MAKE YOUR OWN NUT MILK

BRAZIL NUT MILK

Are you lactose intolerance? Want to boost up your good cholesterol? Make your own nut milk. I chose Brazil Nuts because they are rich in magnesium (a necessary nutrient to protect against hypertension and osteoporosis). You will need:

200g nuts of yr choice (Almonds/Hazel/Brazil) 1 litre water (I use Kangen alkaline water @ ph 9.5) A muslin cloth A 1-litre capacity glass bottle, sterilized.

1. Soak nuts in clean water and remove skin. Almond nuts need to soak overnight night in fridge. Brazil nuts do not need to be soaked.

2. Put in blender/Thermomix with the 1 litre water and blend until fine.

3. Strain through a clean muslin cloth.

4. Store in glass bottle in fridge. Will keep for a week. Makes 1 litre milk.

5. The nut dreg can be dried out and use as a nut meal for cakes, pastries or bread making.

A Breakfast full of sunshine 
Rolled Oats soaked in homemade Brazilnut Milk with fresh fruits/berries. This breakfast is rich in pre-biotics for gut health and keeps your cholesterol in check.

Soak your rolled oats in nut milk overnight n eat them in the morning with your favourite freshly-cut fruits. This meal is great to reduce your bad cholesterol and good for your heart.

KOREAN KIM CHI

 KOREAN KIM CHI

Kim Chi is a vegetable pickle made by the fermentation of the vegetables and sugar/starch from the pear or sweet rice flour.  It is rich in probiotics for gut health and best eaten raw.

MAKE-YOUR-OWN KIM CHI. ITS EASY AS 1-2-3: 2 Kg chinese cabbage (Napa Cabbage) 300g white radish 150g spring onions or chives 200 g soy bean sprouts 100g-pc ginger 2 red apples or Korean pears fine salt 4-5 tbsp roasted paprika powder 3 tbsp fish sauce 3 tbsp brown sugar

1. Wash and cut cabbage into 1" lengths.

2. Peel and julienne radish into 2mm thick matchsticks lengths. Put in a large basin with the bean sprouts and add salt generously. Leave them to water n wither. This takes about 1-2 hours. Drain, wash off salt and squeeze out water from cabbage.

3. Cut spring onions/chives into 1" lengths and add them into the salted vege. Add the paprika powder.

4. Peel and grate in the pears n ginger. Stir in sugar. Add in fish sauce.

5. Using gloves, mix well with hands to coat well the vegetable with the marinade. Put them into an airtight container. Leave overnight on your kitchen counter-top to let it ferment and sour. Kim Chi will give out some gas and will continue to water. Put in fridge the next day. Consume within 2 weeks of making.

6. The Kim Chi juices can be used to cook seafood and vegetable soup.

MAKE YOUR OWN GULAI TUMIS PASTE (STRAITS CHINESE SEAFOOD CURRY PASTE)

 NYONYA GULAI TUMIS FISH CURRY

600g Big purple onions
2 medium lemon grass (use white part only)
1 whole pod garlic
20 dried chilli, seeded n soak
1 pc x 2" length fresh turmeric or 1.5 tsp heapful turmeric powder
2 pcs x 1" square belachan (abt 3mm thickness)
1. Peel, wash and cut onions n garlic.
2. Slice lemon grass thinly taking only d white part. Peel n slice turmeric..
3. Use a food processer with a feeder tube. With motor running, feed d sliced lemon grass n turmeric through d tube. Add in d soak dried chliis n blend until fine. Next, add in d garlic n onions.
4. Process until fine. Add in d belachan n process until d muxture is well blended.
5. Heat about 5 tbsp cooking oil in a wok n fry paste in medium fire until fragrant.
6. Remove n pack in bottles or use as required

NYONYA FISH GULAI TUMIS (FISH CURRY)

1 medium size white pomfret (Bawal Putih) or Senangin (Yellow Threadfin)

3 heapful tbsp tamarind paste

750ml water

1 .5 tbsp brown sugar

1 bunga kantan (optional), quartered

200 g okra/ladies fingers

1 medium brinjal, cut into 1.5" lengths n halved

1 bunch Daun Kesum (Polygynon leaveas), use leaves only

Salt to taste

5 tbsp prepared Gulai Tumis paste

1. Mix water with tamarind paste n strain.

Add prepared paste in a pot n heat. Stir in tamarind water n bring to boil. Add in kantan flower n daun kesum. Add in brinjal n bring to boil. Add in fish and okra.

2. Add in salt n sugar to taste.

3. Bring to boil n simmer, covered for 5 minutes. Off fire n leave fish to soak for another 5 minutes.

4. Serve with hot rice.

BLACK BEANS FISH

 BLACK BEANS FISH

1kg Ikan Belanak or Mullet fish, scaled, gutted and heads removed

3/4 cup salted black beans, washed d drained dry

3/4 cup light soya sauce, salt reduced

3 tbsp sugar

3/4 cup water

Oil for deep-frying

1. Heat oil in a wok n fry fish until crispy and dry inside out using low fire. Keep aside.

2. Heat a pot and cook sugar in medium fire until sugar turn to caramel. Add water and soy sauce.

4. Add fried fish and black beans. Bring to boil n stew fish in low fire for about 1 hour.

5. Serve with plain teochew rice porridge cooked with sweet potatoes or pumpkin.

6. Alternatively you can bottle the fish with the black beans sauce, put the lids on and steam for 1 hr to vacuum packed them. I pack about 5 small fish in each bottle.

They will keep indefinitely for at least 6 mths to a year or longer if in the fridge.

