Sesame Oil Chicken Rice with Organic Pumpkin & Red Dates Soup

This is another of my all-time faves - "one-pot" chicken rice imparted by my mummy! The usual ingredients include Chinese sausages & dried shiitake mushrooms but we're all aware that sausages are not exactly a very healthy option due to high sodium levels & the addition of preservatives. Thus, they've been omitted. As for dried shiitake mushrooms, i've asked my mummy where I could buy good ones but she told me she also can't really find them nowadays & advised me to use fresh ones instead. That was quite a dampening news as I've always like their richer flavours as compared to the fresh ones. To compensate for the missing aromas, I subsituted normal oil with sesame oil instead & the results were great!

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler & 1 adult):

1 chicken leg + 1 small drumstick

1/2 cup of organic 10 multi-grains

4 tbsps of sesame oil

1 tbsp of Bob's Red Mill All Natural Cornstarch

1/2 cup water

50g of white bunashimeiji mushrooms

8 stalks of organic French beans, diced

Directions:

1. Marinate the chicken pieces with the cornstarch & half the sesame oil, and marinate the rice with the remaining sesame oil for at least 1 hour.

2. Add water to rice, top off with the chicken pieces & mushrooms then steam for 30 minutes (I'm using my Techno 3-Tiers Electric Steamer but rice cooker would do too).

3. Add the French beans & steam for another 5 minutes. Remove chicken pieces & give it a good stir to mix the ingredients evenly. Serve warm.

We both love the fragrance of the sesame oil in the rice. Be warned though that the rice is kinda wet & sticky partly due to the fact that it was cooked in my steamer where more moisture is added during the steaming process. Think along the lines of mui fan (which I happened to like too). Cooking it in the cooker should give you the usual rice texture if you're not a big fan of rice with lotsa gravy.

Ingredients:

240g of organic pumpkin

6 red dates, seeds removed

750ml of water

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients to a pot & bring to boil. Then, simmer in low fire for 2 hours.

Nothing fanciful but just a bowl of comforting sweet-tasting soup.

Beneficial Combination:

Pumpkin + Red date = Invigorating spleen & replenishing qi as well as restraining & inhibiting qi of lungs

My 3 Dishes & Arrowroot with Black-Eyed Peas Soup for Dinner

Arrowroot with black-eyed peas soup: Skin & cut 1 arrowroot into big chunks. Add them with 280g of blanched pork bone meat & 50g of black-eyed peas to 2 litres of water & bring to boil. Then, simmer in low fire for 3 hours.

The following were cooked simultaneously in my Techno 3-Tiers Electric Steamer.

Organic brown rice: 1 cup of organic brown rice soaked for at least 7 hours in water to remove the phytic acid. Pour away the soaked water & rinse a couple of times before adding 1.5 cups of water. Steam for 35 minutes.

Steamed fish with red dates & wolfberries: Top fish with 6 red dates (seeds removed & diced), 3 tbsps of wolfberries & some ginger strips then pour 1 tbsp of organic extra virgin coconut oil over it (Optional: add 2-3 tbsps of water for more 'broth'). Steam for 10 minutes.

Steamed probiotics fed chicken with organic green kiwi: Peel off the kiwi's skin & dice it. Top 1 chicken thigh & 1 drumstick with the kiwi & steam for 25 minutes.

Steamed organic ladies' fingers (okra) & tomato: Top 5 lady's fingers & 15 organic cherry tomatoes (cut into quarters) with 1 tbsp of organic extra virgin coconut oil & 1/8 tsp of dried basil. Steam for 10 minutes.

Slurpilicious soup! Another addition to my small growing collection \(~.^)/ First try using kiwi in my cooking as my mummy told me that it'll help to tenderise meat. Very refreshing taste when eaten with the chicken but the gravy is a tad too sour for me. I think golden kiwis will be the way to go as they're sweeter in nature. My husband, on the other hand, finds it 'just nice'. He also gave thumbs up for the fish as he likes the combined sweetness from both the red dates & wolfberries. Added a mental note to myself to add a bit of water next time so that there'll be more of the light 'broth'. As usual, my lit' food lover happily gobbled everything up..lolz!

