GELATINIZED OVERNIGHT DOUGH SOFT LOAF

Many of us like white bread

especially when it is soft and flavourful

This loaf 

baked with overnight dough

is nice and soft

Recipe adapted from Lynn Lim's

simple Milk Bread

A) Overnight Sponge Dough 

     100g bread flour

     70g water 

     1/4 tsp instant yeast

B) Gelatinized Dough

     50g bread flour

     35g hot boiling water

Prepare 1 day in advance:

1) mix all ingredients in (A) and let proof 30min @ room temperature,

    cover & refrigerate overnight

2) (B) pour hot water over flour and mix well, cover & refrigerate overnight

C) Main Dough

     75g bread flour

     25g cake flour

     35g sugar

     1/2 tsp salt

     10g milk powder

     30g butter

     65g cold milk

     1/2 tsp instant yeast

3) remove A & B from fridge & leave outside for 30min before using

4) add (C) to bread machine, follow by (A) & (B)

5) bread cycle 

FOOCHOW BAMBOO SHOOT PORK

This dish is cooked 

with fresh bamboo shoot bought from the market

When you cannot find fresh ones

subsitute with canned bamboo shoot

Bamboo Shoot Pork

Have you ever tasted

 this traditional Foochow dish?

My late mother-in-law's 

favourite dish

served ONLY

during Chinese New Year re-union!

She used the de-hydrated Bamboo shoot from China

soaked it for days 

before stewing with pork slices

She usually cooked very large portion

and

we could only finish by the end of the 

CNY 

celebration

Believe me,

it tastes better each day after re-heating!

Dried bamboo shoots are not easy to come by.

I use fresh ones if I happen to find in the wet market

if not

canned ones are fine 

Ingredients:

300g pork belly, cut in bite size

1/2 can bamboo shoot, sliced coarsely

3 Tbsp foochow rice wine residue

few slices of ginger

1 Tbsp sugar

1.5 tsp salt

pepper to taste

1 Tbsp cooking oil

1) heat oil & fry ginger slice until fragrant

2) add pork slices and fry until meat shrinks

3) add rice wine residue, taking care not to burn

4) add water & simmer until meat is tender and gravy thickens

5) add bamboo shoot, salt, sugar & pepper to taste

6) serve 

EGG CUSTARD/PUDDING

This soft and smooth 

texture of egg custard 

is loved by many of us in the family

Steamed Egg Custard

A)   For Caramel:

             3 Tbsp sugar

             2 Tbsp water

             1/2 tsp lemon juice

B)  For Custard:

             320g milk

             2 large eggs

             1/4 tsp vanilla

             3 Tbsp sugar

1) heat 4 ramekin in boiling water

2) To prepare custard, lightly beat eggs with sugar

3) add milk, vanilla & mix to dissolve sugar

4) strain custard mixture & leave aside

5) heat (A) in a small pot to caramelise, taking care not to burn

6) when colour turns amber, remove from heat

7) divide caramel into 4 heated ramekin

8) divide the egg mixture into the 4 ramekin

9) steam at medium low heat for 15min

10) remove & let cool

11) cover with cling wrap & chill, serve cold

LEG CRAMP

Leg Cramp

is indeed very painful

Very often 

when it strikes

you will curl up your legs and 

pressing at the painful part

After awhile

 it will release 

but the after effect pain can still be there

This method release you of the pain almost immediately

and no after effect 

Method:

1) relax!  slowly straighten both legs

2) let the cramped leg remain on the bed

3) rest the other leg on top of the big toe, bending it as shown

4) after awhile, the cramp will be released

GOD IS FAITHFUL

"There are so many people praying, asking God for help.
Can God really hear us?
Can He remember what I asked for?
Will He attend to my requests?"

Indeed, there are thousands of people praying
We are all like sand pebbles on the un-ending beach
unattractive and not outstanding
How can He be aware that we are around?

Remember that our God promised to be with us always
He will never leave us nor forsake us
Be assured that God can surely hear everyone of us
and He always answers our prayers, in His time

Why? Because He loves us abundantly
God calls us His own.  How can He forget His own children?
God our father is both anxious and delighted to hear us
His outstretched arms are there waiting for us to run to Him

The cross demonstrates His great love for us
He gave His only son, the sinless, to die for us, the sinful ones
So that we can be reconciled back to Him
Penalty of sin has been fully paid on the cross

He cleanse us of all wrong with His precious blood
So that we can come to Him righteous
as sons of God and be accepted into the Kingdom of God
Nothing we need to do, but through the Grace of God, amen

CONFINEMENT MONTH

What is Confinement?

