Express Homecooked Dinner - 18 May 2015

Mondays are hectic for me. Besides having to make 6 trips (to and fro) to fetch Miss Sociable from her activities, I  have to dish out an express dinner so that the girls can eat by 5:45pm.  Sherilyn has hip hop dance class at 7pm.

Some of the items off my Express Dinner menu are braised chicken drumsticks or wings, spaghetti or pasta and sandwiches. These are easy and fast to whip up and can be quickly finished off too.  No fuss, no sweat, sustaining, wholesome and yummy at the same time!





Pan-fried chicken fillet with fried eggs, organic raw alfalfa sprouts, cucumber slices, organic cherry tomatoes, blueberries and cheese on super crispy sprouted wheat toasts.

Chicken fillet is marinated with garlic powder, sesame seed oil, garlic salt, pepper, soy sauce, ground coriander seeds and palm sugar.






The girls loved this crispy sandwich and were pretty generous with their praises for me, even from the most persnickety and hardest to pleased one! :)


Cost of this meal is around RM30.   I even have extra chicken to prepare another round of sandwiches for Cass and me for lunch tomorrow :)


Tip of the day from HFM: to buy  cheap chicken fillet, chicken drumsticks and wings, boneless chicken thighs for chicken chop, chicken innards or just about any part of the chicken, shop at NSK @ Jalan Kuchai Lama.

NSK sells an abundance and wide array of meat ranging from fish to seafood, chicken, pork and beef at very affordable prices (way cheaper than some wet markets and definitely cheaper than most of the regular supermarkets). You can select any part of the chicken or pork that you wish for whatever dishes that you plan to cook. Best of all, the meat are all nicely packed and labelled  for you, with date and all, so this saves you the trouble and time of having to pack and label your meat when you get back home.   And I love it that the place is air-conditioned and is so much more comfortable than buying meat from stinky and  wet markets :)

Mother's Day Card From Loyal Blog Reader

Yesterday was a shitty day for me. I think my soul along with my ego were brutally battered by someone who wrote something about me which is not true!  I emailed back this keyboard warrior to clear the air but still, I am still a crippled soul with a fresh wound to my self-esteem.

Anyway, all that hurt I suffered was almost subdued when I received this home-made Mother's Day card from a very, very thoughtful and loyal blog reader.




S has been sending me hand-sewn Mother's Day cards for 4 years. Each year, I would receive a hand-sewn alphabet letter -- from my name Shireen.  As this is the fourth year, S sewed the letter "R" for the card.

Thank you so much, S for this lovely card.  You are one of my most loyal blog readers. I did not think that you would have remembered to send me the card.  But you did and the day that I received this card was exactly a year ago from the last date I received the previous Mother's Day card.  How impeccable your timing is in sending me the card!!  Last year, I received the card on 12 May 2014 and this year, I received your card on 12 May 2015 too!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart, S :)

HFM's Healthy Lunch

Home-cooked- lunch for Cass and me a few days ago...


For Cass -
Beef Bolognese spiral pasta (cooked last week and frozen) - reheated in the non-stick pan with a few dashes of olive oil and mixed herbs.
Omelette with garlic and pepper.
Organic alfalfa sprouts and organic cherry tomatoes




Skinny Lunch for me (almost carbs-free) -
Alfalfa sprouts with seasoned seaweed, toasted sesame seeds, cherry tomatoes and garlic omelette.







This lunch is anytime better than the oily 'chap fun' dishes that I packed for lunch today - made me feel so bloated and cloy, right until now and it's almost dinner time *BURP*!

Chinese Steamed Egg Custard

I have lost count on the number of times I had attempted to dish out the 'silky smooth steamed egg' dish but each time I did, I failed!  Sometime I failed so miserably that I vowed not to try it again, only to try it yet again when the littlest one kept bugging me to order steamed egg each time we have dinner outside.  Yes, steamed egg is Cass' number 1 favorite dish.  In fact, this girl just loves eggs cooked in any style but her top favorite has got to be steamed egg Chinese style and Chawan Mushi (Japanese style).

I have Googled for steamed egg recipes several times in the past but the recipes that I followed did not reveal the ultimate tricks to silky smooth steamed egg with texture like custard.

