Double-boiled Apple Zucchini Porridge with Garoupa

Any food with APPLE in it will always appeal to my boy so it came as no surprise that he totally enjoyed his dinner tonight ;)

Ingredients (serves 1 toddler & 1 adult):

5 tbsps of organic 10 multi-grains

1 organic apple, diced

1 organic zucchini, diced

100g of garoupa fillet

200ml of water

Directions:

1. Soak the grains in water within a ceramic pot overnight to remove the phytic acid. Pour away the soaked water & rinse a couple of times before adding 200ml 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 1 hour (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. Meanwhile, start dicing the zucchini & apple then put them with the fish into the ceramic pot after 20 minutes.

5. Once the time is up (my induction cooker has a timer), serve warm.

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

Organic Rolled Oats Porridge with Garoupa + Organic Pumpkin & Zucchini

We decided quite last minute that we would go out straight after our usual Sunday lunch at my Mum's, instead of coming home to prepare dinner before heading out again. Thus, I had to cook a double portion of oats porridge instead of preparing 2 different menus for lunch & dinner which I do when time permits.

Ingredients (2 toddlers serving):

500ml of water

6 tbsps of organic rolled oats

1 piece of garoupa

100g of organic pumpkin, diced

1 medium sized organic zucchini, diced

1 egg (omitted this time round as we had an 'overdose' off eggs the previous day), beaten

Directions:

1. Bring the water to boil then add the fish in & cook for 10 minutes.

2. Remove fish to cool slightly & to check for bones. Add pumpkin, zucchini & oats in then cook for another 5 minutes (will usually cook the pumpkin & zucchini for 10 minutes before adding the oats but as I would be transferring the porridge to a thermal flask to bring out, they would continue to 'cook' inside it.)

3. Add in egg, stir evenly & simmer till it's fully cooked.

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

Beneficial Combination:

Egg + Zuchhini = Effectively relieve pain

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 ~.<

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.

My New 'Toy' - The Tecno 3-Tiers Electric Steamer

I was contemplating on whether I should get a 3-tier steamer and procrastinated for quite a while as my kitchen counter was already overcrowded with my existing appliances. Unfortunately for my hubby (heehee), we chanced upon the above mentioned steamer going at a very low price of just $39 (usual price is $89) at Harvey Norman in Parkway Parade. Who could've resisted such a good deal right? Furthermore, as most mummies without any helpers (like myself) would attest to, efficiency is key in food preparation. Therefore, I've always felt that investment in appliances like this and a breadmaker are worthy ones ^.~

Unlike my Tesco breadmaker which I couldn't wait to try out, this new toy of mine stayed in its box for almost 2 months before seeing the light. I knew it would come in useful in time to come & right now's the time! Why only now and not earlier, you may wonder? Well the time is finally ripe because BB has just been "officially promoted" to share our table food & it'll also be time-saving if I could steam a couple of dishes concurrently too. 

As shown in the above picture, I managed to steam rice in the bottom most tier, fish & chicken in the middle tier & vegetables on the top-most tier. This is what I would like to call "killing 4 birds with one stone"...lolz! 

Organic ten multi-grains (Simple Natural brand found at most Cold Storage outlets): 4 tbsps soaked overnight in 3/4 cup of water (I found the rice to be a wee bit too wet so I'll probably reduce the water to 1/2 cup the next time round). Steam for 35 minutes.

Steamed corn-fed chicken thigh: 1/3 of a chicken thigh marinated with juice from 1/2 a lime & a dash of fresh-ground black pepper. Steam for 20 minutes

Steamed red grouper: 1 grouper fillet marinated with some black pepper.

Basil organic lady's fingers (okra) & tomato: 1 pack of lady's fingers & 1 medium-sized tomato cut into smaller pieces. Marinate with some dried basil, juice of the remaining lime & some black pepper. Steam for 10 minutes.

The brilliant idea of marinating the chicken with lime comes from a mummy who always uses different fruits as 'seasonings' in the "Healthy Food for My Baby" FB group. Lime juice adds a slight tangy taste to the chicken which makes it quite refreshing. I can't wait to try out some of her other variations using grapes & oranges.

The dish which turned out to be my favourite was actually the lady's fingers with tomato. In fact, I've never cooked lady's fingers before so it was quite a pleasant surprise as to how well it turned out. I will usually make use of what I've got in my fridge to conjur up a meal & I happened to have 1 tomato left. Therefore, i mixed it with the lady's fingers plus the other half of the lime as well as some dried basil (one of the herbs that's commonly added to tomatoes), resulting in a rich basil aroma that yet tastes very appetising due to the sourness from the lime juice.

After finishing all the rice & vegetables, BB actually asked for more = ) In the end, he had almost 1.5 servings of rice, the entire portion of chicken, 2/3 of the fish & 3 servings of vegetables!