Kale, Tofu & Mushroom Dumplings

Tags

dumplings, food, vegan

Hi all, I have just realised that I have been on a very, very long blog holiday! I seem to find it easier posting mini recipes on My Simple Delights facebook page and Instagram so please do join me there. I will try to get back into keeping this blog more up to date though. 

Anyway, I came across this recipe on The Food Network Facebook page and decided to give it a go. 

These dumplings are definitely worth a try. Absolutely delicious. I tweaked the recipe a wee bit by adding sesame oil & cracked black pepper to the dumpling filling.(See Food Network link below for the recipe) 

Sprinkle some sesame seeds & spring onions before serving.💚

Have a great Sunday and I will be back soon with my Tofu Skin Roll dumpling recipe!💛

Chicken Wonton Soup

Tags

asian, asianfood, broth, food, soup, wontons

When we were living in China, my husband and I would head to Hong Kong every couple of weekends to feast on Dim Sums and Wontons. I do miss it a lot, so yesterday I decided to make a simple Chicken, Shiitake & Savoy cabbage Wontons to have with my Chicken Broth. 

Ingredients for the broth

• 4 to 5 pieces of Chicken on the bone (thighs or drumsticks) 

• 5 cloves of garlic (whole)

• 4 chunky slices of ginger

• cracked black pepper

• 2 tbsp of fresh chopped Cilantro 

• 1 carrot (chopped)

• 1 stalk of celery (chopped)

• Red chilli for garnish

• Light soy sauce (salt substitute)

Method

1. In a pot, place the chicken thighs, garlic and ginger. Add water to completely cover the chicken, simmer on a low heat for 1 to 2 hours. 

2. Remove the chicken out of the pot, set aside and add the carrots, chopped celery & spring onions into the broth. Bring this to a boil then simmer till the celery disintegrates. 

3. At this stage you can season with salt & pepper or just pepper then add light soy sauce in the individual serving bowls according to taste. 

Ingredients for the Wontons

• 1 Chicken breast (minced)

• 5 dried Shiitake mushrooms (soaked then drained & chopped)

• 2 slices of Savoy cabbage leaves (sliced thin) 

• 1 stalk of Scallion (chopped)

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 2 tsp cornstarch

• cracked black pepper

(Combine all the above ingredients well in a bowl and refrigerate for an hour.) To test taste it, fry a little of the mixture in a pan. 

• Wonton skins

To make the Wontons, I just went on this you tube page https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_wUiwMOa-BI to watch the various ways on folding them. 

Once the wontons are ready folded, drop them into the boiling broth for 3 mins. 

Garnish with scallions, chopped chillies and serve.❤️

Kuah Lodeh

Tags

asian, coconutmilk, food, vegan, vegetarian

Today I’d like to share a favourite dish from my childhood called Kuah Lodeh. This beautiful aromatic dish which consists of vegetables, tofu and my all time favourite tempeh, originated in Indonesia and also very popular in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often served during Eid along with many other dishes. 

As much as I love this dish, it tends to be quite watery so here is my version of this simple delicious dish…

Ingredients

• 3 medium shallots

• 1-2 stalks of lemongrass

• 4 cloves of garlic 

• 1 fresh chilli

• half tsp of turmeric powder

• Cracked black pepper 

(Blend all the above ingredients in a food processor)

• Tempeh (cut into cubes and fried till golden)

• Tofu (I used ready fried tofu squares) 

• half a cabbage (roughly chopped)

• Green or French beans

• Fish sauce or salt to taste

• 1 can of coconut milk

Method

1. In a saucepan, bring the minced ingredients and coconut milk to a simmer. (No oil needed) 

2. Add the tofu & tempeh into the saucepan. Simmer for 10 mins before adding the vegetables. Simmer for a further 5 mins. Season well with either fish sauce or salt. 

Garnish with chopped chillies, a little cilantro and serve with white boiled rice. 

I hope you will enjoy this dish as much as I do…💛

Potato & Sweet Potato Stacks

Tags

food, potato, sweetpotato, vegan, vegetarian

So it has been 7 months since my last post. Life took a different turn and after a move back to Spain for 4 months after our year in China, we are now in Houston, Texas! It has been a few months of packing, unpacking, trips to Singapore for family weddings, packing up again and moving here that my blog had to be put on hold. 

Moving itself can be stressful let alone to another country, but I thank God as all the changes has given me the opportunity to live my life in all these different places and experience the lifestyle and culture. I feel so truly blessed. 