Yesterday, I did a Google search  to look for the perfect steamed egg recipe again.  I randomly picked one of the recipes in the search results and tried this blogger's recipe, which came with really  handy tips and tricks and yes, I finally succeeded!!

Finally I can show off my silky smooth steamed egg custard!




Now I know why I failed miserably in the past!  I missed out on a few very important tricks, i.e. --
1) covering the plate while steaming. How could I have missed this step?!  This is the no.1 most important step

2) stir the egg mixture in a circular motion in ONE DIRECTION ONLY (clockwise or counter clockwise) until the egg white and egg yolk are totally combined.

RATIO : Add 3 oz water for one egg.  I used 5 eggs, so I added 15 oz of filtered water.






Trick #1. The Stirring Motion : Stir in a circular motion instead of back and forth motion. A back and forth motion creates lots of air bubbles which will prevent the surface of the egg custard from being smooth. If it does end up with having a lot of bubbles, use a small spoon to scoop out the bubbles, or set aside and wait for a few minutes for the bubbles to go away.

NOTE: I noticed in most recipes they required using a fine mesh strainer to filter out the membrane of egg yolk in the egg-water mixture. I found this is totally unnecessary if you stir the eggs well. Well, yesterday I did not strain the egg mixture and the end product turned out super smooth!


Trick #2. The amount of water added: For each large egg you should add 3 oz of water. This ratio is important.

Trick #3: Add salt just before cooking the eggs. There is a chemistry term called Hofmeister series. It describes certain salts will make protein more soluble in water (salting in) while some salts will tend to decrease the solubility of protein in water (salting out). Egg white consists of water (92% by weight) and protein (8% by weight). The chloride anion from the table salt will tend to make egg white protein less soluble in the water. So if I add salt to the egg long before I am going to stir and mix it, the egg white protein will not mix well with the water. So remember add salt at the very end or just right before you are ready to cook it.

Trick #4: Cover the container while steaming. Condensed water vapor on the steamer lid will drip down into the bowl. If there is no cover on the bowl, the water will make the surface of the egg custard uneven and look like honeycomb.

Trick #5: The steaming time: 7-8 minutes.  Yesterday, I steamed my 5 eggs mixture for 7 minutes.  The 7 minutes of steaming is AFTER the water has started to bubble in the wok.  Only put in the plate of egg mixture after the water has bubbled.
My daughters' former babysitter used to steam the egg mixture for only 2 minutes and she lets the plate of egg mixture sit in the wok for another few more minutes, with the flame turned off.  She makes the world's smoothest and silkiest steamed egg, I kid you not. I really do miss her steamed eggs.  I must visit her one of these days to get the secret recipe from her!


RECIPE:

Chinese Steamed Egg Custard (recipe courtesy of Little Orange Bean)

Prep time:  3 mins,

Cook time:  9 mins,

Total time:  12 mins

Serves: 1 serving

Tools: Steamer, a small mixing bowl, measuring cup, chopsticks for stirring, heat-proof container with cover

Ingredients

• 1 large egg 
• 3 oz water (if you use more eggs, you will have to do some multiplication to get the required amount of water)
• ¼ tsp sesame oil
• (Optional) pinch of salt
• (Optional) green onion for garnishing
• (Optional) Fried garlic with oil for garnishing

Instructions

1. In a small mixing bowl, use chopsticks to whisk the egg in a stirring motion in one direction (clockwise or counter clockwise) until the egg white and egg yolk are totally combined.
2. Add water and sprinkle salt; then briefly stir in one direction.
3. Pour the egg mixture into a heat-proof container, cover with heat-proof lid or aluminum foil.
4. Fill the steamer with cold water. Place the bowl in the steamer. Bring the water to a boil then turn down to medium heat with gentle boiling. Steam for 7 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat, the egg custard should be slightly firm and wobble in the center. Test by inserting a toothpick; it should come out clean.
6. Add sesame oil and garnish with green onion. Serve warm.

