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Chinese New Year had been a busy round of spring cleaning and visiting. After one week of hiatus from WHB, the Pancakes are back again! Cinzia from Cindystar is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week's feature will be none other than red dates!
Dates contain easily digested carbohydrates with a high sugar content of 60%. They are also an excellent source of fiber and trace elements like copper, potassium, manganese, magnesium, iron and phosphorus. Dates are often served with milk in the Middle East to make it a complete meal and they are also served alone or in desserts.
Dates are usually harvested in late autumn and early winter, but they store quite well and is available all year round. The dates used here are from China, and dried version is usually used by the Chinese in soups and nourishing desserts.
The extra large fruit you see, comparatively with the rest in the bowl, was brought back from Xi'an by my parents late last year when they went for a trip there. They are amazingly sweet, especially after adding them to a soup.
Red Dates Tea is considered nourishing and because of the colour (ruby-red) it is considered good luck to drink it, especially during this festive season (Lunar New Year).
Apart from red dates, dried honey dates and dried longans were used to add sweetness and give a much mellow taste to the whole drink.
You will need:
50 dried red dates
3 -5 dried honey dates
3 dried longans (large) / 8 dried longans (small)
1 large knob of ginger, smashed
8 cups water
1 medium piece rock sugar
Simply but water to boil and add all ingredients to it. Put over low heat overnight and viola! I used a slow cooker here.
The longer the brewing time, the more ruby red the tea will be. The larger dates were cut up to release the flavours to the water. A more direct way to make this drink is to boil a kettle of water (3/4 full) and once the water is boiling, throw in all the ingredients to make the water level up to the 'full' mark. Leave it overnight or place under low heat.
Serve warm or chilled.
Simona from Briciole is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging. The rules for taking part can be found here.
As promised, this week's entry will be on pineapples. It's Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) or CNY and it's pastry and snacks time! My favourite CNY delight has got to be pineapple tarts.
Pineapple tarts comes in many forms. The tarts, with cookies and pineapple jam on top is the more common type. There is also the pineapple rolls and pineapple roll cookies where the pineapple is enclosed by a buttery roll. My favourite go to be the pineapple roll cookies.
The pineapple is a tropical fruit with a rather unique taste of apple, strawberry and peach mixed together as some would claim. The pineapple is an excellent source of vitamin C and some forms of vitamin B. Unknown to many, pineapple also contains the trace mineral manganese, an important cofactor in certain enzymes production.
One trick to keep pineapple fresh and retain its taste and juiciness, is to store them in air-tight containers with some of its juice in the refrigerator.
This is not the typical type of jam used on breads. The pineapple jam used here is dry, instead of jello like. This recipe is adapted from a cooking class that I attended with my wife.
Pineapple Jam
You will need:
4 small pineapples (honey pineapple)
1 large Sarawak pineapple
50g cane rock sugar - to give the jam a nice brown colour
150g caster sugar
50g sugar
salt
2-3 cloves + 1 small piece of star anise (to be removed after 10 mins of cooking.)
1. Grate the honey pineapples, including the core.
2. Chop the Sarawak pineapple finely. This will provide the fibre.
3. Drain off pineapple juices, DO NOT squeeze off the juices. You will probably need 2 hours. You will need the pineapples to be really dry. Use the drained juice as a drink or make a cocktail!
4. Add all ingredients into a pot.
5. Cook on low heat until syrupy and slightly brown. Stir at least once every 15mins to prevent sugars from burning.
6. You will notice that the pineapple will change to a dark yellow colour as it cooks.
7. Remove cloves and anise. Cool in room temperature.
8. Store in fridge. If cooked properly, this jam can be stored for up to a year in the fridge.
Take note that no water should be allowed into the mixture as it spoils the jam.
Butter Cookie Dough (courtesy of a friend's mum)
You will need :
60g Salted Butter
65g Unsalted butter
160g plain flour
1 egg yolk
12g milk powder
25g caster sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla essense
1/8 tsp vanillin powder
1. Mix the butter and sugar. Add in egg yolk
2. Slowly mix in flour, milk powder, vanilla essense and vanillin.
3. Roll out dough and put in the pineapple jam.
4. Brush with egg yolk wash.
5. Bake at 180C till golden brown.
Enjoy!
Rachel from The Crispy Cook is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging. The rules for taking part can be found here.