THAI PANDANUS LEAF FRIED CHICKEN

 THAI PANDAN CHICKEN

4 chicken whole leg, deboned

24 Pandanus leaves, washed

Marinade:

1 tspn white pepper powder

3 coriander root, pounded

4 tbspn fish sauce

3 tbspn soft brown sugar or palm sugar

3 tbspn worcestershire sauce

100 ml thick coconut milk

1. Cut each chic whole leg into 6 pieces.

2. Mix all marinade ingredients together n marinade chicken pieces overnight in d fridge.

3. Wrap chicken pieces with the Pandanus leaves.

4. Heat oil in wok for deepfrying.

Fry wrapped chicken until brown.

5. Drain from oil n serve hot.

HAKKA NAM YEE BRAISED DUCK

 HAKKA NAM YEE BRAISED DUCK

1 Whole duck, about 2kg to 2.5kg

2 squares fermented red bean curd (Nam yee)

3 tbsp light soya sauce

Oil for deep frying

Coriander leaves for garnishing

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

4 shallots, minced

8 pips garlic, minxed

2 squares red bean curd

2 tbsp thick dark soy sauce

4 oz Lee Kum Kee Premium oyster sauce

2 tbsp light soy sauce

4 tbsp sugar

2 star anise

2 cups water

Method:

1. Chop off neck n head from duck. Rinse duck inside out n pat dry.

2. Mash the nam yee and mix with the light soy sauce. Rub marinade on duck inside out and keep in fridge overnight.

3. Heat up oil in wok n deepfry duck until brown. Drain.

4. Leave about 4 tbsp oil in the wok and fry the star anise, minced shallots and garlic until light brown.

5. Add the name yee, sauces, sugar and water and bring to boil. Add in duck n coat duck with d sauce. Cover and simmer until duck is just tender.

8. Remove duck and set aside.

9. Increase fire and reduce sauce to thicken and glossy looking.

10. Dish out sauce onto a bowl.

11. Chop up duck into bite size pieces and arrange decoratively on a platter.

12. Pour warm sauce on top of duck just before serving and garnish with coriander leaves.

RICE COOKER CHICKEN

 *RICE COOKER CHICKEN*

Easy-peasy chicken for your busy day. (Serves 4)

1. Choose a free range chicken of abt 1.5-1.7kg. Chop off head and legs.

2. Marinade chicken with sea salt, 2 tbsp light soya sauce and 2 tbspn ginger juice for about 3 hrs.

3. Rub skin of chicken with extra 1 tbsp light soya sauce and 1/2 tspn dark soya sauce

4. Add in a small piece of cinnamon, 2 star anise, a teaspoon of szechuan peppercorns and 3 cloves of crushed garlic into the rice cooker.

5. Put a bunch of spring onions and a piece of crushed ginger into cavity of chicken. Place chicken into rice cooker and drizzle about 1/3 cup of chinese rice wine (or sherry) over chicken. Include d liquid of marinade too and 1/2 cup water. Turn on rice cooker.

6. After rice cooker has switched off, turn it on again after 10 minutes. Leave to stand for a further 10 minutes after it has switched off.

7. Remove and cover wrapped with aluminium foil while leave to cool slightly before chopping into pieces. Reserve the sauce for serving later.

8. Drizzle sauce on chopped chic before serving and garnish with coriander leaves.

PASSIONFRUIT AND ORANGE JAM

 PASSIONFRUIT & ORANGE JAM

1kg Passionfruit for pulp

4 Valencia oranges, juiced

2 lemons, juiced or

1 tspn pectin

1 kg sugar

750 ml water

1. If you don’t like the Passionfruit seeds, you can pass the pulp through a juicer to strain. Otherwise you can use them as it is.

2 Measure water and put all juices into a large heavy-based stainless-steel pot.

3 Bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes, cover.

4 Off fire and leave to stand for 8 hrs or overnight.

5. Add sugar to mixture and bring to boil. Boil rapidly in high fire until jam has been reduced to 2/3 in volume.

6. Test for jam for setting by taking a teaspoon of mixture and put in freezer for a minute. If it wrinkles with a push of your finger on the jam it means the jam is ready.

7 Pack jam in sterilised jars while still hot. Cap and let cool before refrigerate.

MAMAK (INDIAN MUSLIM) BLACK BEEF CURRY

 MAMAK BLACK BEEF CURRY

This is an Indian-muslim style of beef curry that uses sweet black soy sauce as seasoning. Its a must-have dish in every Nasi Kandar restaurant.

1.5 kg beef, cut into large chunks of 2”x2”

6 tbsp cooking oil

4 sprigs curry leaves

1” pc Cinnamon stick

3 Star Anise

4 Cardamon pods

6 Cloves

2 pkt meat curry powder

1 medium tomato, diced

Ground Ingredients: 2 large purple onions, 6 cloves garlic, 1” pc old ginger

1/2 cup sweet dark soy sauce (kicap lemak manis)

Light soy sauce to taste

Method:

1) Heat oil in a pot and fry grounded ingredients with the spices and curry leaves until aromatic and oil separates.

2. Add in curry powder and continue to fry in low heat until fragrant. Add a little water if the paste sticks to the pan.

3. Add in the beef and fry to seal in the juices. Stir in diced tomato and fry lightly.

4. Add water to cover the meat. Bring to boil and simmer until beef is tender, about 1 hour.

4) Add in the 2 types of soy sauce.

5) Gravy should be dark and thick.

6) Remove from fire and serve with rice.

Note: You can substitute beef with mutton or lamb.