Froot Loops Cereal with Soymilk/Amond Milk

Froot Loops Cereal with Soymilk/Amond Milk

I have seen my boy’s classmate having Froot Loops with Milk for Lunch in school.

Usually, just pour cold milk on and it is ready to serve.

But must it be cold milk?

It tastes yummy with reduced sugar soymilk and almond milk too.

Vegetarian Kimchi Stew with Tofu and Enoki

A tangy quick and easy-to-prepare soup. For a robust flavour, add more kimchi juice, dried chilli flakes. Enoki mushroom can be added prior to serving, if desired.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 100g vegetarian kimchi,
° 100g silken tofu, diced
° 50g enoki mushroom, base trimmed
° 500ml water or vegetable stock
° 1 slice ginger
° 2-3 tablespoons vegetarian kimchi juice
° l tablespoon light soy sauce
° ½ teaspoon sugar
° salt to taste
° 1 tablespoon finely chopped spring onion or coriander leaves, for garnish
° dried chilli flake (optional), to taste

Method
1. Place ginger and water in a pot and bring to a boil.
2. Add in the vegetarian kimchi, tofu, enoki mushroom, kimchi juice and bring to a boil. Season to taste with light soy sauce, sugar and salt.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls and garnish with spring onion or coriander leaves. Serve immediately.

Udon with Fried Bean Curd

Wow, a hot bowl of Udon with Fried Bean Curd that is simple enough for anyone to whip up. If you know how to cook a packet of Instant Noodle, I can assure you that it is not a problem at all. Simple and yet tasty – the secret – use good quality ingredients. I depend on the light soy sauce to bring some flavour to the soup and no salt is added. It will look beautiful if you add one small piece of Tang-O for garnishing.

As for the kelps, toss well with simple ingredient like sesame oil, sugar, salt and sesame seeds, you will have a nutritious side dish.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 1)
° 1 pack (200g) udon noodle, cooked according to instructions on the packet
° 1-2 fried bean curds, blanched and sliced
° 10 dried kelps in knot
° 2 thin slices ginger
° 500ml water
° 2½ tablespoons light soy sauce, or to taste
° ¼ teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
° finely shredded spring onion or coriander leaves, for garnish
° some roasted sesame seed (optional), to garnish

Method
1. Place the dried kelps, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Season to taste with light soy sauce and sesame oil. Discard the kelps or use it to makes a seasoned kelps side dish.
2. Transfer the udon and fried bean curd in a bowl. Ladle the soup and sprinkle some spring onion or coriander leaves and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Seasoned Funori

Something simple and no cooking required. I used dried coralline algae (100g @ S$4.50) which I bought from Yes Natural Pte Ltd. This coralline algae is slightly different from the Funori that I used in another recipe. I discovered that it can’t be cooked, if it is heated, it melts. This is recommended for making salad. Using simple seasoning that I normally used for whipping up Korean Side Dishes, I have this seasoned funori that I can also add to my Ocean Themed Bibimbap.

Preparation: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 25g dried coralline algae or funori (jelly seaweed), washed, rinsed, soaked overnight and cut
° some roasted sesame seeds, for garnish
° some dried chilli flakes (optional), for garnish
° few lettuce leaves (optional) for garnish

Seasoning
° 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° ½ teaspoon sugar or to taste
° salt to taste

Method
1. Transfer the dried coralline algae or funori a big bowl or plate. Stir in the rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, salt and mix well.
2. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and dried chilli flakes and serves in lettuce leaves.

Stir-Fried Capsicum with King Oyster Mushroom

A simple colourful Stir-Fried dish! Stir-frying is a healthy cooking process that preserves vitamins and minerals and at the same time keeps the crunchy texture of the food.

