Stir-Fried Pumpkin with Fresh Lily Bulb and Wolfberries

Oh, I have too many fresh lily bulbs. Besides using to cook the broccoli, I still have lots of them left. Guess, pumpkin, lily bulb and wolfberries can be a nice combination. Corn flour or cornstarch can be used instead of tapioca starch.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 8 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g pumpkin (weight after peeling), cut into chunks
° 25g fresh lily bulb, petals separated
° ½ teaspoon wolfberries, soaked
° 1 slice ginger, finely chopped
° 1 tablespoon olive oil
° ½ teaspoon sugar (optional)
° 1 teaspoon tapioca starch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water
° 125ml water
° fresh coriander leaves, for garnish

Method
1. Heat oil in a wok. Add the ginger and fry till fragrant.
2. Add the pumpkin and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until the pumpkin is soften.
3. Throw in the lily bulb, wolfberries, water and bring to a boil. Stir in the sugar and tapioca starch mixture to thicken the sauce.
4. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Easy Homemade Eggless Kaya (Pumpkin Kaya)

So much talks about the pumpkin kaya and I remember a lovely Lady Volunteer, Kim Lan who in her 60s told me that pumpkin can be used to make pumpkin kaya and it is taste just like Kaya (Traditional Coconut Egg Jam which is used commonly as bread spread in Singapore). I regretted not asking her the exact ingredients and instructions.

Today, I did a first try and it turn out well. Traditional Kaya takes hours to made and it is very tedious. The pumpkin kaya that I did, was rather fast and save that my arm from aching (the continually stirring). The time taken to cook the kaya, depend how thick you love it to be, and pandan leaves can be added during the cooking, if desired. I found some oil at the end of the cooking, it could be from the coconut milk after continual cooking. Anyway, I discarded them. Palm sugar or brown sugar can be used too.

Doesn’t feel like making this, you can get from Nutrihub @ Cuppage Plaza, B2-25/26, Orchard.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients (makes 250g±)
° 250g pumpkin (weight after peeling), cut into small chunks
° 250ml fresh coconut milk
° 2 tablespoon sugar or to taste
° 4 pandan leaves/screwpine (optional), tied into a knot

Method
1. Place the pumpkin in a heat proof serving bowl and steam for 8 minutes or until soft.
2. Pour coconut milk and pandan leaves and bring to a boil. Alternatively, omit this step.
3. Combine the pumpkin, coconut milk and sugar in a blender and blend until smooth.
4. Cook in a non-stick pan for 8-10 minutes on medium-high heat, stirring continually until the pumpkin kaya becomes thick.
5. Discard any oil from the pumpkin kaya, leave to cool and store in a jar.

Broccoli with Fresh Lily Bulb and Wolfberries

A simple dish. No vegetarian oyster sauce. Fear not, just substitute with 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, and use some mushroom seasoning or vegetable stock instead of water. Corn flour or cornstarch can be used instead of tapioca starch.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 8 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g broccoli florets, blanched
° 25g fresh lily bulb, petals separated
° ½ teaspoon wolfberries, soaked
° 1 slice ginger, finely chopped
° 1 tablespoon olive oil
° 1 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce
° 1 teaspoon tapioca starch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water
° 125ml water

Method
1. Arrange the broccoli in a serving plate and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a wok. Add the ginger and fry till fragrant.
3. Throw in the lily bulb, wolfberries, water and vegetarian oyster sauce. Bring to a boil and stir in the tapioca starch mixture to thicken the sauce.
4. Drizzle the sauce over the broccoli and serve immediately.

Cha Soba or Cold Soba

Vegetarian Cha Soba has been on my To-Do List for more than a year, finally I cooked it few days back. Procrastination has been holding me back, it isn’t difficult at all, I just don’t know why.

For a vegetarian or vegan version, we need to cook the cold sauce or dipping sauce rather than get the ready-made sauce. I didn’t have Japanese Soy Sauce and mirni, I just make do with light soy sauce and cooking rice wine (omit the cooking rice wine, if desired). It was still yummy. For the left over ingredients, just use to a side dish – Seaweed Salad.

