Your Little Vegan Chef (Guest Post)

Finally, a guest post for thy blog.(: 

Ever thought of adopting a healthier diet amidst all the calorie dense local fares like char kway teow, nasi lemak, goreng pisang? This guest post of Li Ting will certainly be of help to start you off your journey to a better and healthier diet. But yes, of course, that doesn't mean you can't indulge occasionally! Opps. 

 Li Ting started off this Facebook page of 'Your Little Vegen Chef' with the intention of sharing with others her own adapted healthy recipes. Healthy, in this case, doesn't merely refer to simply eating salad or 'grass' for every meal as it may seem to many but it means that many of the refined items in our daily life such as refined white rice, sugar, chocolate and many others are substituted with healthy and natural alternatives that taste just as good! 

Here's Li Ting's story... "Since my recovery from cancer, I began to appreciate the importance of eating well to feel well and have energy to do the things I love. Many diseases today are attributed by a stressful lifestyle and a diet with little nutrients. A plant-based diet contains all the nutrients, phyto-chemicals, anti-oxidants, minerals etc that our body really needs.

Hearing from my doctor that "one year old wound looks like two year old wound" inspires me to continue this diet and experiment many recipes. A plant based diet can be very tasty and interesting. So not only can we eat what our body needs, we can also love the healthy food we eat. So...eat well, love well, live well." 


Li Ting was diagnosed with cancer a few years back and ever since, she has been relying on the Lord to live strong and purposefully. I admire her for her spirit and her faith. God has provided much for her and will continue to. And I believe it's her way being a blessing to the people around her by introducing them to a healthy diet because it will go a long way to have healthy minds and bodies starting from our diet!

Her recipes are interesting and unique, many of which I wouldn't have thought of and I just want to share 2 of her recipes that I'm very keen on trying out with you all today. 
(Photo Credit : Your Little Vegan Chef)

Pumpkin Kaya (Eggless) (Adapted from Your Little Vegan Chef)

1. Steam 3 C pumpkin and set aside.
2. I make my own coconut milk by using abt 1C of coconut meat and blend it with little water and squeeze milk out from a coffee sieve. U could use 100-150ml of coconut milk too but I didn't want to consume preservatives :)
3. Boil coconut milk with 4 pandan leaves over low fire and add steamed pumpkin. Mash it and store for abt 10-15mims until you get the consistency u want. 
4. Add about 2 T brown sugar. I added 1/4C of unsweetened soy milk and it taste even better!
5. When it is cooled, remove leaves and add 2T of honey. Store best in glass bottles for a week. Could Store longer in freezer.
(Photo Credit : Your Little Vegan Chef)

Banana Cornmeal Muffins (Adapted from Your Little Vegan Chef)

A) 1 C yellow cornmeal flour (not corn starch but grounded cornmeal so it's wholegrain), 1 C whole wheat pastry flour/atta flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp sea salt
B) mix 1 1/2C soy milk, 3 T Carob powder, 1/2 T apple cidar vinegar, 1/3 C maple syrup, 3 small blended riped bananas, 1/4 C olive/coconut oil or less if u wish, 1 T grounded flaxseed powder (1 T flaxseed powder with 3 T water is one egg replacer)

Preheat oven. Add A and B and pour into muffin trays and bake for 35mins. May add raisins, walnuts and sprinkle chopped almond nuts on top for greater taste. If u r sugar sensitive, cut the maple syrup and put more raisins.

There are still many recipes over at her Facebook page so do hop over to view her recipes (which are constatly being updated) and try out some of them! You might just find yourself loving the healthier side of life.(:

Stay healthy and jiayou Li Ting! God's with you. 

Have a blessed Tuesday everyone.(:

Mai Thai Restaurant : Authentic Thai, Authentic Taste

Living in a diverse society with multiple races, nationalities, cultures and of course their cuisines, Thai restaurants are only a handful and good ones are rare. So where do you get your Thai food fix? 

I had the opportunity to try Mai Thai restaurant with my vouchers won at Greenwich V not long ago. And I'll be frank with you, the food is good. But its a pity that things can get a little expensive here and not to mention, service wasn't very efficient. 
We started off with a plate of Prawn Cakes a.k.a Tod Mun Goong which was simple yet delightful. They were lightly breaded, fried to a crisp and not greasy at all. Our only complain was the serving was a little too small.
And what's a complete Thai dinner if there wasn't Tom Yum? Not exactly the top Thai dish on my list because I still can't use to the spicy and sourish taste but this was too spicy in my opinion. The chilli overpowdered the whole dish, leaving you on fire.

