Fruit and Vegetable Salad

 
After tucking in all the yummy food and goodies during the Chinese New Year, it's time to have something simple but refreshing for a change.  There is no recipe for this fruit and vegetable salad, you can just use whatever fruits and veggie you have or fancy.

I've here in my salad bowl, cherry tomatoes, red cabbage, cucumber, some toasted cashew nuts, hard boiled egg and homemade Thousand Island dressing.  For ease of reference here's the recipe for the Thousand Island dressing.

Recipe for Thousand Island Sauce

Ingredients


• 1 egg yolk
• 2  tsp white vinegar
• a few drops of olive oil
• 2  tsp honey
• 20 gm chilli sauce
• Salt to taste
Method

1. With a wire whisk, whisk the egg yolk with vinegar till creamy.
2. Add in the rest of the ingredients one by one and continue whisking till thick and creamy.
3. Fine tune to desired taste.
4. Serve as required.

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Braised Prosperity Spinach Noodles

Prosperity Noodles .... an auspicious dish to usher in the Year of the Snake!  Cooked this during the Chinese New Year after feasting on all the goodies and 'heavy' food, something light which was well received by my family members.

Recipe for Braised Prosperity Spinach Noodles

Ingredients

• 200 gm chicken fillet, cut into strips
• 2 capsicum, cut into wedges
• 2 tsp black bean paste
• 3 servings of Spinach noodles
• 3 pips of garlic, chopped
• 1.1/2  tsp cornflour + 2 tsp water to thicken
Marinade for chicken :  1/4  tsp each of salt, sugar, light and dark soya sauce, dash of pepper

Method

1. Marinate the chicken fillet for an hour or so, set aside.
2. In a wok, saute the chopped garlic with some oil till fragrant, add in the black bean paste, stir-fry, add in the the marinated chicken fillet.
3. Add in 1/2 cup water and simmer till chicken is cooked.
4. Toss in the capsicum, add in thickening and fine tune to taste.
5. Meanwhile, cook the spinach noodles in a pot of boiling water for 3 to 4 mins.  Rinse under running water to enhance the texture, drain.
6. Toss the noodles into the chicken and black bean mixture, mix well, dish out onto serving plates.
7. Serve immediately.

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Chinese New year ~ 2013

Wishing All my Readers and Friends

A very Happy and Prosperous New Year

~Gong Xi Fa Cai~

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Chocolate Ice Cream

For X'mas I had a wonderful gift from my three musketeers ~ the much awaited Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker!  I'm very pleased with this  gift as the freezer bowl just fits snugly in my freezer compartment without having to take out the shelves to make room for it.  I was very eager to try out the much talked about yummy ice cream that the Cuisinart Ice Cream maker can churn out.  I've made ice cream before, years ago with my old faithful Kenwood Chef but it was indeed time consuming as I've got to freeze and cream the mixture many times and with long waiting periods in between.

 

Yummy, smooth Chocolate ice cream, just what you need to cool down during a hot day.   Why not make this and serve to your visitors during Chinese New Year  or  as dessert after a sumptuous reunion dinner ...........Ooops, it's melting!

Recipe for Chocolate Ice Cream   (adapted from  JoyofBaking.com with recipe and video)

Ingredients

• 2 oz semi bittersweet chocolate, chopped and melted (I steamed it) 
• 4 egg yolks
• 100 gm caster sugar
• 250 ml whipping cream (used AS vegetarian whipping cream from Korea)
• 250 ml low fat milk
• 35 gm Valrhona cocoa powder, sifted
• 1.1/2  tsp vanilla extract OR 1/2 vanilla bean  (Add the vanilla bean to the cream and cocoa powder mixture and bring to a boil)

Method

1. Melt the chocolate, set aside.
2. Beat the egg yolks and sugar till light and fluffy.  Set aside.
3. Sift the cocoa powder into a saucepan, then  whisk in the cream, milk till smooth.
4. Place the saucepan over medium heat, stirring till free of lumps and the milk just begins to foam up.
5. Remove from heat and gradually pour the warm cream mixture  into the whipped egg yolks, whisking constantly so as not to cook the egg yolks.  If lumps form, strain the mixture.  Stir in the melted chocolate.
6. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place over medium low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon till custard thickens enough that it coats the back of a spoon.  (Wooden spoon placed in the custard and when the spoon is raised, the film of custard on the back of the spoon will stay in place even when you draw a line with your finger through the middle of the custard).
7. Immediately remove the custard from the heat and continue to stir for a few mins. so it does not overcook.  Stir in the vanilla.
8. Cover with cling film and let cool to room temperature and refrigerate the custard until it is completely cold, preferably overnight.
9. Churn the mixture in the ice cream maker for 25 mins. or according to the manual of your machine.
10. Spoon the ice cream into a container and freeze it.  
11. Yield :  About 1 litre

I'm submitting this post to  Chinese New Year Delights 2013  hosted by Sonia of  Nasi Lemak Lover

I'll be taking a short break during this festive season and here's wishing each and everyone

Gong Xi Fa Cai

May the Lunar New Year shower you with Happiness, Success & Prosperity

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Cherry Choc-Chip Cookies ~ CNY 2013

These Cherry Choc-Chip cookies are light and slightly chewy.  The choc chips melt in the mouth and the sweet aroma fills the house.  Kids may find the little dots of red from the cherries too tempting to resist, just right for the coming Chnese New Year!

Recipe for Cherry Choc-Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 125 gm Butter or Margarine
• 100 gm  caster sugar
• 50 gm Brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 200 gm self-raising flour
• 70 gm red cherries, chopped
• 70 gm white choc-chips
• 70 gm choc chips
• Pinch of salt
Method

1. Sift the self-raising flour with salt, set aside.
2. Cream butter with sugar till creamy.  Add in the egg.
3. Fold in sifted flour.  Add in the choc chips and chopped cherries, mix well.
4. Cover the dough and let rest in the fridge for about 1/2 an hour.
5. Drop 2 level teaspoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking tray.
6. Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg. C for 10 to 12 mins.
7. Cool on tray for 5 mins. before removing them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Store cookies in an air-tight container.
9. Yield :  78 Cookies 

 Note :  If you prefer the cookies to be crunchy, bake them a little longer, say for 15 mins.

 I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover

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