Eat, Pray, Love: Weekly story

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Hey guys! It's going to be May soon! Time passes so fast that more than a quarter of a year has crept away. Still remember Seasonal Story post at the beginning of the month whereby I mentioned about April seasonal vegetables? Well, the limelight today will be on May seasonal vegetable - Brussel Sprout. Together with this tough lady, this post will also be focussing on Lamb Riblets which have overwhelming fat content! Other key ingredients include Celery and Tofu.

Day 1

Grilled Lamb, Pumpkin, Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts with Thyme

Ingredients:

- Pumpkin

- Potato

- Lamb chop

- Brussel sprouts

- Pine nuts

- Garlic

- Thyme

- Seasoning: salt and pepper

- Extra virgin olive oil

Methods:

1) Marinate the lamb chop with salt, pepper, garlic cloves and soy sauce for at least half and hour.

2) Mix extra virgin olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl. Coat pumpkin, potatoes and brussel sprouts with the mixture.

3) Grill all the ingredients in the oven (180-210'C) for 15-20 minutes.

Note: I love the crunchiness of grilled brussel sprouts as they are less bitter, however beware that you don't over grill them in high temperature. Thyme does play an important role in enhancing the flavour of each ingredient.

Grilled lamb, pumpkin, potatoes and brussel sprouts

Day 2

Fried Rice Stuffed Portobello + Hashed Brussel Sprouts Stuffed Celery

Ingredients:

- Celery

- Corn

- Brussel sprouts

- Tomato

- Tofu

- Rice

- Portobello

- Cheddar cheese

- Dijon mustard

- Seasoning: Salt, pepper

Methods:

1) Fried rice stuffed portobello recipe here. Instead of using sushi rice, I substitute it with fried rice. Tofu is being smashed to simulate the texture of eggs. Black soy sauce and sesame oil are added to fried rice to enhance the flavour. At last, cheddar cheese is put on top of fried rice and portobello to be baked in the oven.

2) Stuffed celery recipe: Saute garlic and onion in the pan. Add in, corn, mashed tofu, tomato, brussel sprouts in strip form. Season with some dijon mustard, Shaoxing wine, salt and pepper. Stuff them in a celery stick and top with cheddar cheese strip. Microwave them in oven so that the cheese melts.

Fried rice stuffed portobello + Stuffed celery sticks

Day 3

Nutella Oat Bar + Nutella Stuffed Celery Sticks

Ingredients:

- Celery sticks, nutella

- Oat

- Sweetened condensed milk

- Chocolate chip

- Nuts

- Nutella

Methods:

1) Nutella stuffed celery stick: Spread nutella generously until it fills the whole celery stick groove. This is the Australian style snacks. You can try it with peanut butter too.

Nutella stuffed celery stick

2) Nutella Oat Bar:
(i) Pour around 1/4 cup of sweetened condensed milk onto a frying pan. Bring it to simmer. Stir constantly to prevent it from being burnt.
(ii) Crush chocolate chips and nuts and mix it with 1/2 cup of oats.
(iii) Pour the condensed milk into the mixture and mix them together
(iv) Condense the mixture in a baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes (180'C).

Nutella oat bar

Day 4

Grilled Black Pepper Sauce Marinated Lamb Riblets + Stir Fried Brussel Sprouts with Wolfberries and Dates

Ingredients:
- Lamb riblets
- Marinating sauce: Black pepper sauce, Sugar, Soy sauce, Salt, Pepper
- Brussel Sprouts
- Wolfberries and Dates
- Seasoning: ShaoXing wine, Salt, Pepper

Methods:
1) Marinate lamb riblets using the marinating sauce above. Leave them aside for at least half an hour.
2) Saute garlic and onion till fragrant. Add in brussel sprouts, some water, wolfberries and dates. Let them to simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add some seasoning to the brussel sprouts.
3) Grill the lamb riblets in the oven for 15-20 minutes (210'C).

Notes: Another option of marinating sauce would be mixture of lime juice, thyme, salt, pepper and soy sauce. A surprise as the lime juice exerts sour and refreshing flavour onto the riblets.