Wolfberries also known as 枸杞 had been used in China for centuries. It is also known as the Chinese wolfberries or Chinese Boxthorn. Wolfberries claimed medicinal properties includes liver protection, improving the eyesight and increase longevity. They are also known to strengthen weak legs.
Wolfberries had been used in teas, soups, tonic brews, stew, wine and also eaten like raisins. In Singapore, the dried wolfberries are most common and can be easily purchased at Chinese medicinal stores. It is also relatively cheap.
The dish here uses dried wolfberries stir-fried with 乃白 (nai bai), a kind of seasonal vegetable commonly available in this region. Cheap and nutritious, this dish can be found on the reunion dinners during the Chinese Lunar New Year.
You will need: (serves 2 to 4)
Handful of dried wolfberries
500g nai bai
garlic
Soak wolfberries in warm water for half hour. Drain and set aside.
Brown chopped garlic.
Add the vegetables and stir-fry.
Just before serving, add in the wolfberries.
This week's Weekend Herb Blogging#217 will be hosted by Anna of Anna's Cool Finds. The rules for taking part can be found here.
One of my favourite root vegetable is the carrot! Carrots are an excellent source of anti-oxidants. I had been told since young that eating carrots promote good vision. (which subsequently led to me inducing that rabbits have great eyesight since they eat carrots) and as I grow older, this story was proven scientifically right! The high level of beta-carotene found in carrots helps protect against the development of senile cataracts.
Carrots are efficient in keeping water content and they tend to keep longer than other vegetables. The attached green tops should be cut off before storage to prevent the leaves from drawing water from the root which will cause the carrot to wilt.
A not-commonly known property of the radish family is that the root contain a good level of vitamin C. As a member of the cruciferous vegetable family, radish has the cancer-protection traits of its cousins (brocolli, cabbage, brussel sprouts...) Cooking destroys radish root's vitamin C content and therefore it is best eaten raw.
As the Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year is approaching, I share with you my favourite festive dish. It is claimed that this dish is crafted by the early immigrants of Singapore and has since found its way around the Chinese community around the globe.
Yusheng (Raw Fish Salad) is a mixture of shredded vegetable roots with pickled condiments. It is believed that by tossing the yusheng, it will bring good fortune and prosperity to the family.
Yusheng (Raw Fish Salad)
1 shredded radish (large)
3 shredded carrots
1 shredded cucumber (to add the coolness and freshness to the dish)
(bought from store)
pickled melon strip
pickled brown melon strip
pickled cucumber
pickled leek strip
pickled yellow melon strip
white sour ginger strip
sweeten lime strip
red sweeten ginger strip
white pepper powder
cinnamon powder
plum sauce
crispy biscuit bits
powdered peanuts
toasted white sesame seeds
The pickled condiments are arranged around the shredded roots, forming a colourful presentation to the dish. The plum sauce is then poured over the shredded roots. White pepper and cinnamon powder is sprinkled over the vegetables and covered by the peanut powder and sesame seeds. The dish is completed by sprinkling of the biscuit bits.
(Raw fish sliced thinly - with lime squeezed over was not added as this variant is for vegetarians.)
Toss to good fortune and prosperity!!!
The first round of WHB for 2010 is here! This week's Weekend Herb Blogging#215 will be hosted by Haalo of Cook(almost)AnythingAtLeastOnce. The rules for taking part can be found here.
Mr Pancakes went marketing with his mum, straight after the gastronomical honeymoon trip with Mrs Pancakes. It is always fun to visit the wet markets, you'll never know what you see there.
While Mama was picking out the vegetables, Mr Pancakes saw this intriguing box of roots. Something he had never seen before. They look like water chestnuts, but white.
Upon inquiring the stall owners, this is the famed arrowroot! Mr Pancakes always thought it is a very western country thing. But heyho! One of the dialect groups of China (Teochews)! According to the stall owner, arrowroot chips are eaten during the Lunar New Year and is considered good luck and prosperous to the Teochews and that's why it is a festive dish!
Arrowroot got its name from its usage to treat poison arrow wounds and other poisonous insect bits like the scorpions. Arrowroot is easily digested and has a widely bland taste. It is sometimes used as a diet for those with a bad appetite as the arrowroot starch does not cause nauseousness. Although it is more easily digestible, it contains mainly starch and almost no protein and is not the most nutritious rhizomes available. Arrowroot powder is commonly used in puddings, jellies, cakes and hot sauces.
