Combine batter ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir and mix into a smooth batter.
Add fish slices, onion, chilli and spring onion into the batter. Mix well.
Heat enough oil in a wok until hot. Scoop a slice of fish together with the ingredients in the batter.
Drop it into the hot oil. Deep-fry until golden brown. Dish out and place on absorbent kitchen paper towels. Serve the fritters immediately with chilli sauce.
Eating dark chocolates could reduce the chances of heart attacks and strokes, a new study suggests.
LONDON: A scientific study likely to stir the souls of chocoholics has suggested that eating dark chocolate every day for 10 years could reduce the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes in some high-risk patients.
A team of researchers from Australia used a mathematical model to predict the long-term health impact of daily dark chocolate consumption in 2,013 people with a condition known as metabolic syndrome, which puts them at high risk of heart disease.
The team found that in the best case scenario—with no patient missing any daily portions—the treatment could potentially avert 70 non-fatal and 15 fatal heart attacks or strokes per 10,000 people over 10 years.
The model also suggested that mounting effective “dark chocolate prevention strategies” might cost an individual just US$40 a year.
The researchers, whose work was published in the British Medical Journal, stressed the protective effects have only been shown for dark chocolate containing at least 60% to 70% cocoa, not for milk or white chocolate. This is probably due to higher levels of flavonoids in dark chocolate.
But experts not involved in the study urged caution.
“Recommendations for daily consumption of dark chocolate … will certainly get people with metabolic syndrome excited, but at this point these findings are more hypothetical than proven, and the results need real-life data to confirm,” said Kenneth Ong at the Brooklyn Hospital Centre in the United States.
“I suspect that consuming dark chocolate every day for 10 years may have unintended adverse consequences,” he added. “The additional sugar and caloric intake may negatively impact patients in this study, who are overweight and glucose intolerant to begin with.”
All participants in the study, led by Christopher Reid at Monash University in Melbourne, had high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome, but had no history of heart disease or diabetes and were not on blood pressure lowering medication. —Reuters
Wednesday, May 30, 2012 Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network By Randy Gruezo
I've written about one of the most common mistakes people make when they're trying to lose fat, by doing slow and long-distance cardio.
I discussed the most effective type of cardio that burns more fat. Another common mistake I see people make involves nutrition.
That biggest mistake is dieting! That's right-dieting is a big mistake.
People have tried one, two, or more diets in their attempt to lose weight. If diets "work," why do people have to try more than one?
Diets don't work because psychologically, you start off with a negative action. When you think dieting, you start thinking about the food you have to "give up," eating what you really don't like, etc. It doesn't sound motivating at all.
Diets can be too restrictive or difficult to follow. Depending on the diet, some foods are forbidden, and the ones that are not might be foods you don't like.
Diets dictate the exact amount of food you should eat, how many calories, what time you should eat, the percentage of calories coming from carbs, protein and fat, etc.
Diets are generally not practical for everyday life. Imagine having to weigh, measure and calculate everything you put in your mouth.
If you are a professional athlete who needs your body to be at optimal levels, then yes, you should be that detailed. However, being fastidious is not practical if you don't rely on your body to earn a living.
The number one thing that will help you in your nutrition goals is to focus on adopting one healthy eating habit at a time.
Far too often, people try to change too many habits at one time, which is a recipe for failure because behavioral changes take time to occur.
Adopt one habit and be consistent in observing it. Once you become consistent, add another to work on, and so on.
Here are three simple healthy eating habits to get you on the right track for maximum fat loss.
1. Take a multivitamin and a fish oil supplement.
2. Drink at least a liter of water a day, preferably two liters.
3. Eat protein in all your meals
Nutritional gaps
A multivitamin and fish oil supplement will help make up for the nutritional gaps in your diet. Don't worry about which multivitamin to take; just work on taking it consistently everyday for now.
For fish oils, I prefer the liquid type, but if you don't like the fishy taste, pills are fine. Follow the recommendations on the label. The goal is to get you taking them consistently, daily.
Drink more water; it is likely you are not drinking enough. A saying goes-"If you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated." Don't wait to get thirsty to drink water.
Drink water throughout the day. Have a bottle of water on hand so it is readily available. People often mistake thirst for hunger. They eat even if they're not really hungry, and this leads to excess calories.
Protein is an essential nutrient. Its function is not only to build muscles. Weight loss, increasing fat mobilization, and a reduction in cardiovascular risk are among the health benefits of increased protein intake.
The goal is to get protein from whole foods (chicken, fish, meat, etc.). If that is not possible, a protein supplement is a good option.
