
• Serve hot with some steamed rice.

(Serves: 3-4)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

With the hot-cold weather recently, many people were down with flu and cough. I’m one of them in fact. Thus, I have created a special dessert I named STEAMED ASIAN PEAR WITH CHINESE ALMONDS AND ROCK SUGAR to strengthen the Yin in my body with a combination of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) ingredients. The juicy Asian pears are perfect for dry coughs especially in moistening the throat and lungs, relieving cough and phlegm clearance. White fungus on the other hand is superb to nourish the body, heal dry coughs and clearing heat in the lungs. Chinese almonds or commonly known as apricot seeds are great to strengthen the respiratory system. I also added in some Goji berries (wolfberries) with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties as well as a red date for balancing the formula, Qi and blood for the body. The dried longan would nourish blood circulation and has a calming effect on nervous system. The American ginseng acts as a powerful adaptogen to reduce the effects of any kind of stresses, physically or mentally.

As the size of the wok for steaming might vary, I’m going to share what are the ingredients to put into an individual pear. You can just multiply the amount as per quantity of pears you are using. There will be no wastages here as those scooped out portions can be used for making the multi-purpose enzyme to act as natural household detergents (3 parts raw fruits/vegetables, 1 part brown sugar and 10 parts water – pour into a large plastic container, releasing the build in gas occasionally for the next 3 months).

Here’s the recipe for one serving:

INGREDIENTS:
1 large Asian pear
1 small piece white fungus (soaked in hot water for about 15 minutes, drain well)
1 tsp Chinese almonds (apricot seeds)
1 tsp Goji berries (wolfberries)
1 Chinese red date (a light slit will infuse more flavor)
2 pieces dried longan
1 tsp American ginseng
2 tsp rock sugar (6-7 pieces if they come in crystal form or to taste)
Water (to fill to the brim)

OPTIONAL:
You can replace the rock sugar with honey but it would give u a slight sour after taste.

PREPARATIONS:
1. Wash the pear with enzyme (as stated above) or any fruit/vegetables cleaner well to rid of any existing dust or pesticide. Dry it well.
2. Cut off the top and use a teaspoon to slowly scoop out the core. Be careful not to scoop too much until the base as it may leak after steaming.
3. Fill all the ingredients above into the pear and fill it up with water. Close the lid well.
4. Heat up the water in your wok/steamer. Put in your filled pear and steam under MEDIUM-LOW fire for about 40-45 minutes. If there’s still a slight crunch on the pear, you got the recipe right. Stir well and serve hot.

(Serves: 1)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Gambas Al Ajillo or commonly known as Garlic Prawns is a Spanish dish that is easy to cook and delicious to go with any type of bread and buns. Normally, it’s served as one of the tapas during parties. However, it’s up to your own creativity on how you would serve them. I had this dish served as a main course as well as tapas to tempt my taste bud for something not on my regular menu. Instead of using virgin olive oil in my recipe, I used virgin coconut oil instead to pep up a more exotic and tropical flavor. It was a hit amongst my “guinea pigs” aka food tasters~ Haha!

As a main course, I served with some freshly made salsa and some mildly toasted herbed pita bread. Every bit of the dish was simple and nutritious.

As for tapas or party finger food, I just sliced some pita bread pieces, brushed them with the cooked oil, filled up with some juicy prawns, baked them in oven at 170°C for 6 minutes and garnished them with some alfalfa and mustard sprouts. Bingo! I had my sought after tapas~ 🙂 I’m using pita bread here because the texture and bites were smoother than having a harder version of baguettes or French loaf.

The recipe is so simple that you can have your meal within minutes. Here’s the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
600g medium size prawns (peel, remove vein and slightly slice at the side)
6 large garlic cloves (minced, put more if you like garlic)
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil (can be replaced with virgin olive oil)
1/4 block butter (about 110g)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
2 tsp chili flakes (more for extra spiciness)
2 stalks flat leaf parsley/coriander (finely chopped, about 4 Tbsp)
A pinch of grounded black pepper
Salt to taste

GARNISHES (OPTIONAL):
Alfalfa, mustard sprouts, flat leaf parsley, coriander, etc.

