Almond milk with sunflower seeds, flaxseeds and chia seeds

Recipe (Using Philips soy milk maker):
1/2 cup raw almond
1/8 cup sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp flax seeds
1 Tbsp chia seeds
4.5 cup filtered water

(1) Soak almonds for 24 hours, sunflowerseeds overnight and flaxseeds / chiaseeds for 15 minutes.

(2) Put all ingredients and water into the milk maker and let it cook for 25 minutes.

(3) Once done, can drink immediately or remove pulp by filtering the milk over a sieve.

Alternative way : Blend using a glass blender and boil on stove for 20 minutes or till cooked.

Toppings : Avocado, strawberries, apricot and blueberries. I served once the milk slightly cool towards room temperature.

Steamed strawberry banana muffin

Recipe:

Dry ingredients -
1/4 cup cake flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda

Wet ingredients -
2 kampung egg
2 pisang berangan (mashed)
1 large strawberry (finely chopped and roughly mashed)
1 Tbsp vco
1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp homemade natural yoghurt

Mix wet and dry ingredients separately. Combine both, fold in 2 Tbsp of organic raisins and steam under preheated steamer for 15 minutes.

Note: Its been a while since i last made these, it is a weekend treat for few kids coming over. Lo had a few bites, i am reducing her wheat intake thus she couldnt have more ;)

Homemade Yogurt (2nd Attempt)

Yoghurt after 10 hours incubation, before chilling

Ingredients:
2 cups organic fresh milk (I used Organic Valley)
1.5 Tbsp farm fresh natural yoghurt


(1) Prepare the slow cooker pot by sterilising it through pouring in hot boiling water till almost full. Let it soak for at least 10 minutes. Once done, remove the water and wipe dry. Put the slow cooker back to its position and on the switch to preheat.

(2) Prepare a glass container (for storing the yoghurt) by sterilising it with hot boiling water. Once done, put on dish rack and let it drip dry.

(3) Using a saucepan, heat up fresh milk to between 85C to 100C. The top should look slightly foamy and the milk turn slightly thicker. Remove if there is any skin form on top, using a spatula.

(4) Once done, remove from heat and slightly emerge the sauce pan onto a patch of cold water. (Tap water would do). Let the temperature comes down to 45C. You can use your pinkie to test it - if you feel you can tolerate the heat comfortably and it is not burning hot, it is the right temperature.

(5) Put side by side a glass bowl and the preheated slow cooker pot. Pour half of the milk or slightly less in the glass bowl and the remaining into slow cooker pot. (Do it slowly so that it wont be bubbly).

(6) Add yoghurt starter into the glass bowl and stir to mix till the starter dissolve totally. Once done, pour this mixture into the slow cooker pot filled with milk earlier. (Do it slowly) Lightly stir, and remove bubbles on top, using a spatula if any. Cover the pot with its lid.

(7) Put back the slow cooker pot back to its position, this time turn off the switch. Wrap the slow cooker pot from top with a thick kitchen towel.

(8) Let the mixture incubate for 10 hours.

(9) Once done, transfer the yoghurt into the glass jar prepared earlier and put in freezer for 1 hour or in fridge for 3 hours, for it to set nicely.

(10) Enjoy the homemade yoghurt up to 14 days. Meanwhile, it is good to keep around 1/2 of the homemade yoghurt to be used as yoghurt starter for the next batch. It can be freezed or chilled.

Results: After the first attempt making yoghurt from scratch, i was determined to make it again, but not with thermos, I had the idea of using slow cooker pot after i saw someone doing it using crock pot from the internet. I was not sure if it would work, but after trying it out, it was actually better than using thermos. First, it is much easier to scope out due to the size and secondly is the insulation in slow cooker is much better after preheated it. I am also a bit skeptical of using stainless steel with yoghurt staying in for so long - i am not sure if there would be 'chemical reaction', thus this is definitely a better option - without having to buy a yoghurt maker. The only thing is i need to sterilise the pot to ensure it is clean and without smell from my other cooking (soup and dessert esp.)

On another note, the result may also be due to the amount of starter which i added more this time. For the previous attempt, i find that the texture was too runny, thus i thought of adding 1 tsp more to make it thicker. Thus, i may try reducing it back to 1 Tbsp using slow cooker pot so that i can compare apple to apple, next time.

Overall, i am quite satisfied with the outcome.

Homemade Yogurt (1st Attempt)

[22.12.2014]
Ingredients:
2 cup organic fresh milk (I used Organic Valley)
1 Tbsp farm fresh natural yogurt, as starter

(1) Bring fresh milk to boil between 85C to 100C. There would be some skin formed which could be removed easily using a silicon spatula.

(2) Once done, emerge the whole saucepan in a patch of cold water to bring the temperature down to 45C. Check the temperature using a thermometer.