Preparation: 15 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g king oyster mushroom, sliced
° 50g red capsicum, seeded and diced
° 50g green capsicum, seeded and diced
° 1 clove garlic or 1 slice ginger, finely chopped
° 1 tablespoon olive oil
° ½ tablespoon light soy sauce
° salt and grounded black pepper, to taste

Method
1. Heat oil in a wok. Add the garlic or ginger and fry till fragrant.
2. Add the king oyster mushroom and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Throw in the capsicum and stir-fry for another 1 minute. Season to taste with light soy sauce, salt and black pepper.
3. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Simple Mushroom and Veggie Hotpot

Simple vegetable and mushroom hotpot that I had during a recent tour. I would never have thought of using cucumber in hotpot and in here, trying to recreate it. Add some light soy sauce or granulated mushroom bouillon, if desired. With steaming hot rice, you can enjoy a fuss free and healthy meal.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 50g cucumber, sliced
° 50g endives, cut into chunks
° 50g carrot, peeled and sliced
° 50g king oyster mushroom, sliced
° 50g enoki mushroom, based trimmed
° 50g fresh shiitake mushroom, sliced
° 100g silken tofu, cubed
° 750ml water
° 1 slice ginger
° salt and pepper, to taste
° dash sesame oil (optional)

Method
1. Place the carrot, king oyster mushrooms, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Add in the enoki mushroom, shiitake mushroom, cucumber, endives, tofu and bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt, pepper and sesame oil.
3. Serve immediately.

Seaweed Curry Rice Wrap

I saw the picture on the pack of Korean Seaweed. Why didn’t I think of eating sushi in that way? Making sushi can be time consuming with the rolling and so on. If we are not having any guests around, why not just spoon some rice and wrap with a rectangle piece of seaweed and that’s it.

It made me think further, must it be sushi rice, why can’t we have something else too. What I did use was improvised healthy curry flavour rice instead.

By stir-frying a tablespoon of curry powder paste (powder mixed with some water) and then adding to the rice with some of the water replaced with unsweetened soymilk instead of coconut milk and don’t forget the salt. After 15-20 minutes my curry flavour rice is ready in the electric rice cooker.

You can skip the stir-frying of curry powder if you want an even more simplified way of cooking curry flavour rice. Simple, not much work plus its more nutritious!

So going green, going vegetarian, and food need not be boring. There are thousands of innovative ways to add taste and colour to make them yummy and interesting.

Mushroom Bibimbap (Kids Version)

Mushroom Bibimbap (Kids Version) served with Doenjang (Korean Soybean Paste), Shredded Nori and Crispy Wonton Strips

No wastage - Soup make from water blanching mushrooms with simple ingredients added!

This recipe is actually derived from Mushroom Bibimbap! As some kids do not like spicy food, I have replaced the Gochujang (Korean Hot Bean Paste) with Doenjang (Korean Soybean Paste).

Kids love Deep-fried food which are crispy and produce a lovely sound when they munch on it. So, I added a little plate of Crispy Wonton Strips together with some Korean Seaweed. It can be eaten on its own or added to the rice.

Keep the water for blanching mushrooms, and by adding a little bit of salt, light soy sauce, before garnishing with chopped spring onions , coriander or enoki mushroom, you can enjoy a bowl of clear soup too!

Oh yeah, don’t forget to let the kids have some fun – use a BIGGER bowl, so that the kids can mix and toss all the ingredients without messing up the dinning table – learning how to “stir-fry” rice like a chef! Get the kid to wash the rice and cook it too, if they want to help out.

Preparation: 20 mins, Cooking time: 25 mins

Ingredients (serves 4)
Millet Rice
° 150g rice, washed and drained
° 50g millet, washed and drained
° 400ml water

Seasoned Shiitake Mushroom
° 150g fresh shiitake mushroom, sliced, blanched and drain well
Seasoning
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° l½ tablespoon light soy sauce
° 1 teaspoon sugar or to taste
° some roasted sesame seeds

Seasoned Eryngii Mushroom
° 150g fresh eryngii mushroom, diced, blanched and drain well
Seasoning
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° l½ tablespoon light soy sauce
° ½ teaspoon sugar or to taste
° some roasted sesame seeds

Other
° 50g carrot, peeled and shredded
° 25g pea shoots (dow miao)
° some local lettuce
° 50g enoki mushroom, base trimmed
° some toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
° Doenjang (Korean Soybean Paste), to serve

Method
1. Millet Rice: Combine all the ingredients into an electric rice cooker, mix well and turn it on. When done, leave the cooked rice to rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Set aside.

