Apple Corn with Honey Dates Soup to Combat the Hazy Skies

Hello, everyone! I'm back after a seemingly long 'break'. First & foremost, thank you all for sticking around for the past few months!!! Despite the absence of new posts, I know some of you have still been referring to my blog for recipes & some inspirations. 

Many of you must have been wondering where I had MIA-ed to? Well, business was more or less as usual in my kitchen..lolz! My coming to 26 months old still essentially feeds on home-cooked food but I'll have to admit that I've started to close 1 eye to outside food since he's older now.Yes, only 1 eye, and not both. He may have an allowance of 1 to 2 'indulgences' per week, having the same food as us outside but I'll try to request for no salt & MSG for his portion. So far, our favourite restaurant with food that may be prepared as per the above requests is Fish & Co. Simply place an order of baked salmon or cod fish without any seasonings & sauces and he's ready to have them  (~.^) 

Food aside, I've been spending more time on his development for the last few months. With his rapid development in speech & his growth in awareness, my lil' BB is no longer that little..hee! His demand for attention has kinda increased exponentially. Thus, the focus in my blog may change slightly as well, with more emphasis on the 'Growth' aspect.

We've been more sociable as well. As my boy has not officially attended school yet, I've been meeting up with other SAHMs for playmates. These are good avenues for BB's social development & to learn how to share & interact with other children. Well, mummies need some support groups too, don't we?

Other than the Busy Bags exchanges which I've shared previously on Facebook, I have also made a Quiet Book for his 2nd birthday. This Quiet Book activity has only recently started to take off in Singapore. I've been wanting to share more but haven't quite gotten down to doing it. I promise though that it won't be long now : )

Lastly, I've also embarked on a wellness journey which I've procrastinated for like forever. I shall keep all of you in suspense for now but do stay tuned!

Enough for the catching up, let's dive straight into the recipe you've been awaiting for. With the bad hazy weather looming over our heads for the past few weeks, I have prepared this simple soup for my 'boys' at home. Consuming apples & corn together helps to boost our immune systems. In addition, mi zao helps to prevent the common cold as well as reduces allergic symptoms such as asthma & nasal inflammation by strengthening our lungs which I believe is what our bodies need most currently.

Ingredients (serve 2 adults & 1 toddler):

1.5l of water (2l if you prefer mild sweetness like myself)

2 organic apples, cut into wedges

2 organic corns, cut into thirds

2 Eu Yan Sang mi zao

Directions:

1. Bring the ingredients in water to a boil then simmer for 2h & serve warm.

I find this to be very thirst-quenching & throat soothing but a tad too sweet, especially for BB as his diet is still without much sugary stuffs. In view of this, I'll increase the volume of water to 2 litres for future attempts. Njoy the drink & bid the haze goodbye..soon, I hope!!

Beneficial Combination:

Apple + Corn = Can make skin glow & improve immunity

Sweet Corn Omelette

Another recipe imparted by my dear Chef Mummy! Super simple yet, super yummy ;p"

Ingredients:

1/2 of a cob of corn, shredded & liquid slightly strained off using hands

2 eggs

Organic extra virgin coconut oil (EVCO)

Directions:

1. Heat up the pan till its sizzling hot (drop some water on the pan & the water will sizzle). 

2. Pour in some EVCO & swirl it around to coat the entire bottom of the pan. 

3. Mix the corn & eggs together then pour into the pan. Lower the fire & let it cook till the underside has turned slightly golden. Flip it over & cook till the eggs are fully cooked.

My boy loves it, most likely due to the sweetness in this corn omelette. Good to pair with rice or can be eaten alone as breakfast too =)

Highlight of Yesterday's Luncheon: Steamed Tofu with Minced Pork &Wolfberries

Corn onion soup with xiao bai cai: Cut 1 organic corn into thirds & halve 1 yellow onion. Add them to 750ml of water & bring to boil. Then, simmer in low fire for 2 hours. 5 minutes before time is up, add in the organic xiao bai cai.

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

Organic brown rice: 4 tbsps of organic short grain brown rice + 1 tbsp of organic brown rice soaked overnight in water to remove the phytic acid. Pour away the soaked water & rinse a couple of times before adding 80ml of water.Steam for 35 minutes.

Steamed pomfret with organic extra virgin coconut oil: Top 1 pomfret with some ginger strips then pour 1 tbsp of EVCO over it. Steam for 15 minutes.

Steamed organic tofu with Australian corn fed minced pork & wolfberries (yields 3 portions of what is shown in the picture below): 100g of pork marinated with 1 tbsp of Bob's Red Mill All Natural Cornstarch & 2 tbsps of EVCO for at least 30 minutes. Mince 1 pack of tofu & mix well with the pork. Divide equally into 3 small bowls (alternatively, can use just 1 big bowl) & top with 1 tsp of wolfberries (or 3 tsps) for each. Steam for 20 minutes.

