Chinese red bean(adzuki) soup

This is a super easy and quick dessert, perfect after a rich Chinese meal or just as a refreshing and light dessert. (Don't forget to check out the health benefits linked to adzuki beans!)

When my dad tried this he had a cheeky smile on his face! He said that it reminded him of growing up as a kid in Port Louis, an old Chinese man used to sell this dessert in the streets of Chinatown in the middle of the night. There are lots of variations to this simple dessert. You could simply serve the cooked beans as is, or add in several ingredients such as coconut milk, peanuts, lotus seeds, orange peel, tapioca pearls, glutinuous rice balls, Ice cream etc...

Soak the adzuki beans for a couple of hours/overnight. Rinse, cover with water and boil until the beans soften and turn into a puree when squeezed between two fingers. Once the beans are cooked, you can add in whatever you desire!

KEEPING IT SIMPLE
In my first version, I used half of the beans and some of the cooking liquor, added in enough honey to sweeten and some cooked tapioca balls/sagoo (Simply soak for 5 minutes, boil for about 5 minutes until soft, topping with water as needed). Leave to chill.

MILKY/ CREAMIER VERSION
I used the other half of the beans (drained, without cooking liquor), added in some coconut milk, water, honey and tapioca pearls. Leave to chill. As the mixture cools, the beans turn the coconut milk into this gorgeous light pink/ purple colour!

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Chocolate orange pancakes

Hola! I woke up this morning realising that it's been such a long time since I've made some breakfast pancakes, so you know what that meant, chocolate orange pancakes for mum! I wanted a banana-free pancake, something a bit more filling and indulgent and 'chocolate orange' because this flavour combination is just amazing!

These pancakes were super easy to make, I used 100% whole wheat flour, but if you want a lighter and flufflier pancake, it would be best to mix a lighter flour in, such as rice, cassava etc. To make these more indulgent, add in some dark chocolate chips, as you cut into the pancakes, you'll come across melted chocolate goodness, mmm!
If you have a very sweet tooth, add some honey to the batter.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE PANCAKES

• 60 g whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• Juice of half an orange made up to 60 ml (+ milk)
• 1 egg
• A few dark chocolate chips (optional)
• 1-2 tsp honey (optional)

1. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, zest and salt together. Break in the egg and slowly beat it all together (it will get quite dry at this stage).
2. Whilst continuously stirring, pour in your orange juice/milk mixture and mix until you obtain a thick and smooth batter, fold in the chocolate chips if using.
3. On medium heat, heat up your pan, grease with a little oil and spoon on a few dollops of the batter, once it bubbles up, flip and cook for a couple more minutes et voila, pancakes are ready!

I layered these pancakes with sliced oranges, honey and topped with some dark melted chocolate.

Here are  few pictures from our weekend away 'glamping', it was good fun! We went kayaking to the waterfalls, took a little boat over to Ile aux cerfs and just chilled by the river!

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Chocolate avocado cakey cookies

Recently, I can't seem to get enough of avocados! They are so versatile- desserts, salads, spreads etc..., so creamy and so good for you! So I decided it was time to make some baked goodies with this amazing green fleshed fruit. (Well, also my avocado was getting to that sort of overly ripe gooey stage, so it was time to use it up! :p)

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP AVOCADO COOKIES

• About 3 tbsp avocado (half an avocado)
• 3-4 tbsp honey
• 2.5 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 20 g cocoa powder
• 120 g flour (I used 60 self raising, 60 whole wheat)
• 0.5 tsp baking powder
• Good pinch of salt
• 50 ml milk
• Couple of chocolate chips, optional (I chopped up 5 squares of dark chocolate)

1. Sift together all the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cocoa &salt.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the avocado, honey and coconut together until you obtain a smooth and creamy mixture.Fold in the vanilla extract.
3. In the creamy mixture, mix in half of the dry ingredients. Mix in the milk followed by the rest of the dry ingredients.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips if using. Place spoonfuls of the dough onto a non-stick baking sheet and press them down with the back of your spoon. Bake for about 10 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius, until the edges start to crack.  
   
   These aren't proper full fat melt in your mouth cookies, they are slightly more cakey, but are the perfect healthy treat for those with a sweet tooth and fond of dark chocolate!
   
   
   Every time I'm in Port Louis, I'm always tempted to go around the market, I always seem to find new and interesting spots to take pictures and nothing seems to beat the whole array of brightly coloured veggies and fruits. 
   
   On another note, I had a really fun photo shoot yesterday! Given the nature of this blog, it was pretty ironical and funny that the ad was for KFC!
   Off to Otentik, an eco-friendly lodge type place today- pretty excited!
   Have a lovely weekend everyone!!
   
   Xx

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Healthy English (sort of) breakfast toast!

Just a quick post for a super quick and filling sort of English breakfast: healthy-fied. We needed something really filling today as we had an early start, headed off to Ile aux cerfs to play golf which went on until about 3 pm!

I used this really nice bread from the Lemon Tree cafe, not too sure what it's called, some omega packed whole-wheat bread. 
This bread is really wholesome and quite dense so will keep you going for quite a while :). I used mashed up avocado (seasoned with lemon, salt & pepper) on my toasted bread instead of butter- so creamy and good for you!
Instead of the usual greasy bacon, I used these really handy pre-cooked & smoked (super) thin slices of bacon/ham thingys and grilled them for about a minute, they could fool any bacon lover I assure you!
I added in some slices of tomato and mushroom that i quickly grilled on a non-stick pan. And there you have it! No need for any added bad fats, add in some delicious creaminess from the avocado and top it off with a runny egg, oh man, nothing beats a good egg!!!

Food aside, the sea was soooo clear and beautiful today! Sadly, spent a bit too much time in it though = sunburnt red body, not a good look.

