Double-Boiled Durian Chicken Soup - 榴莲炖鸡汤

Durian is known as the "King of all Fruits" and in Singapore we can have Durian almost throughout the whole year. And among all the varieties of durian in the stalls, I am sure most of the people will go for either "Cat Mountain King - 猫山王" or "Red Prawn - 红虾" which are bonds to make people crave for more. In recent years there are so many special and delicious products that are made from fresh durian flesh available in the market such as: durian moon cake, ice-cream, muffins, and etc.

Today I am not going to use durian to make any cakes or dessert but rather I will like to share with you on how to make a pot of simple and delicious Durian Soup. From what I have read up, in Thailand many woman or confinement ladies will make this soup to strengthen their body as Durian is consider to be one of the best ingredient. There are different method on making this soup, some of them will use the durian shell, soft white flesh inside the shell or the durian meat itself. But here, I will choose to use the durian flesh together with the seed.

Since you can always find all sort of varieties of Durian at the local Durian Stalls or some supermarket. If you wish, do pick up some and try out this double-boiled durian chicken soup which will surprised you and your family. This soup has many therapeutic effects, including circulating of the blood and qi in your body, nourishing yin and it is also suitable for everyone to consume. For those who loves durian, this soup gives a little hint of durian aroma and sweetness but if you prefer something stronger taste, you can always mixed the soup with the flesh to make it more tastier and creamy texture.

Durian is also rich in protein and contain good source of nutrition in the fruit category. It has a special aroma, which are appetizers to promote the effect of appetite, including dietary fiber which can promote bowel movement. But you should not over consume it because of its rich nutrition that your stomach might not be able to fully absorbed it. And if you eat durian, you can always have a few mangosteen which is the "Queen of Fruit" to cool down your body from eating too much of durian.

Now let's take a look at today's ingredients which only consists of 4 items: -

Ingredients: (serves 2)
6 seeds of Durian Fruit
1 Chicken Drumbstick
2 - 3 Pieces of Pork Ribs
800 ml Chicken broth or Soup stock

Tips:

~ When getting the durian, try to choose those flash that is dry and not too ripe that it can be kept whole throughout the cooking.
~ You can also add in 2 slices of ginger to enhance the flavour of the soup.
~ The natural sweetness and taste of the soup is good enough to consume without any extra seasonings.

If you don't have slow cooker, you can always double-boiled it in another pot over the stove on low heat too.

Method:
1. Trim and cut the chicken drumpstick into pieces, then bring a pot of water to boil.
2. Blanced the chicken and ribs in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, removed, rinse and set aside.
3. Next arrange the Durian neatly into the bottom of the double-boiler pot, then top with chicken and ribs on it and place the pot into the inner pot of the slow cooker.
4. Pour the chicken stock into a small soup pot, bring it to boil then slowly add into the durian ingredient pot.
5. Remember to use boiling water for the inner pot of the slow cooker to double-boiled the soup.
6. Set the slow cooker to AUTO and cook for about 1.5 hours and serve it warm.

After looking at this interesting Durian Chicken Soup recipe, if you are interested in reading more on other related durian recipes such as: Durian Fried Rice, Durian Chocolate Chiffon Cake, Durian Tiramisu, Durian Cheesecake with Chocolate Fudge and etc. Click here (HERE) for more recipe articles.




p/s: If you will like to read more on the chinese version of this recipe, do hop over to my blog at Omy HERE.

Mother Teresa Tea

Today is the 100th anniversary of Mother Teresa's birth!  This incredible woman was and is a true inspiration for all people.  Her generosity and selflessness affected the lives of people all over the world.

So today, go Indian and celebrate this wonderful Godly woman with a special and very simple tea.

Indian Fried Bread

courtesy of All Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together flour, salt and water until a soft dough is formed. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Divide dough into golf ball size pieces and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap.
2. Select a ball of dough and roll out until very thin but not torn. Sprinkle lightly and evenly with sugar. Fold up dough into a small square and roll out again until thin.
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium heat. Place the rolled dough onto the pan and cook for 1/2 to 1 minute on each side until golden. Serve immediately. Repeat until all dough balls have been rolled and cooked.

