Thunder Tea Fried Rice

Thunder Tea Fried Rice garnish with crispy basil leaves with chilli

I am trying to find different ways to fried rice and decide to make use of the herbs used for thunder tea rice. If you like the thunder tea rice, most likely you will enjoy this thunder tea fried rice. To make it more nutritious, I add tofu to the fried rice. Besides sesame seeds and peanuts, I have included some cashew nuts as well (add some pine nuts if desired). If you like salted radish (chye poh), just add that in too.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 8 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g rice, cooked
° 1 small (125g) firm beancurd/tofu, pat dried and diced
° 2 tablespoons olive oil
° salt, to taste
° ½ teaspoon green tea powder, or to taste
° 1-1½ teaspoons roasted/toasted white sesame seeds
° 2 tablespoons roasted/toasted peanuts
° some cashew nuts (optional)

Thunder Tea Paste
° 25g basil leaves (stems removed before weighing)
° 25g mint leaves (stems removed before weighing)
° 25g coriander
° 1 slice ginger
° 30ml water

Method
1. Place the basil leaves, mint leaves, coriander, and ginger in a multi-chopper with 30ml of water. Blend well and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok. Add the tofu and pan fry till lightly brown. Drain well on kitchen paper and set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok over medium heat and fry thunder tea paste for a moment.
4. Stir in the cooked rice and season with salt and green tea powder. Fry about 2-3 minutes or until rice is heated through. Throw in the tofu and mix well.
5. Sprinkle some sesame seeds, peanuts, cashew nut and serve hot.

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

Muah Chee with Snow Powder or Soybean Powder

Must muah chee be always coated with peanut powder? In fact, snow powder or soybeans powder can be used instead. This will make this snack available for those with nut allergy to enjoy!

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2-3)
° 150g glutinous rice flour
° 250ml water
° 1½ tablespoons sugar
° ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
° ½ teaspoon green tea powder/matcha powder (optional)

Coating Mixture
° 100g snow powder
or
° 100g soybean powder
° snow powder/icing sugar, to taste

Method
1. Combine the flour, green tea powder, water, sugar and oil in bowl. Mix well.
2. Grease a heat-proof ware, pour in the muah chee mixture and steam for 10-15 minutes or until it turn gooey.
3. Meanwhile, to make the coating mixture, combine the soybean powder and snow powder or icing sugar in a plate. Set aside. Nothing needs to be done if only snow powder is use for the coating or dusting.
4. Scoop out the cooked muah chee dough and use a pair of scissors to snip into small nuggets and coat it with the coating mixture.
5. Serve warm.

Muah Chee (Matcha Flavour)

This is another variant of Muah Chee by adding green tea powder or matcha powder to the dough giving it a unique flavour and adding a nice twist.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2-3)
° 150g glutinous rice flour
° 250ml water
° 1 tablespoon sugar
° ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
° ½ teaspoon green tea powder/matcha powder

Peanut Mixture
° 100g roasted peanuts powder
° 2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

Method
1. Combine the flour, green tea powder, water, sugar and oil in bowl. Mix well.
2. Grease a heat-proof ware, pour in the muah chee mixture and steam for 10-15 minutes or until it turn gooey.
3. Meanwhile, to make the peanut mixture, combine the peanuts, sesame seeds and sugar in a plate. Set aside.
4. Scoop out the cooked muah chee dough and use a pair of scissors to snip into small nuggets and coat it with the peanut mixture.
5. Serve warm.

Matcha Rice

I was reading MINDYOURBODY (from THE STRAITS TIMES) yesterday - Sept 5, 2007 and read an article on ‘Drink and eat your tea’ by Sylvia Tan. In this article, it mentions that not only the Japanese who add green tea to their food, the Taiwanese do it as well by sprinkling powdered green tea over fried rice. So guess what I did, I add green tea powder to cook my rice! If you want to reduce salt in-take, omit adding salt, it is then just like plain rice. It turned out to be lovely jade green rice and I sprinkle some sesame seeds and nori shreds on top.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g rice, washed and drained
° 400ml water
° ½ teaspoon green tea powder (matcha powder)
° ½ teaspoon salt
° 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)
° some shredded nori (optional)

Method
1. Place the rice, water, green tea powder, salt into an electric rice cooker, mix well and turn it on.
2. When done, leave the cooked rice to rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork, sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds and shredded nori.
3. Serve hot.

