Sugar Free 100% Whole Wheat Bun

I was asked by my Oncologist to eat brown bread instead of white bread. To be honest I am not a fan of bread , I like to bake bread just like I love baking cakes but not a fan of cake. I just find making them therapeutic. Making bread and cakes makes me happy. Hubby loves bread and cake so that being explained why I have been baking cakes and bread. But since my chemotherapy journey I have abstained from eating rice. So my base food is Oat Porridge and brown bread to go with veggies and meat dishes. I don't eat brown bread daily. I shared them with hubby and I make small portion each time.

Having said that I begin my journey of making my own brown bread since healthy bread are expensive over here where I lived. Organic Multi grains bread and Whole Wheat bread are costly if I have to eat them as base food daily.  Of course brown bread is carbo too but it has lower glycemic value and more fiber content compared to rice and white bread. I tried many recipes on wholewheat bread but they didn't turned out as good as this lastest one. 

I am so happy to have found this recipe on You Tube. It is sugar free and 100% whole wheat.  The method used is to prepare a Whole Wheat Soaker and Whole Wheat Pre-Ferment overnight. It is one of the most easiest method of preparation. Next morning,just use a cake mixer with dough hook and knead all ingredients into a smooth dough. Then proof the dough in a warm place ( 1 hr) or till doubled in size. Then divide dough into equal portions and shape into round balls. Proof another 40 mins . Bake at 180c for 13 mins. ( Every oven is diff. - for me it takes 18 mins of baking time). The buns turned out soft, spongy and fragrant. A keeper for sure and I have to thank You Tuber ' Sweet Kitchen' for sharing such an awesome Sugar free 100% Whole Wheat Bun recipe. Sharing is caring.

soft springy texture and fragrant

you can deco the bun surface

I can make 5 buns with per recipe

Love to see the web network of gluten

Recipe link

Click here

Ingredients

WholeWheat Soaker

150gm whole wheat flour

115 ml cold water

Whole Wheat Pre Ferment

100gm whole wheat flour

70  ml water

1/4 tsp instant yeast

Bread dough

Whole Wheat Soaker

Whole Wheat Pre- Ferment

25 gm beaten egg

15 gm milk powder *optional

30gm unsalted butter

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp instant yeast

Deco

any flour

Beef Curry With Dhall and Potato

Yesterday we had Chapati with Beef Curry. After my chemotherapy, I have added Chapati into my menu. Kicking out rice from my diet.  Chapati is made from Atta flour which has low glycemic  value. Good for Cancer survivors. So learning to cook all types of curries has become my passion. I cooked a pot of Beef curry using freshly ground curry paste bought from the market. Fresh curry paste makes the most delicious curry. Just tell the seller I want curry paste for beef / chicken curry or dry curry. The spices are slightly different for wet and dry curries. This is a simple curry  to whip up for Chapati or noodles. I just need to blitz shallots,garlic,ginger and lemongrass. Cut some potatoes and soaked Dhall overnight. Give the Dhall a boil to soften the texture further. Other than time taken to boil the Dhall, the rest is plain sailing.  Hubby gives the thumbs up for this curry. Recipe is posted below.

this curry is delicious... so flavourful

that is is finger licking good. Goes well with Chapati ( Indian flat bread ) or with Noodles. 

this is the best stage of the cooking...the wet curry paste and blitz onion mixture

are being saute till oil surfaces..the aroma whiffing out of the pot is so heavenly good

season the tenderloin beef slices with meat curry powder before adding them to the curry paste

these are the ingredients used for the curry...coconut milk too which is missing in the photo

Beef Curry with Dhall and Potato

Beef - tenderloin - cut into slices and marinade with 1 tbsp of curry powder

Potato - cut into small chunks

Dhall - soaked overnight and boil to further soften - keep the water ( to be added to the curry

Two sprigs of curry leaves

Wet curry paste from market - ( I told the store lady ,curry paste needed for 1 chicken 🤣

1/2 cup cooking oil

1/2 cup thick coconut milk

Blitz ingredients (A) tog in a chopper till finely chopped.

(A)

8 Shallots

4 pips of garlic

1 inch of ginger

1 stalk of lemon grass- slice thinly

Method:

Heat up 1/2 cup oil in cooking pot. Add in the blitz ingredients (A) and curry leaves and saute under med low heat till aromatic, add in the fresh ground curry paste ( rempah basah) and keep stirring till oil surface . Add in the beef slices and continue cooking till meat is cooked thru. Add in the soften Dhall together with the water and the potatoes. Cover with lid and let the curry simmer under low heat, constantly stirring the curry to prevent burnt till Dhall and potatoes have soften. Last add in the coconut milk. Give the curry a quick boil.  Off heat and curry is ready for serving.