Grilled black pepper sauce marinated lamb riblets + Stir fried brussel sprouts with wolfberries and dates

Day 5

Lamb Riblets Stew with Tofu and Bok Choy

Ingredients:

- Lamb riblets

- Corn

- Bok Choy

- Chicken or vegetable stock

- Tofu

Methods:

1) Saute garlic and onion until fragrant.

2) Prepare 500ml stock and bring it to boil.

3) Add in garlic, onion, lamb riblets, corn and tofu. Simmer it for around 1.5-2 hours. Add in bok choy at the last 1/2 hour.

Notes: Another option is to substitute bok choy with pickled radish or pickled cabbage.

Lamb riblets stew with tofu and bok choy

Do follow the weekly recipe story here and drop me any comments if you have any dishes to introduce so that I can try it out.

-The end of the presentation of the fellow humble dishes-

Love, Victoria

Being a smart grocery shopper is never easy as you have to compare the prices between grocery stores, not to mention big supermarkets. But there is a tip: always go for seasonal fruits and vegetables because their price will be the cheapest at that season of the year. As for April, the seasonal fruits and vegetables are grapes, plums, lemons, pears, pumpkins, potatoes and eggplants. This will save you some time in researching about the seasonal fruits and vege.

And so, this week is about Eggplant, Plum, Potato and Pumpkin. Most of these ingredients can help to reduce risk of cancer and improve our skin tone! Why not have a try?

Day 1

Battered Seafood Marinara with Plum Sauce

Ingredients:

- Seafood marinara

- Plain flour

- Baking powder

- Milk

- Salt

- Fresh plum

- Red wine vinegar

- Dijon mustard

- Sugar

Methods:

1) Recipe for the batter here. Coat seafood marinara well with the batter before shallow or deep frying.

2) Plum sauce recipe: Core a plum and remove its skin. Cut it into small cubes. Put the plum and water together in a pan. Cook till the plum is soft and can be squashed. Water should not be put too much. Add in water if it is drying up. Add in 1-2 tablespoon of red wine vinegar and dijon mustard. Stir it to get the taste. If you prefer it to be sweeter, add some sugar.

3) Serve the seafood marinara together with the plum sauce.

Battered seafood marinara with plum sauce

Day 2

Baked Eggs with Grilled Eggplant

Ingredients:

- Egg

- Cherry tomato

- Greek yogurt

- Spinach or mesculin mix

- Feta cheese

- Eggplant

- Salt, pepper

- Extra virgin olive oil

- Thyme

Methods:

1) Put a layer of spinach or mesculin mix at the base of ramekins. Top it with greek yogurt. Break an egg onto the yogurt. Make sure that the yolk is in the middle of the ramekins. Add in cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with feta cheese. Bake in the oven for around 8-15 minutes or until the white is set.

2) Cut eggplant into slices. You can choose not to remove the skin. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper, thyme and extra virgin olive oil. Grill them in oven (180-200 degree Celcius) for around 20-30 minutes. The eggplant will appear to be soggy yet crusty at the side.

Baked eggs with grilled eggplants

Day 3

Stir fried Pork with Sweet Preserved Radish + Stir fried Pumpkin with Dry Scallop

Ingredients:

- Sweet preserved radish

- Pork or chicken

- Pumpkin

- Dry scallop or Dry shrimp

- Garlic

Methods:

1) Saute garlic until it is fragrant. Add in sweet preserved radish to stir fry. Then add in pork.

2) Saute garlic and dry scallop in a pan. Add in pumpkin and some water. Let the pumpkin to be cooked till soft. Add in some water if it seems to dry out.

3) Serve them with rice.

Note: My comfort food at home, perfect for the winter meal! Try to get sweet preserved radish rather than the salty one for this dish.