‘Anyhow’ Soup

Photographer : Little JF

This recipe is rather similar to the creamy vegetable soup recipe that I post in my blog earlier on. I called this ‘Anyhow’ soup, as there is no need to exactly follow how much ingredients to use. If you find some ‘left over’ vegetables in the refrigerator and it can’t be cook into a dish by itself, you can mix them with some other vegetables to come up with this soup. There is no need to go and get broccoli stem just that I have it and therefore I just dump it in. If you have cauliflower stem, use it. Potato is a must for the creamy texture, if there are too much of the other vegetables and you don’t want a big pot of soup, reduce the amount of potato used. Then, just pour enough water to cover all the vegetable and boil. Pretty easily, isn’t it and real sweet and delicious. Carrot and onion gives the sweetness to this soup.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 1-2)
° 2 (± 200g) potatoes, peeled and chopped
° 2 stalks (± 100g) white leek (white portion), chopped
° 1 (± 50g) onion, diced
° ½ carrot, peeled and chopped
° 1 broccoli stem
° water
° ½ -1 tablespoon non-dairy margarine
° salt and ground black pepper, or to taste
° few sprigs coriander leaves, for garnish

Method
1. Place the potato, leek, onion, carrot, and broccoli in a pot. Pour just enough water to cover all the ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender. 2. Transfer to a blender or food processor and add in the margarine and salt. Blend until smooth and creamy. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls.
3. Garnish with coriander leaves, sprinkle some black pepper and serve hot.

Olive Fried Rice

This is an amazingly simple recipe, with few ingredients and brief preparation time. Omit the vegetarian ham, if desired.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g rice, cooked
° 20g carrot, peeled and diced
° 1 slice (25g) vegetarian ham, diced
° 10-12 pitted black olives, sliced
° 1½-2 tablespoons olive oil
° 1 clove garlic or 1 slice ginger, finely chopped
° 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
° salt, to taste
° pepper, to taste
° a small handful freshly chopped coriander, for garnish

Method
1. Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat and stir fry the garlic or ginger till fragrant.
2. Throw in the carrot, vegetarian ham and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
3. Stir in the cooked rice, olives and season with light soy sauce, salt and pepper. Fry about 2-3 minutes or until rice is heated through. Sprinkle with some water if it is too dry.
4. Garnish with coriander and serve hot.

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

Steamed Tofu with Mushroom and Mock Ham

A hassle free dish, simple and yummy.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 300g silken tofu, sliced
° 2 fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped
° 1 slice (25g) vegetarian ham, chopped or diced
° 25g carrot, finely chopped
° 1 teaspoon freshly chopped coriander or spring onion

Seasoning
° 60ml water
° 1 teaspoon tapioca starch
° 1/5 teaspoon salt, or to taste
° ½ teaspoons sesame oil
° pepper to taste

Method
1. Arrange the tofu slices in a heatproof serving plate. Place the mushroom, vegetarian ham and carrot on top.
2. Combine the seasoning ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour over the ingredients and steam for 10 minutes.
3. Garnish with coriander or spring onion and serve immediately.

Cucumber Salad

A no cook dish – cucumber salad.

Preparation: 8 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 4)
° 250g Japanese cucumber (weight after cutting), cut into match-stick length
° 2 slices ginger, finely chopped
° 1-2 cloves garlic (optional), finely chopped
° 1 tablespoon sesame oil
° 2½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar, or to taste
° 1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
° salt to taste

Method
1. Place the cucumber, ginger and garlic in a salad bowl. Stir in the sesame oil, vinegar, sugar and salt.
2. Use your hand to mix well and serve.

Simple Celery Salad

This is a very simple salad. To make it more interesting, scrambled tofu, onion, carrot or vegetarian ham can be added, if desired.

