Vegetarian Bak Kut Teh (Vegetables Version)

With all these instant sachets, it makes cooking so much easier and it does not require any special culinary skill at all. I used to get the vegetarian bak kut teh pack that comes with herbal sachet and the mock meats which taste equally good. However, I don’t really like eating so much mock meats.

Now, I finally found the A1 vegetarian bak kut teh sachet that suits my palate. By using lotus roots instead of mock meats and increase the vegetables intake by adding rocket leaves, tang-O or lettuce, I can have vegetarian bak kut teh which consists of vegetables. For a quicker version, use shiitake mushrooms, beancurd puffs, as these ingredients take a shorter time to cook. Few pieces of mock meats can be added, if desired. This soup goes well with rice and a plate of freshly sliced red chilli with light soy sauce. Use this soup for noodle, you can have a bowl of vegetarian bak kut the mee.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 35 mins

Ingredients (serves 2-3)
° 1 sachet A1 vegetarian bak kut teh
° 200g lotus root, thinly sliced
° 3-5 cloves garlic
° 1.25 litres water
° 100g rocket leaves or tang-O or Chinese lettuce, torn into big pieces
° salt and pepper, to taste
° light soy sauce, to taste
° a small handful fresh chopped spring onion or coriander leaves (optional), for garnish

Method
1. Place the vegetarian bak kut teh sachet, lotus root, garlic and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer 25-30 minutes or until the lotus is tender. Add in the rocket leaves or tang-O or lettuce. Season to taste with salt, pepper and light soy sauce.
2. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, garnish with spring onion or coriander leaves and serve hot.

Creamy Vegetable Soup

No one home for dinner last night! I am a bit too lazy to whip up dinner just for myself. I have some of the below vegetables in the refrigerator and wondering what to do with them. In the end, just try to turn them into creamy soup which is easy to go down or eat with bread. And it turns out real delicious and with the broccoli florets minced to give the soup a tinted green.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 1-2)
° 100g cauliflower florets
° 1 (100g) potato, peeled and diced
° 50g white leek (white portion), trimmed
° 1 (50g) onion, diced
° 50g broccoli florets
° 375ml water
° ½ -1 tablespoon non-dairy margarine
° salt and ground black pepper, or to taste

Method
1. Place the cauliflower, potato, leek, onion and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender. Add the broccoli and cook for 1 minute.
2. Transfer to a blender or food processor and add in the margarine and salt. Blend until smooth and creamy.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, sprinkle some black pepper and serve hot.

Simple Corn Salad

The simple recipe of corn salad again is to use fresh corn on the cob. Remove the kernels from the corn on the cob, stream and mix well with vegetarian salad cream or vegan mayonnaise. Frozen corn can be used but the result is not that desired.

Preparation: 2 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 2 ears corn on the cob, cut or peeled kernels off the cob
° 2 tablespoons vegetarian salad cream or vegan mayonnaise

Method
1. Put the corn kernels in a heatproof serving plate and steam for 10 minutes. Mix well with vegetarian salad cream or vegan mayonnaise.
2. Serve chilled.

Cup Corn

The secret to sweet and delicious cup corn is to use fresh corn on the cob. Remove the kernels from the corn on the cob, stream and season with non dairy margarine and salt. Frozen corn can be used but the result is not that desired.

Preparation: 2 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 2 ears corn on the cob, cut or peeled kernels off the cob
° 1 tablespoon non-dairy margarine
° salt, to taste

Method
1. Put the corn kernels in a heatproof serving plate and steam for 10 minutes. Mix well with margarine and salt.
2. Serve hot.

Quick American Ginseng Soup

I bought a packet of Yew Chian Haw America Ginseng Soup at Fairprice few days back. The ingredients consist of American Ginseng, Rhizoma Polygonati Odorati, Fructus Lycii, Rhizonma Dioscorea Batatas, Euphoria Longan, Fructus Ziziphi Jujubee. As the ingredients are mostly in grounded form within the sachet and it is appropriate to use it to make quick herbal soup. To optimize the flavour and goodness from the herbal sachet, the soup can be simmered longer or prepared in the morning and re-heat prior to serving at lunch or dinner.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients (serves 2-3)
° 1 sachet Yew Chian Haw America Ginseng Soup
° 1-1.25 litres water
° 125g-150g king oyster mushroom, sliced or cut into small chunks
° salt, to taste
° a small handful fresh chopped spring onion or coriander leaves (optional), for garnish

Method
1. Place all the ingredients and water in a pot and continually boil for 15-20 minutes or until all the mushrooms are tender. Season to taste with salt.
2. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, garnish with spring onion or coriander leaves and serve hot.

Vegan Scrambled “Egg”

This is a vegan version of scrambled egg using tofu mashed or scrambled. Turmeric is used here to obtain the colour of the egg. The more important reason in using turmeric as it can prevent the onset of arthritis and offer some protection against breast cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 1 (225g) big firm beancurd/tofu, pat dry and scrambled
° ¼- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
° ½ teaspoon sesame oil
° 1 tablespoon olive oil
° salt and pepper, to taste

Method
1. Marinate the scrambled tofu with turmeric powder, salt, pepper and sesame oil. Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat and fry scrambled tofu until dry.
3. Serve hot.

Vegan Coleslaw

There are few different ways to prepare this salad. The cabbage can be minced using the food processor or thinly shredded and mixed with the mayonnaise with a little mustard or vegetable oil and vinegar. I blanched the vegetables, as I prefer it to be a little bit softer and not that raw.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 250g round cabbage, finely shredded
° 25g carrot, peeled and finely shredded
° 250ml water
° 2 tablespoons vegetarian salad cream/ vegan mayonnaise
° salt and pepper to taste
° vinegar (optional)

Method
1. Blanch the cabbage in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain well and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Place cabbage in a salad bowl. Stir in the vegetarian salad cream/vegan mayonnaise and season to taste with salt, pepper and vinegar.
3. Stir well to mix and set aside for a few hours in the refrigerator to allow the flavour to develop.
4. Serve chilled.