Drizzle these bad boys with honey!  They are terribly yummy!

Chai Tea Smoothies

courtesy of Food Network (Robin Miller)

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup unsweetened instant tea
• 1/4 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• Ice cubes
• Fresh mint leaves, optional

Directions

In a blender, combine all ingredients but the ice and mint. Process until blended. Gradually add enough ice to make a thick consistency. Pour mixture into tall glasses and serve. Garnish with fresh mint, if desired.

The recipe above is unsweetened, so we added some sugar!  About a spoon per glass.  Also, honey would probably be very yummy!

This is really simple and the kids really enjoy it!  Just make sure you have some napkins handy for all that gooey honey!

Fish Slice & Bitter Gourd Porridge

In Singapore do you know where to eat the best fish soup or fish porridge? I believe for those who loves fish soup, you must have tried those stalls located at Amoy Street (厦门街) food centre, level 2 such as "Piao Ji Fish Porridge - 標記鱼粥" and "Han Kee Fish Porridge - 漢記鱼粥". But have you thought of cooking your very own version of Fish Soup with your desire ingredients. Today let's take a look on how easy we can prepared a homecook fish soup within 30 minutes by using some bitter gourd and fresh fish slices to cook teochew style fish porridge.

Bitter gourd clearing and refreshing which helps nourishing Qi, kidney and spleen, liver and improve eyesight effectiveness. It also has certain treatment effect on sores, heat stroke, fever, and other diseases. On the other hand, bitter gourd has high content of vitamin C, with prevention of scurvy, protect cell membrane and prevent atherosclerosis, improve stress ability such as the role to protect the heart. You can even use this as beauty products to achieve fairer skin with its moisture, calm and moisturizing the skin, especially in hot summer, apply it icy cold bitter gourd slices on the face can immediately lift the skin irritation.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
250g of Fresh Fish Slices
100g of Bitter Gourd, cut into thin slices
2 rice bowl of cooked rice
1 Tomato, cut into wedge
2 stalks of Spring Onion, cut into section
2 slices of Ginger
4 Stalks of Lettuce
800ml Water
Salt or Chicken cube for seasonings
Chopped Spring Onion and Parsley, garnish
Dry Shallot and Shallot Oil

Tips:

• You can use any kind of fish slices that are suitable for making soup such as: sheng yu, grouper, red snapper, mackerel and etc.
• If you buying the fish in the wet market you can also seek advice from the stall helper to get some good choice.
• f you are hesitated to eat bitter gourd due to it taste, you can rubbed some salt on the cut slices give is some squeeze, rinse it in water so as to reduce the bitterness taste.

From the steps below, you will notice that this is a very simple and nutritious soup which can be easily done in less than 30 minutes. And if you have time, you can prepared a pot of fish stock using fish bone and anchovies as main ingredients which will gives the stock an even more flavorful taste.

Method:
1. Prepared all the ingredients, preheat the soup pot with 1 teaspoon of oil, add spring onions and ginger and saute it until fragrant then add in bitter gourd and continue to fry for another 10 seconds, pour in 800ml of water.
2. Bring the mixture to boil again, add in fish slices and tomato cook for another 1 minute on medium high heat.
3. Turn off the heat, season with salt to taste.
4. Place each bowl of rice in a big soup bowl, scoop the hot soup mixture over the rice.
5. To serve garnish with some spring onion, coriander, shallot oil for extra flavour.

But if you prefer to have the soup and rice separately like normal fish soup with rice, you can always go ahead without adding the rice into the soup. For more information if you wish to read the Chinese version of the fish soup recipe, please click here. (Click HERE for recipe)

Happy 100th Birthday Mother Teresa!