Beneficial Combinations:

Ginger + Kiwi = Clear heatiness & stop vomiting

Pork + Tomato = For healthier stomach & digestion as well as invigorate spleen & replenish qi

First Experience of Eating Rice with Dishes & Soup On-The-Go for BB

Till date, I usually prepare one dish meals for BB whenever we dine out. As I still had some leftover Organic Pumpkin & Red Dates Soup with Organic Beef Balls from luncheon, I decided to try packing a complete meal with rice, dishes & soup.

The following were cooked simultaneously in my Techno 3-Tiers Electric Steamer.

Organic 10 multi-grains: 3 level tbsps soak for more than 7 hours. Pour away the water, rinse the grains a couple of times then add in 50ml of water. Steam for 35 minutes.

Steamed probiotics fed minced chicken with portobello mushroom & organic French beans: Marinate 50g of chicken with 1/2 tsp of sesame oil & 1/2 tsp of Bob's Red Mill All Natural Cornstarch for at least 30 minutes. Dice 1 medium-sized portobello & 3 stalks of organic French beans & mix evenly into the chicken. Steam for 20 minutes.

Steamed threadfin with wolfberries: Marinate threadfin with some organic extra virgin coconut oil. Top with 1 tbsp of wolfberries & steam for 15 minutes.

To my parents-in-law surprise, BB finished all the rice, dishes & even ate up the beef balls & pumpkin in the soup. Yet, he still managed to drink up the entire bowl of soup after that (^.~)v

'Breaded' Cheesy Zucchini Sticks & Stuffed Cheesy Potato

Recipe for the chicken can be found here.The only difference here is that I added some dried rosemary as well.

It was my first attempt at baked potato & I'm pretty satisfied with the result eventhough I didn't add in bacon bites (my fave but not a very healthy choice of topping). The only other less savoury factor is that it takes more than an hour to bake it.

Ingredients:

1 small organic potato

1 tbsp of milk (I used the milk leftover from the zucchini recipe below)

2 tbsps of grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C & bake potato for an hour or till tender.

2. Remove from oven & when it's cooled enough to handle, make a vertical cut halfway through it. Scoop out the pulp into a bowl, leaving a thin shell.

3. Mash the pulp, mik & 1 tbsp of cheese. Spoon the mixture back into the potato shell & top with the rest of the cheese.

4. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes till the cheese turns a nice golden brown.

This was real gooooooood! The inside was oozy & creamy while the roasted cheese on top complemented it perfectly. It was such a pity that i couldn't make more as the other 3 potatoes had sprouted (from underneath which I had no way of knowing since it was sealed in the packaging and hence not quite visible) & so I had to throw them away most unfortunately.

'Breaded' zucchini fries with a twist! Instead of using the usual breadcrumbs, I substituted them with wheat germ which is more nutritious.

Ingredients:

1 organic zuchhini, cut into fries

1/2 cup of wheat germ / breadcrumbs (easier to coat than wheat germ)

2 tbsp of grated parmesan cheese

Some freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup of fresh milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. Spread out wheat germ onto a folded aluminium tray (for easier washing later) & bake for 1 to 2 minutes (must keep a close watch as mine was slightly charred & I had to scoop away & remove the blackened bits).

3. Remove from oven & pour into a bowl with the cheese & pepper. 

4. Pour milk into another bowl & dip the zucchini sticks into it.

5. Then, coat each with the wheat germ mixture.

6. Place them on the aluminium tray & bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of your sticks, till they turn "toasted brown" in colour.

They're such a healthy alternative to French fries, and the best part is that they taste just as good too...juicy & sweet on the inside, with a crunchy coat & slight tinge of saltiness from the cheese!