As the Lunar New Year approaches, the arrowroot will be the staple for more people of this region as we seek into prosperity for the coming Tiger Year.
Arrowroot Chips with Chinese Sausage
You will need: (serves 2 to 4)
6 bulbs of arrowroots, skinned and sliced thickly
1 Chinese Sausage (lak cheong), sliced
Chopped garlic
Salt
Pepper
Cooking oil (Grapeseed oil is great for it's neutral taste)
1. Lightly fry the arrowroot chips in hot oil till almost golden brown. Set aside.
2. Saute chopped garlic and add in sliced chinese sausage. Stir-fry on high heat.
3. Add the fried arrowroot chips. Turn to low heat and cover for 3-5mins. Allow the flavours of the sausage to be infused into the chips.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve warm and 'huat' (prosperous) to the New Year!
Last round of WHB before the Christmas break. This week's Weekend Herb Blogging#214 will be hosted by Haalo of Cook(almost)AnythingAtLeastOnce. The rules for taking part can be found here.
Mr Pancakes' ancestral roots traces way back to Henghua in Fujian Province in China. The ancient Chinese consider it a delicacy and is served to royalty or guests of honour. Seaweed is used widely in Henghua cuisine and it greatly enhances the taste of the dishes. Unknown to many, seaweed is neither an animal or a plant. It is actually a form of algae. The seaweed used here is the red seaweed or 紫菜 (literally purple vegetable in Chinese) as they are sold in their dried form and are dark purple-black in colour.
Seaweed contains many minerals, virtually all that can be found in the ocean. They are also a good source of calcium, sodium and iodine.
The Seaweed with Beancurd dish here is the vegetarian version. Seaweed, beancurd, mushrooms are the main players in this simple, soupy dish.
Seaweed Soup with Beancurd & Mushrooms
You will need: (serves 4)
3 pieces tofu (beancurd), cut into cubes.
50grams dried seaweed
3 slices of ginger
5 button / shitake mushrooms (diced)
some shredded carrot (1/2 carrot)
diced celery (1 stalk)
1L water
1 1/2 tablespoon cooking oil
pepper to taste
1. Bring water to boil in a pot. In a separate pan, heat up cooking oil. Saute the ginger, diced mushrooms and shredded carrot. Put sauteed ingredients into the boiling pot of water.
2. When water comes back to boil, add beancurd dices to soup. Add in diced celery and seaweed. Bring soup back to a boil. Add pepper to taste and the dish is ready to be served.
Mr Pancakes is getting the hang of it and is excited every time WHB comes around. What a great way to share! This week's Weekend Herb Blogging#212 will be hosted by Laurie from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska. WHB is a weekly food blog event that showcases information and recipes about herbs, vegetables, fruits and other plant ingredients. WHB is organized by Haalo of Cook(almost)AnythingAtLeastOnce. The rules for taking part can be found here.
For this week, Mr Pancakes would like to share a all-Asian cast: Boiled Chinese Pear with Chinese Almond Dessert.
The Chinese Yellow Pear is used here as the main ingredient. A picture of the pear can be seen here, Mr Pancakes is ashamed that he forgot to take a picture of the fruits before cooking them. The yellow Chinese pear has a thin yellow skin. The white flesh is slightly grainy, as compared to the green pears. It is oblong, unlike the Asian (nashi) pear. It is believed that the yellow chinese pear relieves cough and calm wheezing.
Another main part of this dessert the Chinese Almond (杏仁) or apricot seed. There are two types of chinese almond, mainly those from the south (sweet taste) and the north (bitter taste). The Chinese almond seeds from the north is believed to have similar properties to the yellow Chinese pear, they stop cough and 'moisten' the intestines. A mixture of north and south Chinese almond seeds are used here to balance the taste.
A sweet, 'cooling' dessert and apparently to relieve cough and irritation to the throat
Boiled Chinese Yellow Pear with Chinese Almond (炖雪梨)
This is a long time childhood dessert. All kids love sweet stuff! This is a healthy, nutritional dessert and it cleanse the palate nicely, especially after a heavy meal.
You will need: (serves 4)
2 yellow Chinese Pears
50 gram rock sugar
500ml water
8 Chinese red dates (optional)
1. Peel the skins off the pears, core and cut into quarters.
2. Bring water to boil in a pot.
3. Put all ingredients into the pot and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.
4. Serve hot or put into the fridge to chill and serve cold.