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

August 26, 1910- September 5, 1997

 Mother Teresa's 100th Birthday is being honored worldwide on August 26th.  There are many resources to follow a long but be sure to watch Donna-Marie's blog.  You can check over at my place for a craft idea too!

We thought we'd make a special dessert to celebrate this occasion of love!

This is a really easy No-Bake Vanilla Jell-O Pie

We used fresh blueberries and whipped cream to represent Mother Teresa's blue and white Sari
*This post is an update since the first pie we made*
If you used food coloring or made a chocolate pie, it might look like this:

~We tried our best to get the skin color just right on this one but it turned out a little dark than expected~
(See Instructions)

Ingredients:

2 Small Boxes of Vanilla Jell-O Pudding 

(You can buy the non-cooking if you would like to avoid heating on the stove!)

4 Cups of Milk

Large (9oz) Graham Cracker Pie Crust

Approximately 2-3 Cups Fresh Blueberries

Whipped Cream

Red, Yellow, & Blue Food Coloring(Optional)

**Note:  Alternately, you could use Chocolate Pudding mix or Banana Creme if you don't want to use vanilla.  We ended up making a Banana Creme for our Associate Pastor**

Instructions:

Follow the instructions on the Jell-O Pudding Mix Box

(Basically just whisking the pudding mix with milk)

The first time, we added red, blue, and yellow food coloring to the vanilla pudding, attempting to get an olive skin tone, which was very hard to do!  We ended up with a tan skin color.  The photo in the beginning of the post shows the Vanilla option and the Banana Creme looked much the same. 

Pour into Graham Cracker Crust 

Use fresh blueberries and whipped cream to design Mother Teresa's Sari and face.

"Everything depends on how we love each other."

~Mother Teresa~

Happy 100th Birthday, Blessed Mother Teresa...Please pray for us! 

Homemade Kiwifruit and Apple Jam

Recently I have posted a "Blueberry & Banana Jam - 蓝莓香蕉果酱" (click HERE) over at my "Omy blog" which is written in Chinese. And since I have some extra Kiwifruit in the pantry which mum bought it from the recent kiwifruit promotion at the supermarket, I decided to use it to make this jam.

Spreading some lovely homemade jam on warm toasted bread is definitely a wonderful things to start off the day for morning breakfast. My mum loves to have jam on either toast or plain cracker for her morning breakfast so whenever there is extra fruits in the fridge I will make some lovely jam for her.

To start with we will need some fresh kiwifruit, apple and lemon together with caster sugar. There are a few types of kiwifruit available from the fruit stalls or supermarket depending of which countries they are from. I am sure you have tried the green kiwifruit and golden kiwifruit which is yellowish after removing the outer skin.

You might like to take this photo as reference to shows the steps and changes that took place while cooking the jam.

Ingredients: (make about 1 cup)
2 Medium Size Green Kiwifruit, about 150g
1 Apple, about 150g
220g Sugar
Rind of 1 Lemon
Juice of Half Lemon

Method:
1. Bring a pot of water with jam bottle in it to a boil and boil them for 5 - 8 minutes or so to sterilize them, removed and invert for them to dry.
2. Peel off the skin from the kiwifruit and apple and chopped them into fine cubes.
3. Place all the above ingredients in a heavy-duty saucepan(choose a slightly higher saucepan as the mixture will rise as it boils) and bring to boil over medium high heat and stirring occasionally.
4. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly and skimming foam as necessary.
5. Cook about 10 minutes, until mixture begins to look syrupy and thickens slightly.
6. Once the mixture is stiff enough with a glossy outlook remove the pot from the heat and start filling the jam bottle.
7. Fill the jam near to the rim, screw the cap on and leave it to cool.
8. The jam needs to be refrigerated to prevent mold from forming and it can be kept in the fridge for 2 - 3 weeks.

