mille feuille nabe

This is my first attempt at Mille Feuille Nabe, a Japanese hot pot that is made with layers of Chinese cabbage and pork belly slices.

This hot pot is called mille feuille nabe as is is arranged with many layers of cabbage and pork slices which resembles the classic French pastry, mille feuille (also known as Napoleon). Mille feuille means 'a thousand leaves' so this dish is called 千层白菜猪肉锅 in Chinese which literately means "a thousand layers cabbage and pork hot pot".

Besides Chinese cabbage, perilla leaves are also used to form the layers. Since perilla leaves are not readily available at our local wet markets (and they are rather expensive), I substitute with romaine lettuce. The hot pot looks so pretty with the layers of cabbage and the different types of mushrooms.

I made the stock from scratch but it can be replaced with store-bought vegetable or chicken stock. The layers are made by stacking layers of cabbage leaves, romaine lettuce and pork slices on top of one another. The stack is then cut into a few sections and packed in a circular manner in the pot. Most recipes will call for layering the bottom of the pot with bean sprouts, but I used the leftover cabbage leaves and mushrooms instead.

The vegetables reduced quite a fair bit after it is being cooked.

The dish is usually served with shabu shabu dipping sauce such as sesame sauce or ponzu sauce. However, we find that it is already very tasty without the sauce. It is a light and yet delicious one pot meal with all the flavours from the vegetables and mushrooms. Everyone enjoyed the huge hot pot and the four of us managed to finished it with only some leftover soup. I cooked udon with the leftover soup for my lunch the next day. Although the pot looks rather complicated with the layers of ingredients, it is actually very easy to prepare. This will be another one of our regular meals especially on a cool or rainy evening :)



Mille Feuille Nabe

Ingredients:

1 head of Chinese cabbage (also called napa cabbage)
1 head of romaine lettuce
400g thinly sliced pork belly (for sabu sabu)
1 pack (100g) Bunashimeji mushrooms or white shimeji mushrooms
1 pack (200g) Enoki mushrooms
3 shiitake mushrooms (I used fresh shiitake mushrooms)
some carrot slices cut into flower shape (optional)

for the stock:
10 large dried anchovy (remove the guts)

1 piece kombu (dried kelp)

3 stems of the shiitake mushrooms
1 small size yellow onion (remove skin and cut into half)
6 cups water
1 tablespoon soya sauce
1 teaspoon salt

Method:

• To make the stock: place ingredients (except soya sauce and salt) for the stock in a pot and bring it to a boil. Once it starts to boil, remove the kombu and discard. Reduce heat and leave to simmer for about 30mins. Season with soya sauce and salt. Strain the stock and leave aside.
• Wash and drain Chinese cabbage leaves, and romaine lettuce leaves, set aside.
• Wash and drain shiitake, bunashimeji and enoki mushrooms.
• To assemble the mille feuille stacks: Lay a cabbage leaf then lay a romaine lettuce leaf on top, followed by 3 slices of pork belly. Repeat with cabbage, romaine lettuce, pork belly for another 3 layers. Finally, top it with a cabbage leaf. There should be 4 layers of cabbage--romaine lettuce--pork belly, with the bottom and top most as cabbage leaves. (Note: for smaller romaine lettuce leaves, use 2 leaves for each layer instead of one.)
• Repeat the above to make a total of 3 stacks. (Note: for a small pot, 2 stacks should probably be enough).
• Cut the left over cabbage leaves and romaine lettuce into big chunks.
• Layer the bottom of a large pot (I used a 5 litre pot, 26cm in diameter) with the cabbage  and romaine lettuce chunks, followed by the bunashimeji and enoki mushrooms. Reserve one bunch each of the bunashimeji and enoki mushrooms.
• Cut each of the mille feuille stack into 3 or  4 sections (about 5cm each section).
• Arrange the sections, cut-side up, starting from the edge of the pot working towards the centre. Fill the centre with the shiitake mushrooms and the bunch of reserved bunashimeji and enoki mushrooms. Top with sliced carrots (optional).
• Pour the stock into the pot. Cover and bring it to a boil. Remove cover and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes or until the ingredients are fully cooked. Serve with shabu shabu dipping sauce such as sesame sauce or ponzu sauce.