Tomato Egg Taiwanese Style

This is a very simple dish yet delicious. It's a stir fried tomato and egg dish cooked Taiwanese style.  A friend whom I looked up at cooked it and it inspired me to cook it too. I googled for the recipe and found the recipe to my liking . No ketchup involved. Just one tomato chopped finely as a sauce for this dish. The rest of the tomato is cut into small wedges. Just 5 ingredients is used. Tomatoes , eggs, spring onions ,oil and soy sauce as seasoning. Easy to prepare for busy and working people. A keeper for me as a cancer survivor, ketchup and sugar is a no no. 

 it's tasty...can be eaten as a stand alone dish and goes well with rice

I like the fact it doesn't use ketchup but use finely chopped tomatoes and cook till it turn as a sauce for the dish

whisk eggs and fried till texture is firmer and smooth as scrambled egg

Click here for the recipe

Chinese 3 Colours Steamed Eggs

 

This is our childhood dish which my mom would always steam for us . We love it and today I still steam it for our dinner. Real comfort food for the family. It is easy to prepare and no fuss kind of dish to prepare on working days. The 3 types of eggs makes  the dish colourful and delicious too. 

the texture should be jiggly yet firm

Chinese Steamed 3 Colours Eggs

Ingredients:

2 chicken eggs, room temperature
1 salted duck egg yolk, divided into 8 parts
1 century duck egg, divided into 8 parts
1/4 teaspoon salt, skip if using seasoned stock
***boiled room temperature water or chicken stock
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce (optional)
1 sprig spring onion, chopped
2 shallots, sliced and fried, keep shallots oil if available

*** water : egg ratio is 1.5:1

Method:
1. Heat up the steamer over medium heat.

2. Crack 2 chicken eggs in a measuring cup and beat lightly. Note the amount (ml). Pour beaten eggs into heatproof shallow dish. 

3. In the empty measuring cup, add water or chicken stock 1.5x the amount of eggs. For example, if the eggs is 100ml, use 150ml water.

4. Pour the measured water or stock into the steaming dish. Add salt, and mix lightly until eggs, water and salt are combined. If there are bubbles on the surface, remove them with a spoon.

5. Place chunks of salted duck egg yolk and century duck egg into the shallow dish. Space them out evenly.

6. Turn the heat to low once steamer water is boiling. Steam in low heat throughout with the steamer lid slightly ajar (use chopsticks) for 15-25 minutes. Gently shake the dish or steamer to check whether the steamed eggs is done. If it jiggles a lot or if the egg liquid flows out, continue steaming. When it’s done, the steamed eggs should jiggle a bit at the center but firm overall.

7. Take dish out from the steamer, and drizzle sesame oil and soy sauce (optional) and garnish with chopped spring onions and fried shallots (if you have shallot oil, put them in too). Serves immediately.

Enjoy!

Pork Ribs Curry With Chapati

I have been cooking a variety of curries since Chapati has become my staple food. Sometimes Dhal Curry, sometimes Lentils Curry and sometimes Vegetable Curry. Today I cooked Pork Ribs Curry. This is by far the best tasting curry I have cooked said the hubby. I guess practice makes perfect. I used YouTuber Curries With Bumbi's recipe but tweaked it to my taste. I used her Mutton Curry recipe and added coconut milk to it and cooked to a thicken consistency. We had the curry with Chapati. So delicious.

we like thicker gravy

this curry is great for Chapati and rice

You can add more water if you want a thinner gravy

Cook the ribs with paste till semi cooked before adding water

Once the paste is well sauted and oil has surfaced, add in the ribs

Pork Ribs Curry

Ingredients:

500 gm Pork Ribs

3 large potatoes- cut into wedges

2 tomatoes - cut into wedges * optional

2 sprigs of curry leaves

3 tbsp of Coconut milk ( Ayam Brand)

600 ml or more water

Curry Paste: to blend together

(A)

8-10 dried chillies - soak

6 shallots

3 cloves of garlic

1/2 inch ginger

2.5 tbsp Curry powder

1tbsp Korean chilli powder

1/2 tsp Cummin Powder

1/2 tsp Coriander Powder

2 tbsp water

Method:

Pour 1/2 cup oil into pot and under medium low ,heat till oil is hot, add in paste (A) and curry leaves. Saute till fragrant and oil surfaces. Add in pork ribs and stir fry till meat is semi cooked. Add 500 ml water and seasoning ,salt to taste into the curry paste and simmer till pork ribs is tender. Add in the tomatoes and potatoes. Cover lid and continue simmering (in between every few minutes stir the curry to avoid burnt ) Add in coconut milk last. 