Notes

1. Stir in a circular motion instead of back and forth motion. A back and forth motion creates lots of air bubbles which will prevent the surface of the egg custard from being smooth. If it does end up with having a lot of bubbles, use a small spoon to scoop out the bubbles, or set aside and wait for a few minutes for the bubbles to go away.
2. Add salt just before cooking the eggs.
3. Cover the container while steaming. Condensed water vapor on the steamer lid will drip down into the bowl. If there is no cover on the bowl, the water will make the surface of the egg custard uneven and look like honeycomb.
4. Add 2 more minute for each additional egg. If you steam too long, the egg will be over cooked and tend to be tough.

Happy trying!  If I have succeeded, so can you! ;)

Cancer Patients Drinking Hydrogen-Rich Water

A blog reader's mother will be undergoing chemotherapy soon for cancer. My blog reader asked me whether Izumio hydrogen water is  good for cancer patients, to which I told her that we have members (Naturally Plus Malaysia) with cancer markers brought down significantly after consuming Izumio and Super Lutein. Recently, a customer was healed from Prostate Cancer WITHOUT chemotherapy, which is unbelievable! His cancer marker from a few hundred has come down to just 8. He was a Stage 4 Prostate Cancer patient. He is 74 years old and very healthy now. He took 15 Super Lutein capsules and 5 packets of Izumio for 2+ months now. His doctor is really amazed.

Hydrogen-rich water is also scientifically known to increase the Quality Of Life (QOL) of patients receiving radiotherapy. I did a Google search and found a research paper from the US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health dated 7 June 2011.  Here are some excerpts from the said Research Paper:

Effects of drinking hydrogen-rich water on the quality of life of patients treated with radiotherapy for liver tumors

Background

Cancer patients receiving radiotherapy often experience fatigue and impaired quality of life (QOL). Many side effects of radiotherapy are believed to be associated with increased oxidative stress and inflammation due to the generation of reactive oxygen species during radiotherapy. Hydrogen can be administered as a therapeutic medical gas, has antioxidant properties, and reduces inflammation in tissues. This study examined whether hydrogen treatment, in the form of hydrogen-supplemented water, improved QOL in patients receiving radiotherapy.

Methods

A randomized, placebo-controlled study was performed to evaluate the effects of drinking hydrogen-rich water on 49 patients receiving radiotherapy for malignant liver tumors. Hydrogen-rich water was produced by placing a metallic magnesium stick into drinking water (final hydrogen concentration; 0.55~0.65 mM). The Korean version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer's QLQ-C30 instrument was used to evaluate global health status and QOL. The concentration of derivatives of reactive oxidative metabolites and biological antioxidant power in the peripheral blood were assessed.

Results

The consumption of hydrogen-rich water for 6 weeks reduced reactive oxygen metabolites in the blood and maintained blood oxidation potential. QOL scores during radiotherapy were significantly improved in patients treated with hydrogen-rich water compared to patients receiving placebo water. There was no difference in tumor response to radiotherapy between the two groups.

Conclusions

Daily consumption of hydrogen-rich water is a potentially novel, therapeutic strategy for improving QOL after radiation exposure. Consumption of hydrogen-rich water reduces the biological reaction to radiation-induced oxidative stress without compromising anti-tumor effects.

Background
Radiotherapy is one of the major treatment options for malignant neoplasms. Nearly half of all newly diagnosed cancer patients will receive radiotherapy at some point during treatment and up to 25% may receive radiotherapy a second time [1]. While radiotherapy destroys malignant cells, it adversely affects the surrounding normal cells [2]. Acute radiation-associated side effects include fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, dry mouth, loss of appetite, hair loss, sore skin, and depression.

Radiation increases the long-term risk of cancer, central nervous system disorders, cardiovascular disease, and cataracts. The likelihood of radiation-induced complications is related to the volume of the irradiated organ, the radiation dose delivered, the fractionation of the delivered dose, the delivery of radiation modifiers, and individual radiosensitivity [3]. Most radiation-induced symptoms are believed to be associated with increased oxidative stress and inflammation, due to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during radiotherapy, and may significantly affect the patient's quality of life (QOL) [2].

