Homemade Sweet Potatoes Mooncakes with Mung Bean Fillings

I did a trial run today since I had to prepare the mung bean fillings in advance for tomorrow.

Ingredients:

1 big purple sweet potato (abt 200g after skin peeled which yields 4 small mooncakes), cut into big chunks

1/2 cup of split mung beans (still have leftovers for making of more mooncakes tomorrow)

1 tbsp of organic Simple Mill raw virgin coconut oil (VCO)

1/4 cup of Billington's molasses (can half it if prefer less sweet for LOs)

Some boiled water

Directions:

1. Steam mung beans for 30 minutes (I used my Avent steamer & blender) or till soften.

2. Blend to desired texture (BB likes more textured food so I left it quite chunky). If mixture is too dry, add a bit of water till it can blend smoothly.

3. Heat up the VCO then add in mung bean purée & sugar.

4. Mix evenly over low heat till sugar has melted (can add some water if mixture is still too dry to prevent it from getting burnt). Cool the mixture completely before using. Can also leave overnight in fridge once it's cooled if you're preparing it in advance too.

5. Steam sweet potato for 20 - 30 minutes till soften then mash, cool & put into fridge for at least 30 minutes.

6. Put a thin layer of sweet potato purée all around the mooncake mold.

7. Fill with the mung bean filling then cover it with another thin layer of sweet potato purée.

8. Invert mold over a plate & slowly push down the plunger (firmly so that the design is imprinted). Slowly lift up the mold while continuing to push down the plunger gently to remove the mooncake from it.

I did the first 3 mooncakes using the method shown in the video I've shared earlier on Grub n' Grow's FB page but it's quite difficult to get a thin outer layer of sweet potato as the purée breaks up quite easily. This resulted in very little filling in the centre as shown in the picture below.

Unsatisfied with the end results, I put on my thinking cap & came up with another method. Using the remaining ingredients, I gave it 1 more try & it looks much better now >.~ As for the taste, I really do like the stronger flavour in the mung bean filling due to the usage of molasses instead of normal sugar. Actually, they'll be a nice snack for normal days too if you use molds of other designs instead of mooncake ones.

Hope everyone'll hv a Happie Mid Autumn Festival celebration with your loved ones tmr!!!

Healthy Bubur Chacha - Purple Sweet Potatoes in Fresh Milk

After trying out the Milky Oats With Purple Sweet Potato for Breaky previously, I've cravings for it again but preferably a more soupy version so I omitted the oats today.

Ingredients:

2 cups of fresh milk

2 middle size purple sweet potatoes, skinned & cut into small chunks

Directions:

1. Bring the milk to a boil. 

2. Add in sweet potato then simmer for about 15mins. Serve warm.

Omg!! The taste of this resembles it's counterpart, the bubur chacha even more! Without adding in oats this time, it has an even more distinct milky & sweet potato taste. Yums! Even though the little boy, a milk fanatic who very much prefers his milk straight from the source or cup, initially threw a tantrum after hearing that I was cooking a sweet potato dessert with milk; finally conceded and kept repeating 'Nice nice!!'

Beneficial Combination:

Milk + Sweet Potatoes = Prevent hypertension & arteriosclerosis

Organic Apple with Purple Sweet Potato Dessert

A twist to my boy's fave apple & sweet potato purée. As my boy is not much of a water drinker, this is one way to increase his water intake.

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler + 1 adult):

400ml of water

1 purple sweet potato, diced

1 organic apple, diced

1/8 tsp of cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

1. Bring the sweet potato in water to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes before adding in the apple. Cook for another 10 minutes, mix in the cinnamon & serve warm.

Without any addition of sweeteners, this actually tastes naturally sweet. I think we're just too dependant on sweeteners & seasonings in our daily lives. Once you take that leap of faith to omit them, your taste buds will adjust gradually & you'll also start to embrace the natural flavours of food & eat more healthily with your little ones ;) Happie Grubbing!

Rice Cooker Beef Bowl Rice with Carrots, Eggs & Buttered Broccoli + Unsweetened Green Bean Soup for Dessert

This simple recipe was passed down to me from my MIL when I was pregnant & guess what . . . the entire preparation only takes 15 minutes! 

Ingredients:

300g of organic fresh beef (bought from the Culina counter in Bedok Mall FairPrice Finest), can be substituted by pork

3 cups of water

2 cups of organic short grain brown rice, washed & soaked with water for > 7 hours

3 small carrots, diced

3 kampong eggs, beaten

1 spear of broccoli, chopped into smaller stalks with florets

2 tbsp of sesame oil

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp of unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Marinate the beef with sesame oil & a generous amount of pepper (I did this 4 hours beforehand).

2. Place the soaked rice together with the water into the rice cooker & cook as per instructed in the manual. Halfway through the designated cooking time, add in beef & carrots and mix together with the rice.

3. Lay the broccoli on a plate & put it in your rice cooker's steam tray to steam for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on how you like it to be done. Remove the cooked broccoli, add the butter to melt over it & mix well.

4. Add in the eggs just before the water dries up & mix it into the rice. Wait for rice to be cooked & serve immediately once it's ready and at it's best.

To counteract the harmful effects of the recent haze, I also prepared green bean soup as dessert for the 3 of us. Green beans help to reduce heatiness & clear our respiratory system. 

Ingredients:

1.5 litres of water

1/2 cup of green beans, soaked with water for > 7 hours

Directions:

1. Bring the beans in water to a boil then reduce the fire to a simmer, stirring occasionally. You can tell if they're ready when the beans start to open up. Do not cook them for too long lest they become mushy and lose their cooling properties. Serve warm.

Both are indeed comfort food at their best, quoted from my hubby. Even my hubby is getting used to eating food with its natural taste (^.^)b