Preparation: 8 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 4)
° 250g celery (weighed after trimming), trimmed and cut into match-stick length
° 2½ tablespoons vegetarian salad cream or vegan mayonnaise, or to taste
° 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, or to taste
° freshly ground black pepper, to taste
° salt (optional), to taste

Method
1. Place the celery in a salad bowl. Stir in the salad cream or mayonnaise, vinegar, pepper and salt.
2. Use your hand to mix well and serve.

Pumpkin Rice

Pumpkin again, Yes, it is another pumpkin recipe! Combining the process of cooking rice and steaming pumpkin into ONE step. Thus, making this a hassle-free, time saving and energy conserving recipe! Orangey-yellow pumpkins with green skin cubes in between white rice mingle with some unpolished brown rice, plus some lovely white and black sesame seeds on top. It just looks so attractive.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g rice, washed and drained
° 400ml water
° 150g Japanese pumpkin, removed seeds and cut into cubes
° 1 teaspoon olive oil
° ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
° 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Method
1. Combine the rice, water, pumpkin, oil and salt into an electric rice cooker, mix well and turn it on.
2. When done, leave the cooked rice to rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork, sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds and serve hot.

Steamed Japanese Pumpkin (Kabocha)

Want some healthy snack which is rich beta carotene, iron, vitamin C and potassium, plus some tracers of calcium and B vitamins? Just steam some Japanese pumpkin aka Kabocha. After steaming, the skin of the pumpkin can be eaten, just make sure it had been thoroughly washed. If not, just throw it away.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 8 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 300g Japanese green pumpkin, removed and cut into 2cm thickness slices

Method
1. Place the pumpkin in a heat proof serving bowl and steam for 8 minutes.
2. Serve warm.

Picture source: http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/CA25677D007DC87D/LUbyDesc/av36/$File/jappum2.jpg

Amaranth and Wolfberries Congee

It is just a bowl simple and light congee. Red dates can be added, if desired.

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

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 100g rice, washed and drained
° 1.2 litres water
° 1 slice ginger
° 1 tablespoon wolfberries (boxthorn berries), soaked
° 150g amaranth/Chinese spinach, finely chopped
° salt and pepper, to taste

Method
1. Put the rice, ginger, wolfberries and water in a claypot or pot. Let it stands for 1 hour or more, if desired.
2. Bring the congee to a boil for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover with a lid and leave it to stands for 30 minutes or more.
3. Re-boil the congee for few minutes prior to serving. Add in the spinach. To thicken the congee, mix 1-2 tablespoons of glutinous rice flour with 4 tablespoons of water and stir into the congee, if desired. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Ladle the congee into individual serving bowls and serve hot.

Seaweed Salad (Seasoned Kelp)

This is a simple seaweed salad dish or side dish/cold dish. I bought a pack of dried kelp (shredded), 20g for S$1.78, by AOK at the FairPrice Supermarket. There might be a need to rinse the kelp shreds well to remove the slime with several changes of water.

Soak the kelps in warm water instead of blanching, if desired. Usually, I like to use dried kelps in knot for boiling soup to lend some flavour to the dish. As some recipes call for clear soup, these kelps would need to be discarded. So, instead of wasting food, it can be used to make a small cold dish using this recipe.

Preparation: 3 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 10g dried kelp shreds
° 500ml water
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
° ½ teaspoon sugar, or to taste
° 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds

Method
1. Blanch the shredded kelps in a pot of boiling water for ½ - 1 minute. Drain well and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Place kelps in a salad bowl. Stir in the sesame oil, sesame seeds, salt and sugar.
3. Use your hand to mix well and serve.

Steamed Japanese Pumpkin with Wolfberries

Usually, we can spot stir-fried pumpkin with frozen mixed vegetables and black fungus or wolfberries at some of the vegetarian stalls. If you like that dish, you can try out the steamed version instead of stir-frying. For this simple and easy delicious dish, it is best to get good quality pumpkin.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g Japanese pumpkin (weight after peeling), cut into 1cm slices
° ½ -1 tablespoon wolfberries (boxthorn berries), soaked
° 2-3 seedless red dates (optional)
° few sprigs coriander, for garnish

Seasoning
° 60ml water
° 1 teaspoon tapioca starch
° ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° pepper to taste

Method
1. Arrange the pumpkin slices in a heatproof serving plate. Place the wolfberries and red dates on top.
2. Combine the seasoning ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour over the pumpkin and steam for 8-10 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft
3. Garnish with coriander and serve immediately.