Hydrogen, a therapeutic medical gas, has antioxidant properties and reduces inflammatory events in tissues [4-6]. Drinking liquids supplemented with hydrogen represents a novel method of hydrogen gas delivery that is easily translatable into clinical practice, with beneficial effects for several medical conditions, including atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cognitive impairment during aging and in Parkinson's disease [7-11]. Currently, there is no definitive therapy to improve the QOL of patients receiving radiotherapy. Drinking solubilized hydrogen on a daily basis may be beneficial and would be quite easy to administer without complicating or changing a patient's lifestyle. We hypothesized that oral intake of hydrogen-rich water, generated via a magnesium stick, would reduce adverse events in patients receiving radiotherapy.

In conclusion, our study demonstrated that drinking hydrogen-rich water improved QOL and reduced oxidative markers in patients receiving radiotherapy for liver tumors. This novel approach of oral intake of hydrogen-rich water may be applicable to a wide range of radiation-related adverse symptoms.

If you wish to find out more on Izumio hydrogen water and Super Lutein, do drop me an email at shireenyong@gmail.com

For more reading on Izumio and Super Lutein, please click on the following link:

 Izumio Hydrogen Water and Super Lutein

Izumio and Incontinence

Super Lutein

Day 18 On Izumio Hydrogen Water For Incontinence 

Symptoms of A Body Detox

Day 20 On Izumio Hydrogen Water For Incontinence

IZUMIO – Antioxidant Hydrogen Water

Hydrogen Water Facts

Super Lutein Goodness

One-Pot Dish - Curry Fish With Vegetables

Another one-pot dish for dinner on one of the school-going days last week...





Curry fish (Gold Pomfret) with brinjals, long beans, tomatoes, ladies fingers and puffed tofu.


I only used half a packet of instant fish curry sauce from Mak Nyonya to suit the kids.




Additionally, I added a handful of kafir lime leaves (these added so much flavor and aroma to the curry!) and 2 stalks of smashed lemon grass.   I also added about a quarter cup of santan (coconut milk) to thicken up the  curry sauce.

Still slow cooking in the pot...



The drama queen loves decorating her meals and this is her food art...



Grilled black pepper honey chicken fillet was leftover from last night's dinner, which I made.  Rice is cooked with fresh coconut milk.

Dishing up homecooked meals on busy weekdays need not be a nightmare. With proper planning and pre-prepping the ingredients on free days, putting fresh and wholesome homecooked dishes on the dining table for your family can be a walk in the park :)

Grilled Chicken Sandwich For Dinner

Here's one of the simple dinners that I dished out sometime last week.

Sandwich with pan-fried chicken fillet, spiced tuna fish, cheese, cool cucumbers and juicy tomatoes.





Ever since I got a new Tefal non-stick wok that's really efficient (cooks food really fast), I've since found a renewed love for pan-frying!  It does not cause as much splish splash of oil vs steel-cast wok.

The chicken fillet was marinated with coriander seed powder, black pepper, garlic powder, garlic oil and gula melaka syrup.  They were really delish!






Spiced tuna - I used canned tuna flakes in mineral water and seasoned it with black pepper, cajun, cumin, garlic salt,  light mayo sauce and spring onions.  Since I did not have enough time to chop onions, spring onions was my next best alternative.  With a little oil left after pan-frying the chicken fillet, I used it to heat up the tuna and mixed the seasoning.   And this spiced tuna tasted fantastic.  The cumin gives it a little Middle Eastern flavor.




The slices of bread were lightly toasted in the oven...




And the girls fixed their sandwich themselves with 5 layers of ingredients -- in the order of spiced tuna, cucumber, cheese, tomato and chicken fillet.




And this sandwich was seriously good. Way better than Subway!!





I had reheated some fried rice (I cooked that for lunch) for the 'rice barrel' girl but to my surprise, she ain't interested in rice!  For the first time!  She only wanted the sandwiches and after this delish sandwich dinner, she told me that she wouldn't mind eating sandwiches for one of her meals everyday!





Since the 'rice barrel' turned down the fried rice, Sherilyn brought it to school for recess the next day, with 2 pieces of chicken fillet :)

Saving Money through Online Product Shopping

People of all ages today know more about natural remedies for common ailments. As insurance costs rise and fewer doctors are available to treat patients, many people are taking it upon themselves to save money and take care of their own health care needs by using natural supplements. When you are on the lookout for a specific product, such as an anti-aging supplement, you can avoid the hassle of looking in stores. You may find exactly what you need when you shop online.