Stir fried pork with sweet preserved radish + Stir fried pumpkin with dry scallops

Day 4

Homemade Seafood Marinara and Eggplant Pizza

Ingredients:

- Plain flour

- Greek yogurt

- Eggplant

- Seafood marinara

- Mesculin mix

- Cheddar cheese

- Pasta sauce

Methods:

1) Pizza dough recipe: Mix 1 cup of self raising flour and 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt together. Knead into a dough. Sprinkle some additional flour if it is too sticky. Add some salt and Italian herbs (optional) into the dough. Flatten the dough out.

2) Spread pasta sauce on the flattened dough. Add seafood marinara, cubed eggplant, mesculin mix and sundried tomato on top. Sprinkle shredded cheese/sliced cheddar cheese on top.

3) Bake it in oven (210 degree Celcius) for around 25-35 minutes.

Note: I stuffed cheddar cheese at the periphery of the dough so that it can resemble Pizza Hut pizza back home. You can flatten it more if you like pizza with thinner crust. That would cook better and more evenly. Surprisingly, this 2-ingredients-pizza-crust works out pretty well.

Homemade seafood marinara and eggplant pizza

Day 5

Pan-fried Chicken Drumstick with Mushroom Gravy + Mashed Potato

Ingredients:

- Chicken drumstick

- Mushroom

- Thickened cream

- Chicken stock

- Potato

- Milk

- Butter

- Salt and pepper

Methods:

1) Coat chicken drumstick with salt and pepper. Pan fry it until the skin turns brown and that the flesh is cooked.

2) Mashed potato: Cook cubed potatoes in boiling water until they are soft. Mash it using fork and spoon. Add some butter and milk to smooth the texture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3) Mushroom gravy recipe here.

Note: I did not cook the gravy long enough and that results in a flowy texture. You can put some gravy on mashed potato too.

Pan-fried chicken drumstick with mushroom gravy + mashed potato

Day 6

Honey Roasted Pumpkin + Soy Sauce Pork with Potato

Ingredients:

- Pumpkin

- Honey

- Salt, pepper, thyme, extra virgin olive oil

- Potato

- Pork

- Garlic

- Dark soy sauce, soy sauce

- Fish sauce, oyster sauce

Methods:

1) Recipe for honey roasted pumpkin here. Add some thyme to enhance the flavour.

2) Soy sauce chicken with potato: Saute garlic and add in pork. Add some water (3/4 covering the pork) and 1-2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce and soy sauce. Add cubed potatoes into the pan. Add in pepper, fish sauce and oyster sauce to taste. Cook until the potatoes are soft.
3) Serve with rice.

Honey roasted pumpkin + Soy sauce pork and potato

Enjoy the pleasant early April weather and prepare for the cold!

Love, Victoria

Hello lovelies! It's Easter and I thought that I should dedicate a post to this special occasion. Easter might be so commercialised and overwhelmed by Easter eggs, Easter bunny, Hot cross buns etc. It can mean a long weekend for you where you can catch up with friends, work, play or maybe sleep. All in all, these cannot represent how imperative this occasion means to me. It's a day of salvation where all of us are FREE, where a heartbroken yet meaningful sacrifice had been made, where we can have a personal relationship with God despite our sins and where we are able to conquer everything through His resurrection.

And so, I decided to celebrate this weekend with some baking and cooking.

Penne with asparagus pesto

Ingredients:

- Asparagus

- Penne

- Prawn

- Eggplant

- Garlic

- Sundried tomato

- Salt and pepper

- Pine nuts

- Danish feta

- Extra virgin olive oil

Methods:

1) Cook penne according to the instructions on the packet.

2) Boil a pot of hot water with some salt inside. Put asparagus inside until it turns bright green.

3) Recipe for asparagus pesto here.

4) Saute garlic, prawn and eggplant together. Add in penne and saute for a little while with addition of some salt and pepper.

5) Add in sundried tomato.

Notes: I didn't add baby spinach and lemon into the asparagus pesto. The pesto tasted a little bit vegetable-ish, I guess more salt and danish feta will be helpful. I tried to make my own sundried tomato but not really successful. You can refer to the methods of making sundried tomato here. Optionally, you can get sundried tomato without much hassle from supermarket.