This dish is good for buffet or party food as you can prepare in advance. I remember seeing this dish at Equinox Hi-Tea Buffet, cold soba in a tea cup garnished with nori and spring onion, and the cold sauce in kept in a teapot – very presentable.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients
° 100g cha soba, blanched and chilled in ice water
° finely shredded toasted nori, for garnish
° finely chopped spring onion (optional), for garnish

Cold Sauce
° 8 dried kelps in knot
° 2 dried Chinese mushroom or shiitake mushrooms
° 2 thin slices ginger
° 375ml water
° ¾ -1 tablespoon sugar
° 30ml shoyu (Japanese soy sauce) or light soy sauce, or to taste
° 30ml mirin or 10ml cooking rice wine

Method
1. To prepared the cold sauce: place the dried kelps, mushroom, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add in sugar, shoyu, and mirin and simmer for 1 minute. The remaining stock is about 250ml. Discard the ingredients and set aside or chilled.
2. Divide the cha soba among 2 individual serving plates. Garnish with shredded nori and spring onion.
3. Serve with cold sauce.

Pickled Green Mango

Pickled Green Mango (cut into chunks size)

Shredded Pickled Green Mango

If you have lots of green mango and do not know what to do with them. You can try this recipe. Simple to do and you can have pickled Mango, it is lovely if you loves sour and sweet food.

Preparation: 8 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 125g green mango (weight after peeling), shredded or cut into big chunks
° 50ml white rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar
° 1 tablespoon sugar, or to taste

Method
1. Combine all the ingredients in a glass container, mix well and leave to stand for 24 hours prior to serving.

Purple Yam Roll or Dioscoreae Roll ?

Baked!

Deep-Fried!

What is this? I don’t know the name of this product. It is very delectable. It is purple yam wrapped with a “net wrapper” made of rice vermicelli.

I got them from Friendly Vegetarian Food Supplier and they told me it Chinese Yam or “Purple Yam” (紫山芋 / Dioscoreae) and you deep-fried it. The packet didn’t come with any information related to this product, so let called it Purple Yam Roll or Dioscoreae Roll!

How to cook this? You can brush some olive oil on it and bake/toast it, for a healthier choice. Alternatively, deep-fried it which is nicer.

Simple Nasi Lemak Chilli Paste

Here is a simple way to make Vegetarian Nasi Lemak Chilli Paste. I had reduced the amount of oil greatly. This recipe is suitable for vegetarian that don’t consume shallots. I will try to make the same using shallot next time round.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (makes 150g ±)
° 100g chilli paste
° 2 stalks lemongrass, peel off outer layers leaving tender whitish centre, cut out 7.5cm, chopped
° 40g-50g vegetarian belacan, chopped
° 30ml vegetable oil
° 50g black sugar or palm sugar, or to taste

Method
1. Grind lemongrass into fine paste.
2. Heat oil in a wok. Add in lemongrass, vegetarian belacan and chilli paste. Stir-fry the paste for 5-8 minutes or until fragrant.
3. Stir in the black sugar and set aside to cool.

Lime Chilli Sauce

I just too lazy to make the chilli paste and I got this chilli pasta at the supermarket. I would say it is still better to do the chilli paste yourself, as it will be free of preservative. I shall try to make the chilli paste next time.

Preparation: 5 mins

Ingredients (makes 100g)
° 100g chilli paste
° 3 tablespoons (5-6 limes) freshly squeezed kalamansi lime juice
° 2 tablespoons sugar
° salt to taste (optional)

Method
1. Combine all the ingredients in a small serving bowl. Set aside until ready to serve.

Seaweed Bread Roll

Run out of ideas for making sandwiches, try this Seaweed Bread Roll! Oh, it is scrumptious!

What you need is nori, bread, lettuce, shredded carrot and Japanese cucumber, and lastly vegan mayonnaise or vegetarian salad cream.

Next, place the nori (should be much longer than the bread) on a plate. Place the bread on top of the nori. Arrange the lettuce, carrot and Japanese cucumber on the bread. Spread some vegan mayonnaise vegetarian salad cream and start to roll from one end to the other. To finish, seal with some vegan mayonnaise or vegetarian salad cream. Its that easy!

Nata De Coco with Passion Fruit

Nata De Coco is a high-fibre, low-calorie and cholesterol-free dessert. The chewy, juicy cubes can be mixed with cocktails or other dessert to create your own treats. In here, I marry Nata De Coco with Passion Fruit!

Roselle Tea

Roselle Fruit

Roselle! I finally found this at the Supermarket after so many many years, it is organic and a product of Singapore. When I was 12 years old, my dad brought back a big bag of roselle fruit which was given to him by his friend and I was given the task to make this drink for the whole family. It was like Ribena to me and I like it. Check out more about: Roselle Plant.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 8-10)
° 200g roselle fruits
° 2 – 2½ litres water
° sugar to taste

Method
1. To make the drink, put the roselle and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and add sugar.
2. Remove from heat, strain and serve warm or chill.

Mayo Corn Sandwiches

Oops, in the sandwiches maker for too long, a little bit too brown!