Honeydew Sago Dessert

This is an easily made party dessert.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 4-5)
° 300g honeydew (weight after peeling), cut into small cubes
° 75g sago pearls, rinse and soaked with plenty of water for 15mins, drained
° 750ml water
° 250ml coconut milk
° 100g sugar, or to taste

Method
1. Combine the sugar, water and bring to a boil. Stir in sago pearls and simmer for 5-6 minutes or until sago pearls are almost translucent with just a barest white fleck in the centre.
2. Stir in the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Off the fire and leaves it to cool. Add in the honeydew.
3. Ladle the dessert into individual serving bowls and serve chilled with ice.

Spinach and Wolfberries Congee

A bowl of simple vegetable congee.

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

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 100g rice, washed and drained
° 1.2 litres water
° 1 slice ginger
° 1 tablespoon wolfberries (boxthorn berries), soaked
° 150g spinach, finely chopped
° salt and pepper, to taste

Method
1. Put the rice, ginger, wolfberries and water in a claypot or pot. Let it stands for 1 hour or more, if desired.
2. Bring the congee to a boil for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover with a lid and leave it to stands for 30 minutes or more.
3. Re-boil the congee for few minutes prior to serving. Add in the spinach. To thicken the congee, mix 1-2 tablespoons of glutinous rice flour with 4 tablespoons of water and stir into the congee, if desired. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Ladle the congee into individual serving bowls and serve hot.

Seaweed and Tofu Soup

This is a weekday friendly recipe.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 4-5 dried kelps in knot
° 2-3 slices ginger
° 500ml water
° 75g silken tofu, cut into cubes
° a small handful dried seaweed, rinsed
° salt and pepper to taste
° a small handful fresh coriander leaves or spring onion, for garnish

Method
1. Place the dried kelps, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 8 minutes. Remove the ingredients with a slotted spoon and discard.
2. Throw in the tofu and dried seaweeds. Bring to a boil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, garnish with coriander leaves or spring onion and serve hot.

Winter Melon and Wolfberries Congee

This is a bowl of simple and light congee. Red dates can be added, if desired.

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

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 100g rice, washed and drained
° 1.2 litres water
° 2 slices ginger
° 200g-300g winter melon (weight after peeling), cut into 1cm cubes
° 1-1½ tablespoons wolfberries (boxthorn berries), soaked
° 1 slice (25g) vegetarian ham, chopped or diced
° 1 tablespoon freshly chopped coriander or spring onion
° salt and pepper to taste
° sesame oil to taste

Method
1. Put the rice, ginger, winter melon, wolfberries and water in a claypot or pot. Let it stands for 1 hour or more, if desired.
2. Bring the congee to a boil for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover with a lid and leave it to stands for 30 minutes or more.
3. Add in the vegetarian ham and simmer for 10-15 minutes. To thicken the congee, mix 1-2 tablespoons of glutinous rice flour with 4 tablespoons of water and stir into the congee, if desired. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Ladle the congee into individual serving bowls, garnish with coriander or spring onion and serve hot.

Soybean Sprout Soup (Kongnamul-Guk)

Soybean Sprout Soup is a popular Korean side dish soup – Kongnamul-Guk. It is not at all difficult to cook. With few simple ingredients, you can enjoy a bowl of fresh and light soup. For this vegetarian/vegan version, I used kelps instead of anchovies. If it is too plain, just sprinkle some sesame oil, sesame seeds, Korean red pepper or dried chilli flake. Do not overcook the soybean sprout, it should have a crunchy texture.
Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 100g soybean sprout, trimmed
° 50g silken tofu, cut into cubes
° 5 dried kelps in knot
° 1-2 thin slices ginger
° 500ml water
° ½-1 teaspoon light soy sauce
° salt and pepper to taste
° 1 stalk fresh spring onion, cut into 4cm length

Method
1. Place the dried kelps, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 8 minutes. Remove the ingredients with a slotted spoon and discard, if desired.
2. Add in the tofu, soybean sprout and bring to a boil. Off the fire and season to taste with light soy sauce, salt and pepper.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls. Garnish with spring onion and serve hot.