There are many different types of protein shakes, so don't get stuck trying to figure out which one to get. The goal is to have protein from whole foods with every meal, and if you can't, a protein supplement will do.
Where to go from here?
Healthy nutrition habits will get you started on the right track, because they are simple and easy to observe. The best start is to pick one of the habits and observe it consistently.
If you are able to do it everyday for one to two weeks, add the next habit. In six weeks, you will have established a good nutrition foundation to achieve your health and fitness goals.
Filipino-American coach Randy Gruezo is the founder and president of No B.S. Fitness Solutions LLC, a New York City-based fitness consulting company. Visit www.nobsfitnesssolutions.com.
'Fat people disgust me,' says this slimming consultant
Tuesday, May 29, 2012 The New Paper
SINGAPORE - Dollar signs flash before her eyes when she sees a fat person walking through the doors of the slimming centre.
"It may sound all wrong, but seriously, I am turned off each time I see a fat woman walk in the centre," the slimming consultant says in a mix of English and Mandarin.
"But I'll be all nice and friendly because I can hear the cash register ringing and see the dollar signs where (the clients') fats are," says the consultant, who wants to be known only as Miss Lee.
She asks that we do not use her full name as she does not "want to break (her) rice bowl".
Miss Lee, 29, is 1.65m tall and weighs only 48kg. She says that she loves to eat, but watches her weight carefully.
"How much confidence can a customer have if she walks in and is attended to by a fat consultant?" she asks with a mock slap on her forehead.
Plus, fat disgusts her personally - and she admits that she thinks fat people are ugly.
But she smothers this "instinctive feeling" because the money can be good.
Real good.
"Fat people will pay a lot of money to get skinny because they feel so bad and they want to be accepted in society."
How to get them hooked?
Good interpersonal skills, being energetic and enthusiastic about grooming are pre-requisites for her job, she says, ticking the points off on her fingers.
"But it's really saying the right things at the right time," Miss Lee says with a chuckle.
And that's one of the chief reasons - she proudly declares - that she is one of the top three consultants in the chain of beauty and slimming salons where she has worked nearly four years.
One of the benefits of the job is the attractive high commissions she gets when she can convince a customer to sign up for a new package.
Miss Lee declines to reveal her cut but claims she can earn $4,000 a month easily.
She says: "Common sense tells you that motivation is very important when one is trying to win a weight battle. "Customers who w alk in want a solution to solve their weight problems. They want you to feel sorry for them and at the same time, they want to hear from you that you empathise with them."
But some of her colleagues, she claims, will go the other way.
Instead of offering empathy, they act like being fat is a sin or a crime.
Miss Lee says that in her book, insults don't work.
"Which idiot wants to pay to get insulted?"
Her tactic: "Occasionally, if I know a customer is still in two minds, I just share 'my own story'.
"I'd claim that I've gone through being fat and most times, they buy the story because, like I said earlier, they just want to know that someone can feel what they are going through."
She adds: "It's also important to make your customers feel like they are number one, as the fat ones usually have low self-esteem... you know, it's a case of big size, small ego.
"I'd say, 'Oh yes, you are fat, but that's not going to be a problem because that's why we are here.
Look at me, if I can do it, you can too'."
Miss Lee says she can tell the potential customers from those who just "walk in to look-see-look-see".
"If they walk in alone, it's a 90 per cent hit," she claims.
With a roll of her eyes, Miss Lee adds: "I hate those who walk in with promotional leaflets or brochures. Or those who wave discount coupons for tie-in promotions with some other third-party clients."
"They are the cheapskates and chances are, you won't get a cent when they walk out of the door." Miss Lee admits that weight-loss programmes are not easy to follow.
"But if you take the right supplements or get the right programme written for you, can one," she says.
"It's also all about controlling your food intake and incorporating exercises into your lifestyle. Both are a must.
Anyone who says you can continue to eat as much and not exercise is lying - and blatantly."
When a new customer comes in, Miss Lee will look at the whole person, including her health history, lifestyle and any other factors that may have influenced her weight gain or hindered her chances of staying slim.
She says: "Actually, if you think about it, anyone can stay slim. It's just a matter of changing your lifestyle or habits.
"Those who manage to accomplish it with us? It's only because they don't not want the thousands of dollars they would have spent on the slimming course to go down the drain."
Older adults who are at high risk of falls should have physical therapy and take vitamin D supplements to reduce their chance of injury, according to new recommendations from a government-backed panel.