Dish up and eat hot with Chapati or Rice.

Enjoy!

Soft Chapati

Chapati has now become my staple food instead of rice. It is a must healthier food compared to rice. Rice has a higher glycemic value whereas Chapati made from Atta flour has zero glycemic value. Great food for cancer survivors and diabetes.

It is easy to make them and it doesn't take up much time to prepare them. When I first made them, I used local brand and I found out that those Atta flour from India are of much superior quality and has zero percent Maida. Meaning no other flour added . I google and Aashirvaad flour is top on the list of superior Atta Flour. I ordered a bag of Aashirvaad MP Superior Atta Flour online.  The reviews were good. Has a pronounced nutty flavour and the Chapati turned out soft too.  Since then Chapati has become one of my staple food.

 

after trying out many times, my Chapati has a more rounded shape now ..practice makes perfect is true

Soft Chapati

Ingredients:

3 cups of Aashirvaad Atta Flour

1 tsp of salt

1 tbsp of oil

Hot water - no measurement, start 1/2 cup and the trick is to pour in lil by lil until you get the flour into a ball of dough that is not too wet nor too dry.

Method:

Mix Atta Flour with salt and oil. Slowly add in hot water until the dough mixture can be lump into a ball of not too wet dough. Knead until smooth. Rest for at least 30 mins but for better result, rest for an hour. Divide dough into 9 equal portions. 

Shape each portion into a ball. Rest 10 mins. Cover with cloth.

Dust each ball of dough with atta flour and roll into a flat round disc. Not too thin or too thick.

Heat up the skillet or tava  pan on high beat till hot. Reduce heat and place the Chapati disc on the skillet . Once the bottom side has brown speckle . Flip over and cook another few secs. It will be done. Lift up and brush ghee on surface and cover with cloth to keep warm. If you have a tortilla warm bag, put them in the bag to keep warm. For me I use a cotton cloth and wrap them in. Can keep warm for an hour. 

Enjoy!

Pork Ribs Curry

Nowadays I cooked curry using the LC pot. Cooked in it and serve from stove to table. Save washing😜! I  cook Indian curries mostly using You Tuber - Curries With Bumbi recipes. Her recipes are very delicious and even the hubby gives the thumbs up. This is her Mutton Curry recipe but I replaced the mutton with Pork Ribs. It is so good that hubby asked to save up the recipe in case I forgets the ingredients 🤪😜🤣

I realised that my curry cooking skill has improved tremendously. Thank you to You Tuber like her, kind and generous in sharing authentic Indian curries. Healthy curries too! Check out her YouTube channel if you love Indian curries. It goes well with my homemade Chapati. Since I eat Chapati most of the dinners, this curry is great with it and for rice too. Using Kashmiri Chilli powder gives the curry a more vibrant red colour.  I like the fact that her recipe uses fresh tomato besides those spices used in the curry. Simple method yet delicious. The recipe is a keeper no doubt. Check out her channel if you are keen to cook Indian curries.

 

delicious looking curry

I like the taste and the colour of the curry

I half cooked the potatoes before cooking in the curry paste

Recipe ...click link below

Curries with Bumbi

Masoor Dal / Red Lentil Curry

Since I had my chemo done and completed, I have been adding a lot of lentils and bean veggies into my diet. And to have more gluten free food added to my diet. Having said that , my staple food has changed too from rice to Roti or aka Chapati made from Wholewheat flour. So my curry cooking adventure has began. I have a favourite channel on YouTube - Curries with Bumbi and it's my reference for healthy curries and side dishes to go with my Roti. 

Today I tried her Masoor Dal aka Red Lentil Curry. It was so good that it's a keeper. Even my picky husband say it tasty and smells very good. Lightly spiced yet flavourful. Adding last the Ghee oil and crispy shallots helps deepen the flavour brings the dish to another level. This recipe is low in calories, high in fiber and protein and it is gluten free too...very suitable for cancer survivors. I cooked this for our Chapati meals. As long as it is good for health , it will be a keeper for sure. Easy to prepare too. 