The tofu dish turned out to be pleasantly light & we both love it! Although this is a very simple dish, one can actually distinctly taste the individual flavours from all the different ingredients. The light sweetness from the pork, the clean tofu taste, aroma from the EVCO & not forgetting the natural sweetness from the wolfberries. I could barely believe it when BB, an avid soup lover, actually chose the tofu over the soup. As usual, he finished his normal portion of rice, 1/2 the fish, 2/3 of a corn, 1 1/3 bowl of tofu then down a bowl of soup ~.^

Beneficial Combinations:

Corn + Onion = Promote the production of body fluid & saliva to relieve thirst as well as lower lipids (fats in blood)

Tofu + Xiao Bai Cai = Promote the production of body fluid & saliva as well as moistening & remove heat from the lung to relieve cough

Double-Boiled One Pot Beef Quinoa

My initial plan was to cook quinoa to be served with dishes. However, my boy is going through a phase whereby he is becoming more 'demanding'. For eg, he'll pull me to my armchair & ask me to "Sit, sit!" & then bring me a book to read to him. Thus, I'm always torn between spending more time in the kitchen or spending more quality time with him. Well, I guess I just have to try to be even more efficient in the kitchen & cook more "single pot" kinda meals moving forward. This actually only took me about 30 minutes to transform the raw ingredients into a cooked meal.

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler + 1 adult):

5 tbsps of organic quinoa

100ml of water

100g of organic minced beef (may substitute with chicken or pork)

4 organic baby corns, diced

1 purple onion, diced

1/2 of an organic zucchini, diced

1/4 of an organic red capsicum, diced

1 tbsp of organic extra virgin coconut oil (EVCO)

Directions:

1. Soak the quinoa in water within a ceramic pot overnight to remove the phytic acid. Pour away the soaked water & rinse a couple of times before adding 100ml of water.

2. Place the ceramic pot into a metal pot with a pot stainer (or on top of a steamer stand) & fill it with water to match the height of half the ceramic pot.

3. Bring water to boil, then let it simmer for 30 minutes (please check occasionally to ensure that there is water left in the metal pot, especially for the first few times that you are attempting this method until you're certain on the required amount of water that would be needed without steaming away completely during the cooking process).

4. While waiting for water to boil, I started dicing the ingredients & adding them to the ceramic pot when each individual ingredient is prepared. Corns, followed by onion & zucchini, with the capsicum last.

5. After 15 minutes, add the beef & capsicum into the ceramic pot & give it a good stir together with the rest of the ingredients.

6. Once the time is up (my induction cooker has a timer), pour the EVCO into the ceramic pot & mix well. Serve warm.

Omg! This was a real satisfying bowl of piping hot quinoa! Yes, I like mine piping hot..shiok ttm! Lots of sweetness from the beef & various vegetables as well as a light fragrant from the EVCO..definitely worth a thumbs up (^.~)b My boy finished his portion & even topped up 3 tbsps more. 

Beneficial Combinations:

Chicken + Onion = Moisturise body, warm stomach & strengthen waist

Corn + Onion = Promote the production of body fluid & saliva to relieve thirst as well as lower lipids (fats in blood)

Pork + Zuchhini = Improve the immune system

Oats Porridge with Mummy's Homemade Corn Soup

Today, I had the honour of learning one of our favourite soups from the culinary master in my family, who is none other than my mummy ;) My younger brother loves the corn soup from MOS Burger so my mummy tried to replicate it at home. It has since become a regular item on our dining table.

Ingredients (yield 4 bowls of soup):

4 cobs of corn (Tip from my mummy: choose the yellowest ones you can find as they'll be the sweetest.)

4 to 5 bowls of water, depending on the consistency you prefer

Salt (omitted for BB's portion)

Directions:

1. Grate the corns.

2. Add 2 bowls of water to the corn purée, mix well with hand then sieve into a pot.

3. Repeat the process till you get your desired thickness of soup.

4. Put the pot over a fire, stirring constantly to prevent the bottom from getting burnt. Bring to a boil while keeping a close watch as once it boils over the pot, it will all be gone in an instant! Look out for the rising soup level as it means that it's boiling (you don't really see a lot of bubbles unlike boiling water). Turn down the fire immediately to a simmer while stirring constantly (this is an important step as my mummy highlighted that the corn will separate from the water if you don't do this while boiling).

