Deliciously quick & easy vegetarian/
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 Now that autumn is giving way to cold wintery days, this Chinese Vegetable soup will come in handy. Yes, it can be whipped up in 15 mins if you have all the ingredients ready. Quick and easy! Vegan and gluten free, this soup is pretty versatile too in that you can just throw in any vegetables you have in your fridge. Serve it with a small serving of brown rice or even quinoa and you have a protein-packed (tofu, peanuts) belly-filling meal. This is quite a straighforward recipe which doesn't require step by step photos. Ingredients (Serves 4 as a side soup or 2 as a main meal)
 Method 1. Heat a medium sized saucepot and fry the pounded ginger. 2) Add in the mushroom powder and sambal oelek. 3) Now, pour in 3 cups of water and add the hardier vegetables like zucchini, snow peas and capsicum first. Let the soup boil then reduce fire and let it simmer for 5 mins. 4) After 5 mins, add in the cherry tomatoes, shimeji mushrooms and peanuts. Boil again for another 5 mins. 5) Lastly add in the silken tofu and stir. Cook for another 2-3mins on low heat. 6) Add the corn flour mix and let the soup thicken. This will happen instantly. 7) Serve warm garnished with sesame seeds and coriander leaves. (222nd Recipe)
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 Claypot Jasmine Rice with Marinated Tofu and Shitake Mushrooms is a heavenly rice dish. The combination of ginger, bird's eye chilli and all the seasonings goes very well to produce a delicious, filling and wholesome meal. A Cooking Frenz member Alice Lim cooked this for one of her cooking demos but she had used rice cooker instead of a claypot and had made the non vegetarian version using chicken. This recipe has been long pending (since March actually!). As this Claypot rice has all the ingredients for a wholesome meal - carbs (rice), protein (tofus) and fibre (spinach and mushrooms)- you don't actually need any other side dish - though a light chinese soup would be a great accompaniment. A claypot is required for this rice dish but if you don't have one, use any heavy based non stick saucepot. Ingredients (Serves 3) 1.5 cups of Jasmine Rice Rice seasonings 2.5 cups of vegetable stock 1 tsp sesame oil 2 tsps mushroom seasoning Tofu Marinade 2 tablespoon light soy sauce 1 tbsp sesame oil ½ teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1 block of firm tofu, sliced half and again sliced into slightly thick rectangles 10 pieces of white button mushroom or 6 pieces of fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced thinly 1 piece of 2 inch ginger cut into matchsticks 1 bird's eye chilli, sliced 3 cups baby spinach, washed 2 tablespoon cooking oil Other Seasonings 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine 1 teaspoon light soy sauce ( if needed) 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 teaspoon veg oyster sauce Extra bird's eye chilli and some sliced scallions for garnishing. Method 1) Wash the rice and soak in 2.5 cups of vegetable stock for 15 mins in the claypot. We will be using this same stock to cook the rice. So don't throw this away.  2) In the meantime, cut the tofu block into rectangles and place them in a big plate/container. 3) Prepare the marinade ingredient. From top left - light soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper powder, corn flour and sugar. Mix them in a small bowl and pour over the tofus slices. Let them marinate for 10 mins.    4) Prepare the other seasonings for the vegetables. From left in a small white bowl - dark soy sauce, sesame oil, chinese rice wine, veg oyster sauce, canola oil and in the centre is light soy sauce (optional extra).  5) Get the vegetables ready.  6) Heat a wok and start frying the ginger matchsticks and bird's eye chilli. The white pepper in the tofu marinade packs a punch, so if you prefer a less spicy dish, add only half the chilli or omit altogether.  7) Then, add in the marinated tofu slices and the marinade sauce.  8) Fry in the oil, turning over regularly till golden brown. Then add in the other seasonings.  9) This will then be followed by the mushroom and baby spinach.  10) Cook till the mushrooms and spinach cook and wilt. Probably 5-10 mins.  11) Start cooking the rice in the claypot. Add the mushroom seasoning and the sesame oil, mix and allow the stock to boil,  12) Cover the pot, reduce heat to low and cook the rice for 5-7 mins. Watch the pot carefully, the rice can get stuck to the claypot and start to burn.  13) When the rice is almost cooked, add the cooked tofu,mushroom, spinach stir fry over the rice.  14) Cover and cook on low heat for 5 mins and switch off the flame.  15) Serve hot garnished with spring onions and more bird's eye chilli.. Enjoy :)   We all enjoy sweet potatoes. But did you know that the leaves of these sweet tubers are power packed with important vitamins and minerals?