Penne with asparagus pesto

Asparagus and poached egg with hollandaise sauce + Mashed sweet potato

Ingredients:

- Egg

- Prawn

- Garlic

- Mixed greens

- Cherry tomato

- Asparagus

Mashed sweet potato

- Sweet potato

- Milk

- Butter

- Exta virgin olive oil

- Salt and pepper

Hollandaise sauce

- Egg yolk

- Water

- Butter

- Lemon juice

- Salt and pepper

Mustard vinaigrette (with red wine vinegar)

- Dijon mustard

- Egg yolk

- Red wine vinegar

- Extra virgin olive oil

- Salt and pepper

Methods:

1) Recipe for Hollandaise sauce here.

2) Recipe for sweet potato mash here. I omitted the addition of balsamic vinegar and used purple sweet potato instead of orange sweet potato. It turned out smooth and delicious.

3) Recipe for mustard vinaigrette here. Use extra virgin olive oil for vegetable oil and red wine vinegar for white wine vinegar. I wanted to make mayonnaise initially but it turned out to be a different taste (more sour due to addition of red wine vinegar). Blend the egg yolk using food processor. Be aware of the choice of egg yolk as uncooked egg yolk can pose the risk of Salmonella infection. Choose fresh intact egg with its whites and yolk separated.

4) Recipe for poached egg here. I didn't add white wine vinegar in my poached egg.

Notes: This took me 2 hours for preparation but it is worthwhile as the resulting meal was satisfying.

Asparagus and poached egg with hollandaise sauce + Mashed sweet potato

Poached egg

Grilled avocado stuffed chicken breast

Ingredients:
- Chicken breast
- Avocado
- Cherry tomato
- Garlic
- Lime/lemon
- Plain flour
- Salt and pepper
- Butter and olive oil

Recipe here.

Notes: I substitute pork chop with chicken breast for health reason and availability. Cherry tomato is an add on to the recipe as I love a tinge of sourness in my meal. Check out the above recipe for mustard vinaigrette.

Grilled avocado stuffed chicken breast

Lemon thyme cupcakes with salted caramel filling

Ingredients:
- Lemon
- Thyme
- Plain flour
- Milk
- Butter
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Sea salt
- Thickened cream

Methods
1) Salted caramel fillings recipe here.
2) Lemon thyme cupcakes recipe here.

Notes: Heavy cream in the salted caramel recipe is equivalent to thickened cream. Add sea salt for further boost of flavour. I had been trying to incorporate salted caramel as a filling in the cupcakes but I failed to do so. I had tried to pour half the cupcake mixture and put salted caramel, then covered it with another half of the mixture. As salted caramel will melt, so the effect was not too good. In the end, I filled the salted caramel in my nozzle and force through the cupcakes, creating a wound-like cupcakes, just like the wound on Jesus' hands and feets.

Hot cross bun-like lemon and thyme cupcakes

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3: 16)

That's all for my Easter's cooking and baking. Check out other stories here. Have a blessed Easter!

Love, Victoria

How many of you guys like soup, especially during the chilly weather? Well, I love slurping soup down my throat, feeling the warmth at my stomach. That reminds me of my home and mummy's dish too. Such a relief and reminiscence you can get when you are oversea. So, this week is about SOUP. In case you miss out on the previous weeks' recipe, you can check it out here.

Day 1

Bak Kut Teh / Pork Ribs Soup

Ingredients:

- Pork ribs

- Fried tofu puff

- Enoki mushroom

- Cos Lettuce

- Dark Soy Sauce

- Soy Sauce

- Garlic

- Bak Kut Teh Herbal Soup Pack

Recipe here.

Note: Rice will be a great combination to Bak Kut Teh. I omitted canned straw mushrooms and fried fritters.

Bak Kut Teh

You can easily make your own sauce for pork ribs by mixing chopped garlic with soy sauce.

Sauce for pork ribs

Day 2

Zucchini, Leek, Potato and Carrot Soup

Ingredients:
- Zucchini
- Leek
- Carrot
- Potato
- Vegetable or chicken stock
- Butter

Recipe here.

