Spiced Tofu with Bean sprouts

" What?? Vegetarian **%% ?? What do you eat then ? " That is what I got from my colleague when I told him that I am a vegetarian.

He he and that is just one of the weird comments I received..There are a lot more in the listJ

Here is another one "Girl, where do u get all protein u need..no wonder u r so short"J..

So to all my dear friends who are soo worried about my protein intake..here is the answer, I do get my fare share from Legumes, Tofu ,Nuts etc etcJ

Here in Singapore, we get like a hundred varieties of tofu and I love to play around with them..

Now, this is the latest one I got my hands on to..Spiced Tau Kwa aka spiced Extra Firm Tofu

Spiced Tofu with Bean sprouts

Ingredients

100 gms Tau Kwa

1 Cup Bean Sprouts

1 Red Chilly chopped finely

2 Cloves Garlic & ½ Inch Ginger chopped finely

2 Stems Parsley

1-2  tspn Sesame Oil

1 tspn light Soy sauce

Directions

Cube the Tau kwa and add it to boiling water and simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Strain and keep aside the Tau Kwa

In a wok, add the oil and sauté the ginger and Garlic

Add the Chilly and sauté for few seconds.

Add the tau kwa and soy sauce and stir fry for 2 minutes

Add the bean sprouts and cook until the sprouts turn light and tender.

Add the chopped parsley and stir well.

There you have a spicy, crispy and healthy dish:-)

Rose Crème Brûlée

Xin Nian Kuai Le!! Happy Chinese New!!

May this year of Dragon bring good luck, success and peace to all of usJ

Coming to today’s recipe, it’s one of my favorite dessert recipe..Creme Brulee..A rose flavored Crème Brulee

I followed the same recipe for the simple Vanilla Crème Brulee plus some Rose syrup addition

And the result Heaven on earth!!Or rather heaven on your mouthJ

Rose Crème Brûlée

Ingredients

200 ml Crème

2 tbspn Caster Sugar

2 egg yolks

2 tbspn Rose Syrup

Half a Vanilla bean

Directions

Preheat the oven to 120 Degrees

Scrape the pulp of Vanilla bean and add the pulp as well as the bean to the cream.

Heat the cream in a pot until bubbles start to appear around the sides.

Let the cream sit for few minutes for the vanilla flavor to infuse well. Take the vanilla bean out.

Now Add the sugar to the egg yolks and beat well. The lighter the yolks the smoother your custard will be

Slowly add the hot cream to the egg yolks, stirring continuously.

Now add the Rose syrup. The amount of rose syrup depends on the type of Rose syrup you use.

[I used the Rose syrup used for making Bandung to I had to use 2 tbspn to get the flavour]

Strain the custard mix using a fine sieve.

Pour the custard into the ramekins.

Place the ramekins in a large pan and pour in enough water upto halfway of the ramekins.

Place on the tray in the center of the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes  until the custard is just set and still a bit wobbly in the middle.

Remove the tray out of the oven and let it cool to room temperature.

Once cooled down transfer to refrigerator for few hours

When ready to serve, add a teaspoon of sugar over the surface, gently tilt the ramekins so that it is evenly distributed

Caramelize the top using a blow torch

You can also caramelize in the oven using the broil function..

Off this goes to Valentines Day @Anzzcafe and Sweet Luv@ Zesty Palatte

Kueh Sago/Steamed Tapioca pearls cake

Kuehs are bit size snacks from Malay inheritance. I love their subtle flavor, lovely texture and mild sweetness.

This one in particular is one of my favorite Kueh. Its blissfully easy to put together and is made of Sago or tapioca pearls.

Kueh Sago/Steamed Tapioca pearls cake

Ingredients

150g Sago

4 tbspn Sugar

1 tspn Rose essence

Grated coconut

A Drop of Rose food coloring [Optional]

Directions

Soak the sago in water for about 1.5-2 hrs.

Optional-You can add a little bit of food coloring to the soaking water

After about 2 hrs, strain the sago and discard the water . Mix it with Sugar and rose essence.

Pour the mix to a steaming tray and steam for 25 minutes until all peals has become transparent.

Let it cool. Once cooled down , cut it into squares and coat well with grated coconut.

Chai Spiced Fruit n Seed Loaf

Who doesn’t like a cup of hot Masala Chai..

Ever thought of adding that hot delight into your cake? If not, do try baking with tea.

