Category Archive: Homecooked Food

January 15th, 2010
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Kombu Health Benefits

I am sure many of you have never seen or heard of kombu.  Kombu (pronounced as khuan poa in Cantonese) is a type of seaweed that is cultivated in Japan. Kombu is available fresh, dried, pickled, and frozen in many Asian markets. It is sweet and it is used mainly to flavour broth, soups and sauces. My mil would never fail to buy packets of dried kombu whenever she goes to Japan. She has 2 ways of preparing the kombu. One is to boil it with lean pork to prepare soup and the other way is to make kombu salad, ala Japanese. The kombu salad is really delicious and no cooking is required. When she returns from HK, I will ask her to whip up a kombu salad for dinner.

Here’s the double boiled kombu soup with lean pork.

When I was shopping at Jaya Jusco several days ago, I saw a booth promoting kombu from Korea. I bought a packet for my mum. My mum has goitre and kombu, which is rich in iodine is good for goitre patients.

Health benefits of Kombu

Kombu seaweed is a very nutritious food and is high in protein, calcium, iodine, magnesium, iron and folate.

i) Reduces risk of cancer
Lower rates of breast cancers have been reported in Japanese women eating a diet high in kelp. It is claimed that Lignans, which help to fight cancer are found in high quantity in kelp and may provide protection against certain cancers.

ii) Good for Iodine deficient individuals
Seaweed can be treated as an energy booster in those who are iodine deficient and have underactive thyroids.

How to select and store
Very often you will notice a fine white film which appears on the surface of kombu. This is entirely normal and is not harmful. You just need to wipe the sheets of kombu with a damp cloth or wash it before use. Pickled kombu can be stored for long periods under refrigeration but it need to be finished within short period of time once opened.

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Homecooked Food, Nutritional Information On Food
December 6th, 2009
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Chinese Basil Leaves Omelette

My mil loves cooking chicken with Chinese basil leaves or kau chung thap  (“Nine-Storied Pagoda” in Cantonese). The minty flavor of the leaves, together with the flavorful taste of sliced ginger and Chinese cooking wine make the Sam Pei Zhi chicken dish (a Taiwanese chicken dish) really delicious.

Last week, she cooked Chinese basil leaves omelette :

The kids didn’t quite like it because of the texture of the Chinese basil leaves (which can be pretty rough and hard to chew) but I love it.

Chinese basil leaves can also be used to make soup with fried anchovies and beaten eggs.

There are several varieties of basil grown in many regions of Asia. Most of the Asian basils have a clove-like flavor that is generally stronger than that of the Western basils. Basils are very popular in Thai cuisine. Vietnamese and Chinese also use fresh or dried basils in soups and other foods. In Taiwan, people add fresh Chinese basil leaves to thick soups. They also eat fried chicken with deep fried Chinese basil leaves.

Here’s a little interesting information on basil leaves extracted from http://www.healthcareandlife.com/ayurveda-life/heath-benefits-of-basil-leaves.html:

Do you know that basil leaves can do wonders for your health? Since ages, basil leaves have been known for their positivity. Basil leaves are the must have item for preventing the wide-spreading swine flu. Basil leaves helps in enhancing body’s immunity manifolds. You all will be glad to read that basil leaves are the most amazing miraculous herbs ever known. Here are ways in which basil leaves can do marvelous health effects to your body, have a look!

Basil leaves are highly rich in potassium, vitamin C and A, antioxidants, thus having antiseptic, anti-infective, anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties. Isn’t all this wonderful?

For treating yourself from seasonal fever, sneezing and cough ailment, you can prepare a concoction by boiling 20 basil leaves in 200 ml of water. Drink this warm concoction in morning for early relief.

The good news is that basil leaves are equally great for you heart’s health too. Drinking a glass of basil juice as the first thing in morning on daily basis helps in keeping your heart healthy and in great shape.

For treating the feeling of nausea and diarrhoea, make a basil juice by grinding 10-12 basil leaves with water. Strain it and then add a pinch of black pepper powder to it. Now, drink the juice for an early relief.

Basil leaves also helps in treating eye infections. For this, soak some basil leaves in water for a night. Next morning, strain the solution and wash your eyes with the same.