The next dish that came was the pièce de résistance - Cuttlefish with Salted Eggs a.k.a Pla Merk Pad Kai Khem (top photo). I feeling a little adverse to this dish when I saw the salted egg yolks initially, clearly not a lover of salted egg yolks am I. However my fears were banished after tasting what I thought were perfectly steamed cuttlefishes served in a sweet, creamy sauce with bits of crushed salted egg yolk to balance out the flavours. This dish was a winner, it's so good.
One of my favourite and classic Thai dish of all times is the Basil Chicken a.k.a Ka Pao Gai or Pork at times. We had chicken this time round and it was partially disappointing, the flavours were not too bad, tasty and not dry but super oily. There was a pool of oil on the bottom and in my point of view, was way too oily for comfort.

That was it for my dinner. I'm elated to find a hidden gem - the Cuttlefish with Salted Eggs - at Mai Thai Restaurant and would order it again when I see it. Do you have other good Thai dishes or restaurant to recommend? 

Mai Thai Restaurant

1 Seletar Road 
#02-03 Greenwich V S807011

Tel: 67523688
Website : Mai Thai

Caffé B @ Marina Bay Sands : Happy 1st Anniversary!

Happy birthday/1st Anniversary Caffé B!

An unpretentious italian resturant in MBS, Caffé B has an al fresco bar, facing the waters and esplanade, for a breather as well. 

Caffe B has their 1st anniversary celebration a little while back and I was honored to be invited. It was a causal and relaxing night as the restaurant attempted to transport us back to a night in Tuscany with the region's ingredients and foods. I sampled different Italian dishes, desserts and had the opportunity to meet many people from the corporate world. I must apologize for the low quality pictures as all the photos were taken mostly under low light conditions. 

A dazzling and tantalising array of Italian desserts greeted us as we walking into the restaurant.
It was a display of trays of desserts for our taking. There were freshly baked Italian biscuits.
Deep fried pastry sprinkled with powdered icing sugar a.k.a Cenci as they call it in Tuscany.
There were cream filled deep fried pastry horns as well and a few other desserts as well. Perfect for some finger food as you sat by the al fresco bar to enjoy some talk time with a friend.
 Moving on, there were some antipasti to start us off the night.
Baked salmon that were fantastic for salmon lovers like myself. A couple of sauces - thousand island, mayonnaise and another lemon sauce - were available to accompany the salmon.
I especially enjoyed pairing the freshly shaved parma ham with slices of honeydew and rock melon. They went so well together.
Couldn't really tell what cattle this was, but I'm guessing beef. the slices of meat were a little too tough and dry for me though.
The kitchen was also kept busy preparing plates of pizzas (which, unfortunately, I didn't get to try) and pastas. This were penne with tomato sauce, nothing extraordinary.
The waiter told me this type of thick pasta were called 'Peach' and I was pretty surprise at the name, anyone can verify? This was served with a little grating of cheese on top and smoked duck.
The cool weather in the night with the relaxing view of the bayfront and esplanade makes this al fresco bar at the top a nice spot to chill with your friends after office hours.

It was indeed a memorable and pleasant night spent celebrating Caffé B's 1st anniversary! Once again, happy 1st Anniversary Caffé B, may you bring plenty of joy and satisfaction to all diners through the high quality of your food and standard of service for the years to come.(:

Thank you Jaime from PR Communications Pte Ltd and Caffé B for the invite.

Vanilla Cupcake Recipe - Test Baked By 50 Bakers

Cupcakes are all the rage nowadays and I wasn't planning to bake them. But.

Yes but, I came across a promising recipe with a very tempting header and I was defenseless. Actually I first read little teochew's magnolia bakery cupcakes post and since it was so well recommended, I thought I'll try my hands on baking them some time later but not so soon but then I came across this

A cupcake tried and tasted by 50 bakers while gaining approval simultaneously and unanimously. Now tell me, who can resist a cupcake like that? The intention to bake was thus born and the rest is history.

Regarding my taste test of the cupcake, I have mixed feelings about it. Let me explain. To say simply, the cupcake itself (without the frosting) didn't rise up to my expectations. However that could possibly have been because of my inexperience in baking them or the usage of non-neutral oil or perhaps the cupcakes came out correctly but just that I misinterpreted it's taste; the cupcake itself had this little bit of alkaline after taste which I abhor. 