5. Let it simmer for another 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. Add salt (optional) & serve warm.

The taste differs slightly from the original one at MOS Burger but I definitely prefer this with its natural sweetness & goodness in every drop! I used it as a soup base to cook oats for BB's lunch & it kinda reminds me of a plate of Italian risotto. I'll probably cook a thicker one as a pasta sauce the next time round.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of corn soup

4 tbsps of organic rolled oats

1 piece of grouper

1 big handful of Chinese spinach, chopped

Directions:

1. Add the fish into the simmering soup & cook for 10 minutes.

2. Remove fish to cool slightly & to check for bones. Add oats into the soup & cook for another 5 minutes.

3. Add in the Chinese spinach then cook for another 5 minutes.

4. Remove from fire, add in the flaked fish & mix well. Serve warm.

My mummy actually threw the corn residue away. However, I think it can be used as a filler for pancakes or muffins, etc. Definitely something worth trying out ~.<

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!!!

My 3 Dishes + 1 Soup for BB's Dinner

Beet, corns with onions soup: Cut 1 beet & 2 corns into quarters. Cut 2 yellow onions into halves. Add all the ingredients to 2 litres of water & bring to boil. Then, simmer in low fire for 2 hours.

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): 4 tbsps soaked for 7 hours in 1/2 cup of water. Steam for 35 minutes.

Steamed kampong egg with free-range minced pork: 40g of pork marinated with some extra virgin coconut oil. Beat 1 egg (approximately 50ml) with 100ml of water (I've tried 50ml before but found the texture too firm but too soft this time round so I'll try 75ml the next time). Halve the pork & put each portion into the bottom of 2 chawanmushi bowls (mine are from Diaso) then pour half of the egg mixture into each of them. Steam for 20 minutes

Steamed threadfin with wolfberries: 1 piece of threadfin fillet & a small handful of wolfberries. Steam for 10 minutes.

Basil organic cherry tomatoes & lettuces: 3 stalks of lettuces torn into smaller pieces & 6 to 8 cherry tomatoes cut into quarters. Sprinkle dried basil sparingly over the vegetables & drizzle some extra virgin olive oil. Steam for 5 minutes.

BB ate half of the rice, fish & egg but finished the vegetables. Being the soup lover he is, he asked for another serving of soup & drank up every drop of it ;)

The Good, The Bad & The Evil

I remember I used to marvel at the soup bases that mummies shared on the 'Healthy Food for My Baby' Facebook group when I was prepping myself for BB's weaning. So many ingredients were used in preparing the soup base & they would add in even more ingredients when they use it to cook porridge for their lil' ones. 'The porridges will definitely taste delicious!' was the thought that went through my head.

As I was following the 3/4 days rule for BB, it seemed to take forever to introduce new foods to him. Gradually, I was able to add in more ingredients to his porridge after he passed the respective allergy tests. Unfortunately, my parents weren't too supportive of it eventhough I was only using no more than 3 to 4 vegetables then. They were concerned that some of the combinations may bring more harm than good. Despite me explaining to them that a lot of mummies are doing the same or even more than me, they still weren't convinced. To put their mind at ease, I told them that I'd do more research on it. I then decided to look for a book shared by one of the mummies which shows foods with a list of other foods which when consume together, will either bring about some health benefits or harmfulness. To my dismay, it wasn't carried by Popular. While continuing my search for it, I chanced upon a similar book at a small book sale in Bedok Mall's FairPrice Finest so I bought it. 

After reading through the book, I realised that my parents were indeed right. For example, ABC soup, a very common soup cooked by mummies, usually contains carrots, corns, yellow onions & potatoes. However, carrots should not be eaten together with onions / corn & corn should not go with potatoes as illustrated in the following 2 pictures. I've since formed a habit of referring to this book before cooking any meals for BB. 

For mild cases, nutritional values are reduced or indigestion may develop. For examples,

Tomato + Zucchini = Reduce nutritional values

Beef + Rice = Indigestion

For more serious cases, diarrhoea or vomitting or even adverse health effects in the long run may be experienced or in worst cases, even poisoning! 

Prawn + Pumpkin / Kiwi + Milk (especially for mummies who eat overnight oats) = Diarrhoea

Chicken + Sesame = Possibility of poisoning if consume frequently

Without a doubt, the soup or soup bases will be very sweet & flavourful by adding more ingredients. However, in this context, more doesn't always necessarily mean better. On the contrary, some foods actually complement each other so do try to pair them up. For examples,

Chicken + Mango = Increase nutritional values

Apple + Corn / Cabbage + Carrot = Boost immune system

Cod + Pumpkin = Prevent flu

Lettuce + Pork = Energise 

Moving forward, I'll indicate at the bottom of each post the nutritional benefits, if any, for the dishes I've whipped up. I'll also add them on for those recipes that I've already posted previously. Cheers to healthy eating!