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Healthy Food, Homecooked Food, Natural remedies, Nutritional Information On Food
October 19th, 2009
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Crazy Over Chives

Ever since I ate this chives dish at Fong Lye Taiwanese restaurant recently, I got hooked on chives. The chives was all chopped up and stir-fried with minced pork, red cut chillies and tau cheong (fermented bean paste). It was really tasty. After that lunch at Fong Lye, I could not wait to try cooking that dish myself.  I quickly bought some chives from the supermarket and tried cooking them ala Taiwanese style. It was really simple to cook and I think my chives dish tasted much better than the one at Fong Lye! That’s because mine was not loaded with MSG and not salty. I try to go easy on sodium as it causes water retention, high blood pressure and works the kidneys real hard.

Here’s the Taiwanese chives dish that I had dished up:

Also pan-fried a mackerel fish. We normally chop the fish up into pieces before pan-frying them. This way the fish is more flavorful and crispy.

and steamed eggs with minced pork…

A plate of wholesome and well-balanced dinner for my 2 older girls.

Food For Thought:
Chive is the name given to the smallest species of the onion family, which also includes onions, garlic, shallots and leeks. Chives can usually be seen in clumps and their stalks have a light, onion flavor. The leaves of chives are used, after shredding, as condiment for fish, potatoes and soups. Chives comprise of a bulb that is attached with leaves. The bulb is slender and conical in shape, while being 2-3 cm long and 1 cm broad. The leaves, on the other hand, are hollow and tubular, being up to 50 cm long and 2-3 mm in diameter. In the following lines, we have provided information on chives.

Nutritional Value of Chives
Given below is the amount of nutrients in 100 gm of Chives:

* Vitamin A – 4353 IU
* Vitamin A – 218 mcg
* Vitamin B6 – 0.138 mg
* Niacin – 0.647 mg
* Riboflavin – 0.115 mg
* Thiamin – 0.078 mg
* Vitamin C – 58.1 mg
* Vitamin E – 0.21 mg
* Vitamin K – 212.7 mg
* Calcium – 92 mg
* Copper – 0.157 mg
* Iron – 1.6 mg
* Manganese – 0.373 mg
* Magnesium – 42 mg
* Phosphorus – 58 mg
* Potassium – 296 mg
* Selenium – 0.9 mcg
* Sodium – 3 mg
* Zinc – 0.56 mg
* Protein – 3.27 gm
* Fiber – 2.5 gm
* Water – 90.65 gm
* Carbohydrate – 4.35 gm
* Lipids (Fats) – 0.73 gm
* Energy – 30 Kcal

Health and nutrition benefits of eating chives:

* Chives, when finely chopped and consumed with food, are said to aid digestion and stimulate appetite.
* Consumption of chives has been found to be beneficial for the respiratory system of an individual.
* It has been seen that chives can help the body in digesting fatty foods, such as cheese.
* For those suffering from tiredness and fatigue, consuming chives can serve to be a good remedy.
* Since chives have been known to have diuretic properties, they can reduce obesity and fluid retention.
* Researches have revealed the result that chives help reduce the risk of prostate cancer, by as much as 50 percent.
* Chives have been found to comprise of mild anti-inflammatory properties.
* The oil of Chinese chives is believed to help heal bruises and kill germs in the intestines.



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Homecooked Food, Vegetables nutritional informaiton
August 25th, 2009
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Yummy Salt-Baked Chicken-Pork Ribs Porridge

My dad bought us 2 salt-baked chicken from the popular Aun Kheng Lim Salted Chicken, Ipoh when he came to visit us 2 weeks back. Though really tasty (I love the taste of the herbs), I find the chicken a tad too salty. Since we could not finish the last chicken a few days ago, my mil dumped the chicken into a crockpot and made a huge pot of porridge. She also tossed in some pork ribs. No salt were added. The porridge turned out really tasty. Even I for one who does not fancy porridge liked the porridge and whacked a few bowls (ate more meat than the porridge.). Baby who has gotten fed-up of her own bland porridge liked this porridge too coz it was a little salty. The meat from the pork rib was so soft that she could also swallow it without spitting it out.

