Quinoa & Banana Buns

Ingredients:
1. 1/2 cup quinoa ground
2. 1 cup oats
3. 4 large bananas mashed
4. 1 tsp baking powder
5. 1 tsp wheat germ (optional, added for more nutritious value)
6. 3 tsp brewer's yeast (optional, added for more nutritious value)
7. A handful of raisins, dried fruits and cashew nuts as toppings (optional)

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 180 °C (390°F).
2. Mash the bananas, add all the other ingredients (except the ingredients for toppings) and mix well.
3. On a baking tray lay with baking paper, form into desired shapes, e.g. fish with a spoon.
4. Top with raisins, cashew nuts or dried fruit.
5. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

Additional Information:
Our Little FECS made this almost all by himself today, with my supervision. He mashed the banana, add the quinoa and oats (I measured the ingredients for him), We are trying to eat more quinoa, and apparently quinoa is very good for baking too. This is the first time we tried it, and it tasted really really sweet, and our Little FECS love it. I am really happy with the recipe we came up, and have to jot it down, before I forgot :-)

Hybrid Hiroshima-Osaka Okonomiyaki

Makes 1 pancake or 2 small pancakes

Ingredients:

1. 100g or 1 leave cabbage thinly shredded (fill approx. 1 small bowl)
2. 1/2 onions diced (optional)
3. 1 stalk spring onions chopped
4. A handful of bean sprouts (fill approx. 1 small bowl) (optional)
5. 1 egg fried

Batter:
1. 1 egg
2. 1/2 cup plain flour
3. 1/4 cup water
4. 1/4 tsp dashi (hondashi powder)
5. 1/4 tsp salt
6. 1/4 tsp sugar
7. 1/4 tsp mirin (optional)
8. ½ cup Tenkasu (Agedama) (Tempura scraps) (optional)
9. 1 tsp cooking oil

Optional filling:
1 sliced bacon, a handful prawn, salmon, octopus, squid or thinly-sliced pork belly

Garnish:
1. Japanese Okonomiyaki sauce *
2. Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie)
3. Japanese Bonito fish flakes (Katsuobushi)
4. Japanese dried green seaweed (Aonori seaweed)

* If you don't have this, you can make your own. Here is the recipe from Little Japan Mama:

2 Tbsp Barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp Ketchup
1 1/2 tsp Soy Sauce,
1 tsp Sugar (caster sugar or icing sugar dissolve better)
A dash of worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Mix dashi powder with water.

2. Add egg, flour, salt and sugar and mix well until it is smooth and there are no lumps.

3. Stir in cabbage, onions, spring onions, bean sprouts.

4. Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan on a medium heat (no. 7 on my stove). Pour the mixture into the pan, cover and fry for 2 minutes.

5. If using raw meat, on a separate pan, fry meat for pancake with a little oil.

6. When pancake turns golden, add cooked meat or sliced bacon on top.

7. Flip over and cover and cook for 1 min.

8. Dish out onto a dish.

9. Heat pan with a little oil and fry an egg to the shape of a pancake.

10. Add back the pancake on top of the egg.

11. Drizzle okonomi sauce on top in a line followed by mayonaise in a line.

12. Garnish with bonito flakes, aonori seaweed and serve immediately.

Video Demonstration:

http://youtu.be/XBf3mWH5Xfc

http://youtu.be/0DIqTvG8vqM

http://youtu.be/SnSsXbJAal8

References:

http://www.japanesecooking101.com/okonomiyaki/
http://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/hiroshima-okonomiyaki/
http://www.littlejapanmama.com/2011/10/okonomiyaki-recipe-with-endless.html
http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/cook/okonomiyaki/okonomiyaki03.html
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/03/world-pancake-recipe-okonomiyaki-japan

23 May 2015 (6Y2M18D) - Helping mommy to chop cabbage, J is getting very good in chopping :-)

J helping mommy to make Japanese pancake

Hiroshima Okonomiyaki Japanese Pancake (Simple version)