Spinach Salad

This is another Korean salad dish – spinach salad or Shigmchi Namul. Simple and Easy!

Preparation: 8 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 250g spinach, trimmed
° 500ml-750ml water
° ¾ tablespoon sesame oil
° 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
° 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds

Method
1. Blanch the spinach in a pot of boiling water for 30-60 seconds. Drain well and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Squeeze out the excess liquid from the spinach and cut into 5cm section.
3. Place spinach in a salad bowl. Stir in the sesame oil, light soy sauce and sesame seeds.
4. Use your hand to mix well and serve.

Stir-Fried Silk Squash with ‘Egg’

Silk squash is also known as luffa, dishwater gourd, Chinese okra, dishrag or dishcloth gourd, lloofah, ridged loofah, ridged gourd, silk gourd etc, It is dark green in colour and looks like a thin zucchini and has a sweet, but very mild taste, similar to cucumber. Always buy young silk squash and I like to remove the core where there are some seeds hidden. My mother used to stir-fry silk squash with beaten egg. For the vegan version, I used scrambled tofu to replace the egg. One other way of cooking silk squash is to stir-fry with carrot and cloud ear fungus.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g Silk Squash (weight after peeling and sliced), sliced
° 1 small firm beancurd/tofu, pat dry and scrambled ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
° 1½ tablespoon olive oil
° 1 slice ginger or 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
° salt to taste

Method
1. Marinate the scrambled tofu with turmeric powder, salt, pepper and sesame oil. Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat and fry scrambled tofu for 2 minutes or until dry. Set aside.
3. Heat ½ tablespoon oil in a non-stick pan. Add the ginger or garlic and fry till fragrant. Throw in the silk squash and stir fry for 1½-2 minutes. Season to taste and salt.
4. Add in the pan-fried scrambled tofu and mix well. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Luffa picture: http://www.wku.edu/~darlene.applegate/oldworld/china/images/luffa.jpg

Mixed Rice with Vegetarian Mock Pork in Mushroom Sauce

This is almost a no cook recipe, except for cooking the rice. To eat, just mix all the ingredients in the plate well. For this recipe, can food is been used. The CiXin Vegetarian Mock Pork in Mushroom Sauce is a product of Singapore, manufactured by Amoy Canning Corp (Singapore) Ltd - http://www.amocan.com/cixin.htm The ingredients used for this can food is mushroom, textured vegetable protein, salted yellow bean, chilli, soya bean oil, sugar, hydrolyzed vegetable protein and yeast extract.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 2 bowls cooked rice
° 100g cucumber, thinly shredded
° 50g carrot, peeled and thinly shredded
° 1 can mock pork in mushroom sauce
° roasted sesame seeds (optional)

Method
1. Place a bowl of rice in the middle of each serving plates.
2. Top with cucumber and carrot. Divide the mock pork in mushroom sauce equally between the serving plates.
3. Sprinkle with some sesame seeds and serve immediately.

CookBook: Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson,

Written and photographed by Heidi Swanson, creator of 101 Cookbooks, Super Natural Cooking guides cooks toward a more natural (less processed) palette of ingredients and recipes. Everyone knows that whole foods are much healthier than refined ingredients, but few know how to cook with them in uncomplicated, delicious ways.
With this book you'll learn the ins-and-outs of the whole-foods kitchen by identifying and exploring a spectrum of whole grain flours, minimally processed fats, grains, sweeteners, and phytonutrient-packed fruits and vegetables.

The book features 80 recipes, and 100 full-color photos. It is 7x10 inches, 224 pages, and printed in full color.

