KitKat Collection

Love the variety of Kit Kat that one can find around the world....and mostly in Japan..

Strawberry

Green Tea

Yubari Melon

Banana Yogurt Ice Cream

Wanted to make a sweet snack for DD2, something not too rich and eggless. This recipe is quick and easy. The job was completed in 30 mins including washing up. Adapted from Small Small Baker (SSB) Mango ice cream.

Ingredients:

3 medium ripe banana

80g fine sugar 

140g plain yogurt

200g whipping cream 

Method:

1) Blend bananas with sugar until creamy

2) Add in plain yogurt and mix well

3) In a metal bowl, whisk the whipping cream until stiff & smooth. Do not over whisk.

4) Fold in the banana mixture

5) Place the bowl in the freezer and freeze for 1 hour. Whisk the mixture and pour into a container and freeze till set.

Spicy sour wet warm salad

Asam Laksa warm salad

Want a healthy tasty warm salad ? Then Asam Laksa is the way.  Yes.....it is salad ...if you omit the noodles. Just replace it will oodles of julienne cucumber, red onions and mint leaves. Add pineapple chunks to enhance the taste. Using a commercial sauce makes this an easy cooked warm meal.

If you cant find a commercial Asam Laksa sauce in your area, any asam based sauce is good. Asam fish sauce is the closest. Be sure to include the dried tamarind if  using the asam fish package.

Ingredients

1 package Asam Laksa ready made sauce

1 can tomato sardine - mashed

2-3 pcs of dried tamarind - soak in warm water for 5 mins (adding tamarind is optional)

2-3 red chilli - optional

3- 4 Japanese cucumber - julienne

2 red onion

100 g of mint leaves 

1 can pineapple - drained and cut into smaller pieces

Optional

laksa noodles or

kway teow noodles or

rice noodles

a) Prepare the sauce according to the package instructions. Add the mashed sardine, tamarind and chili

b) Bring the gravy to boil, then turn down the heat and let it simmer for another 15mins.

c) Place the cucumber (1/3 of bowl), onion in a serving bowl, ladle enough  gravy to cover the cucumber. Serve with pineapple and lots of mint leaves

Optional:

For a more substantial meal, noodles can be used as the base instead of cucumber.

Blanch the noodles before serving.

Several brands of asam laksa ready made sauce that i have used:

   

What is wealth without health?

Reflections 9 Jan 2012: 

Beginning of the year is the time to reflect changes we want to make in our lives. One physical difference of adding another calendar year is our body. It's noticeably changing and it begs us to deliberately take charge and put effort in maintaining and improving it else we don't known what consequence will face us down the road. We need to take deliberate steps to change habits till they become 2nd nature to us. Exercise, take more fruits & vegetables, cut down simple carbo and fats, reduce salt & sugar are things we have head knowledge but fail to follow through in the midst of our globalised gastronomical attractions. We ignore the naggy call in the light of busyness & other urgent priorities . What pays? Our health even before the golden years. Health. It's the basis for quality of life...

So take baby steps, make a 2012 commitment towards better health. 
What is wealth (or anything that matters) without health?