The cupcakes, on the whole, tasted heavenly with the frosting. My mom and friends loved it. So... the verdict is yours. Once you've baked it, let me know. But for now, I'm moving on to try the magnolia's bakery vanilla cupcakes next!
The Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake Recipe (Adapted From Cupcake Project)

Yield: 16 cupcakes 


  • 1 cup (225 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 1 3/4 cups (175 grams) cake flour, not self-rising
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup (75 grams) full-fat sour cream
  • 1/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil (60 ml)
  • 1 tablespoon pure (not imitation) vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup (160 ml) whole milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).

2. In a small bowl, combine sugar and seeds from the vanilla bean.

3. Using the back of a spoon, move around the bowl and apply pressure to break up any clumps of seeds and to better infuse the vanilla flavor into the sugar. Set aside.

4. In a medium-sized mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

5. Add the vanilla bean sugar and mix until well combined.

6. Add butter and mix on medium-low speed for three minutes.  Because there is so little butter, you'll end up with a very fine crumb texture.

7. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.

8. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.

9. Slowly add milk and mix on low speed until just combined.  The batter will be liquid.  (Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong.  It's supposed to be that way.)


10. Fill cupcake liners just over 1/2 full.

11. Bake for 14 minutes and then test to see if they are done. They are done when a toothpick comes out without wet batter stuck to it.  The cupcakes should appear white with specks of vanilla bean. They should not turn a golden brown.  If they are not done, test again in two minutes.  If they are still not done, test again in another two minutes.

12. When the cupcakes are done, remove them immediately from the tins and leave them on a cooling rack (or just on your counter if you don't own a cooling rack) to cool.


Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting (Adapted From Cupcake Project)

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar (add more until it reaches your preferred consistency)
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (add more to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Directions

  1. 1. Mix together sugar and butter until they are blended and creamy. 

  2. 2. Add vanilla bean paste and milk and continue to beat for another minute. 

  3. 3. If desired, add more vanilla bean paste to taste, or more confectioners' sugar to make it stiffer.

Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Today I shall blog a little something different from the usual food reviews, baking and cooking recipes; Introducing the Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting.

Buttercream has always come across to me as a frosting that had similar taste and texture to whipped cream. Oh boy, never did I knew I was deprivig myself of something so good and the magic of frosting... Till now. 

This vanilla butter cream smelled heavenly - like Hagen Dazs - and tasted great. Buttercream is basically creamed butter and icing sugar and usually they would be used to frost cupcakes and cakes. I baked a couple of vanilla cupcakes the other day and decided to try my hands on frosting them for the first time. It was a hit with everyone.

My family, friends and I loved this and I hope you do too! This will complete your vanilla experience when you frost this with vanilla cupcakes.(:

Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting 
(Adapted From Cupcake Project)

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients : 
  • 1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar (add more until it reaches your preferred consistency) 
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (add more to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon milk 

Directions : 

Mix together sugar and butter until they are blended and creamy. 

Add vanilla bean paste and milk and continue to beat for another minute.
 
If desired, add more vanilla bean paste to taste, or more confectioners' sugar to make it stiffer.

Singapore Fried Hokkien Mee : A Taste Of Singapore

This plate of hokkien mee has been my benchmark of hokkien mee for the past half a decade at least. 

Hearing 'fried hokkien mee' would certainly be a delight to many of us Singaporeans since its a famous and commonly seen dish in our local food scene. In fact, there are two types of it : the hokkien fried mee and the fried hokkien prawn mee. We're of course talking about our commonly seen and found fried hokkien prawn mee which differs from the hokkien fried mee where a different type of noodle is used, fried with a starchy black sauce and which is found more commonly in malaysia. 

Ask me for a recommendation for hokkien mee, and I'll direct you to Whampoa Hawker Centre.
I love this plate of hokkien mee, located at Whampoa hawker center, and grew up with its taste. Even after years of tasting numerous other hokkien mees, the familiar taste would still rekindle one's love for it each time you have it. 

I'll go as far as to say this is the best hokkien mee in Singapore; It has the right amount of wetness to it while the noodles are cooked to softness but till soggy, fresh ingredients and I haven't tasted any better than this. So what's there to complain? Oh and if you're a chilli person like me, go on and ask for extra sambal chilli as they fry their own chilli around here and it adds depth to the whole dish, along with some crunch from the peanut bits in the chilli paste.

So, where's your favourite hokkien prawn mee stall residing at? 
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