Falling is "a common problem and it's often overlooked because doctors may not be aware of their patients' fall risk," said Dr. Albert Siu, a professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and vice co-chair of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), which came out with the recommendations on Monday.
"By asking about falls and by observing the patient in terms of walking, we might be able to asses who might be at risk and who can benefit from preventive measures," Siu told Reuters Health.
Falls are a leading cause of injury among older adults, he added.
According to the new guidelines, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, 30 to 40 per cent of people age 65 or older fall at least once each year, and five to 10 per cent of them will have a serious injury such as a hip fracture.
The USPSTF makes recommendations on a range of prevention and treatment issues, and its guidelines on reducing the risk of falls in the elderly had not been updated since 1996.
There has been considerable research done since then on what seniors can do to prevent falls -- and what doesn't seem to work. For instance, correcting vision, wearing a shield called a hip protector, stopping some medications or taking protein supplements do not reduce the risk that someone will have a fall, according to the guidelines.
Vitamin D, exercise and physical therapy, however, are moderately beneficial, reducing the risk of falling by 13 to 17 per cent (see Reuters Health report of December 21, 2010).
A 13 per cent reduction in falls would mean that instead of 30 out of 100 older adults having a fall each year, that number would drop to 26.
In the USPSTF's review of the evidence on vitamin D, the panel found that to prevent one elderly person from falling, 10 would have to take vitamin D supplements.
Siu said the usual dose is 800 international units (IUs) per day, and studies suggest people should take vitamin D for one year to see any benefit.
For exercise or physical therapy, one person would be spared a fall among every 16 people who participate in a program for 12 weeks.
Siu said there's not one particular exercise regimen that works best for preventing falls, and that people should talk to their doctors about finding an exercise or physical therapy program they'll stick to over the long run.
"I know from experience, if you recommend something someone had very little interest in, it's not going to get done," he said.
Siu said doctors can pick out patients who are at a higher risk of falling by informal assessments, such as watching how steady they are on their feet and asking them whether they've had a fall recently.
Physicians can also use a more formal test that includes timing how quickly people can get up from a chair, walk a few paces and return to the same spot.
The USPSTF recommends against more detailed assessments of these higher risk patients, such as evaluating their balance and if their homes have tripping hazards.
There seems to be only a minor benefit from doing an in-depth examination of risks and how to manage them, according to Siu -- and such an undertaking should be reserved for just those patients that a doctor feels would truly benefit, rather than widely applied to all patients at risk of falling.
It's time for a new vacuum. My nice little canister vacuum has seen better days and it doesn't seem like it's picking up as well as it should. Which makes me wonder.....what is it leaving behind? I've been miserable lately with allergies (yes, the neighbors down the street CAN actually hear me sneezing....) so I want anything that can be sucked up by the vacuum to actually be sucked up! I want all of the dirt, pollen, etc off my floors and out of my house!
I found a website that is sponsored by the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America. They have "Certified asthma and allergy friendly" products. So, in my search for a new vacuum, I thought I would see what the experts recommend. Click here to see what I found.
You may notice something when you pull up the web page-almost all of the vacuums are Dyson's. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just that I don't have $500 in my budget for a vacuum! Sheesh. I have kids that like to eat, you know. They're kind of picky that way!
Here's quote from the website that shows what they test for when they are looking at vacuums:
"The Vacuum Cleaner Certification Standard testing includes:
Evaluation of capability to remove allergen-containing test dust from carpets
Evaluation of airborne allergen levels during vacuuming
Evaluation of the integrity of the air filtration system
Assessment of the performance of the vacuum cleaner immediately prior to activation of bag replacement / receptacle emptying signal and filter change signal
Assessment of exposure to allergens during bag change or receptacle emptying"
Since we have wood floors, the canister vacuum works best for us. Has anyone else found a good canister vacuum that's well under the $500 price range? I did find a Kenmore canister, but it was almost $400. If anyone has found a good quality canister vacuum, let me know!
Until then, all the people coming to my house better take their shoes off at the front door and put them in the basket. This means you family!
Oral health. Is it expensive or not? The answer is that oral health is not expensive. Oral disease on the other hand is very expensive, affects quality of life, and can literally be life threatening. Oral health: Six toothbrushes per year, $25. Six tubes of toothpaste per year, $25. Four 50 yard boxes of dental floss per year, $20. For a professional to monitor your oral health, coach you in areas indicated and polish your teeth too if you are a smoker or heavy coffee drinker, a dental check up with x-rays is about $210. If you are high-risk for oral disease (smokers and sugar addicts) a second check up each year without X-rays is about $160. Grand total, $440 if you are the high-risk patient. That is less than you'll pay for the insurance/benefit policy.