2. Seasoned Shiitake Mushroom: Transfer the mushroom to a big bowl or plate. Stir in the sesame oil, light soy sauce, sugar and mix well. Sprinkle some sesame seeds and set aside.

3. Seasoned Eryngii Mushroom: Transfer the mushroom to a big bowl or plate. Stir in the sesame oil, light soy sauce, sugar and mix well. Sprinkle some sesame seeds and set aside.

4. To serve: Divide millet rice into individual serving bowls and garnish with sesame seeds. Arrange seasoned shiitake mushroom, seasoned eryngii mushroom, carrot, pea shoots, local lettuce and enoki mushroom on top or on another serving big bowl or plate. Serves with a plate of Doenjang.

Mushroom Bibimbap

No wastage - Soup make from water blanching mushrooms with simple ingredients added!

Crazy about Bibimbap!

For this Bibimbap dish, the main ingredients are mushrooms. And I added millet to cook the rice. Millet is nutritious. Just mix all the ingredients and toss well prior to eating. Ever wonder why Korean ladies are so slim, part of the answer is found in Korean Cuisine – Kimchi and the Korean Side Dishes.

Keep the water for blanching mushrooms, and by adding a little bit of salt, light soy sauce, before garnishing with chopped spring onions , coriander or enoki mushroom, you can enjoy a bowl of clear soup too!

Preparation: 20 mins, Cooking time: 25 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
Millet Rice
° 150g rice, washed and drained
° 50g millet, washed and drained
° 400ml water

Seasoned Shiitake Mushroom
° 150g fresh shiitake mushroom, sliced, blanched and drain well
Seasoning
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° l½ tablespoon light soy sauce
° 1 teaspoon sugar or to taste
° some roasted sesame seeds

Seasoned Eryngii Mushroom
° 150g fresh eryngii mushroom, diced, blanched and drain well
Seasoning
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° l½ tablespoon light soy sauce
° ½ teaspoon sugar or to taste
° some roasted sesame seeds

Other
° 50g carrot, peeled and shredded
° 25g pea shoots (dow miao)
° some local lettuce
° 50g enoki mushroom, base trimmed
° some toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
° Gochujang (Korean Hot Bean Paste), to serve

Method
1. Millet Rice: Combine all the ingredients into an electric rice cooker, mix well and turn it on. When done, leave the cooked rice to rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Set aside.

2. Seasoned Shiitake Mushroom: Transfer the mushroom to a big bowl or plate. Stir in the sesame oil, light soy sauce, sugar and mix well. Sprinkle some sesame seeds and set aside.

3. Seasoned Eryngii Mushroom: Transfer the mushroom to a big bowl or plate. Stir in the sesame oil, light soy sauce, sugar and mix well. Sprinkle some sesame seeds and set aside.

4. To serve: Divide millet rice into individual serving bowls and garnish with sesame seeds. Arrange seasoned shiitake mushroom, seasoned eryngii mushroom, carrot, pea shoots, local lettuce and enoki mushroom on top or on another serving big bowl or plate. Serves with a plate of Gochujang.

Seasoned Korean Zucchini (Hobak Namool)

This is a Korean side dish. Simple and yet delicious. You can mix green and yellow zucchini for a more interesting presentation.

Wonder about the history of Namool or Namul? At the end of 7th century, Korea entered a long stable period based on Buddhist culture for few hundreds years. Diet changed with dramatic reduction in meat consumption and vegetables took a more significant role. Temple meals consisted of soup, rice and vegetables dishes and this influence omitting the strong-smelling ingredients is still apparent in Korean Side dishes. Marinating Vegetables in soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame seeds have barely changed.

Source: The Complete Book of Korean Cooking, Young Jin Song

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 150g zucchini, sliced or thin strips

Seasoning
° ¾ tablespoon sesame oil
° ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
° 1 teaspoon sugar or to taste
° ½ -1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds

Method
1. Blanch the zucchini in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain well and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Transfer the zucchini to a big bowl or plate. Stir in the sesame oil, salt, sugar and mix well.
3. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and serve.