Steamed Chestnut

I saw the lovely chestnuts (shells removed and the skins still on) in the supermarket and brought some at the price of $6.80 per kilogram. Chestnut is the least fatty and starchiest of the nuts and is richly nutritious as well.

There are many ways to cook chestnut, boiling with water, roasting in the oven or roasting in a large wok fill with sand or coffee beans which we sometime see some street hawkers doing. I just steam it, the easiest way I think, eat it while it is hot as when it cooled down it is slightly difficult to peel the skin. To peel off the skin of the chestnut prior to steaming, just put them in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes before peeling.

Preparation: 3 mins, Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients (20± pieces)
° 250g fresh chestnut (shell removed), rinsed

Method
1. Place the mushroom in a heat proof serving bowl and steam for 15-20 minutes.
2. Serve warm.

‘Egg & Mayonnaise’ Sandwich

Oooh, I really like this very much and feel like making them for friends and just tell them it is egg. It can’t really tell when the fresh scrambled tofu mixed with vegan mayonnaise, especially when you like more mayonnaise on it. Just control the amount of turmeric powder used or it can be omitted if desired. As the tofu can be rather wet and therefore I stir-fried it to avoid a runny texture. Toasted the breads, if desired. This recipe is just the basic, other ingredients can be added to this ‘egg and mayonnaise’ mix.

Preparation: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 1 small firm beancurd/tofu, pat dry and scrambled
° ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
° ½ tablespoon olive oil
° 2 tablespoons vegetarian salad cream or vegan mayonnaise, or to taste
° salt and pepper, to taste
° 4 slices breads
° non dairy margarine (optional), for spread
° cucumber slices (optional)
° tomatoes slices (optional)

Method
1. Marinate scrambled tofu with turmeric powder and set aside for 5 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat and stir fry the scrambled tofu for 1-2 minutes or until dry. Transfer to a bowl, add vegetarian salad cream or vegan mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Mix well.
3. Evenly spread margarine on one slice of bread.
4. Place the tomato slices and cucumber slices on the bread. Scoop the mashed ‘egg’ over it.
5. Spread margarine on the second slice of bread and complete the sandwich.
6. Slice the sandwich diagonally and use sandwich toothpicks to hold the sandwich halves together. Repeat for the next 2 slices of bread.

Quick Mini ‘Steamboat’ Soup

This is a one-pot wonder for days that are too tired to whip up a big meal. It is improvised from the steamboat which we usually have, using its few common ingredients. Carrot is used to sweeten the soup and by using Chinese celery leaves (tang o), it spices up the soup with a lovely taste. Other ingredients like yam slices, different type of mushrooms, cabbage, corn etc can be added, if desired. Taking care not to overload with too much ingredients, as it is not a real steamboat. It goes well with cooked rice and chilli or dipping sauces.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
° 2 baby corns
° 4 fresh shiitake mushrooms
° 4 vegetarian fishballs
° 1 slice ginger
° 500ml water
° 4 small beancurd puffs
° 100g silken tofu, cubed
° 100g-150g Chinese celery leaves (Tang O)
° salt and pepper, to taste
° dash sesame oil (optional)

Method
1. Place the carrot, corn, mushrooms, vegetarian fishballs, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Add in the beancurd puff, tofu, Chinese celery leaves and bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt, pepper and sesame oil.
3. Serve immediately.

Red Date Lotus Seeds and Lily Bulb Tea

I happened to find Lily Bulb while doing marketing yesterday and decide to do up this recipe. This tea is good for easing insomnia, restlessness and irritability. Lily Bulb (Bai He) is often used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to calm and relieve the mind in order to retain healthy energy within the body. And lotus seeds nourish the heart and also help to prevent insomnia.

Preparation: 3 mins, Cooking time: 17 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 12 seedless red dates
° 50g fresh lotus seeds
° 1 slice ginger (optional)
° 40g rock sugar, or to taste
° 750ml water
° 50g fresh lily bulb, peel off petals piece by piece

Method
1. Combine the red dates, lotus seeds, ginger, water and rock sugar in a pot, bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the lily bulb and bring to a boil.
2. Serve hot.

Stir-Fried Mixed Vegetables

This dish has a combination of few different vegetables and makes it rather interesting and colourful. Blanching the vegetables instead of stir-fried them one after another is to have a better control on the crunchy texture of each vegetable and to avoid overcooking them. The sauce can be just light soy sauce plus sugar with a bit of cornflour solution as an alternative of using vegetarian oyster sauce.

Preparation: 15 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 75g cauliflower florets, blanched
° 6 snow peas, trimmed and blanched
° 3 baby corns, cut into thick slices and blanched
° 8 slices carrots
° 4 shiitake mushrooms
° 50g-75g fresh bamboo shoot
° ½ red chilli (optional), seeded and sliced
° 1 slice ginger, chopped
° 1 tablespoon olive oil

Sauce
° 1 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce
° ½ tablespoon cooking rice wine (optional)
° 30ml water

Method
1. Prepare the fresh bamboo shoot according to packet instructions and thinly sliced.
2. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce and mix well. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a wok. Add the ginger and fry till fragrant.
4. Add the mushrooms and carrot stir-fry briskly for 1 minute. Throw in the cauliflowers, sweet peas, baby corn, bamboo shoot and red chilli. Stir in the sauce mixture and stir-fry briskly for less than a minute.
5. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Stir-Fried Winged Bean with Vegetarian Belacan

Winged Beans or '4 Angles Beans' – I happened to spot some winged beans at the Prime Supermarket. I remember my mother used to stir-fry winged bean with chilli and belacan. Go for the young pods which have a chewy, crunchy texture and are slight sweet. These beans are high source of protein. Other ways do whipping up winged beans is to stir-fry with vegetarian sambal chilli or using just garlic or ginger, season with salt (which can be one of the stir-fried vegetable for Thunder Tea Rice). I omitted salt or light soy sauce as the vegetarian belacan is salty enough to season the dish.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 150g winged beans, sliced diagonally
° 1 red chilli, thinly sliced
° 2 thin slices ginger or 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
° 1 tablespoon olive oil
° 1½ teaspoons vegetarian belacan powder
° salt or light soy sauce (optional), to taste