Note: depending on the size of the pot, the amount of ingredients especially the cabbage, romaine lettuce and pork slices may vary.

table for one

Before I could even bake a batch of pineapple tarts, the Chinese lunar new year is already over!

This year, I was terribly late in preparing for the Chinese new year. I couldn't even complete my spring cleaning chores. Nevertheless, we didn't miss any of the family gatherings and feasting and were never short of any new year goodies.

As the festive season is over, now is the time to try to clear the leftover goodies! For the past two weeks, I have been helping myself to one mandarin orange a day, but there are still a dozen or more left in my fridge. There's also leftover bak kwa despite having been diligently helping myself to a slice or more every time when I feel like having some 'bak kwa sandwich'.

With some broccoli and cherry tomatoes, I pulled together the usual festive goodies into a one dish meal for my lunch...mandarin orange and broccoli salad.

It was a quick and easy meal with minimal cooking. I only need to chop the bak kwa into small bits before toasting it on a frying pan and blanch the broccoli. The unsalted cashew nuts which I bought from the dried goods stall in the market were already baked and ready to eat. They look plain and raw but trust me, they are really tasty and a much healthier option than those which are salted or fried.

I prepared a very light salad dressing just to bring the ingredients together. It was a simple mix of 2 teaspoons of mayonnaise (I used Kewpie Half Salad dressing which has 50% less fat than the usual kewpie mayo), 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar and half teaspoon of Sriracha chili sauce just to give it an extra kick. The dressing is so light that the mayonnaise was almost non existence.

I wouldn't say this is a healthy meal since it contained half a slice of calorie-laden bak kwa (3 slices of bak kwa is about 7 bowls of rice!!), but the other ingredients did help to balance up a little. The overall combo is to my liking...savoury, sweet, tangy and juicy...a very satisfying meal on its own.  I had this two days in a row, and I would certainly make it again even long after the festive season is over.

Korean Style Tofu Salad

This Korean style tofu salad is an easy side dish that I will put together whenever I have some leftover salad mix.

It is rather similar to a Korean tofu dish where tofu slices are pan fried and then cooked in a sauce. For this salad version, the tofu is steamed and left to cool. The ingredients for the sauce are almost the same, with Gochugaru or Korean red chili flakes as one of the key ingredients to differentiate it from other similar cuisines.

PS: Pardon the poor quality image of the above photos, they were taken with my mobile phone.

The savoury, spicy dressing goes really well with the plain cold tofu. It is a light and refreshing appetizer and a great substitute for the usual stir fry vegetable dish.



Korean Style Tofu Salad

Ingredients:

1 pack silken tofu
75g (about half pack) salad mix

salad dressing:
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons chopped scallions


Preparation:

• Steam the silken tofu over high heat for 3 minutes, let cool.
• Mix together all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl. 
• Wash the salad mix and drain. 
• Cut the tofu lengthwise in half, then cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place tofu slices on serving plate. Arrange salad mix on top and side of the tofu.
• Drizzle dressing over just before serving.

Burger with oven baked sweet potato croquettes

I was reading The Experimental Cook's latest post on archar when it hit on me that, in a few years time, we will soon be two old folks at home too (^_^!)

In fact, we are already living like two old folks, especially on a weekday during school terms. Whenever my better half is at home for lunch, I will put in some extra 'effort' to prepare a decent but quick meal...just like this burger, made with store bought wholemeal buns ;p
The extra work went into making some baked croquettes which I had meant to serve as a side for dinner that evening.

I have been making croquettes following Just One Cookbook's baked croquettes after we got hooked with the delicious croquettes we had during our holidays in Kyushu, Japan (be it from supermarkets or those from local shops made with horse meat!). The homemade baked croquettes are a much healthier option and easier for me since I don't do deep frying. The recipe calls for pan frying the panko or breadcrumbs with some oil before using. This ensures that the breadcrumbs will be nicely browned. I have tried toasting the panko with and without oil, both seem to yield similar results when I made croquettes. However, for making baked tonkatsu I would always pan fry with oil so that the dish would be as close to the deep fried version as possible.

I had meant to try making some pumpkin croquettes but since I had sweet potatoes lying around, I thought it would be better to clear them first. The sweet potato croquettes turned out to be very good too and they are certainly much healthier than meat patties.