Now that I am more settled, I’d like to share this simple side dish that I made a few weeks ago.

Ingredients

• 3 potatoes (sliced thin)

• 1 sweet potato (sliced thin)

• Dried parsley

• Dried oregano

• Garlic granules

• Salt & cracked black pepper 

• Grated parmesan cheese

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tbsp melted butter (optional) 

Method

1. In a large bowl, mix in all the ingredients except the potatoes.

2. Throw in the sliced potatoes & the sweet potatoes and mix well.

3. Arrange the potatoes in a greased muffin tray. Stack to the very top.

4. Bake in a preheated oven at 190 degrees celcius (375 farenheit) for 40mins or until the sides are golden. 

5. Once cooked, remove them from the muffin tray gently using 2 spoons. 

Let them rest for 2 to 3 mins before serving.

Enjoy as a side dish or on their own!

Have a blessed Monday💛

Grilled Chilli & Lemongrass Chicken with Coconut…

Tags

asia, asianfood, food, spices

We were in Hong Kong again for a few days over the weekend and I got my stock of lemongrass and other spices which I’m unable to obtain here in China. It’s a good thing we are only a 2hr drive away or I’d come home with an extra suitcase of spices! 

Tonight’s dinner was a hit with my husband and I have to say that all the flavours tickled every single tastebud! 

 

Ingredients 

• 2 Chicken breast fillets (sliced into thin fillets) 
• 1 or 2 fresh Red Chillies 
• 2 stalks of Lemongrass 
• 3 cloves of Garlic
• 50ml Coconut extract
• Cilantro (chopped)
• Fish sauce
•  A little oil
• 4 Pineapple rings 

Method

1. In a food processor, blitz the chillies, lemongrass & garlic along with a little salt, water & a tiny drop of oil.

2. Pour the mixture into the chicken fillets and leave to marinade for a few hours or overnight.

3. In a hot pan, add a drop of oil and pan grill the chicken fillets till they are dark.

4. Remove the chicken pieces and pan grill the pineapple rings and set aside. (I just used the canned sweet pineapples to save time) 

5. With the rest of the marinade in the bowl, place in the pan with a drop of oil and place the chicken pieces back in along with the coconut extract & chopped cilantro.

6. Add about a tablespoon of fish sauce, leave to simmer for 2 mins.

Arrange the grilled pineapple rings on a serving plate and place the chicken fillets on top. 

Garnish with chopped cilantro & chopped chillies. Serve with rice. 

Enjoy!

Tofu & Vegetable Soup

Tags

asian, food, soup, tofu, vegan, vegetarian

So I was down with gastroenteritis last week due to a virus going around within the community here and after a trip to the doctors, all I wanted was one of my grandma’s simple tofu soup. 

This soup could not be easier to prepare and fantastic when you are poorly and need to be on a soft, simple diet.   

Ingredients

 • 4 to 5 shallots thinly sliced

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 1 potato (diced)

• 1 carrot (diced)

• 2 stalks of celery thinly sliced

• Salt & pepper to taste

• Tofu (cut into chunky squares)

• 1 litre of water 

• a little oil & a little sesame seed oil

• 1 tbs of fresh chopped cilantro (leave some for garnishing)

Method

1. In a pot, heat about a teaspoon of oil & a teaspoon of sesame seed oil and sauté the shallots and garlic. Once golden, add the celery and sauté for another minute.

2. Pour in the litre of water and let it simmer/boil for about 15-20 mins before adding the potatoes & carrots.

3. Once the vegetables are cooked, gently add the tofu into the soup and simmer till they start floating up. Season well. 

Garnish with the rest of the chopped cilantro, crispy shallots and serve hot…

 
Have a happy healthy Sunday!💛

Beetroot Hummus

Tags

food, hummus, vegan, vegetarian

Hello all! Sorry I’ve been missing in action for a while. Since moving to China, I have been going to see my family in Singapore and Malaysia every couple of months which is a huge blessing seeing as I was never able to do that when we were living in Spain and the UK. 

I recently came back from a month in Singapore visiting my grandma, cousins & relatives and a week at Montigo Resorts in Batam Island, Indonesia with my husband which was 30 mins on the ferry from Singapore. It was a week of fabulous food, massage & spa treatments and swimming. Perfect to relax & recharge.

Anyway, back in China and I’d like to share this simple recipe of Beetroot Hummus with you, inspired by Gordon Ramsay.   