Dental disease on the other hand is very expensive. One small cavity will nearly double your annual dental professional cost. Dental disease can easily cost a person $100,000 over her/his adult years if the disease, "caries," is not controlled. What can you do?
1. Be an effective tooth brusher. Have you learned from your dental professional how to measure your own effectiveness brushing your own teeth? Most people spend too much time and are not effective. Be able to check how well you have cleaned your teeth any day. You can check our website.http://www.thisismytownusa.com/winning-with-smiles.php#contact_us
2. Be a Flosser. The toothbrush cannot clean between your teeth and under bridges. Most people don't floss and over 70% of all dental treatment is due to problems between the teeth. 100% of your gum disease problems will start between your teeth. 3. Get the sugar out. In the last 40 years the average American's consumption of sugar has increased by 7 times. Eat wisely!
4. Control the snack frequency. If the teeth have long rest periods between meals, they can re-mineralize (heal) themselves. Today's habits of sipping, sucking on hard candies, chewing sweet gums or popping those little mints is ruining teeth faster than anything in history. If you chew gum or pop mints, choose ones sweetened with 100% xylitol, a long proven inhibitor of cavity formation.
Beverage sippers. Beverages have so many problems for your health, I have an entire essay on my website devoted to them. Just choose water.
Need more information, click HERE for Winning with Smiles.com
Overweight and obesity have been linked to several illnesses such as hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, etc. And keeping your weight in a healthy range will not only help minimise the risk of suffering from such conditions but also, for those who are affected, help in controlling the disease and prevent related complications.
So you might wonder if there is an ideal weight we should all try to achieve? The answer is no. People differ individually in every aspect, including their healthy weight.
However, a simple calculation of the Body Mass Index, or BMI, will help you know if you are in a healthy weight range.
BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)
The BMI is a simple indicator for weight status. The number determines whether your weight is in a healthy range, that is, your weight is within the normal or average range for your height and build. It was originally developed in the 19th century and has undergone some changes over the years as scientists continue to learn more about the relationship between weight and health.
For most people, BMI is a reliable indicator of body "fatness" or "thickness". It is calculated based on your height and weight.
HOW TO CALCULATE BMI?
The calculation might seem to be a little complicated, but the only data you need are your weight and height. The formulas are basically as follows:
BMI = weight in kilogrammes / (height in metres)2 or
BMI = weight in pounds x 703 / (height in inches)2
A basic calculator will do the job, or you can choose an online calculation tool from many websites.
THE HEALTHY RANGE
The BMI ranges indicate whether a person is underweight, normal weight, overweight, obese, or morbidly (dangerously) obese. The ranges are as follows:
- If your BMI is less than 18.5, you are underweight.
- If your BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9, you are in normal, healthy weight range.
- If your BMI is between 25 and 29.9, you are overweight.
- If your BMI is between 30 and 39.9, you are obese (more overweight).
- If your BMI is 40 or over, you are dangerously obese.
It should also be noted that the BMI ranges for children are different, and it's important to ask your child's doctor about the BMI for their age.
Though BMI is not a perfect measure and only a screening tool for assessing fatness or body fat, the risks of various health consequences have been shown to increase with BMI category.
Therefore, if your BMI falls outside of the normal or healthy weight range, even underweight, you may want to talk to your doctor or health care provider about how you might achieve a healthier body weight, either by changing your lifestyle (exercise and/or eating habit), or trying another weight-control method. In addition, health status and risk assessment should be performed as well.
So go grab a calculator now and calculate your BMI. And if you are wondering, I'm overweight.
The fruit has been a staple of Thai cuisine for many years, and new varieties are providing the opportunity to create new dishes
When Thai families of the past planted their kitchen garden, they did not limit themselves to just the chillies, lime and kaffir trees, lemongrass, galangal and varieties of basil usually found in household plots today. They also included pineapple.
There was usually just one, and no one cared when it was going to bear its fruit, or whether that fruit would be sweet or sour. Once it did appear and was fully ripe, if it turned out to be sour it would be used for cooking, and if it was sweet it would be eaten fresh. Then the top of the fruit would be planted and left alone to produce a new plant.