We do eat like old folks nowadays, there were no fries to go along with the burger, just a cup of low sugar low fat 3-in-1 coffee, and some left over lettuces and tomatoes ;)



Oven Baked Sweet Potato Croquettes

Ingredients
(makes 6 ~ 8)

3 medium size sweet potatoes(about 400g), peel and cut into chunks
1 medium size onion, finely chopped
200g ground beef or pork
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cooking oil
4 tablespoons plain flour
1 large egg, beaten
1.5 cups (about 85g) panko (breadcrumbs)


Method:

• Pan fry breadcrumbs over medium-low heat until golden brown (Note: keep stirring to ensure the breadcrumbs is evenly browned and to prevent it from getting burned). Set aside to cool.
• Place sweet potatoes in a pot and fill it with enough water to cover the sweet potatoes. Boil for about 15mins or until fork tender. Drain and transfer the sweet potatoes to a large bowl. Mash the sweet potatoes while they are still hot. 
• Heat oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion until soft. 
• Add the ground pork and stir fry until meat is cooked. Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt. Remove from the heat and mix it with the mashed sweet potatoes.
• While the mixture is still warm, shape into ½ inch thick oval patties. Leave to rest in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes.
• Coat each patty with flour (dust off any excess flour).
• Then coat the patties with egg and then the prepared breadcrumbs.
• Place on baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake in preheated oven at 200degC for about 10mins until golden.

Recipe source: adapted from Just One Cookbook

oil-free chocolate banana muffins

This is my second attempt at baking these oil free chocolate banana muffins. In fact, I made them before baking the oil-free chocolate chiffon cake which I posted earlier. The first attempt was not that successful as the texture of the muffins was a little dense with a slight kueh-like texture.

I am not sure whether I had deflated the batter or was it due to the type of cocoa powder I used. I had ran out of Valrhona dutch processed cocoa powder so I used natural cocoa powder.

I tried making these muffins again right after I got hold of the Valrhona cocoa powder. The second batch turns out really well.

Unlike the usual muffin-method or creaming method, the batter is prepared just like making a sponge cake, that is, beating whole eggs with sugar before adding the liquid and flour mixture.

These delicious muffins were soft and moist even though they were made without any oil. As stated in the cookbook, 好吃不发胖低卡甜点, each muffin is 132 kcal compared to 197 kcal for a similar one made with oil. Once again this recipe shows that it is possible to enjoy homemade goodies which are lower in calories without having to compromise on the taste and texture.




Oil-free Chocolate Banana Muffins

Ingredients:
(makes 8)

100g cake flour
30g cocoa powder (I used dutch-processed valrhona cocoa powder)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs, room temperature
70g caster sugar (I used 60g)
150g banana, mashed
50ml milk (I used low fat fresh milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon rum

Method:

• Sieve together cake flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Sieve the flour mixture twice and set it aside.
• Place eggs and caster sugar in a large mixing bowl. With an electric mixer, whisk the mixture at medium-high speed till it becomes thick, pale and triple in volume. This should take about 5 to 6 mins. The batter should leave a ribbon like trail when the whisk/paddle is lifted. Turn to low speed, and beat for another 1~2 mins. This is to stablise the air bubbles in the batter. 
• Add in the mashed banana and Fold in with a spatula. 
• Add in the milk, vanilla extract and rum (do not pour in one spot, instead, gently drizzle over to prevent from deflating the batter). Fold in with a spatula, do not stir.
• Sieve over the flour mixture in 3 separate additions. Each time Fold in the flour carefully with a spatula, making sure there is no pockets of flour being trapped at the bottom of the bowl. Do not stir the batter with the spatula, it will cause the batter to deflate. 
• Spoon batter into paper muffin cups to about 90% full.
• Bake in preheated oven at 180 degC for 15mins or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out almost clean.

Recipe source: adapted from 好吃不发胖低卡甜点 by 茨木くみ子

oil-free chocolate chiffon cake

怎么可能?!
无添加奶油 &油还是一样好吃?!

This is the subtitle of a cookbook, which means, 'How could that be possible?! It still tastes as good without adding butter or oil?!'