Method
1. Heat oil in a wok. Add the ginger or garlic and fry till fragrant.
2. Stir in the vegetarian belacan powder in low heat. Give it two or three stirs to release its aroma and so that it can cook without burning. Add in the chilli and fry for few seconds.
3. Throw in the winged bean and stir-fry briskly for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Stir-Fried Romaine with Preserved Chilli Bean Curd

I had this dish - Stir-Fried Romanine (Cos Lettuce) with preserved chilli bean curd in one of the vegetarian eateries in Ipoh, Malaysia. Besides eating romaine raw or stir fried with garlic/ginger and drizzle with light soy sauce, this is another way to cook this vegetable. Here is the recipe which I have reinvented. Just do not over cook it and serve immediately is the best way to eat this dish.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 3 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 250g-300g romaine (cos lettuce)
° 1 slice ginger or 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
° 1 tablespoon olive oil
° 1-1½ cubes preserved chilli bean curd or preserved bean curd, mashed

Method
1. Heat oil in a wok. Add the ginger or garlic and fry till fragrant.
2. Stir in the mashed preserved bean curd and fry for less than half a minute.
3. Throw in the Romaine and stir-fry briskly for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Easy Cream of Mushroom Soup

This is a quick and simple vegan cream of mushroom soup. As herbs or onion or vegetable stock is not used in this recipe, the amount of mushroom is generously more to boost up the flavour of the soup. If the soup is too thick, just thin down water some water. Just be a little careful with the amount of soy milk used, so that it is not too overpowered.

Preparation: 7 mins, Cooking time: 8 mins

Ingredients (serves 2-3)
° 200g white button mushroom, coarsely chopped
° 1½ -2 tablespoons non dairy margarine
° 350ml-400ml water
° 300ml unsweetened soy milk
° 2 tablespoons flour
° salt and pepper, to taste

Method
1. Combine the flour with soy milk and mix well. Set aside.
2. Melt the margarine in a pot over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 2 minutes or until soften.
3. Add the water, bring to a boil and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Give the soy milk and flour mixture a quick stir, before gradually stir into the mushroom stock mixture over low heat.
4. Return to high heat, stirring frequently until the soup has thickened. Season to taste with salt.
5. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, sprinkle with pepper and serve hot.

Simple 'Omelette'

This is a simple vegan version ‘omelette’ using chickpea flour. To spice it up a little bit, I added freshly chopped coriander leaves and red chilli. You may need to add another 1 tablespoon of water if the batter is too thick.

Preparation: 5 mins, plus 10 mins standing time, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° a small handful fresh coriander leaves, coarsely chopped
° ½ red chilli, seeded and finely chopped,
° 60g chickpea flour (besan flour/gram dhall)
° ½ teaspoon baking powder
° 60ml water
° salt and ground black pepper, to taste
° 1 tablespoon oil
° few drops sesame oil (optional)

Method
1. Combine the chickpea flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and water a bowl. Mix well and add in the coriander leaves and chilli. Leave the mixture to stand for at least 5-10 minutes.
2. Heat oil and sesame oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Pour in the flour mixture and spread out evenly. Flip over the omelette after 1½ minutes or when the base is slightly brown. Remove from heat after another 1½ minutes when the other side of the omelette turned slightly brown.
3. Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot.

Yard Bean 'Omelette'

Yard Bean fried with beaten eggs is a very common home-style dish in the Chinese cuisine. In here, by using chickpea flour batter to substitute the beaten egg, we can still achieve almost the same effect. You may need to add another 1 tablespoon of water if the batter is too thick.

Preparation: 8 mins, plus 10 mins standing time, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 100g yard bean/long bean, coarsely chopped
° 60g chickpea flour (besan flour/gram dhall)
° ½ teaspoon baking powder
° 60ml water
° salt and pepper, to taste
° 1 tablespoon oil
° few drops sesame oil (optional)

Method
1. Combine the chickpea flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and water a bowl. Mix well and leave to stand for at least 5-10 minutes.
2. Heat oil and sesame oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the yard beans and stir-fry for 1½ minutes or until the yard bean is soften.
3. Pour in the flour mixture and spread out evenly. Flip over the omelette after 1½ minutes or when the base is slightly brown. Remove from heat after another 1½ minutes when the other side of the omelette turned slightly brown.
4. Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot.

Onion 'Omelette'

Onion Omelette is another common home-style dish in Chinese cuisine. In here, this is a vegan version. I added coriander leaves and red chilli, just to jazz up this dish. You may need to add another 1 tablespoon of water if the batter is too thick.

Preparation: 5 mins, plus 10 mins standing time, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 1 (100g-150g) onion, peeled and thinly sliced
° 60g chickpea flour (besan flour/gram dhall)
° ½ teaspoon baking powder
° 60ml water
° salt and pepper, to taste
° a small handful fresh coriander leaves, chopped
° ½ red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
° 1 tablespoon oil
° few drops sesame oil (optional)

Method
1. Combine the chickpea flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and water a bowl. Mix well and leave to stand for at least 5-10 minutes.
2. Heat oil and sesame oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the onion and and sauté briefly until it soften. Throw in the coriander leaves and chilli on top of the onion.
3. Pour in the flour mixture and spread out evenly. Flip over the omelette after 1½ minutes or when the base is slightly brown. Remove from heat after another 1½ minutes when the other side of the omelette turned slightly brown.
4. Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot.

Spinach 'Omelette'

Vegan ‘Omelette’! A simple spinach omelette, where you can add some mushrooms, if desired. You may need to add another 1 tablespoon of water if the batter is too thick.