PREPARATIONS:
• Melt the butter and oil on MEDIUM-LOW fire.
• Add in the minced garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
• Add in the prawns and sauté until curled.
• Add in the chopped parsley, chili flakes, lemon juice, grounded black pepper and salt to taste. Stir for another minute.
• Scoop on a serving plate, garnish with some greens as suggested above. Serve hot with some toasted or steamed bread.

(Serves: 3-4)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Black beans or also known as black turtle beans have that dense and meaty texture that would blend in well with many dishes especially vegetarian dishes. Other than having an abundance of essential amino acids, Vitamin E, saponins, and other nutritional components, these beans have high quality protein, cholesterol lowering fiber and antioxidants for a healthier diet. Those health conscious people love them as it would help in keeping the skin healthy with its anti-aging properties. The CHINESE STYLE BLACK BEANS SOUP WITH PORK RIBS would also be ideal for those women during their pregnancy and confinement. Here’s the simple and healthy soup recipe just for anyone.

INGREDIENTS:
300g pork ribs
200g black beans (black turtle beans)
1 piece dried cuttlefish (about 30g – tentacles would be ideal)
8 red dates
3 cloves of garlic (remove the skin)
6 bowls water (about 2L)
Salt to taste

PREPARATIONS:
Sprinkle some salt onto the pork ribs. Rub well and wash them clean. Wash the black beans well to get rid of any existing dust. Drain both items dry.

Gas or Electric Stove:
Add in 6 bowls of water and black beans into a pot. Set fire to HIGH. When water boils, add in the pork ribs and the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for about an hour or so on MEDIUM-LOW heat or until the beans are soft. Add in some salt to taste. Serve hot.

Slow Cooker:
Add in 6 bowls of water, black beans and set to HIGH. When water boils, add in the pork ribs and the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 3-4 hours on LOW heat or until the beans are soft. Add in some salt to taste. Serve hot.

Pressure Cooker:
Bring the 6 bowls of water, black beans to boil on HIGH fire. Add in the pork ribs, the rest of the ingredients and close lid. When you hear the hissing sound from the pressure, bring fire to down to MEDIUM-LOW and cook for about 15 minutes. When the pressure is released about 5-10 minutes later, open lid, switch on your gas cooker and stir in some salt to taste. Serve hot.

(Serves: 4-5)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Nowadays, it’s rather hard to get great tasting spring rolls (choon pheah/春卷) as how your grandma would make them. Somehow, most cooks detested the tedious amount of time in cutting those ingredients into smaller cubes, marinating them well and stir fry all the cut ingredients individually before mixing them together as the filling. Since I had my nieces back from Australia for a short visit, I had decided to make them some delicious HAINANESE STYLE CRAB MEAT SPRING ROLLS. Of course, those rolls were stuffed with juicy crab meat. Here are some of the tips and recipe in coming up with these delicious spring rolls which would be ideal for family reunions or as party snacks.

INGREDIENTS:
500g minced meat (chicken, beef, pork as your preference)
300g peeled prawns (cut in dices with kitchen scissors)
2 fat Australian carrots (finely diced)
10 water chestnuts (finely diced)
1 jicama/sengkuang (6” diameter – finely diced – can be replaceable with more water chestnuts)
1 cabbage (6-7” diameter – finely diced)
8 Chinese mushrooms (soaked in luke warm water and finely diced – retain the juice)
3 big onions (finely diced)
6 cloves of garlic (chopped finely)
1.5” young ginger (grated finely)
3 Tbsp 5-spice powder (add more if you want it stronger in taste)
600g-800g peeled steamed crab meat
Salt
Sugar
Pepper
Soy sauce
Oyster sauce
Sesame Oil
Cooking Oil
1 pkt pre-packed spring roll skin (8.5” x 8.5”/215mm x 215mm)

OPTIONAL:
Some coarsely crushed deep fried sole fish (phee hoo) bits

MARINATES: 30 minutes
MEAT – 2 Tbsp sesame oil, 2 Tbsp oyster sauce, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp 5-spice powder, pinch of salt and some pepper. Mix well.
PRAWNS – 1 Tbsp Sesame oil, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp sugar and some pepper. Mix well.
MUSHROOM – 1 Tbsp Sesame oil, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp sugar, ginger juice and some pepper. Mix well.