Forget about Mayo Egg sandwiches. Try this, it is yummy too. The secret to sweet and delicious mayonnaise corn is to use fresh corn on the cob.

Preparation: 8 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 4 slices bread
° 1 ear corn on the cob, cut or peeled kernels off the cob
° 1 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise or vegetarian salad cream, to taste

Method
1. Put the corn kernels in a heatproof serving plate and steam for 8-10 minutes.
2. Remove from streamer and leave to cool. Mix well with mayonnaise.
3. Place the mayo corn onto the bread and make toasted sandwiches according to the instruction of sandwiches maker.

Sushi

Half done sushi in a mould

Sushi again, more to come. It is so simple and fun to make.

Just prepare the rice with vinegar, salt and sugar. Next mixed the Japanese cucumber and Vegan mayo or vegetarian salad cream. Fill the rice in any sushi mould place the mayo cucumber in the centre and cover with more rice. Next remove from the mould and caot with toasted sesame seeds or Aonoriko seaweeds!

No sushi mould, do a hand formed sushi or a sushi ball. Actually, I don’t quite like the sushi mould I have in the picture, may want to get another type.

Vegetarian Seaweed Fish

I bought this product from one of the supermarkets. Another product with a “Healthier Choice" Logo from Health Promotion Board.

The ingredients are seaweed, soya bean curd skin, salt, sugar, sesame oil. No preservative!

I am getting lazy nowaday and want something hassle-free. I just do a quick thaw, brush some olive oil on it and toasted in my oven toaster. Next, just cut into smaller pieces using a pair of scissor or knife.

Bread Sushi

It is fabulously simple!

Trim the crusts of the white bread. Then place the bread on the nori sheet. Spread some vegan mayonnaise or vegetarian salad cream evenly on the bread. Place a Japanese cucumber strip on the bread and start rolling …

Oh yeah, seal the edge with some mayonnaise and cut into 3cm pieces or eat it as a whole roll.

Simple Mayo Cucumber Salad

So easy and no cooking is request. By adding lime juice and onion, this can be a vegan version of Cucumber Raita (Indian Yoghurt Relish). Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds for garnish, if desired.

Preparation: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 1 (100g) Japanese Cucumber, diced
° 2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise or vegetarian salad cream, to taste
° salt (optional), to taste

Method
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well and serve chilled.

Corn Battleship Sushi

Oh, my corn battleship sushi does not resemble the battleship. I didn’t make the rice “oblong” enough in a hurry and it looks like sushi with some mayo corn topping. This sushi should be prepared just before serving as the nori turn soft rather quickly.

Preparation: 45 mins, Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients (makes 12)
° 200g rice, washed and drained
° 400ml water
° 1.5 tablespoons Japanese rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
° 1 teaspoon sugar
° ½ teaspoon salt
° 3 sheets nori, toasted and cut into 4 equal strips
° 2 ears corn on the cob, cut or peeled kernels off the cob
° 2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise or vegetarian salad cream, to taste

Method
1. Add the rice and water into an electric rice cooker and turn it on. When done, leave the cooked rice to rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes.
2. To make mayo corn, put the corn kernels in a heatproof serving plate and steam for 8-10 minutes. Remove from streamer and leave to cool. Mix well with mayonnaise.
3. In a bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt and stir until dissolved. Using the rice paddle or spoon to spread the cooked rice. Stir in the combined vinegar, sugar and salt. Fold the rice to mix well and divide into 12 portions.
4. Wet your hand and pick up one portion of rice. Roll to form an oblong shape slightly less than 1 inch thick and place on a plate. Repeat with remaining rice.
5. Wrap a nori strip around each rice oblong and seal with 2 grain of rice at the edge.
6. Spoon some mayo corn onto all the rice and serve.

Seaweed & Cucumber Sandwich

In fact, I wanted to make a sushi bread roll but end up having a Seaweed & Cucumber Sandwich! Oh, the sandwich bread I have is just too thick and small to roll nicely. I shall get the right type of bread next round. My seaweed and cucumber sandwich was so delicious that I could not stop eating.

Preparation: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 1)
° 2 slices breads
° vegan mayonnaise or vegetarian salad cream, for spread
° 2 slices cucumbers
° ¼ sheet nori
° some toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Method
1. Place 1 quarter sheet nori on one slice of bread.
2. Evenly spread vegan mayonnaise or vegetarian salad cream on the nori.
3. Place the cucumber slices over the nori and sprinkle with some sesame seeds.
4. Place the second slice of bread and complete the sandwich.
5. Slice the sandwich diagonally and use sandwich toothpicks to hold the sandwich halves together.