Preparation: 5 mins, plus 10 mins standing time, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 50g spinach, pat dried and coarsely chopped
° 60g chickpea flour (besan flour/gram dhall)
° ½ teaspoon baking powder
° 60ml water
° salt and pepper, to taste
° 1 tablespoon oil
° few drops sesame oil (optional)

Method
1. Combine the chickpea flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and water a bowl. Mix well and leave to stand for at least 5-10 minutes.
2. Heat oil and sesame oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and sauté briefly or until it wilts. Pour in the flour mixture and spread out evenly.
3. Flip over the omelette after 1½ minutes or when the base is slightly brown. Remove from heat after another 1½ minutes when the other side of the omelette turned slightly brown.
4. Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot.

Special Basil 'Omelette'

This is a vegan version omelette using chickpea flour. The idea and basic recipe comes from a Forumer - Veganic, @ www.vegetarian-society.org. I had added tofu puree to the mixture, partially is add more varieties to it and also to lighten it up, as flour can be quite filling if eaten in huge amount. Adding a handful of freshly plunked basil leaves to beaten egg is a traditional Hakka dish. This dish goes well with the Thunder Tea Rice. You may need to add another 1 tablespoon of water if the batter is too thick.

Preparation: 5 mins, plus 10 mins standing time, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° a small handful fresh basil leaves
° 60g chickpea flour (besan flour/gram dhall)
° ½ small firm tofu/beancurd, mashed
° ½ teaspoon baking powder
° 60ml water
° salt and pepper, to taste
° 1 tablespoon oil
° few drops sesame oil (optional)

Method
1. Combine the chickpea flour, baking powder, water, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add in the tofu puree, mix well and leave to stand for at least 5-10 minutes.
2. Heat oil and sesame oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Throw in the basil leaves and stir fry for ½ -1 minute.
3. Pour in the flour mixture over the basil leaves. Flip over the omelette after 1½ minutes or when the base is slightly brown. Remove from heat after another 1½ minutes and transfer to a serving plate.
4. Serve hot.

Thunder Tea Rice Soup (Clear Soup)

Again, this is the improvised version of the thunder tea rice soup. The traditional way of making this soup is much more complicated, by using wooden pestle to grind all the ingredients until powdery. Then, hot water is poured into these ingredients like groundnuts, sesame seeds, green tea leaves, coriander, ngai etc. We just don’t have the luxury of the time!

What I did was, place the basic ingredients like basil leaves, mint leaves, coriander, and ginger with water in pot and bring to a boil to extract their contents, then mixed with green tea powder and the rest of the ingredients. It is easier, isn’t it?

Some herbs had been left out in this recipe, due to the difficulties in getting them. If you can’t find basil leaves, you can consider by replacing more mint leaves and coriander.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 8 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 50g-75g basil leaves (stems removed before weighing)
° 50g mint leaves (stems removed before weighing)
° 1 stalk (25g) coriander, with root
° 2 slices ginger
° 500ml water
° salt, to taste
° ½ teaspoon green tea powder, or to taste
° 1-1½ teaspoons roasted/toasted sesame seeds, finely pounded
° 1-1½ teaspoons peanut powder (optional)

Method
1. Place the basil leaves, mint leaves, coriander, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Remove all the ingredients with a slotted spoon and discard.
2. Season to taste with salt. Stir in the green tea powder, sesame seeds, peanut powder and mix well.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, sprinkle few sesame seeds and serve hot.

Thunder Tea Rice

I like the simplicity and high nutritious value of the Hakka Thunder Tea Rice (Lei Cha), which promotes good health - prevention of fatigue, hypertension, ease digestion, inhibiting cancer cell growth, boost relaxation, improve good sleep and so on and so on.

My attempts in looking for the thunder tea rice recipe was of no avail, therefore I decide to come up this recipe. This is the recreation of what I had tasted and don’t be scared by the long list of ingredients and the cooking time. It is actually for a meal and anyone can just whip it up easily.

I like to mix the stir-fried vegetables with rice, something like the Korean Mixed Rice and drizzle with some chilli padi and light soy sauce. Yes, it is simple but just so delicious.

Preparation: 35 mins, Cooking time: 25 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 2 bowls rice or brown rice, cooked
° 2 teaspoons salted radish/chye poh (optional)

Toasted Peanuts
° 2-3 tablespoons peanuts

Stir-Fried Tofu
° 1 small (125g) beancurd/tofu, pat dried and diced
° 1 tablespoon olive oil

Stir-Fried Yard Long Bean
° 100g-150g yard long bean (Chinese long bean), finely sliced or chopped
° 1 clove garlic or l slice ginger, finely chopped
° ½ tablespoon olive oil
° salt, to taste

Stir-Fried Cabbage with Carrot
° 100g-150g cabbage, finely shredded
° 6 slices carrot, finely shredded
° 1 clove garlic or l slice ginger, finely chopped
° ½ tablespoon olive oil
° salt, to taste

Stir-Fried Spinach or Chye Sim
° 100g spinach or chye sim (Chinese flowering cabbage or choy sam), finely chopped
° 1 clove garlic or l slice ginger, finely chopped
° ½ tablespoon olive oil
° salt, to taste

Chilli Sauce
° 2 fresh red chilli padi, finely sliced
° 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
° dash sesame oil (optional)


Method

Toasting Peanuts
1. Heat a wok over medium, then add raw peanuts and stir occasionally. When the peanuts are 75% darken, transfer to a plate and leave to cool. Remove the skin of the toasted peanuts by rubbing against with your hand. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Stir-Fried Tofu
1. Heat oil in a wok. Add the tofu and pan fry till lightly brown. Drain well on kitchen paper and set aside.

Stir-Fried Yard Long Bean
1. Heat oil in a wok. Add the garlic or ginger and fry till fragrant.
2. Add the yard long bean and stir-fry briskly for 1½ -2 minutes. Season to taste with salt, transfer to a dish and set aside.

Stir-Fried Cabbage with Carrot
1. Heat oil in a wok. Add the garlic or ginger and fry till fragrant.
2. Add the cabbage, carrot and stir-fry briskly for 1½ -2 minutes. Season to taste with salt, transfer to a dish and set aside.

