Hello everyone! It's Day 4 of Chinese New Year 2017, how's the celebration going? We have been enjoying lots of food as well as CNY snacks and family time.
During CNY, longevity noodles is often served at our dinner table, as it symbolises "long life". To go with the noodles, we would usually make a braised meat or mushroom dish, as the braising sauce goes really well with the noodles.
This Braised chicken with Chinese mushrooms is a very easy dish to cook, we used chicken breast as it's leaner and healthier, however you may use other parts of the chicken if you please. Dried Chinese mushrooms symbolises longevity, while sugar snap peas and carrots symbolise family unity and good luck respectively, making this an auspicious dish to serve during the CNY period.
Braised chicken with Chinese mushrooms Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
200g chicken breast, cut into bite-sized chunks
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, peeled and quartered
8 Chinese mushrooms, soaked and stalks removed
6 thin slices old ginger
2 tbsp cooking oil
100ml water
1/2 tsp ginger wine
1 1/2 tbsp mushroom sauce
A pinch of coarse black pepper
Salt, to taste
1/4 carrots, thinly sliced
6 sugar snap peas, ends trimmed
1. In a wok, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic, ginger and onion and stir fry for about 1 1/2 minutes, until garlic is lightly browned. Add the mushroom and saute for about 2 minutes, then add the chicken and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Add the water and bring to the boil. Add the mushroom sauce, ginger wine and coarse black pepper and braise for about 6-8 minutes until the chicken pieces are cooked through. Add the carrots and sugar snap peas and cook for a further minute. Season with more salt as necessary.
3. Serve with longevity noodles or rice.
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One of my favorite dishes to have during Chinese New Year is stir fried leeks. Leeks 蒜 are commonly served as the name is a homophone for "calculating (money)" (算suàn). On the first day of CNY, we would cook a vegetarian version with sliced mushrooms, and on other days, we will add some dried shrimps (recipe) for extra flavour.
For the vegetarian version, you can flavour it with vegetarian mushroom sauce.
Stir fried leeks with sliced mushrooms Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 8-9 minutes
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
350g leeks, trimmed and sliced into 2" lengths
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 Chinese or shitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
2 tbsp water
1-2 tbsp mushroom sauce (Lee Shun Hing brand)
A pinch of salt
1. In a wok, heat oil over medium high heat. Add shallots and fry for 2 minutes, until lightly golden.
2. Add the leeks and sliced mushrooms and stir fry for about 1 minute, then add the water and 1 tablespoonful of mushroom sauce and allow to cook for a further 2-3 minutes, until the leeks are cooked through. Taste and season with more mushroom sauce or salt as necessary.
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Wishing all our friends, family and readers a Happy Chinese New Year!
Gong Xi Fa Cai from BabySumoFamily
Let's usher in the Year of the Fire Rooster with a chicken dance... featuring BabySumoKids. ;)
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Burns Night falls on January 25 every year. It marks the celebration of the life and works of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns. I thought that it would be nice to make something Scottish for the family, and since I had a can of haggis still, I made Scottish Pie.
What's Scottish Pie, I hear you ask? There is Cottage pie (made from beef mince), Shepherd's Pie (made from lamb mince) and our creation of Scottish Pie (made from haggis) aka Haggis Shepherd's Pie. For those who would like to try this out, you can get canned haggis from Ben's Independent Grocer in KL.
The haggis is cooked with onions and carrots, then spooned into a heatproof dish and topped with mashed potatoes. This is then baked in the oven for about 15 minutes. A comforting, delicious dish well-suited for the occasion. Would definitely make this again!
Scottish Pie (Haggis Shepherd's Pie)
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30-35 minutes
Serves 5-6
Ingredients
1 can (392g) haggis
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 1/2 cup hot water
1 tbsp beef stock granules
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 large Russet potatoes (1kg), peeled and cut into chunks
30g salted butter
Parmesan Cheese
1. In a large pot, add potatoes and enough cold water to cover the potatoes, then bring to the boil. Cook for about 12-15 minutes, until potatoes are tender and ready for mashing. Drain and set aside. Using a masher, mash the potatoes, then add the butter, and then season with salt.
2. Preheat oven to 200C fan.
3. In a large pan or wok, heat oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and saute for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add the carrot and saute for another 1 1/2 minutes, then add the haggis. Pour in 1 cup of hot water, and use a spatula to loosen the haggis. Season with the beef stock granules and black pepper, mixing well. Reduce to low heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, adding more water if necessary.
3. Spoon the haggis mixture from Step 3 into a large heatproof bowl, then top with the mashed potatoes from Step 1. Grate Parmesan cheese over the top and place in preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes, until the topping is lightly golden.
4. Remove from oven and serve with steamed vegetables. Enjoy!
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Chinese New Year is just 3 days away! Are you excited as I am? For those who are planning a Chinese New Year celebration or gathering with family and friends to usher in the Year of the Fire Rooster, here is a list of 10 restaurants in KL you may consider. Click on the restaurant name to read the full reviews and menus.