(3) Add in starter and stir well. Pour into thermos and close the cap tightly.

(4) Meanwhile, fill up about 1/3 boiling water in a slow cooker. Put the thermos into the slow cooker filled with boiling water.

(5) Wrapped the thermos with a thick towel and let it incubate for 10 hours.

(6) Once done, pour out the thermos into a glass container and put in fridge for 3 hours for it to set nicely.

OUTCOME AFTER 3 HOURS IN FRIDGE

Result: The texture is a bit runny, but turn harder after 1-2 days in the fridge. I am attempting to add more starter for my next experiment. Meanwhile, i read that homemade yogurt can last up to 14 days.

Fried meehoon served with steamed fish and pan fried duck egg

Recipe:

Fried Meehoon -
1.5 portion jasmine brand meehoon (presoaked till soft, and drain off excess water)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 red onion (sliced)
2-3 stalks organic kailan (chopped small)
4 shitake mushroom (cut small)
1/2 cup homemade vegetables sauce (i used remaining smoothie from morning breakfast)
1/4 cup homemade soup stock (i used wintermelon soup base)
2 tsp curry powder (mixed and diluted with some hot water - around 5 Tbsp of water)

(1) Saute garlic and onion till fragrant.

(2) Add in mushroom and stir fry.

(3) Add in kailan leaves and stir fry.

(4) Add in soup stock and few Tbsp vegetables sauce and stir fry.

(5) Add in meehoon and stir fry. (The liquid should be absorbed immediately)

(6) Pour in the remaining sauce, and diluted curry powder and mix well. Add more soup stock if not enough moisture. Once done, off fire and remove from heat.

Steamed mackerel fish -
2 bunch spring onion
1 knob old ginger (cut into strips)

(1) Marinate fish with some lemon juice for 10 minutes.

(2) Add in ingredients and steam under high heat for 10 minutes. Once done, remove from heat immediately to avoid overcook.

Pan fried duck egg-
2 duck egg
2 Tbsp homemade soup stock

(1) Mix all ingredients in a bowl, lightly stir.

(2) Heat up some oil on a frying pan. Pour in the egg batter from the middle, and let it cook at 120 degree celcius.

(3) Use ladle to pop away bubbles if there is any. Once the egg starts to harden, lower the heat to 100 degree celcius, and flip over the pan fried egg carefully.

(4) Cook for 1-2 minutes and off fire.

(5) Cut the egg into strips using kitchen scissors and serve with fried meehoon.

Vegetables smoothie with chopped golden kiwi

Recipe:
3 large celery (chopped)
1/2 carrot (chopped)
1 large red tomato (chopped)
3-4 sorrel leaves
1 cup natural greek yoghurt

Topping : 1 whole golden kiwi (chopped)

(1) Blend all together and serve with chopped kiwi

Result: I am trying this out using Philips soy milk maker. Unfortunately, it is very tedious, as the blade actually attached with the cover, thus it is not so suitable to blend too many ingredients. This milk maker is more suitable for making milk, rather than fruit or vegetable juice - this recipe will go well using glass blender, which i should be doing it next time. It was a good try nevertheless.

Homemade pan mee

[01.01.2015]
Recipe:
Dough -
1 cup organic spelt flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup pandan water
1 Tbsp vco

(1) Mix all ingredients to form a soft dough.

(2) Peel the dough into smaller portion, press flat and put into plain boiling water.

(3) Remove once it is almost soft, and add into soup stock.

Soup -
6 cup water
2 big organic kailan leaves
1 whole garlic (unpeeled)
4 pieces free range chicken carcasses
2 big shallots
3 knob ginger

(1) Blanch chicken carcases for 5 minutes. Drain over a colander and set aside.

(2) Heat up water in rice cooker for 10 minutes. Add in all ingredients and cook using soup mode.

(3) Once done, use as a soup base for pan mee.

Mushroom minced chicken -
10 shitake mushroom (sliced)
2 pieces chicken fillet (finely chopped)
2 knob ginger (minced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)

(1) Marinate chicken with 1 tsp sesame oil and ginger for 1 hour.

(2) Heat up some oil on a frying pan. Saute garlic till fragrant. Add in chicken and stir fry.

(3) Add in mushroom and stir fry,

(4) Add in some soup stock and cook and stir till the soup absorbed.

(5) Once done, dish out and top on pan mee soup.

Vegetables - Steam some nai pak for 5 minutes.

Result : I am attempting to try out making wheat free pan mee. However, before i am able to substitute the normal flour fully, i tried substituted 2/3 of normal flour with spelt flour as an experiment. The texture was alright, not as elastic as normal flour but is possible. The spelt flour has a special taste, and it can feel heavy to some - thus it may not suit everyone's taste bud on another note.