Stir-Fried Spinach or Chye Sim
1. Heat oil in a wok. Add the garlic or ginger and fry till fragrant.
2. Add the spinach or chye sim and stir-fry briskly for 1½ -2 minutes. Season to taste with salt, transfer to a dish and set aside.

To serve
1. Place a bowl of rice in the middle of the plate. Divide the stir-fried vegetables equally between each individual bowl, placing them side by side. Top it with salted radish and peanut.
2. Serve with a plate of finely sliced red chilli padi with light soy sauce and a bowl of thunder tea rice soup.

Lotus Root Soup with Peanut

This is a simple and delicious clear soup that needs a little longer time to cook in order to have softer peanut. Lotus root is a good source of iron and vitamins. Mock meat can be added, if desired.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 90 mins

Ingredients (serves 4)
° 250g lotus root, peeled and sliced
° 1 ear corn, cut into 4 pieces
° 75g raw peanuts, soaked at least for 4 hours and drained
° 8 seedless red dates
° 2-3 honey dates
° 1.5 litres water
° 1 slice ginger
° salt, to taste
° pepper, to taste
° a small handful fresh coriander leaves or spring onion, for garnish

Method
1. Place all the ingredients and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 75 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, garnish with coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Stir-Fried Boxthorn Vegetable with Wolfberries

Stir-Fried Boxthorn Vegetable with Chinese Wolfberries is a dish which is tonic for liver and kidneys that also help improve vision. Beware of the hidden thorn when stripping the Chinese boxthorn leaves off. This is another way of cooking boxthorn leaves.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g boxthorn leaves
° 1 slice ginger, finely chopped
° 1 tablespoon wolfberries (boxthorn berries), soaked
° ¾ tablespoon vegetable oil
° salt, to taste
° ¼ teaspoon sesame oil (optional), or to taste

Method
1. Heat oil in a wok. Add the ginger and fry till fragrant.
2. Add the boxthorn leaves, wolfberries and stir-fry briskly for 1-2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and sesame oil.
3. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Boxthorn Soup with Wolfberries

A quick and simple yet tonic soup, as in traditional Chinese medicine, wolfberries are believed to help both vision and kidney function. When stripping the leaves from the Chinese boxthorn (gou qi cai) for cooking, beware of the thorns!

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 50g boxthorn leaves
° 1 slice ginger
° 1 tablespoon wolfberries (boxthorn berries), soaked
° 4 seedless red dates
° 500ml water
° salt, to taste
° sugar (optional), to taste
° sesame oil (optional), to taste

Method
1. Place the ginger, wolfberries, red dates and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
2. Add in the boxthorn leaves and bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt, sugar and sesame oil. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls and serve hot.

Watercress and Potato Soup

Soup can be one of the easiest dishes to prepare, here is another low fat, full of vitamins and minerals and yet simple to make soup. It may take some time for those who are new to the taste of this puree soup, to be fond of it, after all it is not as popular as cream of mushroom etc.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g watercress, roughly chopped
° 1 (150g) potato, peeled and diced
° 300ml water or stock
° ½ -1 teaspoon non-dairy margarine
° ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
° pepper to taste

Method
1. Place the potato and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Add in the watercress and bring to a boil.
2. Pour into a blender or food processor, add the margarine, salt and blend until smooth.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, sprinkle with pepper and serve hot.

Water Chestnut and Macha Jelly

This recipe required slightly more work than the Macha Konnyaku Jelly. With water chestnut puree added, it makes this dessert more nutritious. To boost the intake of fibre, you may double the amount of water chestnut used, if desired. With green tea powder added to only half of the jelly mixture to form the lower layer, it gives this jelly two different colours and thus making it more attractive.

Preparation: 15 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (makes 28± ieces)
° 200g water chestnut (weighed after peeling) , peeled and mashed
° 1 packet (10g) konnyaku jelly powder
° 210g sugar, or to taste
° 900ml water
° 2-3 teaspoons green tea powder, mixed with 30ml warm water

Method
1. Combine the konnyaku jelly powder with sugar and mix well. Set aside.
2. Whizz the water chestnuts in a food processor. Add in the water chestnut puree, water to a pot and bring to a boil. Gradually stir in the konnyaku and sugar mixture, stirring and bring to a boil.
3. Remove pot from heat and continue to stir until bubble disappeared. Fill up half of each mould with the jelly mixture to form the top layer.
4. Stir in the green tea mixture to the balance jelly mixture and mix well. Pour in the macha jelly mixture to fill up all the jelly moulds to form the top layer.
5. Leave to cool before refrigerating until chilled. Serve chilled.

Simple Celery and Potato Soup

This is a quick and simple low-fat, low-calorie soup which will make you feel full if you are on a diet. It is also a simple vegetable soup for toddlers, to boost their vegetable intake. For a creamier and richer vegan version, add one onion, soy milk and tofu puree to make this soup, if desired.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 250g celery (weighed after trimming), trimmed and diced
° 200g potatoes, peeled and diced
° 500ml water or stock
° ½ -1 teaspoon non dairy margarine
° ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
° ½ teaspoon sugar (optional), or to taste
° pepper to taste

Method
1. Place the celery, potatoes and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender.
2. Transfer to a blender or food processor. Add the margarine, salt, sugar and blend until smooth and creamy.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, sprinkle with pepper and serve hot.

Taro with Ginkgo Dessert (Orh Nee)

Thick and creamy sweet yam paste, a traditional Teochew dessert which is often cooked with lards and lots of shallot oil in the past. In the recipe, lards obviously are omitted and shallot oil is greatly reduced. Soy milk is used to make this dessert more nutritious and ginkgo nuts are used liberally. Other option is to use coconut milk and water, if desired. This is quite a simple dessert to make, with the help of the blender, it make the mashing work easier and the texture smoother.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients (serves 4-6)
° 500g taro (weighed after peeling), peeled and diced
° 1 pack (75g) cooked ginkgo nuts, halved
° 250ml unsweetened soy milk or water
° 1-2 tablespoons shallot oil
° 4-5 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

Method
1. Stream the taro in a pot of boiling water or streamer for about 10-15 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain well and coarsely mash taro in a container with a fork.
2. Transfer to mashed taro to a blender. Stir in the oil, sugar and blend until smooth and creamy.
3. Place the ginkgo nuts, soy milk in a pot and bring to a boil. Stir in the taro puree, stirring slowly over low heat and bring to a boil.
4. Ladle the taro paste into individual serving bowls and serve hot.

