Back Again after a Long Hiatus!

Sorry folks! I have been terribly missing from my blog.

My sisters, niece and I at Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen temple in Jenjarom (near Banting) on the first day of CNY.

In between working on 2 books (yes!), working on planning our web design business, planning this year's marketing master class. taking care of my women entrepreneur association as president, engaged in meetings and interviews, and taking care of my family (their holidays included), I have been neglecting this blog a whole lot.

I haven't been making soups as much as I want to BUT I did buy a slow cooker or crockpot (that's how Americans call it) and that helped a lot. In the past, I used to boil my soups on the stove but the downside of this is that I have to be at home and watch the stove.

With a slow cooker, I don't have to worry. I can put all my soup ingredients (herbs and chicken or meat) into the cooker with enough water and I can put it on Auto to simmer the whole day (6 hours or so) and when I get back from wherever I am going, I have soup ready to slurp!

Or I can cook soup at night (yay!). I can put all the soup ingredients into the slow cooker around 11pm which then means the soup can simmer the whole night through. It is done in the morning when I get up.

All I need to do is cool the soup down, ladle them into individual stainless steel containers (again, this helps cool the soup super quick) and once the soup is cool, store the containers in the fridge or freezer. I usually make 3 portions of soups (each portion makes 2 bowls of soup - enough for me and Nic) so this means we will have soup for the next 3 dinners.

I try not to freeze soups especially lotus root soup because I realised the freezing process changes the texture of the lotus root slices. Anyway, it is good to drink up soup as fresh as the day it was simmered. If you have leftover lotus root soup, just store it in your fridge and endeavour to drink it up within the next 2-3 days.

Today is the 15th day of the Chinese New Year - how quickly Chinese New Year has flown by! I went home for CNY (home as in Banting where my parents still live though technically, I now make my home in Penang) and had a tiring CNY helping my mum spring clean our house.

While home, I took over most of the cooking since my mum is getting old and can't do much cooking these days. This meant I was in charge of making "chai boey" on CNY Eve after our reunion dinner (with the dinner leftovers - actually it doesn't sound as gross because the roast chicken, roast pork, mixed vegetables and 'hou see fatt choy' made a truly delicious stew) which we had for the next 2 days!

I also made sambal hae bee for my sis to take home to Singapore. My arm almost fell out at the amount of slow stirring of the sambal! It took me about 30 minutes to ensure the sambal was ready. Now I know why sambal hae bee is expensive. It's not the dried prawns that is expensive - it's the labour!

My mum, dad and sisters and I. Yup, all girls so it's girrrlll power.

Anyway, I saw this article from The Star Online that featured fresh wai shan in a dessert and thought of sharing it here. I copied the recipe (although you can access the recipes via this link) because newspapers are notorious for archiving their articles. In no time, you won't be able to find this recipe.

As you can see, most of the time, I'll keep recipes here so that I can also refer to them when I need to. (This usually happens when I am back in Banting and thinking of what soup I can cook for my family.)

Happy Chap Goh Meh!

(Here's something I haven't figured out: why do Penang people eat "pengat" or bubur chacha on this day? If you know, please leave your answer in the comments. I never grew up in Penang and I certainly never ate pengat on Chap Goh Meh although I certainly don't mind eating it.)

Anyway, perhaps it is about sweet beginnings and sweet endings. May this Monkey Year keep you smart and agile!

HUAI SHAN WITH SUGARCANE JUICE

60g fresh huai shan (wild Chinese yam, also known as shao yao), peeled and shredded
3 pitted red dates, halved
600ml fresh sugarcane juice
30g rock sugar

Place huai shan, sugarcane juice and rock sugar in a medium saucepan or pot. Bring to a simmer over medium to low heat for 8-10 minutes. Do not allow to boil over. Remove and pour into individual serving bowls and enjoy it warm as a refreshing thirst quencher.

By the way, do check out my wai shan recipes below.

Wai Shan & Minced Pork Congee

Wai San, Carrot & Red Date Soup

And also, the time when I was growing wai shan in my garden!

Goji Berry, Chrysanthemum & Red Date Tea

I've been making this simple tea for a few times already. Not sure if I had shared this before but all it needs are 3 ingredients - dried goji berries, dried red dates and dried chrysanthemum bulbs. This sugar-less concoction is good for health especially if you want to maintain immunity. It's even more important these days what with the pandemic and Covid-19. But it is also a pleasant brew - no boiling needed. All you need is a handful of goji berries (washed and soaked for 5 minutes in water), 3-5 large dried red dates and a teaspoon of dried chrysanthemum flowers (these are the small heads of flowers, not the usual type for making chrysanthemum tea). Put all the ingredients in a teapot and pour in boiling water. Let it sit for 10 minutes and voila, you have made yourself a healthy tea without sugar. It has a natural sweetness from the red dates and goji berries. And once you have drunk all the tea, you can continue adding more boiling water for a second b...

The Remarkable Nut of Nuts

In this recipe, walnuts and dried red dates are combined to make a healthy and life-giving dessert. And with honey added, it packs a punch. A truly simple dessert which is used to prevent the usual flu magnets - colds and coughs. It helps too with your kidneys and with bowel movement. Walnuts are much revered in Chinese medicine, not least because the nut resembles the brain! Again, the Chinese believe that walnuts are good snacks for children as they help boost brain power which is true because of the high amounts of Omega 3 fats (good for the brain). Walnuts are of course a good source of essential omega-3 fatty acids and in Roman times, considered the food of the gods. Walnuts are a 'yang' tonic and useful for toning up weak kidneys. It also warms lung Qi while acting as a laxative, moistening the intestines (hence encouraging bowel movement if you are constipated). Walnuts are called Hu Tao Ren (juglans regia) in Chinese medicine. Walnut & Red Date Dessert 150 gm walnut...

Corn Silk That You Should Never Throw Away

The next time you buy fresh corn still in its husk, you should never throw away the corn silk. Most people throw away the husk and silk, thinking that they're useless but I can tell you, corn silk is great for your body. Save the corn silk to make a healthy tea. Just place all the silk into a pot, cover with 500ml of water and simmer for 10 minutes on low heat. Turn off the heat and pour yourself a steaming cup of sweetish corn silk tea that tastes a little like corn. Corn silk or Yu Mi Xu is a natural corn fibre that is also used in Native American medicine. It contains flavonoids that give corn silks their colour and have antioxidant properties. I t is considered an important medicinal plant, able to induce diuresis and excrete dampness according to TCM. Corn silk is helpful towards Kidney, Bladder, Liver and Gall Bladder. meridians Therefore it clears damp heat, bloating, rheumatism, skin eruptions, gout, wasting and thirsting disorder, hepatitis, cholelithiasis, ch...

The Soup Queen

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