Pineapples can be used to make a wide variety of dishes. First there are the well-known kaeng khua dishes, spicy curries with a sour bite. There are many varieties, like the one originally made from soft-shelled turtle. Sometimes farmers would catch these animals in their irrigation ditches and use the flexible shells or cartilage to make the curry. They would fry curry spices in coconut cream, then add the turtle, some makhuea prio (a sour fruit that resembles small tomatoes), pineapple, ma-uek (a small fruit that looks like fuzzy yellow aubergine) and taling pling (another sour fruit, this one sausage-shaped) and season the mixture with palm sugar and nam pla. These days the turtle is no longer used, and pork belly goes in instead, but people still call it kaeng khua muu taphap nam (pork soft shell turtle curry).
If a cook gets hold of some fresh or dried mussels, or some horseshoe crab eggs, these can also be made into a kaeng khua with pineapple. First the pineapple is chopped finely. The curry spices are fried in coconut cream and the chopped pineapple is added followed by the mussels or horseshoe crab eggs and some sugar and nam pla as seasoning. If the curry is not sour enough, some sour tamarind water can be added.
One of the simplest pineapple curries, and one that is rarely seen today, is made by boiling pieces of the fruit with pork bones. The result has a mild flavour but it is served with the spicy chilli paste called nam phrik ta daeng; grilled, dried, salted snakehead fish or fried mackerel and fresh vegetables.
Today we have a big repertoire of pad prio wan (sweet and sour stir-fries), but in the past there was one basic kind, made using taeng lan (a kind of jumbo cucumber) that had been hollowed out and cut into pieces. It was fried with peppers, pineapple and pork, then seasoned with palm sugar, nam pla and either sour tamarind water or lime. Today these dishes are made with different kinds of meat, fish and shrimp, together with bell peppers of different colours, tomatoes, baby corn and carrots, with tomato ketchup, nam pla and vinegar added as seasonings.
One authentically Thai dish that is often eaten for lunch during the hot season is khanom jeen sao nam with jaeng lawn. Jaeng lawn are balls of seasoned, pounded meat from a saltwater fish called pla krai (knifefish) which have been pressed flat and cooked in coconut cream. They are placed on top of the khanom jeen (fermented rice noodles) together with finely-chopped pineapple, fresh ginger and sliced garlic. Ground dried shrimp are sprinkled on top, and then coconut cream seasoned with nam pla is poured over the dish. Khanom jeen sao nam is easy to make, and can be prepared in 15 minutes if all of the ingredients are ready.
In households where all of the niceties are observed, a between-meals treat called ma haw will sometimes be served. It consists of minced pork fried with coarsely pounded toasted peanuts, palm sugar and nam pla to create a sweet-salty mixture. This is allowed to cool, then formed into pellets and set atop pieces of sweet pineapple to make bite-sized morsels. Garnished with slivers of chilli and fresh coriander leaves it makes a tasty snack that is still eaten today, if not as often as it oncewas.
Sapparot kuan is another pineapple-based snack made by slow-simmering chopped pineapple with sugar to form a thick paste. Some cooks add a little coconut cream, too, to give it a nutty flavour and prevent it from sticking to the fingers when eaten.
These are just a few of the many tasty dishes made from pineapple.
The development of the pineapple in Thailand has been an ongoing process. The variety originally cultivated commercially here is the Batavia. Most of these were initially grown in Si Racha district in Chonburi. Batavia pineapples are big, with yellow pulp that is very juicy. When you bite into one, the juice can spill out of your mouth and down your front. They are sweet, and in the past Thais loved them.
Over time, pineapple cultivation spread to Prachuap Khiri Khan province, which eventually became Thailand's leading pineapple-growing area. There are many factories there that tin pineapples for export, and the Batavia pineapples are now known as Si Racha pineapples.
There are smaller varieties that are ideal for eating fresh, but not suitable for cooking. They were first grown in Phuket, and for that reason people call them Phuket pineapples. They are smaller than theSi Racha variety, and the pulp is crunchy, not overly juicy, and the taste has a nice balance of sweetness and sourness.
But they are not the whole story concerning the smaller Thai pineapples, which spread northward from Phuket to Chiang Rai province. There a new strain was developed that was crispier and sweeter than the Phuket variety. This is the origin of the Nang Lae pineapple.
Today the rising star among Thai pineapples, and the one that growers hope will push past the earlier market champs, is a variety grown in Uttaradit province known as the Phu Soi Dao pineapple. They are sweet, crispy and have thin skin with eyes that do not go deep into the pulp, so that when the fruit is eaten they do not irritate the throat.
The story of the pineapple in Thai cuisine is a long one, and one that keeps branching out in new directions as new varieties are developed. So who knows what marvels may be waiting to take their place in the market for Thai pineapple lovers of the future?
