All posts
Meals for the homeless – grilled chicken with Korean pepper flakes and Indian garlic ginger paste
Simple, delicious and budget – 4 kilo of chicken fillets for our homeless friends. Have a great weekend everyone.
Easy steps as follows:
- Dice the chicken drumstick or thigh fillet
- Saute the chicken with generous amount of cooking oil, Korean pepper flakes, Indian garlic and ginger paste, a dash of fish sauce, a little sugar
- Once cooked, transfer to a plate, discard any liquid / sauce
- Briefly grill the chicken pieces on a hot griddle, splash a dash of dark soy sauce and toss slightly
- Serve hot or chilled
Chili, ginger and garlic prawns (gluten free)
Some summer Friday afternoons following the school pick ups, my school-mum friends may drop by for a few glasses of bubbles and the kids have a swim in the pool.
I always keep some easy-to-cook ingredients in my freezer for such occasions – homemade curry puffs, spring rolls, and of course, wild caught Australian prawns. The prawns are delicious, already peeled, easy to defrost, and quick to cook.
Method is as follow: Read the rest of this entry »
Bitter melon with beef and fermented black bean, and the story of the ‘left-behind’ children
When I chatted with my friends over lunch today, I told them about the documentary about the left-behind children in Southern China.
These children lived in small and remote communities deep in the beautiful mountains in the GuangXi province, bordering Vietnam. With limited land for farming, their parents left home to work in factories in the coastal cities. Some children lived with their elderly grandparents. Some children, as young as 12 years old, looked after themselves and their younger siblings.
Living in leaky shacks, these children faced daily challenges with the lack of food, water, firewood, money for school, and loving care by parents. Yet, the children were full of hope and spirit. Their daily chores, besides going to school, were fetching water, growing a few corns, collecting wild vegetables and cooking meals. The children looked forward to seeing their parents once a year during the Luna holiday, when the massive migration of workers returned home to their families.
Amazing resilience, their unique stories filled with sadness and joy.
“I was a left-behind child too, together with my younger brother and sister,’ say my friend Loyd, who came from Malaysia. “I was cared by my grandparents until I was 9 years old. My parents worked at a logging site in the forest. My dad leased out equipment to the workers, while my mum worked as an administration clerk for the big logging company.”
” How do you feel about it, growing up without parents?” I was curious.
“This was the life we were given. We appreciated what we had.” Loyd said.
I always look up to this man, kind, respectful and calm. Life is good for him and his family.
I cooked a bitter melon dish tonight. Bitter melon is an unusual vegetable with bumpy husk and a peculiar peppery taste. Some people hate its bitterness, yet many more appreciate the humble and unique deliciousness it offers.
Life is good when you appreciate it.
Ingredient list is as follows:
Meals for the homeless – summer ice tea, and Mr J’s first night as a rough sleeper
I met J at the homeless feed. He was a regular volunteer. He loves to help out at the weekly street buffet. A warm and witty man, J was a lawyer at a major bank before he became a rough sleeper. Newly settled in social housing, J cooks delicious desserts and muffins for his friends on the streets.
‘That was my sleeping spot,’ J pointed to a corner next to a shop front.
‘My first night on the street,’ J smiled, ‘Hunter gave me her bedding. She slept on the concrete floor that night.‘
‘For many years I had felt that I didn’t fit in, even though I had everything I needed, until the guys here accepted me unconditionally.’
‘Guys here, so many of them are willing to pull their shirts off their backs and offer it to you.’
‘Many think homeless people are drug addicts, alcoholics or have mental illnesses. I don’t smoke or drink. A car accident and circumstances put me on the streets among these guys.’ J said humbly.
Inspired by the story, I made a delicious ice tea to bring smiles and cheerfulness.
Perfect for the hot summer days – chilled lychee flavored Chinese tea, with lychee fruit, pineapple, cranberry, orange, lime, honey and mint. They loved it so much, they asked for it the next week, and the week after. I have been making it for weeks.
With that, I wish for a simple world of kindness and acceptance for all souls, especially those quirky one.
Meals for the homeless – Indian spiced chicken drumstick fillets
A nearby butcher sells chicken drumstick fillets at an unbelievable price. This is gold – I reckon the drumstick is the best part of a poultry – juicy, tender and full of flavors.
This week, I made some Indian spiced chicken drumstick fillets for our homies.
So easy, with 3-4 simple steps:
- Cut the chicken drumstick fillets into chunky pieces
- Marinate the meat with garlic and ginger paste, natural yogurt, cumin, turmeric, chili powder, garam masala, mustard oil, sesame oil, salt, and black pepper
- Pan fry in small batches with a little cooking oil
- Optional garnish – sliced fresh mint, fresh chili and toasted sesame seeds.
Tasted pretty good.
Salted duck egg, with sweet and spicy vegetables (FODMAP friendly)
A lovely Italian man at my husband’s work keeps a few ducks in his back yard. He gave us some fresh eggs again. We are so blessed.
I salted the eggs in brine for two weeks, using 3 tbsp of salt for 1 liter of water. The yolks were just turning golden, and the egg white was not overly salty. For a bit of fun, I steamed the eggs in small cups, rather than a simple semi-hard boil.
I saute some diced red capsicum, cherry tomatoes and diced cucumbers with some cooking oil, tomato sauce, chili sauce. I added a dash of sesame oil, and garnished the vegetables with some chopped coriander and toasted sesame seeds.
Looked mouth watering and tasted delicious.
Chicken giblet with cucumber (sustainable living #3)
Chicken giblets need to be cook quickly to avoid over cooking. So I blanch the giblets in hot water quickly before slicing and pan frying. Once blanched, I cook the giblets the same way as the chicken liver.
Here are the easy steps:
- Blanch the giblets quickly in hot water; transfer to a plate to cool
- Thinly slice the giblets
- In a frying pan, add some cooking oil, bring it to very hot temperature; add sliced ginger, minced garlic, and sliced chili; add sliced giblets, a little sugar, toss; splash a little dark soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, toss; remove from heat
- Add some sliced shallot / scallion, toss
- Add some sliced cucumber, toss
- Garnish with chopped coriander
The giblets taste better the next day, served chilled as a salad (‘liang-ban’).