When my baking friend showed me her oil free chocolate banana muffins made following a recipe from this cookbook, 好吃不发胖低卡甜点 (loosely translated as: delicious low-calories desserts), I got really interested.

I bookmarked a few recipes and one of the first few I tried is this Chocolate Chiffon cake. The ingredients list is typical of a basic chiffon cake recipe, the only difference is, there is no oil in the list. There are no other special ingredients other than the usual eggs, sugar, flour and liquid.

Whenever I make a chiffon cake, I would usually prepare the egg yolk batter first using a manual balloon whisk before beating the egg whites with an electric handheld mixer. The instructions for this recipe however differ from my usual method as is it necessary to use the electric mixer to beat the egg yolks. Without having to wash the whisks/beaters of the mixer, the egg whites are first beaten before preparing the yolk batter. Hence, it is important to get ready the necessary ingredients so that the yolk batter can be prepared quickly, otherwise, the beaten egg whites may probably deflate if left aside for too long.

Other than the sequence, the rest is quite straight forward. Yet, I made a hiccup while preparing the egg whites. I over beat the whites, just slightly, but it still affected the finished product! What a major no no, and really unforgivable for someone who bakes chiffon cakes so regularly. I learned not to take things too easy or for granted, even if I am very familiar with the process.

Since I over beat the egg whites, I deflated the batter while folding the whites to the yolk batter. The finished batter was still thick but it could only fill up the pan to just 3/4 full. The cake didn't turn out as tall but fortunately, the texture was not really affected. Even without the use of any oil, the cake was still moist, soft and fluffy. If someone were to give me this cake to try, I would never be able to detect that it was made without oil. The only tell tale sign is that there wasn't any oil stain on the doily paper which I used to line the cake. Another thing I noticed is, the cake was a little more difficult to unmold, or is it just me?

The book states that 1/8 of this 17cm cake has got 113 kcal compared to 180 kcal for a similar chocolate chiffon made with oil, lower calories without compromising on the taste and texture. I used valrhona cocoa powder which lends the cake a richer and intense cocoa flavour. The cocoa powder also gives the cake a deep mahogany color. The pictures I took show a lighter shade as I had to adjust the brightness and contrast as the original images were too dark. I also took the liberty to add in some rum besides the pure vanilla extract. This recipe is a keeper and it will be my go-to chocolate chiffon cake from now on.



Oil free Chocolate Chiffon Cake (无油巧克力戚风蛋糕)

Ingredients:
(makes one 17cm cake)

4 egg whites (I used eggs with 55g net weight)
45g caster sugar

4 egg yolks (I used eggs with 55g net weight)
25g caster sugar
60ml milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon rum (optional)
55g cake flour
20g cocoa powder (I used dutch-processed valrhona cocoa powder)


Method:

• Sieve flour and cocoa powder, set aside. 
• Get ready all other ingredients.
• Preheat oven to 180 degC.
• In a clean, dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites with an electric handheld mixer on low speed until mixture becomes frothy and foamy. Add half of the sugar and turn to high speed and beat the mixture. Continue to add in the remaining sugar mixture and beat until the egg whites reaches the soft peak stage. The soft peak stage is reached when the peaks of the whites curl over and droop slightly. The egg whites should appear smooth and glossy. Set aside. (Do not over beat the whites still stiff, it is better to beat the whites still soft peaks for easy folding with the yolk batter.)
• Place egg yolks and sugar in another mixing bowl. With the electric handheld mixer (Note: it is not necessary to wash the beaters/whisks after beating the egg whites), beat the mixture on low speed until it turns pale and thick. Add in milk, vanilla extract and rum (if using), beat on low speed to combine. Sieve over the flour and cocoa powder, beat on low speed till the flour is fully incorporated. (Note: prepare all ingredients in advance to allow this step to be done fairly quickly so that the beaten egg whites will not be left aside for too long.)
• Fold the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk batter in 3 separate additions, each time folding gently with a spatula (I prefer to use a balloon whisk) until just blended.
• Pour batter into a 17cm chiffon tube pan(do not grease the pan). Tap the pan lightly on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.
• Place chiffon pan in middle rack of oven. Bake at 180 degC for 30 mins. Remove from oven and invert the pan immediately, let cool completely before unmould. To remove the cake from the pan, run a thin-bladed knife around the inside of the pan and the center core. Release the cake and run the knife along the base of the pan to remove the cake.