PREPARATIONS:
You would need a large steel basin to put in all the cooked items as we will be cooking individually prior to mixing all together.
1. Saute some chopped garlic in some oil. When brown, put in the diced mushrooms and stir fry until dry. Scoop up and place in basin.
2. Saute some chopped garlic in some oil. When brown, put in the diced prawns and stir fry until they turned orange. Scoop up and place in basin.
3. Saute some chopped garlic in some oil. When brown, put in the minced meat. Flatten it evenly and allow one side to be slightly brown. Flip part by part over and let it cook for another 1-2 minutes on medium fire. Scramble the meat in the wok into little chunks. Add in the diced onions and 2 Tbsp 5-spice powder. Stir fry until the onions look translucent. Scoop up and place in basin.
4. Heat up some oil in the wok and put in the diced carrots. Stir fry for about 2 minutes. Add in the diced jicama and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Finally add in the diced water chestnuts and stir fry for another 2 minutes. DO NOT OVERCOOK the vegetables as we would want to maintain a bit of crunch in the bite. Scoop up and place in basin.
5. Next saute some chopped garlic in some oil. When brown, put in the diced cabbages, 2 Tbsp oyster sauce, 1 Tbsp sesame oil, some sprinkles of pepper, a pinch of salt and stir fry until ALMOST cook. Again, we would want to maintain that bit of crunch. (You can sprinkle in some mushroom juice if it’s too dry)
6. Put in the rest of the cooked items in the basin and stir evenly.
7. Place a deep plate at the base of the basin and scoop the evenly stirred filling onto it. Note: This is to ensure that whatever oil and moist within the filling will be captured under the plate to enable a dryer filing for wrapping.
8. Leave to cool down prior to wrapping.

WRAPPING:
As for wrapping the spring rolls, there are a few steps to be taken care of to avoid any leakage. Just follow the steps in the diagram below and you won’t go wrong. You can mix some flour with water as the glue (or to patch up any broken holes) but I just used water since I had the experiences in wrapping the rolls well.

Scoop 2 porcelain spoons of the filling and place slightly below the centre of the spring roll skin. Place some crab meat and start wrapping. Laced an empty tray with a layer of kitchen towel and place the wrapped spring roll on it. DO NOT PLACE wrapped spring rolls on top of each other as they will get stuck to each other.

FRYING:
Heat up some cooking oil on HIGH. When you see some bubbles in the oil, lower to MEDIUM. Fry INDIVIDUALLY, starting from the thicker base while showering the top part with the hot oil. Turn over after about 15s and fry for another 10-15s or until golden brown. Make sure you have lots of kitchen towels laced in any deep container to drain off the excess oil. The trick is to let the spring roll stand vertically upwards. Serve while hot with the sauce of your choice.

SAUCES:
Option 1: Worchester Sauce (Lea & Perrins) with cut red chilies (RECOMMENDED)
Option 2: Worchester Sauce (Lea & Perrins) plus a bit of chili sauce with cut red chilies
Option 3: Simply pour some Thai chili sauce
Option 4: Put in 6 red chilies (removed seeds), 2 green chilies (removed seeds), 4 cloves of garlic, 2-3 Tbsp sugar, pinch of salt, and juices from 8-10 Kasturi lime into a blender. Top the amount with some boiled water. Blend until fine. Taste the blended sauce and adjust the sweetness and sourness to your liking.

STORAGE:
Any excess filling or skin can be kept in the freezer until further use for up to 2 weeks.

(Serves: 12-15 pax with approximately 40-50pcs)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

With the dampness within such a humid weather, more and more people are falling sick due to their ignorance to monitor their consumption of greasy and spicy food. Symptoms would include fever, fatigue, insomnia, dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite and more. To build up our immune system, resulting from our almost unavoidable outdoor food intake, let’s have some herbal desserts. Let me share with you this simple SIX FLAVORS HERBS DESSERT WITH AMERICAN GINSENG recipe to lighten your body and to eliminate whatever dampness and heatiness within the body. According to the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practices, this combination of herbs has calming qualities and would help in eliminating body heaviness, chest tightness, sleeping disorder, strengthening the digestive system, lung in the case of relieving cough and retard aging processes.

INGREDIENTS:
15g Radix Dioscoreae oppositae (淮山)
15g Polygonatum odoratum root slices (玉竹)
15g Euryale ferox seeds (芡實- fox nut)
20g lily bulbs (百合)
20g lotus seeds (蓮子)
20g dried longan (龍眼肉)
30g American ginseng slices (西洋參)
6 bowls water (about 2L)
120g rock sugar (add more to your preference)

PREPARATIONS:
Mildly wash all the herbs to get rid of any existing dust.