The period of 4 weeks after delivery of a baby is fondly called Confinement Month. According to the Chinese, a woman's body is the weakest and most vulnerable to future ailments after childbirth. Care should be taken to ensure fast recovery and long term health. Traditionally, this is a time when a new mother is pampered to health with plenty of rest and good food.

In modern days, many of the practices in the Confinement Month are considered irrelevant, and demand an explanation.  However, many Chinese families, especially those with elders at home, the young mother still obliged, for the benefit of doubt and comfort of the elders.

Nevertheless, there are still guidelines that need to follow in bringing the new mother back to the brink of health after delivery.

1) 1st Week

During child birth the mother has lost a lot of blood and thus cause her body to be 'cold'. First step is to cleanse her womb of any remnants of blood clots and dispel 'wind' from her body

2) 2nd week to 4th week

To replenish the loss of blood and strengthen the function of her body with herbs

The following are 3 commonly used herbs:

1) Old ginger 
     works wonder, especially during this confinement month. It
     a) expels 'wind' and restore body heat, thereby soothes joint aches &
         relieves inflammation and pain
     b) helps in digestion by neutralizing & stimulating digestive enzymes
     c) prevents blood clots
     

     It is used throughout the 4 weeks.

2) Dates

Red dates, Black dates and Nan dates are used to make drink or soup to help in restoring the loss of blood during delivery

3) Black Fungus

cooked with chicken or make soup to remove any remnants of blood left in the womb

Others like Dang Shen, sesame seed oil, peppercorns, longan, dang Gui, and shou wu are also used in soups.

Drinking of plain or cold water is strictly prohibited, as many believe it will bring in 'wind', that will lead to severe body ache and future ailment. However, the body needs to be cleansed and flushed out of impurities & toxin.  Ginger tea, rice tea or 3 dates tea have been introduced to take the place of plain water. Of course, some add Dang Shen, wolfberry or longan for a change in taste & their medicinal value.  It is quite flexible and can be adjusted to own liking.

When a new mother is advised not to wash her hands in cold running water, she definitely must not shower or wash her hair under running water!  A special herb, da feng ai is to be boiled & cooled down for bathing.  It helps to dispel 'wind' and 'coolness' from the body, improve blood circulation and ease joint pain.  We used to buy big bundles in plastic bags, with leaves and sticks sticking out everywhere.  Now, it has been packed neatly into sachets, don't need to be strained after boiling!

DANG SHEN TEA

Dang Shen 
党参
is often referred to as poor man's ginseng.

It stimulates appetite
improves blood circulation
boost immunity by increasing white blood cells

It is 
also used to treat 
shortness of breath & cough

A note of caution:
Dang Shen 
should be avoided prior to surgery
as it may interfere with blood clotting

Dang Shen Tea 
is a combination of Dang Shan, red dates, dried longan & wolfberries

 

This is particularly beneficial 
to new mothers 
as
it helps to replenish Qi, and revitalises the body.

Dang Shen Tea

dang shen

dried longan, for sweetness

red dates

wolfberries (optional)

1.5L water

1) rinse all ingredients & add water to boil for 15min

2) lower heat & simmer for an hour or more

3) strain & keep warm in the flask to drink the whole day

RED BEAN LONGAN SOUP

.

A dessert
good as the afternoon Tea Break

Red beans 
need long hours of cooking 
and
Slow Cooker best serve the purpose

1 cup red bean, washed
1/4 cup dried lotus seeds, washed (optional)

1L hot water

1/4 cup longan, rinsed

sugar to taste

1) cook red beans & water in slow cooker until soft

2) add longan & continue cooking until longan opens

3) add sugar to taste

3 DATES DRINK

Red dates are the main ingredients in this drink.

This is an extract from rawforbeauty.com

3 Dates Tea

3 types of dates:

red dates 

black dates &

nan (blue) dates

3 to combine to give the best nourishing results

3 Dates Tea

30-50 pcs red dates (seeded)

8 pcs black dates (snipped)

4 pcs lan dates (blue) snipped

1.5L water

1) rinse dates & boil in 1.5L of water for an hour or more

2) store in flask & drink the whole day

FRIED GINGER EGG

Fry ginger slices in sesame seed oil until fragrant

add beaten eggs

This is what you get!

Simple as that!