I bet you will fall in love with the flavorsJ

And yes, you can very well have this healthy delight with all fruity goodness as your breakfast

Chai Spiced Fruit n Seed Loaf

Ingredients

150 ml of Strong Black Tea

170 gms of Dried fruits + Seeds of your choice

50 gms butter

50 gms Brown Sugar

½ tspn Baking Soda

½ tspn Baking powder

½ tspn Mixed Spice powder

110 gms Whole Wheat Flour

1 egg

Pinch of salt

Directions

Brew a strong tea of your choice with 150 ml water . I used 2 Masala Chai tea bags

In the same pan add the butter,sugar, dried fruits, baking soda , salt and bring to Boil.

[For dry fruits I used a mix of Raisins,  cherries ,apricots , cranberries and Lemon rind]

In another bowl ,sift the flour , mixed spice powder and baking powder.

Stir in the seeds- I used Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and Flax seeds

Add the wet ingredients and egg and mix until just combined.

Spoon the mix to a loaf pan and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree for 40 minutes

I recommend you keep it in refrigerator overnight and have it the following day as the flavor enhances a lot the next day

Apricot Rock Buns

Don’t get turned off by the name…It has nothing to do with RockJ

On the contrary it has a supple and chewy inside and crunchy outside..

I bet this will become your family favorite breakfast once you try these healthy delights!

Apricot Rock Buns

Adapted from Power Food by Janette Marshall

Ingredients

125 gms Whole meal flour

½ tspn All spice flour

½ tspn Baking powder

30 gms butter

30 gms Brown sugar

60-70 gms Dried Apricots chopped

2 tbpsn Flaxseeds

Grated rind of ½ lemon

1 egg white

2 tbspn Milk

Directions

Pre heat the oven to 220 degrees

Mix together the flour, baking powder and spice powder in a bowl

Rub the butter to the flour , until it has reached bread crumbs consistency

Add in the sugar, apricots, Flax seeds, lemon rind to the flour mix

Beat the milk and egg white together and mix with the dry ingredients to make a soft dough

Place spoonful batter into a baking sheet and lightly roughen the surface using a fork.

Bake it for 12-15 minutes.

Let it cool on a wire rack

Bite right it while it is still warm and njoy the rocky bunsJ

Black Pepper Tofu

I had this fiery Black pepper tofu from a Thai Take out place a few days back and absolutely loved its bold and sizzling taste..

It’s a bit on the spicy side with all chilly, pepper corns and ginger..so please feel free to play around the spicy level as per you palate

Black Pepper Tofu

Ingredients

100 gms Firm tofu

3 tbspn Corn Flour

½ tspn Pepper powder

2 tspn Black pepper corns

1 tbspn Light Soy sauce

2 Shallots finely chopped

2 Cloves Garlic finely chopped

1 inch Ginger finely chopped

1 Red Chilly finely chopped

2 tbpsn Oil

Directions

Pat dry the tofu and cut it into ½ inch cubes

Add the corn flour, pepper powder and a pinch of salt to the tofu and toss so that the tofu is coated well.

Heat the oil in a pan and shallow fry the tofu until the crust is lightly browned on all sides

In the same pan, add the chilly, shallots, ginger and garlic and sauté well for few minutes 

Add the tofu, soy sauce and 2 tbpsn water.

Pound the pepper corn and add it to the pan 

Sprinkle a pinch of corn flour so that the sauce thickens.

Sauté for 3-4 minutes and serve hot J

Beetroot Risotto

Cheers to you 2012!!

A warm and hearty New Year wishes to all my dear readersJ

Hope you had a wonderful New Year party with your dear ones!

Coming to the recipe..

Remember how I managed to get a good bargain for Risotto rice here?

I have been trying different Risotto recipes over the holidays and this one is the winner so far.

Isn’t the color lovely?? [Excuse the self praise :-)]

  

Beetroot Risotto

Ingredients

3/4 Cup Carnaroli rice

1 Large Beetroot

3 cups of vegetable stock

1 Onion diced

3-4 Garlic Cloves chopped

1 tspn of dried rosemary leaves or flavorings of your choice

3-4 tablespoon of parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon Olive oil

Directions

Peel and dice the beetroots. Lightly cook the beets in an oven or a microwave until tender.

I cooked in microwave for 3 minutes.

Let it cool and puree the beets in a blender. Keep aside

Now bring the stock to boil

In another pan, heat the olive oil ,sauté the onion, garlic and rosemary for few minutes

Add the rice and sauté for 2-3 minutes

Add the stock 1/2 cup at a time and stir lightly. You have to keep stirring lightly.

Once the stock is completely absorbed, add another half cup of stock and continue to stir.

Once the rice is almost half done, add the beetroot puree and mix well.

Keep adding ½ cup stock at a time and stir until the rice is cooked and slightly chewy.It might take 15-20 min

You can add the parmesan cheese towards the end and stir well.

Add salt and pepper to taste.