All that leftover bacon can be innovated into different recipes such as wrapping bacon up with tuna, dates and eggs.
Singapore, May 28, 2012
Those gorgeous brined, smoked, strips of pork belly sizzling away in the kitchen – it’s a wonderful comfort breakfast when paired with scrambled eggs and toast.
There are two varieties of bacon in supermarkets.
The leaner, more chewy back bacon and the fatty, streaky bacon which gives you a crisp texture.
Personally, I prefer streaky bacon, but let’s face it, anything with bacon just tastes better.
After a recent craving for bacon led me to the supermarket, I was left with a little too much streaky bacon. Okay, that’s an understatement.
To help myself feel better, I set myself a challenge.
How many ways can I glorify bacon and make it the champion ingredient? I had a lot of fun trying.
So, if you are a fan of bacon, why not try some of these sizzling ideas?
Jazzed up soft-boiled egg Like many Singaporeans, I like my soft-boiled eggs in the morning with some toast. I substituted the soya sauce with some fried bacon bits. It brought my love for soft-boiled eggs to a whole new level by adding new flavour and texture.
Maple-glazed bacon To revamp the old classic of bacon and eggs, I brushed some sweet maple syrup on the strips before putting them in the frying pan. It was delicious. My tastebuds were treated to a short burst of sweetness followed by savouriness. Be careful when frying the maple-coated bacon slices – they brown quickly due to the caramelisation of the sugar in the syrup. To give the eggs a special touch, I like adding some chopped chives and topping it off with freshly cracked pepper and finishing salt.
Bacon-wrapped tuna I bought a lovely piece of sashimi-grade tuna belly.
I wrapped the tuna – about 15-cm long and 2.5-cm thick – evenly with strips of streaky bacon, then seared it on all sides till the bacon was golden brown.
After allowing it to cool for 10 minutes, I sliced it into 1-cm thick slices.
The saltiness and texture of the crisp bacon complemented the mild flavour of the tuna.
This goes well on a bed of garden greens lightly tossed in Italian dressing.
Bacon-wrapped hotdog A couple of friends wanted something really unhealthy and sinful when they dropped in recently.
All I had were some bacon, sausages, cheese and hotdog buns at home.
I decided to wrap the sausages in bacon, and I deep fried them till crispy.
Then I popped them into the hotdog buns, added cheese and grilled them till the cheese was golden brown. Sinfully good.
Deep-fried bacon dates After tasting the sweet and savoury maple-glazed bacon strips, a light bulb went off in my head – why not wrap dates in bacon?
You will need fresh pitted dates, which can be found at some supermarkets, as dried dates won’t give you the desired effect.
Wrap each date with a strip of streaky bacon, then shallow-fry it in a wok with vegetable oil.
If the oil is hot enough, the bacon and the date will hold together.
After draining the dates off on a kitchen towel, pierce each with a toothpick and they are ready to be served. They’re best eaten warm.
Bacon stock If you are looking for an alternative stock, cubed bacon (streaky or lean) browned and added as a base with onions, fresh sage, one diced apple and garlic, will give you a smoky and delicious version.
Taking inspiration from Madam Song Teh Og who got the Bulgogi recipe from her mother, Hedy Khoo recreates this classic favourite for those who miss Korean food.
Singapore, May 28, 2012
EATS - HED CHEF This classic Korean dish is one that you can easily pull off in your home kitchen, even for those not familiar with cooking.
Korean Song Teh Og, who is in her 50s and a permanent resident here, shares a recipe for the dish she learnt from her mother.
Madam Song, a housewife who is married to an Indian Singaporean and living here since 1985, says she cooks curries more often than she cooks Korean food.
But bulgogi remains one of her favourites whenever she hosts guests.
She learnt to cook only in her 20s, when she lived in Germany with her husband for two years between 1980 and 1982.
Says Madam Song: “Before I left, I did not ask my mother for any Korean recipes as I thought I wouldn’t miss Korean food like bulgogi.”
As it turns out, she did miss Korean cuisine badly, so she called her mother for recipes. “But it was difficult getting some ingredients.
I could purchase soya sauce from the Chinese supermarket and my mother even sent me some Korean ingredients by post, but I was unable to get fresh ingredients such as spring onions.
Only garlic chives were available, so I used that instead,” she recalls.
Madam Song says “bul” in Korean means fire and “gogi” means meat, so bulgogi literally translates to “fire meat”.
She says that bulgogi can be stir-fried or barbecued.
But if you are planning on a barbecue, Madam Song advises that the beef be cut into thicker pieces.