Beneficial Combination:

Milk + Potato =  Supplement nutrition & enrich nutrients

Vermicelli in Papaya Chicken Soup with Red Dates & Wolfberries

While this is not my first attempt at cooking papaya soup it certainly was without a doubt, THE best! I usually cook it with fish & the result is a very sweet-tasting soup. Armed with the intention to enhance the nutritional value of the soup, I decided to add in some red dates & wolfberries.

Ingredients (serve 2 adults + 1 toddler)

1 small green papaya, cut into 1 inch chunks

2 big + 12 small red dates, seeds removed

50g of wolfberries

1.5 litres of water

1 chicken leg + 1 small drumstick

150g of Origins brown rice vermicelli, soaked in water for 15 minutes

Directions:

1. Place papaya & dates into a big pot filled with water, bring to boil & simmer for 2 hours.

2. After 45 minutes, blanch the chicken first by placing it in a small pot with just enough water to cover it. Bring the water to a boil then remove the chicken from the heat, drain, rinse before adding it into the big pot.

3. 15 minutes before the time is up, add in the wolfberries.

4. Lastly, add in the vermicelli to warm it up for 2 minutes, then serve immediately.

I scooped up two bowls of soup before adding the vermicelli as it usually causes the soup to become more bland. To my astonishment, the soup still tasted extremely sweet even after the addition of the vermicelli. My BB finished one big bowl of the vermicelli & even requested excitedly for the small bowl of soup which I've set aside for him. Daddy-O came home early unexpectedly & luckily there was enough for the both of us. It's always such a joy to see my loved ones eating healthily & enjoying themselves in the process <3

My BB 1st Try on Huai San: Organic Rolled Oats Porridge with Garoupa & Chinese Spinach in 'Huai San' & Wolfberries Chicken Soup Base

婆婆 cooked a nice pot of fresh san yao or huai san (aka Chinese wild yam) with wolfberries & chicken soup and thus I decided to use it as a soup base for BB's oats porridge. According to my mum, there're two types of fresh huai san sold locally. They're either imported from China or Japan. The huai san from China are softer after being cooked. On the contrary, the Japanese huai san has a crunchier texture. In conclusion, the China ones are actually more suitable for toddlers' consumption. The following recipe is my mum's.

Ingredients (serve 3 adults & 1 toddler):

1 fresh huai san, sliced into 1/2 inch thickness

1 chicken, excluding the drumsticks & wings

1 big handful of wolfberries

3 litres of water

Directions:

1. Blanch the chicken first by placing it in a pot with enough water to cover it. Bring the water to boil then remove from heat, drain & rinse.

2. Place all the ingredients except wolfberries into a big pot, bring to boil & simmer for 45 minutes.

3. Add in wolfberries & simmer for another 15 minutes.

The fresh huai san has a texture more similar to tapioca rather than yam unlike its dried counterparts. Even though huai san is quite bland, the soup is very light yet sweet tasting. 

Ingredients:

250ml of soup with huai san & wolfberries

3 tbsps of organic rolled oats

1 piece of garoupa

60g of Chinese spinach, roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Transfer the soup to a smaller pot then add the fish in & cook for 10 minutes.

2. Remove fish to cool slightly & to check for bones. Add oats in then cook for another 5 minutes before adding the Chinese spinach & cook for another 5 minutes. 

3. Top with fish & serve warm.

Surprisingly, BB liked the huai san despite its blandness. He actually pointed to it & asked for more. Another addition to my collection of soup recipes >.~

Beneficial Combination:

San yao + Wolfberries = Good for spleen & stomach, benefit lung & tonify kidney as well as concentrate one's attention

Hearty ABC Soup for Luncheon!

Nothing new to most people & loved by most, it comes as no surprise that this is a soup commonly served in my kitchen. Hence, I'd like to share this recipe for the benefit of either first-time mummies or mummies who are new to the entire cooking experience.