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Chinese Daikon cake (Law bock Gow)

Daikon, also known as mooli, white radish or rav is a mild flavoured Asian radish. I often see this vegetable being sold on the streets and markets in Mauritius, but have never been quite sure as to how it is used. When procrastinating in Port Louis one day, I found this old Chinese magazine in the pagoda with a recipe for turnip cake, then realised from the picture that 'turnip cake' is one of my favourite dim-sum dishes back in Manchester!

So, I decided to try my hand at this with great results! Definitely a favourite family recipe from now on!:)

MOOLI CAKE (LAW BOCK GOW)
Makes about 25 square cakes

• 3 lbs Daikon
• 250 g plain rice flour (not the glutinous type)
• About 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
• About 2 tbsps dried shrimps
• Half a cup of water
• 1-2 tbsp oil
• 2 tsps salt
• 0.75 tsp sugar
• 1-2 Chinese sausage (OPTIONAL)

1. Leave your mushrooms to soak for a couple of hours, or if in a rush, for at least 30 minutes in hot water until they are soft, pat dry, remove and discard the stems. Finely dice and leave aside.
2. If using Chinese sausage, cover them in a large bowl of boiling hot water. Leave them to blanch for about 5 minutes (for easier chopping), pat dry and finely dice, leave aside.
3. For the dried shrimps, soak in cold water for about 15 minutes, pat dry, finely chop and set aside along with the diced mushrooms and sausage.
4. Peel the daikon and grate. Squeeze the grated daikon to remove excess water, making sure to keep this liquid for cooking afterwards.
5. In a large pan, heat up half of the oil and fry the diced shrimps, sausage and mushrooms. Stir fry for a couple of minutes until the mixture becomes golden brown and aromatic. (Put the extractor on if possible, this does have an overpowering smell!). Once cooked, set aside in a dish.
6. Using the same pan, heat up the rest of the oil and pour in your grated (squeezed) daikon, keep on medium heat. Cook for about 5-10 minutes stirring constantly. Add in the daikon juice and water and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Set aside for about 10 minutes until the mixture is lukewarm.
7. Meanwhile, set up whatever you will be using to steam this dish, I just used a massive pot with a metal stand to hold up the steaming dish, bring the water to the boil.
8. Back to the daikon mixture, stir in the fried aromatic mixture, salt and sugar. Slowly fold in the rice flour. Once incorporated & mix well, taste some of the mixture and add more seasoning if required.
9. Your mixture is now ready!! Pour into a well greased dish and steam for about 60 minutes, checking half way if you need to add more water etc. To check if it ready, poke a toothpick in the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean, it is done! Don't worry if it is slightly wobbly, it firms up as it cools.
   

You can either eat these Daikon cakes warm straight out of the steamer with some chilli oil, or cut into squares and pan fry just before eating (I prefer it this way!). The cold cakes last for 1-2 weeks in the fridge.

Don't let the number of steps put you off! This is well worth the effort! Easiest (and probably tastiest!) dim-sum I've made to date.

On another note, yesterday was 'Rakhi', an Hindu festival celebrated in India, Mauritius and Nepal. The tradition symbolizes 'eternal bond between a brother and a sister'. The festival has historical associations whereby Rajput queens used to send Rakhi threads to neighbouring rulers as a token of brotherhood. I'd say great day to get a friendship bracelet too :)
Now off to quad biking in the South of the island, woohoo!
Xx

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Banana breakfast smoothie

This is a very basic recipe! Basically just showing how simple it is to make a really thick and refreshing smoothie, the trick is to use frozen sliced bananas. I always have a bag of banana slices in my freezer for whenever a smoothie is needed or to make instant banana ice cream.You can really play around with this and come up with your own combination of flavours, kiwis, pineapple, coconut water, you name it!

Bananas are full of potassium but also have so many other benefits, Bananas really are such a versatile fruit! I use bananas in most of my recipes as an oil substitute and as a natural sweetener.

BANANA SMOOTHIE

I made a basic strawberry, banana & ginger smoothie for my mum, the ginger adds a kick and makes a really refreshing drink! I also added a few oats just to make this a bit more filling and to add some fibre.  Makes 1 smoothie.

• 2 sliced bananas, frozen
• Couple of tbsp of milk
• 4 heaped tsp of yogurt
• A small chunk of ginger
• 2 tsp oats
• About 4 strawberries

1. Blend it all together until you obtain an evenly smooth & thick smoothie, enjoy!

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Fish eggs!

Ok so I've always been intrigued by fish eggs, I'm not talking about the well known fish roe, tiny eggs usually served on sushi pieces, but a massive fish egg which can measure up to about 30 cm long! Apparently, only certain fish have this type of fish egg, they are known as ovoviviparous fish, whereby the egg grows inside the stomach, hatches and then a little fish should pop out!
I've read a lot about fish eggs on many Paleo websites that I follow. They are highly recommended and are known for their nutrient dense properties, so I decided to have a go at cooking one of these massive eggs!

SIMPLY PAN FRIED FISH EGG
So apparently, if you just fry or cook the egg directly, it will tend to crumbly and break apart. My dad taught me that the trick is to first boil it followed by whatever cooking method you choose. I find that pan-frying gives the egg a lovely crunchy finish. :)

• Fish egg
• boiling water
• Tiny bit of olive oil

1. In a big pot of boiling water, immerse in your whole fish egg and let it boil for 5-10 minutes until it turns opaque and leave to cool, the ends will shrivel up and look a bit scary!
2. Once cool enough to handle, slice the egg and pan fry for a couple of minutes until golden brown. You do not really need any seasoning, the egg is naturally quite rich and salty.

I had two slices (you really don't need much, it's so rich!) with gros pois:), yummmmmy!!!

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