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August 21st, 2009
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Double Boiled Pears, Snow Fungus And Dried Honey Dates

I bought some red pears some time back from the fruit stall beneath Babyland @ PJ SS2. This stall often carries a wide variety of fruits and rare fruits. I’ve never seen red pears before, thus I bought them to try but after trying just one, everyone in the family disliked the taste and texture. It was hard and tasteless. I decided to keep them in the fridge until they turn soft as I liked soft pears but even after a month, the pears were still rock hard!

The other day, I finally double boiled the red pears with some snow fungus and mat joe (dried honey dates). This concoction is supposedly nourishing to the throat and lungs as well as good for one’s skin. My kids didn’t quite like them and my mil and I finished off this pot of good stuff.



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Healthy Food, Homecooked Food
January 26th, 2009
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Wholesome Quick Fix Lunch For My Girls

Whenever I run out of time and need a quick fix lunch for Alycia and Sherilyn, this is what I’ll prepare… their all-time favorite:


Cold cha soba (cold green tea noodles) with chilled organic cha soba sauce, sprinkled with some toasted sesame seeds for added protein and calcium, a fried egg for more protein (yup, growing kids need lots of protein and eggs are the best source of protein) for them each and of course a soup of the day.  This is definitely healthier than eating out.  If we eat out during lunch, it’s always either chicken rice with char siu and siew yoke or noodles with thick black sauce.   I don’t really like the idea of my kids stuffing their tummies full with food laden with MSG and sodium. Even simple peanut butter sandwiches are way better than outside food.  Agree mummies?

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Homecooked Food
January 24th, 2009
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Organic Cold Soba Sauce

I bought a bottle of organic cold soba sauce from the organic shop last week.   It’s free of preservatives, colorings, sugar and other chemical additives.   Check out the ingredients in the label on the bottle here:

I use the soba sauce to prepare cold green tea noodles for Alycia and Sherilyn. They, especially Sherilyn are absolutely crazy over the cold noodles. I prepare this noodles for them at least 2-3 times in a week. It’s really easy and fast to prepare, not to mention healthy too.


Organic green tea noodles with organic cold soba sauce and toasted sesame seeds.
The cold soba sauce needs to be diluted with some water before pouring into the chilled noodles. No heating is needed for the sauce.


I can also add 1 tablespoon of the cold soba sauce onto my steamed Anzen organic tofu. It’s simple and fast to cook and wholesome too. Baby C loves tofu! Hopefully she’ll still love tofu when she grows up.

Verdict of the cold soba sauce : delicious…. my 2 picky eaters love it!  Will definitely buy again.  Costs RM12.90 a bottle.

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Healthy Food, Homecooked Food
October 31st, 2008
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Chicken Stewed With Sweet Chestnuts

My mil stewed a big pot of chicken with sweet chestnuts and mushrooms yesterday. I can never get fed up with this dish and it’s my all-time favorite. She uses fresh chestnuts, not the pre-peeled or dried ones coz fresh chestnuts taste better.


Since it takes a long time for the chestnuts and mushrooms to become soft, she put these 2 items into a crockpot and cooked them on high heat for several hours in the morning. This way, she does not have to stew the chicken for hours just to soften the mushrooms and chestnuts later in the evening.


Since there was a huge pot, we had this dish for 2 days straight… and yet I haven’t gotten fed up with it just yet.

Food For Thought…
Chestnuts are extremely good for you and are the only nuts allowed on the Pritikin Diet. They are a unique fresh product which has one great advantage – they are clean and healthy.

Chestnuts also have the Heart Foundation tick of approval.

Chestnuts, in contrast to most other nuts, contain only small quantities of fat and oil and are very high in complex carbohydrates. This makes them useful for a wider food range than other common ‘oily’ type nuts.

Chestnuts have quite a remarkable nutritional composition that sets them apart from all other nuts and makes them an outstanding food source which can be a dietary staple. Chestnuts are made up of primarily complex carbohydrate and have a low glycemic index (GI). They are low in protein, very low in fat, and are cholesterol free. They contain reasonable quantities of vitamin C and potassium, but have very low sodium levels. They are gluten free.

The protein is of very high quality, comparable with eggs, and is easily assimilated by the human body.

Chestnuts contain no cholesterol and are low in sodium, fat and kilojoules. They are rich in mineral salts and a good source of vitamins C, B1 and B2 and folates. An average 30g serve provides only 200 kilojoules.

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