Stir-Fried Tofu with Spring Onion

Tired of having deep-fried beancurd, here is a quick and simple way to jazz it up and it taste scrumptious.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 1 firm tofu/beancurd, drained and cut into 6 cubes
° oil, for deep-frying
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional), for deep-frying
° 2-3 stalks spring onion, cut into 4cm lengths
° 2 thin slices ginger, finely shredded

Method
1. Heat oil and sesame oil in a deep-fryer or wok over high heat or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil brown in few seconds. Deep fry tofu until lightly golden brown. Remove the tofu with a slotted spoon. Drain well on kitchen paper.
2. Heat ¾ tablespoon of oil in a wok. Add the ginger and fry till golden brown.
3. Throw in the spring onion, tofu and stir fry for a minute. Season with light soy sauce.
4. Transfer the tofu to a serving plate and serve immediately.

Konnyaku Jelly with Nata De Coco

This is a simple jelly to make for adult and kids. In here, I use the syrup from nata de coco for flavouring and hence there is no need to purchase any flavouring. I have also omitted the use of citric acide or malic acid as excessive consumption can cause irritation of the mouth. Kiwi or tukhmaria seeds or basil seeds can be added, if desired.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (makes 24 pieces)
° 1 packet (10g) konnyaku jelly powder
° 200g sugar, or to taste
° 950ml water
° ½ can nata de coco
° food colouring (optional)

Method
1. Combine the konnyaku jelly powder with sugar and mix well. Set aside.
2. Bring water to a boil in a pot. Gradually stir in the konnyaku and sugar mixture, stirring and bring to a boil.
3. Remove pot from heat and continue to stir until bubble disappeared. Pour in 50ml of nata de coco syrup, food colouring and mix well.
4. Place 2-3 nata de coco cubes into each jelly mould. Pour the jelly mixture into the jelly mould and leave to cool before refrigerating until chilled.
5. Serve chilled.

Stir-Fried Pea Shoots (Dow Miao) with Garlic or Ginger

Time is a luxury many cooks do not have. For a quick and easy stir-fry after a long tired day, look for vegetables do not required lots of preparations and quick to wash like dow miao. I prefer garlic over ginger for this dish. Other greens that can be stir-fry in this style are baby spinach, chye sim, bok choy, okra, nai bai, winged beans and di huang miao.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g dow miao (pea shoots)
° 2 clove garlic or 2 slices ginger, finely chopped
° ¾ tablespoon olive oil
° 1 teaspoon cooking rice wine (optional)
° salt to taste

Method
1. Heat oil in a wok. Add the garlic or ginger and fry till golden brown.
2. Throw in the dow miao, drizzle cooking rice wine over it and stir-fry briskly for 1-2 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
3. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Macha Konnyaku Jelly (Green Tea Jelly)

My first taste of macha jelly was in the year 2000, when someone who is a big fan of Japanese stuff, made for us. She used those instant packs brought from Isetan Supermart, just add boiling water to it, mix well and chill in the refrigerator.

At that time, I find that the jelly look like so ugly – olive drab or hunter green in colour, first taste was like eating moss! However, after the first piece, I fell in love with it and can spent close to S$9 for just one pack that can only make around 1 litre. And I started making these unique jellies for my colleagues, and they like them too. Now with the below recipe, the cost is greatly reduced to less than S$2!

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (makes 24 pieces)
° 1 packet (10g) konnyaku jelly powder
° 200g sugar, or to taste
° 950ml-1000ml water
° 4 teaspoons green tea powder, mixed with 30ml warm water

Method
1. Combine the konnyaku jelly powder with sugar and mix well. Set aside.
2. Bring water to a boil in a pot. Gradually stir in the konnyaku and sugar mixture, stirring and bring to a boil.
3. Remove pot from heat and continue to stir until bubble disappeared. Pour in the green tea paste and mix well.
4. Pour the macha jelly mixture into the jelly mould and leave to cool before refrigerating until chilled.
5. Serve chilled.

Vegan Mayonnaise

There are all sorts of different and wonderful vegan mayonnaise recipes. This is just one way to whip up a healthy version vegan mayonnaise which reduced greatly on the usage of oil and yet real simple.

Preparation: 5 mins, plus 15-30 mins standing time

Ingredients (makes 250g±)
° 1 pack (300g) silken tofu
° ½-1 teaspoon mustard, or to taste
° ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
° ½ teaspoon sugar, or to taste
° ½-1 teaspoon apple vinegar or lemon juice, or to taste
° 1 teaspoon non-dairy margarine or olive oil

Method
1. To extract excess moisture of the tofu for a creamier mayonnaise, wrap with a clean tea towel and place a plate on top of the tofu. Leave for about 15-30 minutes. Remove tofu from the towel.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste it, add more mustard, salt, sugar, vinegar or margarine, if necessary and blend to mix well.

Creamy Mashed Potato

This is a mashed potatoes recipe with simple flavour to keep the potatoes plain. By adding grounded black pepper and chopped herbs generously, it will spice up naturally and reduce the amount of salt needed. Topped it on crispy fried wontons or deep-fried wonton skin, it is real wonderful. This can be used as the filling for deep-fried spring roll or as spread on the bread!