Note:

1. The jam will look rather watery when done, but don't worry it will thicken up when it cools down to room temperature.

Kiwifruit consists of twice as much vitamin C as there are in oranges so in fact you need one kiwifruit each day to get that amount to replenish your daily intake. But if you or your kids don't prefer to eat the fruit as it's own, perhaps you can consider to some kiwifuits to make some smoothie or jam like what I have shared above.

St. Clare Cheesecake

 St. Clare, Virgin

Memorial

~August 11~

We know that St. Clare became a living copy of the poverty, the humility, and the mortification of St. Francis; that she had a special devotion to the Holy Eucharist, the

  source and summit of Christian worship, life and mission.

In the Eucharistic Liturgy is found every form of prayer. Here we "gather up" the heart, recollecting our whole being under the prompting of the Holy Spirit. (CATECHISM 2711) Here we unite ourselves to Christ as He offers perfect praise and thanksgiving to the Father. Here the Good Seed of the Word is lavishly sown. The Eucharist is the food of faith which strengthens us for the spiritual combat. In the Eucharist, communion with God becomes a reality cherished in adoring silence. Is it any wonder that the Seraphic Mother did all she could to foster devotion to the Eucharistic mystery?

In honor of St. Clare, try making this simple and quick

"St. Clare Cheesecake"

{Adding the design of a monstrance to the face}

Recipe:

8 oz cream cheese (softened)

1/3 Cup sugar

1 Cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

8 oz. whipped topping

Graham cracker crust (I prefer the large 10 inch size)

Cream softened cream cheese and slowly add sugar.  Mix in sour cream and vanilla.  Fold in whipped topping.  Beat with electric mixer for about 2 minutes until smooth.  Pour into graham cracker crust.  Design your own monstrance on the face of the cheesecake!  I used gold sparkle gel icing. (You may chill or serve immediately)

O Glorious St. Clare! God has given you the power of working miracles continually, and the favor of answering the prayers of those who invoke your assistance in misfortune, anxiety, and distress. We beseech you, obtain from Jesus through Mary His Blessed Mother, what we beg of you so fervently and hopefully, (mention your petition) if it be for the greater honor and glory of God and for the good of our souls. Amen.

Teochew Steamed Yam & Sweet Potato With Coconut

As a kid, I grew up with most of my favourite Teochew Dialect cuisines and desserts as such Ngoh Hiang, Braised Soya Duck Yam Cake and Yam Paste (or nee) that my dad used to prepare during festive seasons like Chinese New Year. Today mum and I decided to replicate one of my dad’s signature Teochew dessert which is something cross between “Yam Paste” and “Bo Bo Char Char”.

This is a pretty easy to prepare dessert where you just need to get some good quality of Yam - 芋头 (taro) and Orange Sweet Potato - 番薯. When choosing yam try to get those that look moist and heavy when lifted so that the high water content in it will make the yam taste soft.

Ingredients: (serves 4)
200g Yam
200g Orange Sweet Potato
6 Tablespoons Castor Sugar
100ml Coconut Milk
50ml Water
5 -8 Pandan Leaves
Shallot Flakes Oil

Shallot Flakes & Oil is a must for this dessert, as it will give a special touch of aroma to perfect the taste. To prepare you will need the following:-

Ingredients:
5-8 shallots (小葱头)
100ml of cooking oil
Pinch of Salt

Method:
1. Removed the outer skin of the shallots then thinly sliced.
2. Preheat a small pan or pot with cooking oil, add in the sliced shallot and saute them on medium low heat (stirring on and off to prevent burning) till slightly golden in colour.
3. Remove the pan from heat, add in pinch of salt(this will make the flakes more crispy) and give it a quick stir.
4. Set aside to cool and later use.

The preparation methods might be a bit tedious if you do not have a big steamer or wok that allows you to steam all the items at one go. So for our case, we choose to steam the yam and sweet potato separately so that either one of them will not be over cooked.