Highlights: Year of the Rooster Lo Sang, made up of julienned fresh fruits (strawberry, dragon fruit, jackfruit and pear) topped with crisp, crunchy sweet and sour chicken, Braised vegetarian fin soup with Shanghai style crab meat soup and Stir fried fragrant rice with sausage and char siew.
Pork-free.
Available from 5 January until 16 February 2017.
Price: RM238 nett per person for the Rainbow Set, RM298 nett per person for the Great Chynna Set, RM368 nett per person Prosperity and Glory Set and RM588 nett per person for the Year of Rooster Set.
Highlights: Double boiled superior fish maw soup with fermented black garlic, black chicken and cordyceps flower, Pan-fried cod with a touch of brandy and Steamed Shanghainese meat dumpling.
Serves Pork.
Available from 1 January until 11 February 2017
Price: 6-course Chinese New Year Prosperity Menu for RM238 nett per person as well as two 9-course CNY Set Menus, priced at RM1988 nett and RM2688 nett per table of 10 persons respectively.
Highlights: Double-boiled chicken soup with fish maw, dried scallop and conch, Braised pork knuckle with brown sauce and Deep fried nian gao with yam.
Serves Pork.
Available from 27 to 30 January 2017.
Price: Three lunch menus, with prices starting from RM138 nett per person (minimum 6 persons) as well as three festive dinner set menus, with prices starting from RM1,888 nett per table of 10 persons.
Highlights: Dynasty's Treasure Pot of Prosperity (poon choi featuring whole sun-dried scallops, fish maw, fresh scallop, fu kwei abalone and more) Steamed live tiger-dragon grouper with scallion and ginger and Braised pork knuckle with mushroom and sea cucumber.
Serves Pork.
Available from 11 January to 11 February 2017.
Price: Three Festive Set Menus, namely Happiness (RM1,688 nett), Fortune (RM2,088 nett) and Longevity (RM3,288 nett) for tables of 10 persons.
Highlights: Hokkaido scallop, North Canadian lobster claw with passion fruit sauce yee sang, with crispy salmon fish skin, Wok-fried prawns with salted egg yolk, fresh curry leaves and chilli and Stewed abalone with sea cucumbers and duo coloured dumplings.
Pork-free.
Available from 2 January until 12 February 2017.
Price: Abundance (RM1,988 nett per table for 10 persons), Prosperity (RM1,988 nett per table for 10 persons), Fortune (RM2,388 nett per table for 10 persons) and Opulence (RM2,788 nett per table for 10 persons).
Highlights: Roasted Corn Fed Chicken, served with a spicy onion sauce, Fragrant Golden Jin Sha Style Spicy Slipper Lobster and Wok-fried fresh scallop and shrimps with macadamia nuts and sweet bean.
Pork-free.
Available from 17 January to 6 February 2017.
Price: Abundance (RM1788 per table for 10 persons), Fortune (RM1888 per table for 10 persons), Auspicious (RM2088 per table for 10 persons) and Luxurious (RM2488 per table for 10 persons).
Highlights: Crispy roasted chicken with spicy garlic sauce, Stir fried fresh scallop with two kinds of fungus and Deep fried prawn with avocado salsa.
Pork-free.
Available from 12 January to 11 February 2017.
Price: Happiness Reunion Set Menu is priced at RM1,688 nett per table of 10, Blessings Reunion Set Menu at RM1,888 nett per table of 10 and Abundance Reunion Set Menu at RM2,088 nett per table of 10.
Highlights: Golden Coraline Algae Yee Sang, beautifully crafted into the shape of a rooster, Braised fish maw, dried scallop, with shredded snow crab and enoki mushroom soup, Homemade almond boneless chicken and Braised prosperity bag with garden greens.
Pork-free.
Available from 16 January to 11 February 2017.
Price: Prosperous Menu, priced at RM1888 (9-course) and Auspicious menu, priced at RM1688 (6-course).
Highlights: Double Boiled Chicken Soup, with whole abalone, dried scallops, bamboo pith and vegetables, Crispy prawns coated with lemon dressing and Deep fried nian gao (new year cake) with sweet potato and yam.
Pork-free.
Available from 8th January until 18th February 2017.
Price: RM1,688 nett for the Spring and Happiness set, RM2288 nett for the Everlasting Prosperity set, RM3388 nett for the Wealth and Fortune set and RM8888 nett for the Emperor set menu.
Highlights: Double boiled chicken broth with sea conch and red date, served in a young coconut, Pan fried jumbo prawns in premium soy sauce and Steamed pearl grouper fillet on fresh bean curd stick and wolfberries.
Pork-free.
Available from 1 to 26 January 2017.
Price: Ranging from RM1,288 nett per table of 10 persons, up to RM1,888 nett per table of 10 persons for a 9-course set menu. Click here to read the full review.