 

I used this brand of Ghee from NZ

after the chilli paste and tomatoes has soften into a paste, and oil has separated,  add in the pressured cook red lentils, mashed the lentils but leave some unmashed for texture in the curry

 pressured cooked the red lentils first for easy cooking

add in the chopped tomatoes into the 

sauteed chilli paste and spice and cooked till soften and oil and separated

saute the chilli paste, spice and red onions till fragrant and oil has separated

Masoor Dal / Red Lentil Curry Recipe 

2.5 cups of red lentils, washed and pressured cook for 10 mins -  6 cups of water to 2.5 cups of lentils

2 large tomatoes- diced

1 large red onions - diced

Paste (A)

4 tbsp of chilli powder

1tbsp of turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp of Cummin powder

1/2 tsp Halba * optional

Paste (B) blend all ingredients into paste

3 shallots 

4 garlics

2 slices of ginger

4 tbsp cooking oil

Salt to taste

Garnishing ingredients

Crispy garlic

Ghee oil

2 dried chillies

Chopped coriander - optional

For cooking method click link to Curries with Bumbi

Oven Grilled Fish With Tom Yum Paste

This is grilled fish in Banana leaves is slightly different from those grilled fish we eat outside. The paste is different. I marinate the fish with store bought Tom Yum paste, added red onions rings, Kaffir Lime Leaves ( daun limau perut ) and Vietnamese Coriander ( daun kesum ) and tomato slices. Grilled in oven for 25 mins. 

This one dish dish is truly appetising. A very well balanced diet. Healthy because it is oven grilled. Not much oil used.  Simple and not much work involved in the preparation. The banana leaves served as base, give out a wonderful fragrance to the dish.

grilled for 25 mins 

Oven temp is 200c

Ingredients used in this recipe:

Fish of your choice

2 tbsp Tom yum paste

2 Red onions - cut into rings

1 Tomato - cut into thin wedges

1sprig of Vietnamese Coriander ( daun kesum)

2  Kaffir Lime Leaves

Banana leaves as base

Marinade the fish with Tom yum paste. Place fish on banana leaves. Lay the banana leaves and fish on a baking tray lined with aluminium foil for easy cleaning.  Lay all the cut veggies and aromatic leaves on top of fish. Grill in preheated oven 200c for 25 mins until fish and veggies are cooked thru.

Serve with rice.

Enjoy!

Crispy & Flaky Scallion Pancake- - Taiwanese

Since the day my Oncologist told me to avoid raw sugar in my diet and to go low in Carbo intake, I was sad as I love carbo food. I have to plan out my menu for the week, and to make sure I have pasta once a week , no rice, more salad added to my diet. In fact my new eating habits has began since I had Chemo done 7 mths ago. And instead of rice , I make Chinese Pancakes or Chapati or pasta using healthy Wholewheat flour.

Today I will be sharing a good healthy recipe for a crispy and flaky Scallion Pancake using a combination of Wholewheat flour and AP flour.  I tweaked the flour mixture ratio, instead of using all AP flour , I added Wholewheat flour to lessen the gluten in the pancake. It turned out great. Ratio being.......1cup AP flour to 1/2 cup Wholewheat flour. The scallion pancake turned out crispy and flaky too and with a nutty flavour too. For now I won't be eating rice but instead of eating rice I replace the portion of rice with  Chapati, Wholewheat pancakes and Wholewheat Pasta. And on certain days just a bowl of ABC Soup with ribs, potato and carrot and red onions. And certain days just a big plate of stir fried french beans or longbeans with prawns or minced meat. Trying to be on a Keto diet but it's hard to do so coz I still love Flour products but cutting them down by half.

use the two palms to lightly squash the pancake to get a fluffy texture while still hot 

flaky and fluffy pancake ...loves it

press down the dough before rolling flat

after rolling the dough into a log, form two spirals at both ends, one big and one smaller spiral, stack the bigger spiral over the smaller spiral.

roll the dough into a flat rect shape and brush the oil paste on the surface before rolling from the long side into a long log

divide dough into equal portions and shape into round balls, leave to rest 30 mins to 2 hrs...

oil paste is made of lard, vegetable oil, flour and scallions

Click Recipe Link for a more detailed method of making this delicious Crispy  and Flaky Scallions.