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1. 100 g or 1 leave cabbage thinly shredded (fill approx. 1 small bowl)
2. ½ onions sliced (optional)
3. 1 stalk spring onions chopped
4. A handful of bean sprouts (fill approx. 1 small bowl) (optional)

Batter:
1. 2 eggs
2. 1/4 cup plain flour
3. 1/4 cup water
4. 1/4 tsp dashi (hondashi powder)
5. 1/4 tsp salt
6. 1/4 tsp sugar
7. 1/4 tsp mirin (optional)
8. ½ cup Tenkasu (Agedama) (Tempura scraps) (optonal)
9. 1 tsp cooking oil

Optional filling:
Sliced bacon, prawn, salmon, octopus, squid or thinly-sliced pork belly

Garnish:
1. Japanese Okonomiyaki sauce (or HP sauce)
2. Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie)
3. Japanese Bonito fish flakes (Katsuobushi)
4. Japanese dried green seaweed (Aonori seaweed)

Directions:

1. Mix dashi powder with water.

2. Add egg, flour, salt and sugar and mix well until it is smooth with no lumps.

3. Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Pour the mixture using ladle forming into a round pancake shape and fry for 2 mins until firm.

4. Sprinkle bonito flakes on the pancake and then add cabbage on top.

5. Add onion, spring onions and bean sprouts on top.

6. Add slices of bacon on top.

7. Spread 1 TBS batter on top to hold the pancake together.

8. Flip over and cook the pancake on the other side.

9. Dish out onto a dish.

10. Heat pan with a little oil and fry an egg to the shape of a pancake.

11. Add back the pancake on top of the egg.

12. Drizzle okonomi sauce on top in a line followed by mayonaise in a line.

13. Garnish with bonito flakes, aonori seaweed and serve immediately.

Video Demonstration:

http://youtu.be/XBf3mWH5Xfc

http://youtu.be/0DIqTvG8vqM

http://youtu.be/SnSsXbJAal8

Additional Information:

http://www.japanesecooking101.com/okonomiyaki/
http://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/hiroshima-okonomiyaki/
http://www.littlejapanmama.com/2011/10/okonomiyaki-recipe-with-endless.html
http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/cook/okonomiyaki/okonomiyaki03.html
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/03/world-pancake-recipe-okonomiyaki-japan

Yakiudon

30 August 2014

Adapted from Just One Cook Book

Ingredients:

1. 2 packets of udon noodle thawed
2. 250g pork or chicken sliced
2. 1 clove garlic chopped (optional)
3. 1 onion sliced thin
4. 1 carrot sliced thin
5. 5 cabbage leaves sliced thin
6. 5 oyster mushrooms or shitake mushrooms sliced thin (optional)
7. 5 broccoli florets
8. 3 TBS cooking oil
9. 1-2 eggs (optional)

Marinade for meat:

1. 1 TBS soya sauce
2. 1 tsp cornstarch
3. Dash of pepper

Seasonings:

1. 1 TBS Mentsuyu sauce
2. 1 TBS mirin (if you do not have, you can substitute with Chinese rice wine or skip this altogether)
3. Yakiudon or yakisoba sauce
4. Salt & pepper to taste

Garnish:

1. Sprinkle of bonito flakes (optional, if you don't have, you can do without it)
2. 1 stalk spring onion chopped
3. 1 fried egg and cut into slices (optional)

Directions:

1. Blanch broccoli with boiling water, drain and run under cold water to retain the greenness and set aside.

2. Marinade meat with soya sauce, pepper and cornstarch and set aside.

3. Heat wok with 1 TBS cooking oil and meat until cooked. Remove and set aside.

4. Beat egg with sprinkle of salt, heat work with 1 tsp oil, fry egg, set aside and cut into slices.

5. Heat wok with 1 TBS and fry garlic until golden.

6. Add carrots, onions, mushrooms and cabbage and fry for a couple of minutes.

7. Add mirin and stir well for a minute.

8. Add udon noodle, Mentsuyu sauce and yakiudon sauce, stir and mix well. Sprinkle pepper.

9. Add broccoli and meat and mix well.

10. Dish and garnish with fried egg, spring onion and bonito flakes (optional)

Video Demonstration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3PXjAcosXk