Chapters include:
Build a Natural Foods Pantry
Explore a Wide Range of Grains
Cook by Color
Know Your Superfoods
Use Natural Sweeteners

Selected recipes:
Do-It-Yourself Powerbars
Black Tea Spring Rolls
Quinoa and Corn Flour Crepes
Millet Fried "Rice"
Sweet Potato Spoon Bread
Risotto-Style Barley
Acai Power Popsicles

In National library: 641.563 SWA-[COO]

-- National Library Website

Quote from http://www.101cookbooks.com/supernatural/

Heidi Swanson'srecipe journal http://www.101cookbooks.com/

Homemade Popcorn

Green Tea Popcorn (matcha powder and icing sugar) / Caramelized Popcorn

It is so easy and simple to make popcorn at home. I bought a packet of raw popcorn (400g) for around $1.10 and within a few minutes I can enjoy my fresh popcorn. If you like it plain and healthy, there is no need to add anything (salt, butter or syrup). For a quick one, just toss with maple syrup or golden syrup. For a butter flavour variation, melt some non-dairy margarine plus some salt and mix well with the popcorn. This recipe can also be use as one of the kid activities during rainy days or school holidays, with a adult supervision!

Preparation: 2 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 100g raw popcorn
° 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
° 50ml maple syrup, or to taste

Method
1. Place the oil in a large sauce pan or wok. Pour in the raw popcorn and stir with a wooden spoon to mix well, ensuring all the raw popcorn are coated with oil.
2. Place the lid on the sauce pan or wok and set to medium heat. After 3 minutes, you will hear the popcorn starting to pop, do not remove the lid. Shake the pan or wok occasionally to prevent the popcorn from burning.
3. When the popping noises have slowed down and hardly any popping, off the fire. Stir in the maple syrup and ensure the popcorn is well coated.
4. Transfer the popcorn to a bowl and serve.

Vietnamese Popiah (Nem Cuon Dau Hu)

This is a simple and yet delicious fresh spring rolls using rice paper. The must-have ingredient is mint leaves, it gives a different flavour. To make this spring roll more attractive, place a few carrot shreds, a mushroom slice and a tofu slice on the rice paper prior to placing the lettuce. After rolling up, as rice paper had a see through effect, it is real colourful. To speed up the making of this Popiah, purchase a packet of Fried Been Hoon and Deep-fried Tofu from any vegetarian stall. Just prepare the raw vegetables and do the wrapping.

Preparation: 25 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (makes 18-20)
° 20 pieces rice paper (15cm in diameter)

Chilli Dipping Sauce
° 2 fresh red chilli padi, sliced
° 1 teaspoon sugar
° 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
° 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Spring Roll Filling
° 100g rice vermicelli, cooked according to packet’s instruction
° 1 small firm tofu/beancurd, cut into thin shreds
° 3-4 chinese dried mushroom, soaked and thinly sliced
° 25g carrot, peeled and shredded
° 75g beansprouts, trimmed and blanced
° 20 Chinese lettuce leaves
° 20-40 mint leaves
° 2 thin slices ginger or 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
° 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
° salt to taste

Method
To prepare chilli dipping sauce
1. Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Set aside.

To prepare spring roll filling
1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a non-stick pan. Stir-fry the tofu for 2 minutes. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a non-stick pan. Add the ginger or garlic and fry till aromatic. Throw in the mushroom and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Set aside
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a non-stick pan. Add the ginger or garlic and fry till aromatic. Add in the rice vermicelli. Off the heat, if desired. Season to taste with light soy sauce, sesame oil and toss well. Sprinkle some water for easier tossing, if needed. Set aside

To wrap popiah
1. Soften the rice paper sheet in warm water till soft or as per packet’s instruction. Do not over-moisten the rice paper sheet. If it is too brittle, lightly moisten it with some water or wipe with a damp cloth.
2. Place 1 sheet of rice paper on chopping board or plate. Place a small Chinese lettuce leaf in the centre and top with carrot, rice vermicelli, tofu, mushroom and mint leaves.
3. Roll up and arrange on a serving plate.
4. Serve immediately with the simple chilli dipping sauce. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent from drying if it is not consume immediately.