Note: You can add some variation to the soup, such as bacon and celery. For healthier option, omit the addition of cream into the soup. Blend the soup to get the puree and add a tablespoon of Greek yogurt instead.

Zucchini, Leek, Potato and Carrot Soup

Day 3

Carrot and Leek Soup

Ingredients
- Carrot
- Leek
- Vegetable/Chicken stock
- Butter

Recipe here.

Note: Use the stalk part of leek instead of the leaf as the leaf might be hard and affect the colour of the soup. Leek can be a good substitute to onion as both enhance the flavour of the dishes.

Carrot and Leek Soup

Day 4

Steamed Chicken with Wolfberry (Goji) and Red Dates

Ingredients:

- Chicken breast

- Wolfberry

- Red Dates

- Salt, Pepper, Oyster sauce, Shaoxing Wine, Sesame oil

Methods:

1) Season the chicken breast with salt, pepper, oyster sauce, sesame oil and Shaoxing wine. Leave it for few hours

2) Boil a pot of water.

3) Arrange seasoned chicken breast with red dates and wolfberry in a plate. Add some warm water to ensure the chicken breast won't dry out.

4) Steam it over the boiling water for around 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

5) Serve it with rice or noodle.

Steamed Chicken Breast with Wolfberries and Red Dates

Day 5

Tau Yu Bak/Braised Pork in Dark Soy Sauce

Ingredients:

- Pork belly

- Fried Tofu Puff

- Egg

- Anise

- Cinnamon stick

- Five spice powder

- Garlic

Recipe here.

Braised Pork in Dark Soy Sauce + Stir Fried Cos Lettuce with Enoki Mushroom

Hope this keeps you warm. *Smiles*

Love, Victoria

Hey guys! This week I am going to feature on these two ingredients which are BASIL and FETA. Do check out Greek yogurt story last week!

Basil is a kind of herbs which has various health benefits, including anti-inflammatory effects, DNA protection, antibacterial and antioxidants properties. I really love its fragrant smell and it can enhance the flavour of any dishes, be it Western or Asian.

Feta cheese is a cheese type made up of whole sheep's milk which has a creamy and crumbly texture. It has a tangy and salty taste, hence making it suitable to be used in salad or as table cheese. However, it has saturated fat and cholesterol which is bad for our health.

Day 1

Zuchinni and feta fritter

Ingredients:

- Zuchinni

- Danish feta

- Plain flour

- Egg
- Onion/shallot

- Salt and pepper

Recipe here.

Note: I put less proportion of plain flour in the mixture and hence it turned out to be an omelette-like fritter. But it was still yummy! Have a little play with it.

Zucchini and feta fritter

Day 2

Salad with basil vinaigrette dressing

Ingredients:

- Baby spinach

- Grapes
- Feta cheese

- Basil leaves

- Red wine vinegar

- Dijon mustard
- Sugar, salt, black pepper

- Extra virgin olive oil

Recipe for basil vinaigrette dressing here.

Note: You can reduce the quantity of red wine vinegar if you want it to be less sour. I substitute kosher salt with normal salt. Extra virgin olive oil is a must and do not substitute it with normal olive oil. You can keep the vinaigrette in fridge for few days or even weeks as long as it is kept in an airtight container.

Basil vinaigrette

Baby spinach and feta salad with basil vinaigrette dressing

Day 3

Basil pesto penne

Ingredients:

- Penne
- Mushroom

- Bacon
- Garlic and onion
- Baby spinach
- Basil vinaigrette dressing
- Pine nuts
- Basil leaves
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Feta cheese
- Garlic cloves

Methods:
1) Prepare basil pesto here.
2) Saute garlic, onion, mushroom and bacon together till you can smell the aroma.
3) Prepare a pot of boiling water and cook the penne.
4) Mix the penne together with the sautéed products.
5) Pour the basil pesto onto the penne.
6) Prepare salad with the dressing.

Note: Remember to toast pine nuts in the oven or on a frying pan with. I substitute parmesan cheese with feta cheese. Do not put too much garlic cloves as the pesto will be very spicy.