Slow Cooker:
Add in 6 bowls of water and set to HIGH. When water boils, add in all the ingredients and simmer for 4 hours on MEDIUM-LOW heat. Stir in the rock sugar to taste. Serve hot as a dessert or a beverage.

Pressure Cooker:
Bring the 6 bowls of water to boil on HIGH fire. Add in all the ingredients and close lid. When you hear the hissing sound from the pressure, bring fire to down to MEDIUM-LOW and cook for about 30 minutes. When the pressure is released about 5 minutes later, open lid, switch on your gas cooker and stir in the rock sugar to taste. Serve hot as a dessert or a beverage.

Note: Instead of taking it as a sweet dessert or as a beverage, you can OMIT the rock sugar and add in 300gms pork ribs as a savory soup. Add in salt to taste. (Cooking time – Slow cooker: 3 hours, Pressure cooker: 15 minutes)

(Serves: 3-4)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Nowadays, when you visit some of the Chinese restaurants, you would be served with braised peanuts prior to your meal. The trend of serving roasted or deep fried peanuts has changed as many diners are more health conscious now and refrained from consuming too much oily tidbits. Moreover, the peanuts might be too hard for some elderly diners. To order more plates of these delicious peanuts would also cost you more, especially in posh restaurants. You could get some of those canned ones from China easily available at your grocery stores but I’m a bit skeptical on the quality. I think you get what I mean right? 😛 The best way to get as much as you want without hurting your pocket more, is to cook your own at home. These braised peanuts would be best as an appetizer before a meal, snacks, side dish for your porridge or can even be added into your meat and poultry dishes. Let me share with you this simple BRAISED PEANUTS APPETIZER recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
600g raw big sized peanuts with red skins (wash, soak for about 6 hours & rinse)
4 pieces dried orange peels (1/2 an orange) or peels from one whole fresh orange
3 star anise (whole)
10 slices licorice bark
3 pcs cinnamon bark (about 2” length)
4 cloves garlic (peeled and smashed)
50-60gms rock sugar
3 Tbsp oyster sauce (premium/vegetarian)
5 Tbsp soy sauce (premium)
2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
1 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 tsp 5-spice powder
1/2 tsp pepper
6 cups water

PREPARATIONS:
Slow Cooker:
Add in 6 cups of boiling water and all the ingredients EXCEPT the peanuts on HIGH. Stir evenly. When water boils, add in the peanuts and simmer for 4 hours or until the peanuts are to your preferred softness. Drain and leave it to cool down before serving.
Pressure Cooker:
Bring the 6 cups of water to boil on HIGH fire. Add in all the ingredients while stirring evenly. When boil, close lid and wait until you hear the hissing sound from the pressure. Bring fire to down to MEDIUM-LOW and cook for about 20-30 minutes, based on your preferred softness. When the pressure is released about 5 minutes later, drain and leave it to cool down before serving.

Note:
1. Pour back all the ingredients into the pot and keep the broth for your next batch of peanuts.
2. The softness of the peanuts would sometimes depend on the different species of peanuts available at your local market. If the softness is not acquired, let it cook for another few minutes.
3. Some PREMIUM sauce can be quite SWEET. So adjust the sweetness to your liking.

(Serves: 4-6)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

On and off, I would love to cook a big pot of NYONYA STYLE PORK BELLY IN SOY SAUCE (TAU EWE BAK) to go with my meal, whether it’s on hot steaming rice, on some plain instant noodles or just as a dip with some fresh bread or buns. It’s so simple to cook and yet fulfilling for a whole family of adults and children. Let me share with you the delicious recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
1kg pork (1/2kg of pork belly and 1/2kg of loin meat – cut in huge chunks)
4-5 porcelain spoon premium soy sauce
2 porcelain spoon premium dark soy sauce
2 porcelain spoon premium oyster sauce
2pcs cinnamon bark (3”)
2 whole star anise
1 porcelain spoon sugar/brown sugar
1 porcelain spoon pepper corn (slightly crush)
1 porcelain spoon five spice powder
1 whole garlic bulb (removes roots only and slightly crush individual bulb)
5-7 porcelain spoon/300ml water (depending on the amount of gravy required)