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler + 1 adult):

2 pieces of probiotics fed chicken drumsticks

2 small carrots, sliced thinly

3 small organic potatoes, sliced thinly

1 handful of frozen peas

750ml of water

Directions:

1. Bring the water to a boil then add in carrots & potatoes. Simmer for 1 hour.

2. Add in the chicken & cook for another 1 hour.

3. 2 minutes before time is up, add in the peas. Serve warm.

I didn't serve this with rice as i know that my boy loves all the various ingredients & they would be pretty filling on their own. True enough, he finished everything to the last drop!

Beneficial Combination:

Carrot + Chicken = Promote the absorption & utilisation of protein

Homemade Chicken Mushroom Balls in Carrot, Spinach & Egg Drop Soup

Being inspired by another mummy blogger who has been using her homemade mushroom powder (her recipe can be found here) as a natural seasoning, an idea struck me. Adding freshly diced mushrooms to minced chicken sounds delicious to me too ;) The initial plan was to steam minced chicken mushroom with tofu but as it was quite a chilly day & I had some spinach in the fridge, I changed to cook one of my fave childhood soup, the spinach egg flower soup!

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler & 1 adult):

50g of minced probiotic fed minced chicken

1 big emperor shiitake mushroom (bought directly from Mycofarm), diced finely

1 tsp of Bob's Red Mill All Natural Cornstarch (new addition to my fridge & it's non-GMO)

1 tsp of sesame oil

750ml of water

1 medium sized carrot, sliced thinly

60g of organic baby spinach

1 egg, beaten

Directions:

1. Marinate minced chicken with sesame oil & cornstarch for at least 15 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

2. Bring water to a boil in a pot, add in the carrots & cook for 15 minutes.

3. Mix the diced mushrooms evenly into the chicken, roll into 12 twenty-cents balls before putting into the pot & cook for 10 minutes.

4. Add in spinach followed by pouring egg in a slow & steady stream. Let it cook a while before stirring slowly to create the ribbon-like egg flower.

5. Once the egg is cooked, can remove from heat (to prevent overcooking the spinach which can actually be eaten raw) & serve warm.

My lil' food critic seemed to like every single ingredient in the soup, even the spinach! He has never voluntarily pointed to any vegetable other than peas & asked for more but yet he did that more than once for the spinach (which is not even new to him). The chicken balls were tasty with the fragrant mushroom bits & even the meat texture is quite smooth, likely due to the addition of the cornstarch.

I also steamed a pomfret with some sesame oil with ginger strips. To be honest, my palate is getting used to appreciating the natural taste of food without any salt added. I've heard people commenting that the food would be tasteless. On the contrary, my taste buds have in fact become more sensitive to the different natural flavours embedded in each food. Sometimes when we dine out, I seem to be the only one who find the dishes too salty. Mummies & Daddies, you'all can try eating the same food as your little one too. Gradually, you'll become healthier with them too!

Beneficial Combinations:

Carrot + Chicken = Promote the absorption & utilisation of protein

Egg + Spinach = Improve the absorption of vitamin B12 as well as help to treat insomnia & upset caused by yin asthenia

Pre-Xmas Dinner of Roasted Chicky, Baked Kale Chips & Cheesy Pumpkin Mash for my BB

The recipe for the roasted chicken thigh has been shared previously at Basil Baked Chicken Thigh for BB.

Kale is one of the healthiest vegetables but it's not commonly eaten in Singapore. One reason could be that it's not readily available. Only selected Cold Storage outlets actually carry them. My mum tried to stir fry it once with pork in Chinese style for BB but it turned out too chewy so we didn't feed it to him. It actually has quite a sweet taste to it. I recalled seeing it being baked as chips on TV once & it seemed pretty easy so I tried it out previously. However, after putting it into the oven, I had to nurse my boy to sleep. When I asked my hubby to check & remove it as the time was up, they had already turned yellowish & tasted slightly bitter so they ended up in my tummy instead. 