Ingredients
• 300 gms chickpeas

• 1 betroot 

• 2 tsp tahini

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 garlic clove

• Juice of half a lemon

• salt & pepper to taste

Method

Blitz all in a food processor, (taste to check the balance of flavour) garnish with chopped coriander & some whole chickpeas, serve with pitta bread or flat bread. 

On a different note, I recently came across a website with the same name as mine and I would like to inform all my readers and subscribers, that we are in no way related despite the similarities. 

Thank you and enjoy the hummus!💗

Ube/Purple Yam Donuts

Tags

donuts, food, purple, sweet, vegan, vegetarian

Just thought I’d share a super quick post of these gloriously coloured donuts I made earlier to have as a mid afternoon snack. They are exactly like my Sweet Potato Donuts recipe but PURPLE!💜   

 Ingredients

•  4 to 5 small Purple Yams (about 400gms)
• Self raising flour
• Sunflower oil for frying

Method

1. Peel the skin off the purple yams and roughly chop them. Drop them in a pot of boiling water till they soften before mashing them. 

2. In a big bowl, combine the mashed purple yam with the self raising flour. Not too much or it will make the donuts quite hard. I used about 3 tbsps, just to be able to bind the mixture together.

3. Roll into balls, flatten slightly and with your pinky, pierce a hole in the centre of the dough to shape like a doughnut. Place on a floured surface.

4. In a pan, heat the oil and slow fry them on a medium high heat. Flip over once they are cooked on one side.

5. Once cooked, remove from oil and drain on kitchen towel.

Dust with powdered sugar and serve!

Happy Thursday!☺️

Nutella French Toast Roll Ups

Tags

blueberries, breakfast, food, frenchtoast, nutella

Hi all! Hope you’ve had a great weekend! Ours was spent doing food shopping, having bubble tea (yum!) and me figuring out how to use a washing machine with instructions in Chinese! Finally we sent a message to  the translator so that he could help as I had no idea! 

Anyway, while browsing posts from fellow bloggers, Jhuls from The Not So Creative Cook had made these super adorable Nutella French Toast Roll Ups. I have made Nutella Filled French Toasts a few times but never thought of rolling them up! So later that day, I went to the imported goods grocery store, got some Nutella and made these cuties for Saturday breakfast.  Ingredients

• Nutella
• 2 eggs
• 50ml milk or single cream
• 3 slices of bread without crusts
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

1. In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla essence.
2. Flatten the bread with a rolling pin, spread the Nutella on (as much as you want!) and roll it up. Trim the edges with a sharp knive to make it look neater. 
3. Soak the bread in the egg mixture. Place in a hot pan with a touch of butter and cook seam side down for a minute or less on each side.

Dust with powdered sugar and serve hot with any fruits of your choice!💙

*With the access egg mixture that was left, I made some bite sized normal French Toasts.  

Have a good start to your week!😊
‪

Simple Stir Fried Kangkung (Water Spinach)

Tags

asian, food, hong kong, travel, vegetarian

Hello all! I have now been in China for just over a week and after our weekend trip to Hong Kong, I am now getting back into my routine of cooking again. So today, I am going to share a very simple recipe of stir fried Kangkung, which is a cheap and tasty vegetable that I’ve always loved as a kid!  

Ingredients

•  A bunch of Kangkung (washed & drained)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 dried chilli (chopped)
• 3 cloves of garlic (cut width wise)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce

Method

1. In a hot wok, add the sesame oil and throw in the garlic & chillies and stir fry for half a minute.
2. Throw in the Kangkung, add into it the fish sauce, a little water and let it cook thoroughly. (for a vegan version, instead of using fish sauce, you can use light soy sauce or salt to taste)

Serve hot on it’s own or with boiled white rice. Enjoy!

Here are a few shots I took of Hong Kong and Lantau Island from our trip last weekend. From where we are in China, it took 3hrs on a coach  (time included at 2 immigration controls). Not bad for about 16 Euros each way per person. 

We stayed at the beautiful Harbour Plaza Metropolis Hotel which overlooked the Hong Kong skyline.  (View from the patio at breakfast)

  (Light show at 8pm every night)

  (Monestary at Lantau Island)

 (Big Buddha in the fog) 
 (Street food vendors)

  (Lantau Island)

  (busy streets of Hong Kong)

  (Hong Kong🇭🇰) 

I have to say, I was a bit overwhelmed in Hong Kong as it was extremely busy but all in all, an experience to be remembered. 
Have a fab weekend ahead!💛