OPTIONAL:
10 hard boiled eggs
5-10pcs deep fried bean curds (halved in triangles)

PREPARATION:
1. Wash the chunks of meat with salt and drain well.
2. Pour the washed meat into a pressure cooker and mix well with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Close lid and cook at HIGH fire.
4. Upon hearing a strong hissing sound from the built-up pressure, lower the fire to MEDIUM-LOW and cook for 15 minutes.
5. Wait for the pressure to be released about 10 minutes later and add in the optional items. Let them soak for about 30 minutes before serving with steamed rice, noodles, bread or buns.

Note:
1. I used a mixture of pork belly and loin meat as I do not want too much of fatty meat for my dish.
2. This version of cooking is very different compared to the Hokkien style as it has thicker but less gravy.
3. DO NOT add in bean curds if you intend to keep the dish for a few days as the bean curd will get spoiled easily under humid weather.
4. For freshness, it’s best in chiller for 3 days. Otherwise, store in freezer up to a week. For reheating, it’s best to steam the dish to maintain the meat’s tenderness. Microwaving the dish would dry up the meat and cause a lot of splatters due to the fat from the meat.

(Serves: 8-10)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

After weeks of feasting during the recent festive season, it’s time to have some detoxification to rejuvenate the body. Here’s something beneficial to the body and yet easy to cook – SEA BIRD NEST WITH AMERICAN GINSENG.

Scientifically known as Eucheuma cottonii, the Sea Bird Nest is more commonly known as Coral Grass or Organic Seaweed. These seaweeds which I obtained from the coastal areas of Sabah, East Malaysia, are naturally harvested with no artificial fertilizers. They taste quite similar to bird nest but less expensive and are enriched in vitamin A, B1, B2, B6, K and 56 mineral supplements which would be ideal for a perfectly balanced natural diet.

For generations, seaweeds have been used as one of the natural ingredients for health, vegetarian diet and beauty. They can be eaten raw as in salads or blended in fruit juice to obtain its natural enzymes. As for desserts, you can make jelly with them or even boil them as cooling desserts for health care. There have been many proven cases where seaweeds have been used as a natural alternative to promote good health. Some of the usages include regulating the blood circulation and high/low pressures, improving the vitality, resisting fatigue, weight-loss diet, beautifying complexion, osteoporosis, stabilizing proper thyroid function, cardiovascular disease, digestive disorders, constipation, etc. The seaweed’s high active substances and polar soluble fiber will also help in adjusting the insulin to maintain the blood sugar balance to prevent hyperglycemia as in the case of diabetes. They also eliminate free radical efficiently for detoxify body organs and activate cell tissues for metabolism and anti-aging.

INGREDIENTS:
150gms Sabah seaweed (Eucheuma cottonii seaweed/San Hu Cao/珊瑚藻/海底燕窝)
10gms American ginseng slices
250gms rock sugar
25 seedless red dates
3 pandan leaves (screwpine leaves – bundle up)
4L water

OPTIONAL:
Dried longan
Wolfberries/Goji berries
Quail’s eggs (minimize usage as they are super high in cholesterol level)

The Raw and Soaked outlooks of the seaweeds are shown below:

PREPARATION:
1. Wash the seaweed to rid the salt and soak in purified room temperature water for 5-6 hours, changing the water at least twice. You would get soft cartilage colored like seaweeds.
2. Get a 5L pot and fill up 4/5 of the pot with water.
3. Add in the red dates and bring to boil. When boil, lower to medium fire and boil for about 45 minutes. You would get about 3L left.
4. Add in the ginseng slices and rock sugar and boil for another 10 minutes.
5. Add in the soaked seaweed and the pandan leaves. Boil for 5 minutes.
6. Close the lid and leave for about 15 minutes.
7. Scoop to serve either hot or chilled.

Note: The soup would be more gelatin-like due to the thickened seaweed at the base when chilled for longer hours. Just stir it well and serve.

(Serves: 8-10)

Where to Buy: For those in Penang, you can purchase the Sabah Seaweed from I Mum Mum Pan Mee for slightly over RM12 for 200gms of good quality seaweeds. I had found theirs to be of better quality than those from certain Chinese medical shops.

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.