Mango Ice Lolly

Something simple, healthy and compassionate! When it starts to melt, it tastes like sorbet. Kids will love it, they have their fruit and at the same time stop their craving for ice cream.

Preparation: 10 mins

Ingredients (makes 4)
° 2 ripe mangoes, peeled and diced
° 125ml (1 orange) freshly squeezed orange juice or orange juice
° 2 tablespoons icing sugar or powder sugar, to taste

Method
1. 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.
2. Pour into ice lolly mould and place in the freezer until frozen for at least 3 – 4 hours.

Seasoned Mushroom (Buhsut Namool)

Another Korean side dish. Simple and yet delicious. It can be added to Bibimbap too.

Preparation: 12 mins, Cooking time: 8 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 150g fresh shiitake mushroom, sliced

Seasoning
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° l½ tablespoon light soy sauce
° 1 teaspoon sugar or to taste
° ½ teaspoon roasted sesame seeds

Method
1. Blanch the mushroom in a pot of boiling water until cooked. Drain well and squeeze out any excess liquid. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Transfer the mushroom to a big bowl or plate. Stir in the sesame oil, light soy sauce, sugar and mix well.
3. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and serve.

Crispy Wonton Strip

I got this idea from the Minced Mushroom Rice @ Waterdrop Tea house in Punggol. So, I got a packet of wonton wrapper from the wet market and deep fried them. I added some of them to my Raw Veggies Bibimbap and it is awesome.

Cooking time: 10 mins, Total time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 24 pieces wonton wrapper, cut into 4 or 5 sections
° oil, for deep-frying

Method
1. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or wok and fry in batches until golden yellow.
2. Remove the wonton strip with a slotted spoon. Drain well on kitchen paper and serve as soon as possible to ensure they remain crispy.

Tip
1. Put wontons strip in oven or microwave for 1-2 minutes if they lose their crispiness.

Raw Veggies Bibimbap

Bibimbap mixed!

If you know nothing about cooking, or never whip up any dish before. With a given task to whip up a Korean Dish, do you think it is mission impossible? Well, nothing is impossible.

Here is the simple dish – Raw Veggie Bibimbap that you can churn out to impress anyone! Have a electric rice cooker at home to cook plain white rice? If not, just pack some steaming hot white rice from any rice stalls.

Next, get few veggies like carrot, Japanese cucumber, radish, lettuce, dow miao (pea shoots), sprouts, rocket leaves and the list goes on. For carrots, Japanese cucumber, radish and lettuce you just need to cut them into shreds.

And don’t forget you need to have the Gochujang (Korean Hot Bean Paste) where you can easily get them from any Korean Supermarkets in Singapore.

Now, you have rice, raw veggies and gochujang. Just scoop the cooked rice into individual big serving bowls and top with a portion of the raw veggies. Serve with a plate of gochujang on the side. Your guest could just mix them all well prior to eating.

You are going to impress them and it is sooo simple!

For my Raw Veggies Bibimbap, I have

* shredded Japanese cucumber

* shredded carrot

* shredded lettuce

* dow miao (pea shoots)

* enoki mushroom

* shredded nori

* cooked plain rice sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds

* tomato, for garnish

Mix all the ingredients well with gochujang and drizzle ½ teaspoon of sesame oil (optional). I also added some crispy wonton skin (which is not in the photograph), it is so lovely!

In fact, any Vegetarian Eateries can serve this Raw Veggies Bibimbap or Raw Veggies Bibimmyeon (noodles) at any time, as there isn’t much preparation required at all.

Hmm... A good dish for picnic, charity fair or lunch box. Just keep the cooked rice in a food warmer! And most importantly a perfect and fuss free lunch or dinner for a lazy me on some lazy days …

Silken Tofu with Spicy Soy Sauce

This is an eco-friendly ‘No Cook’ dish which anyone can do within 5 minutes. It is yummy! For a smoother texture, do steam or blanch the tofu for 5 minutes.

