I created this special noodle for our Friday noodle night. I thought ketchup and peanut butter would go well together and I was right. This noodle was delicious and it would be great if I have some beansprout to add to it. You can add more lime juice for a more sour taste and/or even sprinkle the top with toasted crushed peanuts or sesame seeds. Of course this dish is not for people with peanut allergy. I did not have a measurement for this, I just cooked with feel. Hence, only attempt this dish if you are an intermediate cook that is good at feeling it when you cook. Good Luck!
Instead of the Tom Yam Shrimps, sometimes I would just make Tom Yam Chicken. With the availability of Tom Yam paste in most Asian stores, this dish is easy to whip up. A fast, easy and delicious dinner just a few minutes away from the pan to the table. I love the sour gravy to eat with my rice. You can also add tomatoes and fresh mushroom for more vegetable choice. I omitted the bird-eye chili (Thai's chili) here in consideration for my girls. Before that, I would dump lots of bird-eye chilies for the spicy and sour taste. Come to think of it, I haven't really cooked a REAL spicy dish after my girls were born except those came in ready premix packets. Did you change the way you cook after your kid is born? I, for one would not cook a separate dish for them, they have to learn to eat what we eat, but I did compromise by not making it too spicy by not adding extra chili.
I always used matcha in my bakes, didn't know it can be so refreshing and tasty in a drink too, such as this iced matcha au lait recipe from matchasource.com. I was surprised at how tasty it was and my girls just drank it up especially Edda who even asked for more.
Matcha is a powdered green tea from Japan. It is naturally sugar free, rich in nutrients, anti-oxidants, fiber and chlorophyll-a renowned detoxifying agent. Matcha contains caffeine which stimulated the body and amino acids which relax the mind. Tea plants are covered with bamboo screens several weeks prior to harvest. Under the screens, plants must work harder to grow, and they increase their levels of chlorophyll and amino acids. Harvested tea leaves are then steamed, air-dried, de-veined and stone-ground into powder. Therefore, with matcha, whole tea leaves are consumed, thus the vibrant green color, and why the taste of matcha is grassy and full-bodied. I always have readers asking me where they can purchase matcha in the states. Well, you can visit matchasource.com to order, read about the traditional way of serving matcha, for more tips and browse through the recipes or interviews.Recipe provided with courtesy from matchasource.com:
Ingredients: Serves 1
1 tsp. matcha
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup hot water
3/4 cup cold milk
3-4 ice cubes
6-inch stalk of lemon grass (I omitted this)
Method:
1. Mix the matcha with the sugar, add the hot water, and stir until the paste becomes smooth.
2. Add the cold milk and stir. Add the ice cubes.
3. Serve with the lemon grass for added flavor.
With the start of a new school year I have to prepare healthy snack for Evy to bring to school. Luckily her kindergarten is only half day so I only have to worry about her snack for now. Her school stresses on healthy snack and no soda for kids which I like. I made this cookies for her to bring to school. It has honey, raisin, dried cranberries, walnuts and oats (like ingredients for Granola) and I mixed it all and made it into cookies. My kids seem to enjoy cookies more instead of granola alone. So, this is a great choice for them.
Recently I bought a small bottle of Nam Yee (fermented red bean curd) to make chicken biscuit. Besides chicken biscuit, Nam Yee can be used to make fried chicken/ wings, steamed pork ribs, "Chai Er" (a vegetarian dish which I love and would love to try) and stewed pork. Below is my version of stewed pork with Nam Yee and wood ear fungus or black fungus. The picture did not turn out too appetizing but it tasted a lot like the steamed pork ribs dish served in the Dim Sum restaurant.