My "Mummies group" friend was so kind to give me some this time round, so they were being 'monitored' constantly & they turned out perfecto! Crispy with a unique fragrant aftertaste. I'll definitely be making more of them as healthy chips for the family (~.^)v

Ingredients (1 toddler meal portion):

1 stalk of organic kale

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) or extra virgin coconut oil (EVCO)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. Wash & try to dry them as much as possible (if not, the residual water will have a 'steaming' effect & they'll not become crispy).

3. Carefully tear the leaves from the thick stem into bite-sized pieces.

4. Drizzle & toss with oil & spread out as a single layer then bake for about 5 to 8 minutes till the edges are slightly brown but not burnt.

5. Let them cool for about 3 minutes to further crisp up & it's snackies time!

In addition, I also attempted on something different - cheesy roasted pumpkin mash. As expected, the toasted pumpkin has a stronger flavour then the usual steamed version. &, BB likes them both ;)

Ingredients:

Half of a wedge of organic pumpkin, cubed.

EVCO

Some organic cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. Drizzle & toss with EVCO then bake (can be steamed too) for 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Mash the pumpkin then add in cheese & mix well till cheese has melted.

Luncheon for my 16M2DO BB

Red cabbage with onion soup: Cut 1 yellow onion into halves & 1/4 red cabbage into small 1cm squares. Add all the ingredients to 1.5 litres of water & bring to boil. Then, simmer in low fire for 1 hour.

The following were cooked simultaneously in my Tecno 3-Tiers Electric Steamer.

Organic multi-grains rice (1 tbsp of barley, buckwheat, millet, red lentils, quinoa & short grain brown rice): Soak overnight in 120ml of water. Steam for 35 minutes.

Steamed probiotics fed chicken thigh meat with coconut water: Marinate chicken with 5 tbsps of fresh coconut water & steam for 20 minutes. 

Steamed grouper tail with broccoli & organic cherry tomatoes: Marinate grouper with some sesame oil. Cut cherry tomatoes into quarters & broccoli into small chunks. Steam for 15 minutes.

The steamed chicken with coconut water doesn't look that appetising but looks can be deceiving. The aroma of the coconut is actually infused into the meat & there's a light sweetness too. However, BB's favourites for the day were the tomatoes & cabbage. He would only open his mouth provided he sees a piece of tomato in each spoonful (~.~)lll He ate everything I gave him, inclduing half the fish. Unlike the 'Soup King' he usually is, he actually shook his head for soup & pointed to the cabbage instead. Thus, I topped up more cabbage & he finished them as well as the soup.

Another 35 Minutes Meal

Probiotics fed chicken, corn, red dates with onion soup: Cut 1 corn into thirds & 1 yellow onion into halves. Cut to the centre of each of the 8 red dates (I use 'ji xin zao') to allow more flavours to be infused into the soup. Add all the ingredients, including a piece of chicken thigh, to 2 litres of water & bring to boil. Then, simmer in low fire for 2 hours. Remove the chicken thigh after 30 minutes if you don't want it to be overly cooked & use scissors to cut down to the desired size.

The following were cooked simultaneously in my Tecno 3-Tiers Electric Steamer.

Organic ten multi-grains (Simple Natural brand found at most Cold Storage outlets): 5 tbsps soaked overnight in 100ml of water. Steam for 35 minutes.

Steamed organic 'xiao bai cai': 3 stalks of xiao bai cai cut into smaller pieces. Add some soup & steam for 5 minutes. 

Steamed pomfret with wolfberries: 1 small pomfret & a small handful of wolfberries. Steam for 15 minutes (10 minutes is usually enough but due to the recent incident of the enmasse deaths of fishes at the local kelongs, I was advised to cook the fish more thoroughly).

Nice sweet soup from the addition of chicken meat & red dates. BB finished up everything in the second picture above plus half the fish! He has always been a corn lover but given the fact that corns don't contain much nutrients, I'll usually give it to him only after he has more or less finished his meal. This was the second time I gave the entire piece of corn to him & he managed to eat more compared to the first time before dropping it on the floor. He even figured out by himself that he could suck on the core to get more sweetness out of it. It was quite a hilarious moment hearing him do that..hahaha!!!