She says: “In Korea, bulgogi is usually made from beef. But the same marinade can be used for chicken or pork.
“Koreans will usually add Korean chilli pepper if using the marinade for pork.”
Her recipe differs from her mother’s in that she grinds up the onion to make the dish more palatable for guests who don’t fancy eating too much of it.
Koreans usually serve bulgogi with raw garlic or sliced green chilli on the side.
The best way to enjoy bulgogi is to wrap it with a touch of Korean chilli paste in a lettuce leaf and pop the entire package in your mouth.
Or you could have it with rice.
It’s the perfect choice for a house party as the hardest work is the preparation of the marinade.
Frying it is easy, she says.
Madam Song prefers the Kikkoman brand of soya sauce as she finds it most similar to Korean soya sauce.
Adjust the amount of sugar and soya sauce to suit your own taste buds, she advises.
Have a taste test of the marinade before you pour it over the beef.
I suggest having a piece of the nashi pear before mixing your marinade to get a better idea of how much to adjust for the overall sweetness of the marinade.
I added Korean corn syrup to give a stickier texture to the marinade.
But if you don’t have it, sugar will do.
INGREDIENTS 1kg of beef 1-2 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp cooking wine 4-5 soya sauce 10 stalks of spring onion 5-8 garlic cloves 1/2 nashi pear (Asian pear) 1 medium-sized onion, sliced into 0.25cm pieces 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds 1/2 tbsp sesame oil 1 tsp white pepper METHOD Freeze beef until the meat is hard enough to slice. Slice thinly.
Grind garlic, onion and the pear together.
Put the mixture in a bowl.
Mix in the soya sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, cooking wine, sugar, sesame seeds and spring onion.
Marinade for at least half-an-hour, but preferably a day, or overnight.
Portions can be kept in resealable bags and stored in the freezer for later use. Heat a pan until hot.
Do not use oil.
Place beef in the hot pan and lower the heat slightly.
Once the beef turns opaque, turn it over to allow the other side to cook.
Remove from pan. Garnish with more sesame seeds and spring onions.
Best eaten wrapped with lettuce leaves, or served with rice.
Can you see the mountains? I can-barely. Usually I have a crystal clear view. This is what we were all breathing yesterday. And I was really having a tough time-so was my neighbor who also has asthma. Boy, can she wheeze!
My chest was tight, and I was coughing for a while. Too bad I have to actually go outdoors to get from one place to another. I'm fine in my house, but if I have to go outside to get in the car, or walk from the car into the kid's school, it's just enough to make my lungs hurt during these wind storms.
It seems like the weather is always worse before it gets better. This photo was taken while the wind was blowing in before the storm.Today it's raining. It's Memorial day weekend, and the pool just opened today. But with the rain and unusual temperatures-only about 60 degrees Fahrenheit, we are staying home. At least the air seems to be a little easier to breathe.
If changes in the weather bother you, stay indoors if you can. And keep the windows and doors closed. Today I am staying inside and cleaning out my sun room. Great holiday activity, huh? At least I'm keeping busy while I'm stuck in the house. But Monday should be just perfect for a BBQ. Hhmm, chicken or steak?
Every year when we put out our garden there is this certain weed that absolutely wants to take over. Last year we put straw down, which made a remarkable difference. We are going to do the same this year - probably this weekend. My husband has tilled in between the rows in the meantime to keep the weeds under control. But, this weed is still cropping up in the rows where our veggies are growing.
Then, a few days ago I read this blog post from New Life on a Homestead about a common garden weed. MY common garden weed. Turns out that it isn't a weed after all. It's actually a super food called purslane. Go figure.
I'm starting to realize that many of the plants that we consider weeds are actually some of the most nutritious foods on the planet.
Take the lowly dandelion, for instance. That little plant is the nemesis of every man who desires a green lawn in the nation. But, it's actually very good for food. It's leaves can be eaten raw in salads or cooked many different ways. It's roots can be roasted and ground up and brewed as coffee. The flowers are also edible and are supposed to be a favorite when battered and fried. Though I've never eaten (or drank) it, I hear it is really yummy. It's also a powerhouse of nutrition that is fantastic for your liver, among other things.
...also called Summer Purslane - purslane usually grows spread out flat on the ground. It can be found growing in almost any unshaded area, including flower beds, corn fields, and waste places. Purslane can be found growing in cold climate areas (e.g., Canada) as well as warm areas (e.g., the Caribbean).