Recipe source: adapted from 好吃不发胖低卡甜点 by 茨木くみ子

Steamed Tofu with Egg 嫩豆腐蒸蛋

I have recently started on the road to a healthier lifestyle, being more mindful of what I put in my mouth and exercise more regularly. I am watching my diet, making sure I increase my protein and fibre intake, but lower carb and reduce fat and sugar intake. Since young, my diet is mainly high in carb, low protein, low fibre. I am a rice, noodles, bread person, so it is quite challenging to plan my meals to cater to my diet and the rest of the family.

I came across this Steamed Tofu with Egg recipe from a book on eating well and weight loss programme. It is such a simple dish and rather similar to the usual steamed tofu and egg I have prepared. The only difference is, this recipe uses only egg whites and I have never tried steaming tofu with mushrooms. This dish is high in protein with the tofu and egg whites and yet low in calories. There is no oil and salt is the only seasoning used.

Since I cook this dish for my family, I replaced the egg whites with whole egg (and I do not want to have any leftover egg yolks). I have also used more tofu since the blocks of tofu available here usually come in 300g packs.

The original recipe is meant for a weight loss programme and the dish can be served along with some brown rice. I served it for my family of four as a side dish instead. This is a simple and healthy dish that is enjoyed by everyone in my family, especially my elder son. I am rather surprised that he likes this as he has quite a well developed palate. This dish has now become our new regular on our dining table :)



Steamed Tofu with Egg 嫩豆腐蒸蛋

Ingredients:
(serves 4 as a side dish)

200g silken tofu (I used 300g which is 1 block of tofu)
2 egg whites (I used 1 whole egg)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (according to taste)
1 shiitake mushroom (fresh or dried)
1 red chili, sliced
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds (I used white)


Method:

• Wash and cut fresh shiitake mushroom into slices (presoak dried shiitake mushroom if using).
• Mash silken tofu with a folk. Add in lightly beaten egg/egg whites.
• Add salt, mushroom slices, chili slices and sesame seeds. Mix to combine.
• Place mixture in serving dish and steam at high heat for 10mins. Sprinkle with some sesame seeds, ground black pepper (optional), before serving.

Recipe source: adapted from 吃三天瘦一圈 by 李承桓

Luo Han Guo with Lotus Roots dessert 罗汉果莲藕甜汤

It has been a few months since I last updated my blog...it feels good to be able to sit down and post something today.

I bookmarked this luo han guo with lotus root dessert ever since my blogging pal Sherlyn gave me a cookbook filled with delicious dessert recipes. As usual, I procrastinated and eventually forgot about it. It is only when the weather is getting so hot and warm that this recipe came to my mind.

This dessert soup is very simple to prepare as there are only 3 ingredients...lotus root, lou han guo and some red dates. These three ingredients are packed with nutritional values and are known for their wide range of health benefits. There is no sugar added to this soup as the lou han guo is naturally very sweet. I bought the lotus root from the wet market, those which are sold covered in mud. I think this type of lotus root is better as it is more fresh and crunchy.

This healthy dessert soup helps to remove heatiness and moisten the lungs. Besides the health benefits, it is a delightful, fragrant and sweet dessert that can be enjoyed warm, hot or chilled.



Luo Han Guo with Lotus Roots dessert 罗汉果莲藕甜汤

Ingredients:
(serves 4)

2 luo han guo fruits (I used only 1 fruit)
1 large section of lotus roots
6 cups (1.5 litres) of water
10 red dates

Method:

• Rinse and soak the red dates in some water for about 15 mins.
• Rinse and crack the luo han guo.
• Wash and peel the lotus roots. Cut into slices (about 5mm thick).
• Fill pot with 6 cups of water, add in the luo han guo and red dates, bring to boil. Cover, turn to Low heat and leave to simmer for about 20 mins.
• Add in the lotus roots, bring to boil and leave to simmer on Low heat for about 15 mins. 
• Serve hot, warm or chilled (let cool and leave to chill in the fridge before serving).

Recipe source: 甜蜜食堂, 贝太厨房