Preparation: 10 mins, plus 15-30 mins standing time, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 300g potatoes, peeled and diced
° a small handful of spring onion, chopped
° fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Sauce
° ½ pack (150g) silken tofu
° ¼ -½ teaspoon mustard, or to taste
° ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
° 1 teaspoon non-dairy margarine, or to taste
° ½ teaspoon sugar (optional), or to taste

Method
1. Stream the potato in a pot of boiling water or streamer for about 15 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain well and mash potato in a container with a fork. Set aside.
2. To make the sauce: extract excess moisture of the tofu for a creamier texture, wrap with a clean tea towel and place a plate on top of the tofu. Leave for about 15-30 minutes. Remove tofu from the towel. Combine all other sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste it, add more mustard, salt, sugar, or margarine, if necessary and blend to mix well.
3. Stir in the sauce to the mashed potatoes. Mix well with spring onion and black pepper. Serve immediately.

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

A hearty soup - Vegan Creamy Pumpkin Soup! Simple, nutritious and yet easy to whip up! If you find that it is too thick, just thin it down with water or soy milk. Coconut milk may be substituted with 150g silken tofu puree, if desired. For the little children, just tell them this is Cinderella’s Magical Pumpkin Soup, they will love it.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 250g pumpkin, peeled and diced
° 1 (100g) potato, peeled and diced
° 250ml water
° 100ml thick coconut milk
° 100ml-150ml soy milk (reduced sugar)
° 1 teaspoon non dairy margarine
° 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
° pepper to taste
° 2 sprigs coriander leaves or 1 teaspoon chopped spring onion, for garnish

Method
1. Place the pumpkin, potato and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender.
2. Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Stir in the coconut milk, soy milk and blend well.
3. Heat the margarine in a pot and pour in the pumpkin puree. Stirring slowly and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, garnish with spring onion or coriander leaves and serve hot.

Vegan Green Tea Milk Shake

If you like green tea (Macha), here is the recipe for green tea milkshake to enjoy.

Preparation: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 1)
° 1 teaspoon green tea powder, or to taste
° 150g silken tofu
° 125ml fresh soy milk
° sugar (optional), to taste

Method
1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste it, add more sugar, if necessary. Chilled or serve with ice.

Avocado Ice Lolly

This recipe is improvised from the Indonesian avocado drink which is rich and creamy. To turn this into ice cream, it can be done too, just following the steps from the recipe of Green Tea Ice Cream.

Preparation: 10 mins

Ingredients (makes 4)
° 1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced
° 4 tablespoons fresh thick coconut milk
° 1 pack silken tofu
° 5-6 teaspoons gula melaka(palm sugar) syrup or chopped gula melaka, or to taste

Method
1. To extract excess moisture of the tofu for a creamier texture, wrap with a clean tea towel and place a plate on top of the tofu. Leave for about 15-30 minutes. Remove tofu from the towel.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste it, add more sugar, if necessary and blend to mix well.
3. Pour into ice lolly mould and place in the freezer until frozen for at least 3 – 4 hours.

Stir-Fried Baby KaiLan

Simple and yet delicious! This is a quick and simple way to stir-fry baby kailan, using just ginger and jazz up with cooking rice wine and sugar. You may also stir-fry baby kalian with vegetarian oyster sauce, if desired.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 4 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g baby kalian, end trimmed and halved
° 6 slices ginger, finely shredded
° 1 tablespoon olive oil
° ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
° ½ teaspoon sugar, or to taste
° 1 teaspoon cooking rice wine
° ½ fresh red chilli (optional), for garnish

Method
1. Heat oil in a wok. Add the ginger and fry till fragrant.
2. Throw in the baby kalian, add the cooking rice wine and fry for 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and sugar and give it a last stir. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with red chilli.
3. Serve immediately.

Herbal Soup (Ren Shen Dun ‘Ji’ Tang)

If you enjoy herbal soup, here is one that improves complexion, stamina and helps to rejuvenate the body. Instead of using mock meat, you may want to use king oyster mushroom or lotus root or the combination of both for this soup. Alternatively, just boil the herbs and season to taste with salt. There are many herbal soup packs in the market, some come in sachet (in powder form sachet) and some are real herbs. Just remember to check the ingredients, for some using flavour enhancer which might derive from dried fish or seaweed.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 55 mins

Ingredients (serves 4)
° 1 packet herbal soup (FairPrice - Ren Shen Dun Ji Tang)
° 1.5 litres water
° 100g king oyster mushroom, sliced or cut into chunks
° 100g lotus root, peeled and thinly sliced
° salt, to taste
° pepper (optional), to taste
° a small handful fresh chopped spring onion or coriander leaves (optional), for garnish

Method
1. Place all the ingredients and water in a pot. Bring soup to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes or until all the lotus root and king oyster mushroom are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, garnish with spring onion or coriander leaves and serve hot.

Vegan Green Tea Ice Cream (Macha Ice Cream)

Photographer: Little JF

Vegan ice cream making is so much simpler than those real ice creams where you need egg, milk, cream etc. It is almost instant, just place the ingredients in the blender to blend and next throw into an ice cream maker, that’s!

But, home made ice cream without ice cream maker? It is not impossible, there is a way, find out more at Making Ice Cream without Ice Cream Maker. Alternatively, following the recipe below, as I have streamlined the tedious process by skipping some steps and it still works.

Now, I would not miss my Uji Macha Ice (Japanese Green Tea Ice Cream), with this recipe, it is even healthier and cheaper.

Preparation: 10 mins

Ingredients (makes 250g±)
° 1 pack silken tofu
° 5-6 teaspoons sugar, or to taste
° 1 teaspoon green tea powder

Method
1. To extract excess moisture of the tofu for a creamier texture, wrap with a clean tea towel and place a plate on top of the tofu. Leave for about 15-30 minutes. Remove tofu from the towel.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste it, add more sugar, if necessary and blend to mix well. Pour into different containers and place in the freezer until frozen.
3. Prior to consuming the ice cream, remove the ice cream from the freezer and place in the refrigerator shelf for 1 hour (to slightly soften it).
4. Place in a blender, blend until smooth. If you can’t wait, just eat it. Alternatively, place in the freezer for 30 to 60 minutes before consuming, depending on your preference for a softer or harder consistency of the ice cream.