The website helps you understand exactly what you are getting when you use these products. The video explaining the basics of natural remedies is on the homepage. Additionally, you can click the science tab and read about the scientific explanation of why natural remedies may work for you. You also can use the customer service options if you have specific questions about how these products may interact with other medications you are on or if you have a condition that you are treating with medical interventions.

If you are convinced to use these products, you can get started by checking out the site's extensive inventory. The wholesale tab lets you discover wholesalers who may have what you need for the lowest price. You can also fill out the online form and sign up for a free newsletter explaining the top eight causes of disease today. This information lets you be on guard to protect your health and that of your family today.

Day Trip To Sekinchan - 3 May 2015

On our Wesak Day holiday yesterday, we went on a day-trip to Sekinchan with our usual group of buddies and their kids.  Sekinchan is a small fishing village in the outskirts of Selangor with luxurious fertile paddy fields.

First stop before we reached Sekinchan fishing village was the paddy fields.  Though it was really SCORCHING hot with temps of 36C, we got down the car for a camwhoring session. I summoned the hubs to bring down the XL umbrella to shelter me, else I melt under the blazing sun's wrath!



Green green grass of rice...









The girls and their playdates since birth.





We spent over an hour at the Paddy Processing Factory and Paddy Museum. We bought rice grains and attended a short video presentation on how rice is planted, harvested and processed.

At the Paddy Museum...


















At the paddy processing factory...










After the tour of the factory and museum, we had ice-creams sold at the paddy factory.

Next up, we adjourned to the fish products factory to see how salted fish and fish products are made.




Geez, the 'hum yue' (salted fish) sure smells fishy!!





Next, we  drove to the nearby Pantai Redang Beach to throw red ribbons onto a wishing tree.  The red ribbons are obtainable free from a Chinese temple situated just next to the wishing tree.  Whether your wishes come true or otherwise, the red ribbons entangled all over the tall tree sure provides a gorgeous backdrop for photography.












Cass' ribbon was nicely flung and lodged onto a high tree branch with just one good fling!  Bravo to this cili padi with good flinging skill, lol!   Alycia and Sherilyn had to make a few attempts though.




After the ribbon flinging session, we walked across to the beach.  We rented bubble makers for the kids to make gigantic bubbles!

Whilst the kids had fun under the burning sun, I sought refuge at a nearby gazebo and guzzled down a packet of Izumio Hydrogen water to hydrate myself. How I  hate the sun and was waiting impatiently for the kids to finish off their bubbles solution.













We had just only gotten back a fresh layer of fair skin after 3 weeks of sun-grilling in New Zealand just 4 months back, only to lose the fair skin to the brutal sun again.  Everyone spots a brand new tan now.








With everyone soaked in stinky sweat and a sticky body, we adjourned to an air-conditioned restaurant for lunch. Finally, air cond for all of us!!






The roe crabs were small and not meaty.  We could get much bigger ones in KL.




Ho chien (oyster omelette)




Ikan keli  spicy stew.




Seafood was not that fantastic and I would definitely not make a 1-hour drive all the way to Sekinchan to sample the seafood.  And they do not come cheap too!  We could get much better fare in KL.

Of all the dishes that we ordered, I must say that the Teochew Oo-Ni (芋泥 - a yam paste) was the best.  It's absolutely one of a kind and really delicious!  It's  steamed pumpkin with yam paste and gingko inside the pumpkin.  It's my first time sampling this Teochew delicacy and anyone visiting Sekinchan must try this delicacy.  The kids did not fancy this dessert and we adults wolfed down both the pumpkins!



Restoran Guan Seng Loong, Sekinchan




After a heavy lunch, we strode across the road to buy some fresh fish.  We were told that the fishing boats return from sea at about 2pm everyday. There was a small shop selling the fresh catches. But the selection was not many. Hubs and I personally still prefer to buy our fish from NSK as the selection at NSK is really HUGE and cheap!   Still, hubs bought a pomfret (costing RM60+) and a packet of fish balls. We don't think that the fishes at this shop are that cheap, yet visitors were seen thronging and buying fishes without a batting an eyelid... like, are they really that cheap??








Baby sharks, anyone?






It was an enjoyable day-trip for everyone, especially the kids, who did not wish to say their good-byes :)