Additional Information:

If you could not find udon noodles, you can substitute with spaghetti cooked according to package instruction before frying the noodle. If you don't have Mentsuyu sauce, just substitute with soya sauce. I sometimes don't have the bonito flakes, and do without it. You can also add tofu or other vegetables to your liking :-)

References:
http://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/yaki-udon/

0. Thaw udon noodles....

Prepare all the ingredients and set aside...
1. Blanch broccoli with boiling water, drain and run under cold water to retain the greenness and set aside.

2. Marinade meat with soya sauce, pepper and cornstarch and set aside.

3. Heat wok with 1 TBS cooking oil and meat until cooked. Remove and set aside.

4. Beat egg with sprinkle of salt, heat work with 1 tsp oil, fry egg, set aside and cut into slices.

5. Heat wok with 1 TBS and fry garlic until golden.

6. Add carrots...

....add onions...

...add mushrooms and cabbage and fry for a couple of minutes.

7. Add mirin and stir well for a minute.

8. Add udon noodles...

... add Mentsuyu sauce and yakiudon sauce, stir and mix well.

9. Add broccoli and meat and mix well (forgot to take picture)

17 May 2015

10. Dish and garnish with fried egg, spring onion and bonito flakes

15 September 2014

Menu Planning Using Baby Food Cubes

Fresh out from the freezer...

Top roll left to right: Yellow and orange vegetables - parsnip, cauliflower, parsnip & carrot & cauliflower mix, pumpkin, carrot & spring onion mix, carrot.

Second roll left to right: Grains and root vegetables - brown rice, oatmeal, potato, corn, sweet potato.

Third roll left to right: Green vegetables - broccoli, haricots verts, green peas.

Fourth roll left to right: Beans - mung bean, red bean, black bean

Bottom roll: Meat protein - Chicken

I try to mix a favourite food with another non-favourite food so as to ensure that J will have a balance diet. For example, he loves potatoes, but can accept or tolerate broccoli. Thus, I like to do a combi of broccoli + potato to ensure that he will enjoy his meal. Below are additional combinations following this principle for J:

Combinations for main course:
- Haricots verts/Broccoli + Potato or
- Parsnip/Carrot/Green peas + Brown rice/Oatmeal or
- Sweet potato/oats + Oatmeal or
- Black beans + brown rice
- Black beans + carrot

Dessert:
- Avocado + 1/4 banana
- 1/2 Banana
- Corn + oatmeal
- Mung bean + 1/4 banana
- Red bean + 1/4 banana
- Red bean + corn
- Sweet potato

When planning menu, I try to ensure that he gets a varied meal. For example, beans does not provide complete proteins. Thus, if I serve beans to dessert, I will serve a type of grain such as brown rice as part of the main course. If I serve an orange vegetable in the starter, I will try to serve a green vegetable in the main course. In a meal, I try to ensure that there is a yellow veg., green veg. root veg. and grain. Making and freezing food in cubes allows me to easily combine to make a varied meal for J. The following menus are examples following this principle:

Lunch/Dinner (4 – 6 cubes)

Menu 1:
- Broccoli + potato (starter)
- Carrot+ brown rice (main course)
- Mung beans + 1/4 banana (dessert)

Menu 2:
- Green peas + potato (starter)
- Haricots verts + brown rice (main course)
- Red beans + 1/4 banana (dessert)

Menu 3:
- Haricots verts + potato (main course)
- Parsnip + brown rice (starter)
- Corn + Oatmeal (dessert)

Breakfast menu (2-4 cubes):
- Corn + oatmeal or
- Banana + oatmeal or
- Carrot + oatmeal or
- Green peas + oatmeal or
- Sweet potato + brown rice or
- Parsnip + brown rice