Method:
1. Rinse both yam and sweet potato, removed the outer skin, cut into cubes/chunks depending on your preference.
2. Wash the Pandan leaves, divide into two bunches and tie a knot on each bunch.
3. Place the yam cubes on a plate and top with 1 bunch of pandan leave, steam it over medium heat for about 10 minutes or till the yam is slightly soften. (the timing will varies on the size of the yam cubes/chunks)
4. Repeat the same procedure for sweet potato.
5. While waiting for the sweet potato to be cooked, stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar to the hot yam cubes and give it a good stir then set aside.
6. When the sweet potato is done, add it into the yam cubes with the remaining sugar stir well and set aside.
7. Preheat the frying pan with about 1 tablespoon of shallot oil, add in the yam and sweet potato mixture, give it a quick stir, then slowly stir in the coconut milk and water.
8. Simmer the mixture under low heat for about 5 minutes. Dish up top with extra shallot flakes and served either warm or cold.


Finally after all the cut, steam and simmer process here we present you with our all time Teochew favourite dessert which you get to have the mixture of yam and sweet potato drown in mild coconut gravy and top with a small exotic bit of shallot oil and flakes. Hope you will like this Teochew style homemade dessert, "Steamed Yam & Sweet Potato with Coconut Milk - 芋薯甜心块".

If you are interested in other recipe that used Yam as one of the ingredient, do hop over to my new Omy blog to view on how to make some yummy Steamed Yam Cake - 芋头糕. (click HERE)

Recipes for August ~ Month Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

The month of August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Immaculate Heart is often venerated together with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Just as the Sacred Heart represents Christ's love for mankind, the Immaculate Heart represents the Blessed Virgin's desire to lead all people to Christ.

August 4, Feast of St. John Vianney (New):

• St. John Vianney's Feast Day

August 4, St. Dominic (Trad.):

• Memorial of St. Dominic, August 8
• Raise a Glass to St. Dominic!

August 8, St. Dominic (New): (See August 4)

August 8, St. John Vianney (Trad): (See August 4)

August 10, St. Lawrence (New, Trad.):

• A Quick Little Post for St. Lawrence

August 14, St. Maximilian Kolbe (New):

• Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe
• Feast of St. Maximillian Kolbe ~ Craft and Dessert

August 15, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven (New, Trad.):

• Feasting for the Assumption
  
• Blueberry-Strawberry Cobbler in Honor of Our Lady
• Assumption Rolls

August 18, St. Helena (Trad):

• An Easy Pesto Recipe
• Tomato Basil Mozzarella Salad

• Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

August 22, The Queenship of Mary (New):

• A Crown for our Queen
• Simple Cupcake Crowns 
• More Crown Cakes from the archives

August 23, St. Rose of Lima (New):

• St. Rose of Lima Cookies

(The following three posts were not originally posted for St. Rose, but would adapt wonderfully!)

• Rosy Treats for the Feasts of St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe
• Chocolate Roses for St. Thérèse
• Rose Cake and Punch for St. Therese

August 26, St. Monica (New)

• Feasts of St. Monica and St. Augustine (Dinner Recipe)
  
• Feasts of St. Augustine & St. Monica (Cake Recipe)

August 27, St. Augustine (New, Trad.):

• Feasts of St. Monica and St. Augustine (Dinner Recipe)
• Feasts of St. Augustine & St. Monica (Cake Recipe)

August 29, The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist (New) and Beheading of St. John the Baptist (Trad):

• Grasshoppers and Honey
• Honey Granola for St. John the Baptist
• St. John the Baptist Locust and Honey Snack
• Grasshopper Parfaits
• St. John the Baptist ~ Locusts and Honey

August 30, St. Rose of Lima (Trad.): (See August 23rd)

August ~ Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary:

• O Sacred Heart - How Sweet are Thee
• Immaculate Heart Cake and other ideas from the archives

The Daily Offering to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and suffering of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sins, the reunion of all Christians; I offer them for the intentions of our Bishops and of all Apostles of Prayer and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month.

Copyright Reminder:   All written material and original photographs on this site are the sole property of the authors.  Please do not reproduce without prior written permission. Thank you!