Sweet Potato leaves are an excellent source of potent antioxidants called polyphenols and they are one of the most alkalizing vegetables out there. It makes me wonder if Sweet Potato leaves are the next Superfood? I was introduced to all these nutrient info by a Cooking Frenz member -Ms Shirley Lee. She gave me valuable tips on how to prepare these leaves. I came up with some additional ingredients to power up the dish even more. It is especially good for all the men in our household. It didn't take long for my husband Anand to gobble this up when I told him how good these sweet potato leaves are for his prostrate!  Ingredients (Serves 3 as a side dish) 500 gm of sweet potato leaves 1/2 a block of firm tofu 3 garlic cloves, sliced long 1 bird's eye chilli, sliced Light soy sauce - 1 to 2 tbsp Method 1) Prepare the tofu, garlic and chilli.  2) Wash and cut the stems of the leaves into 1 inch pieces.  3) Discard any old leaves and rinse well. Drain.  4) Get a big wok and pour 1 tbsp of canola oil. Fry the garlic and bird's eye chilli slices.  5) Add the light soy sauce and tofu and let them brown a little on medium heat.  6) Add the stems and cook for 5 mins covered till tender.  7) Then add in the leaves and again cook covered for a further 5 mins.  8) It will look like this after 5 mins. Serve piping hot with any other Chinese themed dishes. Enjoy!   Yee Fu Noodles are also called E fu noodles or Yi Fu noodles. Made primarily of wheat flour and eggs, braised Yee Fu Noodles is a very popular dish in China. I was introduced to this dish by a friend from WEC Ms Chua We Lin who sent me a link to a Youtube video by CoKohKitchen.The recipe was so simple and delicious looking, I decided to try out the dish. I added bird's eye chilli for heat and a sunny side up egg for protein. It turned out very well. Ingredients (Serves 2) 2 Cakes of uncooked Yee Fu Noodles (See pic below) 1 tbsp canola oil 2 inch ginger, cut into strips 1 bird's eye chilli (chilli padi), sliced 5 fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced 1 stalk of spring onions, cut into 1 inch size 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 sunny side/boiled egg Ingredients for sauce 1 cup water 1 tbsp light soy sauce 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce 1 tbsp dark soy sauce 1/2 tsp sugar Method 1) Follow the instructions on the noodle packet and boil the noodles. Only till 3/4 cooked as the noodles will be further cooked in the sauce later..  2) Drain under cool water and keep aside.  3) Heat a wok and add the canola oil. Fry the ginger pieces and sliced bird's eye chilli.  4) Add in the sliced shitake mushrooms and a bit of salt to allow them to sweat.  5) Meanwhile, make the sauce separately. Once the mushrooms are cooked, add in the boiled noodles and the sauce. Give it a good stir.   6) Once the sauce is fully abosrbed, add in the spring onions.  7) Finish off with the drizzle of sesame oil. Serve with a sunny side egg for protein. Grilled tofus can also be added at the mushroom juncture.   Rice Vermicelli is a thin form of rice noodles. They are sometimes referred to as rice noodles, rice sticks or bee hoon. Rice Vermicelli plays a big role in many Asian cuisines where they are often eaten as part of a soup dish, stir fry or salad. There are many dishes like Satay Bee Hoon, Mee Siam, Mee Soto, Payasam (Indian sweet dish) which all incorporate Rice Vermicelli. Stir fried Rice Vermicelli with Vegetables and Tofu or Bee Hoon (in Malay) or Mifen (in Chinese) is very popular in Singapore. It is eaten during breakfast, lunch or dinner and it is a staple in all parties and family gatherings. Because it is made of rice, it is easily digestible and there are even brown rice vermicelli available nowadays. It is a very versatile recipe in that you can use many types of other vegetables like carrots, zucchinis, broccoli, cauliflowers or bell peppers. Some just leave it plain to accompany other side dishes. This dish can be cooked in a Chinese, Malay or Indian way. In the traditional Malay and Chinese way, shrimps are added to enhance the flavor and are served with scrambled eggs mixed into the Beehoon. I have prepared a Chinese Vegetarian version with no eggs and no shrimp. Ingredients (for 4 ) 3 tbsps. Canola Oil 10 oz Rice Vermicelli, cooked and drained according to package 1 block of firm tofu (16 oz) cubed and grilled 1 medium onion, sliced thinly 6 garlic cloves, pounded 1/2 green chilli sliced thinly 2 tbsp. sambal oelek or any chilli paste (reduce to 1 tbsp. if you prefer less heat) 2 tsp mushroom seasoning 2 tbsp. light soy sace 2 cups Chinese Spinach (Bok Choy/Chye Sim) 2 cups of shredded cabbage Red birds' eye chillies sliced and soaked in light soy sauce 3 stalks of scallions, sliced Method Heat the canola oil in a big deep pot and add in the sliced onions. After 2-3 minutes, add in the pounded garlic. When the aroma of fried garlic and onion fills your kitchen, add in the mushroom seasoning and chilli paste. Give it a stir and then add in the vegetables and tofu and let it cook. Once the vegetables are cooked, add in the cooked vermicelli and pour in the light soy sauce. Combine everything well and check for seasonings. Serve garnished with sliced scallions and with any Chinese stir fried dishes. Keep the red bird's eye chilli in soy sauce and extra scallions nearby.  |
Hi guys! I'm Nilofar Iyer and I have shared my dishes here for you to cook for your own family and friends with love and most importantly with their long term good health in mind.
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