Medicinal Uses:
Verdolaga is also valued in Latin America for its medicinal properties. Purslane contains more Omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy vegetable plants, and may have positive effects on the brain and may aid in such conditions as depression, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer's disease, autism, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity and migraines. For other medicinal uses see: http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/medicinal/portula.html#efficacy
American Indians used the plant as a poultice for burns, juice for earaches, tea for headaches and stomachaches.
Pretty cool, eh?
It's also an excellent source of vitamins A, C and E and the essential amino acids. So, I figured that I needed to try this wonder food. Crab cakes were on the menu for the night and I don't have any of the parsley that I usually put in it, yet. So, I thought it would be a great night to try the purslane. I went out the garden and pulled some of it, washed it really well in water and then spun it dry in my salad spinner.
Since it can be eaten cooked or raw, I tasted one of the leaves. It has a very mild, but tasty flavor. It is supposed to be very similar in taste and consistency to watercress, but I've never eaten it so I can't vouch for that fact.
For my crab cakes, I simply cut the roots off and added the amount I needed to the food processor, stems and all. They're edible, too. Next, I added the rest of my ingredients to the food processor to finish chopping and mixing everything together.
Evidently, purslane is also a very popular salad green in Europe. Considering we were having salad with our dinner (and I've been buying the el cheapo bagged iceberg lettuce lately) I picked off the leaves of some more of my purslane and added to the salad mix to bump up the nutritional value of my otherwise pretty nutritionless bagged salad.
Not only is it tasty, but it's pretty, too. :-)
All in all, I really liked the purslane and will definitely use it again.
You probably realize this, but I'm going to mention it anyway. Don't eat wild edibles from places that are likely to have been sprayed with pesticides or that grow too close to the road where they would be covered in exhaust fumes. I felt confident using the purslane from my garden because we don't spray. We've actually found that our garden seems to do better than most people's in our area and I think it's because we leave it alone and try to build the soil quality every year. Healthy soil makes for healthy plants.
I'm amazed at how many wild edibles that we have around us and are clueless about. I would really like to start learning more about them. It just so happens that Wild Edibles is a deck of cards that has pictures and information on 52 different wild plants that you can eat. It includes information on where each plant is found, how to cook it and its medicinal uses. I really need to get one of those decks.
I was just reading an article in Allergy and Asthma Today magazine. (Published by Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics) The article was called, "Oral Allergy Syndrome" from their "Ask an Allergist" section.
Dr. Richard Weber talks about how some vegetable and fruit proteins are "cousins" to certain pollens. If you are allergic to a plant or tree, you can be allergic to the fruit too. That's why if you are allergic to ragweed, your mouth can itch if you eat watermelon or cantaloupe. If you are allergic to birch trees, your mouth can tingle while you eat apples. Weird, huh?
Dr. Weber says that when you eat the fruit, the enzymes in your mouth quickly break down the proteins in the fruit. That way, it doesn't get into your bloodstream and travel throughout the body, which can cause anaphylaxis. That's usually what happens with seafood or peanut allergies.
If you eat a fruit, your lips may tingle, or the roof of your mouth might itch. I've had that happen before with watermelon. Who knew it was because I'm actually allergic to ragweed?
Has anyone else ever had this happen, or am I the only weird one?
SINGAPORE - At 51, Jacqueline Ong puts those in their 20s to shame with a body to die for.
Spotted working out at the California Fitness gym, a RazorTV reporter received a shock when a woman who appeared to be in her early 30s revealed that she's over the 50s mark.
She attributed her great body to exercising once a week, on top of a lot of hard work and sacrifices.
Jacqueline readily admits that she not only sacrifices much of her time maintaining her picture perfect body, but also her social life.
However, she is quick to add that she does not go to the gym every day, but takes a break one day a week.
"You can binge out once in a while, but still, you must watch what you eat," she told RazorTV.
She said a usual day's diet consists of carbohydrates in the morning, lots of fruits throughout the day and protein and vegetables during lunch. She typically does not eat dinner.
As for the rest, she relies on exercise to keep her shape.
Everyday she does an hour of cardio, abs training, as well as weight training for different parts of her body.
She likes doing step classes as often as possible, she said.
For all the envious souls out there who want to look as good as her, Jacqueline has just one piece of advice for them: Long -term endurance.
"When you go into an exercise regime, you have to think long term. You don't think that oh, I'm just doing this for a special dress or a special occasion," she said.
Take a look at the pictures below for a glimpse at Jacqueline's great body:
Click on thumbnail to view. Story continues after photos.(Photos: Screenshots from RazorTV)
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