Green Tea Ice Lolly

Rediscovering the childhood and make some yummy ice lollies! Making ice lolly is so easy, usually by mixing cordial mixture and just pours into the ice lolly moulds. For a healthy choice, using fresh fruit juice or you can just follow the below recipe for a richer texture ice lolly!

Preparation: 6 mins, plus 15-30 mins standing time

Ingredients (makes 4)
° 1 pack silken tofu
° 5-6 teaspoons sugar, or to taste
° 1 teaspoon green tea powder

Method
1. To extract excess moisture of the tofu for a creamier texture, wrap with a clean tea towel and place a plate on top of the tofu. Leave for about 15-30 minutes. Remove tofu from the towel.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste it, add more sugar, if necessary and blend to mix well.
3. Pour into ice lolly mould and place in the freezer until frozen for at least 3 – 4 hours.

Vegan Steamed ‘Egg’

This is a vegan version of Asian Steamed Egg Custard, using tofu puree and turmeric powder to achieve the texture and colour of the egg. Turmeric powder should be used sparingly here, to avoid overpowering the dish. By adding mushroom, sesame oil and light soy sauce to the recipe, it helps to tone down the taste of the tofu – to achieve the flake streamed egg custard!

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 1 pack silken tofu
° ½ teaspoon salt
° ¼ teaspoon sugar
° 1 teaspoon cooking rice wine
° ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, or less
° 2 teaspoons natural egg replacer, mixed with 4 tablespoons water
° 1 fresh shiitake mushroom, finely sliced
° ½ teaspoon sesame oil or shallot oil
° 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
° ½ teaspoon chopped spring onion or coriander leaves, for garnish

Method
1. Combine the tofu, salt, sugar, cooking rice wine, turmeric powder, natural egg replacer in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Place the mushroom in a heat proof serving bowl, pour in the creamy tofu puree and steam for 10 minutes.
3. Garnish with spring onion or coriander leaves. Drizzle with sesame oil, light soy sauce and serve immediately.

Assam Vegetables

Vegetables in hot spicy sour soup! In the past, people were thrifty, they would have kept all the leftovers after a big feast and whip up this dish the next day using assam slices, mustard green and chilli. It is real tasty with the combination of different flavours from various dishes. In here, we are not using any leftover which might not be healthy and therefore making it from fresh and simple ingredients which might not taste as robust as in the past. However, if you like simple dish which is sour and a bit “hot”, this can be appetizing.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 250g mustard green
° 3-4 fresh red chilli or 6-8 dried chilli
° 5 assam slices/assam gelucor/ assam keping
° 1 slice ginger
° 250ml water
° ½ teaspoon sesame oil
° ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
° 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
° ½ vegetarian oyster sauce or ¼ teaspoon marmite
° 2 teaspoons sugar, or to taste
° 1 teaspoon corn flour, mixed with 1 tablespoon water

Method
1. Combine the chilli, mustard green, assam slices, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
2. Season to taste with salt, sesame oil, light soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce or marmite and sugar. Stir in the corn flour solution and bring to a boil.
3. Serve immediately.

Wonton in Soup

For a healthier version, wonton in soup is better than deep-fried wonton. Here is a simple recipe for the wonton in soup! As for the making of wonton, it is the same as wonton for deep-fried, just ensure that the filling is less moist by adding a bit more flour, if there is a need.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 25 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 2 litres water
° 1 carrot, peeled and cut into small chunk
° 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunk size
° 25g Chinese dried mushrooms
° ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
° 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, or to taste
° ½ teaspoon sesame oil
° pepper, to taste
° finely shredded spring onion or coriander leaves, for garnish
° 20 wontons
° 1 fresh red chilli or chilli padi, sliced

Method
1. To make the stock: place the carrot, potatoes, mushrooms and 1 litre of water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Strain the stock.
2. Bring another 1 litre of water in another pot to boil. Add in half of the wontons and return to boil. Remove wonton with a slotted spoon as soon as they float to the surface and transfer to the stock pot. Repeat with the remaining wontons.
3. Season to taste with salt, light soy sauce and reheat until it about to boil. Add in the sesame oil, pepper and spring onion or coriander leaves.
4. Ladle the soup and wontons into individual serving bowls and serve with a small plate of sliced red chilli with light soy sauce.

Stir-Fried Celery with King Oyster Mushroom

Celery has a nice crisp texture and can be eaten raw. I like to scrape off the edge and the outer surface of the celery with a peeler, so that it is easier to chew. In this recipe, it is quick stir fry to retain its crunchy texture. Like most stir-fry dishes, a simple sauce which consists of light soy sauce, sugar and corn flour solution will do. So is this dish, it is simple yet the sauce does not overpower the distinct flavour of celery. Young corn or red capsicum can be added, if desired.

Preparation: 8 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 250g celery, cut into 5cm length and 1.5cm thick strip
° 25g carrot, peeled and sliced
° 75g king oyster mushroom, 5cm length and 1.5cm thick strip
° 1 slice ginger, chopped
° ¾ - 1 tablespoon olive oil

Sauce
° 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
° ½ teaspoon sugar
° 1 teaspoon corn flour
° 60ml water

Method
1. Combine the ingredients for sauce in a bowl and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a wok. Add the ginger and fry till fragrant. Add the mushroom and stir-fry briskly for 1-2 minutes.
3. Throw in the celery, carrot and stir-fry briskly for about 2 minutes. Stir in the sauce mixture and give it a last stir. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Stir-Fried Spinach with Ginger

This is a fabulously simple dish with rich source of iron, full of vitamins and minerals. You may even stir-fry with garlic and garnish with boiled wolfberries or red chilli or sesame seeds, if desired.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 250g spinach, cut into 5cm length
° 2 slices ginger, finely chopped or finely shredded
° ¾ tablespoon olive oil
° salt, to taste

Method
1. Heat oil in a wok. Add the ginger and fry till fragrant.
2. Add the spinach and stir-fry briskly for 1-2 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.