Penne with basil pesto + Baby spinach salad with basil vinaigrette dressing

Day 4

Ciabatta roll with bacon, mushroom and basil pesto

Ingredients:
- Ciabatta roll
- Bacon
- Mushroom
- Garlic, Onion
- Basil pesto
- Baby spinach
- Black grapes
- Basil vinaigrette dressing

Methods:
1) Cut ciabatta roll into half. Toast it in an oven or sandwich maker or on a pan with drizzle of olive oil
2) Saute garlic, onion, bacon and mushroom.
3) Serve them on the ciabatta roll together with the basil pesto.
4) Prepare baby spinach salad and dressing.

Ciabatta roll with bacon, mushroom and basil pesto + Baby spinach salad

Day 5

Couscous with basil pesto and stew zucchini

Ingredients:
- Couscous
- Basil pesto
- Mushroom
- Bacon
- Zucchini
- Onion and Garlic
- Leek
- Chicken stock

Method :
1) Boil the chicken stock and put couscous inside. (Remember to put the couscous in only if the stock is boiling)
2) Cover the pan and let it sit for few minutes until it is cooked. If it feels crunchy, it is not cooked yet.
3) Saute garlic, onion, muschroom, bacon, leek and zucchini in a pan. Pour chicken stock over it and let it cook for few minutes.
4) Serve the couscous with basil pesto and stew zucchini.

Note: My couscous turned out to be sticky which indicated a failed one. Put 1:1 ratio of chicken stock and couscous. Fluff the couscous when it is done. Do not put salt into the stewed zucchini as the chicken stock is flavourful enough. Alternately you can cook couscous in boiling water instead of chicken stock.

Couscous with basil pesto + Stew zucchini

Day 6

Pear Lassi

Ingredients:

- Pear

- Greek yogurt

- Honey

Methods:

1) Core the pear and remove its skin. Microwave it so that it becomes soft.

2) Mix few tablespoons of honey, Greek yogurt and pear together in a blender.

3) Serve it in a glass and dust with cinnamon powder.

Recipe here.

Note: It might feel grainy due to the texture of the pear. In addition, Greek yogurt might let the lassi to have some sourness. You can consider to use plain yogurt.

Pear lassi

Love, Victoria

Day 1

Grilled Lamb, Pumpkin, Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts with Thyme

Day 2

Fried Rice Stuffed Portobello + Hashed Brussel Sprouts Stuffed Celery

Day 3

Nutella Oat Bar + Nutella Stuffed Celery Sticks

Day 4

Grilled Black Pepper Sauce Marinated Lamb Riblets + Stir Fried Brussel Sprouts with Wolfberries and Dates

Day 5

Lamb Riblets Stew with Tofu and Bok Choy

Day 1

Battered Seafood Marinara with Plum Sauce

Day 2

Baked Eggs with Grilled Eggplant

Day 3

Stir fried Pork with Sweet Preserved Radish + Stir fried Pumpkin with Dry Scallop

Day 4

Homemade Seafood Marinara and Eggplant Pizza

Day 5

Pan-fried Chicken Drumstick with Mushroom Gravy + Mashed Potato

Day 6

Honey Roasted Pumpkin + Soy Sauce Pork with Potato

Penne with asparagus pesto

Asparagus and poached egg with hollandaise sauce + Mashed sweet potato

Grilled avocado stuffed chicken breast

Lemon thyme cupcakes with salted caramel filling

Day 1

Bak Kut Teh / Pork Ribs Soup

Day 2

Zucchini, Leek, Potato and Carrot Soup

Day 3

Carrot and Leek Soup

Day 4

Steamed Chicken with Wolfberry (Goji) and Red Dates

Day 5

Tau Yu Bak/Braised Pork in Dark Soy Sauce

Day 1

Zuchinni and feta fritter

Day 2

Salad with basil vinaigrette dressing

Day 3

Basil pesto penne

Day 4

Ciabatta roll with bacon, mushroom and basil pesto

Day 5

Couscous with basil pesto and stew zucchini

Day 6

Pear Lassi

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