Preparation: 5 mins, Total time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 1 pack silken tofu (300g), cut into 8 cubes
° few slices spring onion (optional), for garnish

Sauce
° 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
° 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
° 1 teaspoon sugar
° ½ teaspoon sesame oil

Method
1. To make the sauce: combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. Place the tofu on a serving plate and drizzle the spicy soy sauce over the tofu.
3. Garnish with spring onion and serve as an appetizer or side dish with hot rice.

Simple Vegetarian Kimchi Fried Rice

Is Vegetarian Food boring and limited? The answer is of course a big NO! In fact, lots of other cuisine, with some modifications, can be turned into vegetarian version easily. Simple Kimchi Fried Rice which usually calls for beef, but here I cook a meatless version and added king oyster mushroom just for fun! Light soy sauce can be used if desired. Sprinkle some toasted black sesame seeds and spring onion to garnish. With 2 to 3 Korean Side dishes added, it can be a simple meal by itself.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 8 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g rice, cooked
° 50g green capsicum, seeded and diced
° 75g king oyster mushroom, diced
° 150g vegetarian kimchi, chopped or diced
° 1 clove garlic or 1 slice ginger, finely chopped
° 1 tablespoon olive oil
° salt to taste
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° few fresh coriander leaves (optional), for garnish

Method
1. Heat the olive oil in a wok. Add the ginger or garlic and fry till fragrant.
2. Throw in the green capsicum, mushroom and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
3. Stir in the cooked rice, kimchi and season with salt. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until rice is heated through. Sprinkle with some water if it is too dry.
4. Add in the sesame oil and serve hot.

Tip
1. Rice for frying must be cooked at least 2 hours in advance or the night before.

Fried Rice with Zucchini and Carrot

I had a real tasty Ginseng Fried Rice with zucchini and carrot .

If I could get vacuum-packed white ginseng, I would use it to cook the rice. And with finely chopped ginseng, zucchini and carrot to fry the rice that had been cooked with ginseng. For our climate in Singapore, young ginseng might not be so suitable for us, unless we are staying in cold countries. So, for this recipe it is just zucchini and carrot being used.

To make it more interesting for kids, get some Korean seaweed (some small rectangle nori sheet) to wrap the rice to eat.

Preparation: 15 mins, Cooking time: 8 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g rice, cooked
° 100g zucchini, finely chopped
° 25g carrot, peeled and finely chopped
° 1 clove garlic or 1 slice ginger, finely chopped
° 1 tablespoon olive oil
° salt and pepper to taste
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° few fresh coriander leaves (optional), for garnish

Method
1. Heat the olive oil in a wok. Add the ginger or garlic and fry till fragrant.
2. Throw in the zucchini and carrot and stir-fry for 1 minute.
3. Stir in the cooked rice and fry for 2-3 minutes or until rice is heated through. Sprinkle with some water if it is too dry. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add in the sesame oil and serve hot.

Tip
1. Rice for frying must be cooked at least 2 hours in advance or the night before.

Kimchi Udon

A quick and simple recipe - Kimchi Udon ! In this recipe, I am using vegetarian kimchi (without fish sauce and garlic) and you can add in some kimchi juice if desired. As I am not using vegetable stock, I added some kelp for making the soup base and retained the kelp for making a side dish – seasoned kelp (Seaweed Salad).

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 2 packs (400g) udon noodle
° 150g vegetarian kimchi
° 5g dried shredded kelps
° 1 slice ginger
° 800ml water
° salt to taste
° sugar to taste (optional)
° 1½ tablespoons dried chilli flake (optional), to serve

Method
1. Place the dried kelps with water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Discard or retain the shredded kelps for other dishes.
2. Throw in the udon and kimchi. Bring to a boil and season to taste with salt and sugar.
3. To serve, ladle into a serving bowl. Sprinkle some dried chilli flakes and serve immediately

Vegetarian Kimchi Instant Noodle

Vegetarian Kimchi

If you have Vegetarian Kimchi, whipping up a bowl of Kimchi Instant Noodle is not a problem at all. I used Tung-1 Instant Vegetarian Noodle, half the sachet of the seasoning and added 25g of chopped kimchi to it. Add more dried chilli flakes if desired.