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It's the start of a new school year, which means exciting times ahead for both parents and children! One way to ensure your child is getting good nutritional food when they are at school is to take the time to prepare a bento box for him/her to take with them. As parents we know best what foods our children prefer and we can select the most nutritionally balanced of these foods to create a bento box which the child will look forward to eating. Even children eat with their eyes first, so time spent creating a fun bento box can help encourage them to look forward to mealtimes.
MILO® recently conducted an informative and engaging workshop for mums, whereby we were given a valuable insight on the consequence of the energy deprivation children experience at various intervals in school as well as educate us on the benefits of packing to school and how proper nutrition can affect your child's performance in school. Early education and reinforcement of healthy eating habits can help children make better consumption choices out of home, when their mothers are not by their side.
Senior Nutritionist of Nestle Malaysia Berhad, Pn. Nurul Iliani Ahmad shared facts from MyBreakfast Study, Malaysia's first comprehensive nationwide study on breakfast habits involving 8,705 school children. It was found that 1 in 3 children have low physical activity levels and this was especially prevalent among breakfast skippers. "Consuming the right food with a balanced nutrition at regular intervals provides them with sufficient energy and nutrients to help improve their mental alertness so they can focus while in class, as well as keep them energised for extra-curricular activities".
At the workshop, Yan Diana from the Kelab Bekal / Bento Malaysia showed us three creative bento box creations, which can be prepared in 10-15 minutes. Yan Diana also provided tips on how to decorate the bento box in an attractive manner - she tells us that two of the most useful ingredients to decorate a bento box are cheese slice and Japanese seaweed.
Giraffe Tuna Sandwich - ingredients used are baguette, tuna, cheese, seaweed, fresh fruits and vegetables.
Japanese Scrambled Eggs Bento Box - ingredients include bread, eggs, baked beans, cheese, seaweed, cherry tomato, carrots, broccoli and poached chicken slices.
Rapunzel Noodle Box - ingredients used are fried meehoon, scrambled egg, cheese, seaweed, salad, grapes, nuts.
Bento Box recipes taught by Yan Diana from Kelab Bekal / Bento Malaysia
After that, it was Bento Box Challenge time, our turn to pack and decorate a bento box for our child. An ideal healthy bento box should contain 25% carbohydrate, 25% protein and 50% fruit and vegetables. Chloe and I teamed up to create a bento box which she would like to bring to school. Together, we made a tuna sandwich using wholemeal bread, Chloe wanted to decorate the sandwich with a teddy bear out of the cheese slice, seaweed and tomatoes, and funnily it ended up looking like Pikachu! Turned out to be a blessing in disguise afterall, as Daniel immediately wanted to eat the food in the bento box as he loves Pokemon ;) Making bento boxes for my children is definitely one New Year Resolution I would want to adhere to in 2017!
We filled up the rest of the bento box with salad leaves, steamed broccoli and carrot sticks, grapes, cherry tomatoes, nuts and a convenient pack of MILO® UHT. Children can benefit greatly from the Activ-Go™ in MILO®, a unique combination of PROTOMALT®, minerals and vitamins such as Vitamin B, specially blended to provide efficient release of energy from food to help them take on a full day's challenges. MILO® also contains calcium to maintain stronger bones and teeth and Vitamin C for increased absorption of iron from food.
Chloe had a lot of fun making her own bento box :)
The bento boxes made by the mummies and daddies at the workshop
According to MyBreakfast Study, children who consume malted drinks (such as MILO®) reflect greater micronutrient intakes and are more likely to meet the Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) for total energy intake, protein and other vitamin which suggests that malted drink consumption can be an effective and simple dietary strategy to improve overall diet quality. MILO® UHT comes in convenient single serve packs of 125ml and 200ml and is available in all convenient stores, mini markets, supermarkets and hypermarkets. For more upcoming initiatives of the MILO® UHT Pack in the Energy for Champions campaign, visit www.milo.com.my .
Parents can easily create bento boxes at home for their children to bring to school. The common misconception is that bento boxes are time consuming to make, however with some advanced planning and preparation (the night before), it can be a fun and fulfilling experience. Tools such as cookie cutters and cute food picks can assist you in decorating and making the bento boxes more attractive, thus making your child look forward to meal times.
Here's a simple recipe for egg mayonnaise sandwich for you to try:
Ingredients
2 eggs
1 1/2 - 2 tbsp mayonnaise
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 slices of bread (white or wholemeal)
1. Place the eggs in a large saucepan with cold water and slowly bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce to low heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Drain eggs and place under cold running water until the eggs are cool, this will avoid the black ring from forming around the egg yolk.
2. Peel the eggs and chop into small pieces. Place into a bowl with the mayonnaise; start with 1 1/2 tbsp first and put more if you prefer it to be more moist. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Cut off the crusts from the bread slices and cut into half each. Spread on one side of the bread and sandwich with another piece. Place in bento box. Fill the bento box with fruits and vegetables (such as sliced apples, grapes, nuts, salad leaves, cherry tomatoes).
And don't forget to pack a MILO® UHT in your child's bag pack for the energy they need to take on the day.
*This is a sponsored post.
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Hello! Over the past few days, we have been baking up a storm in our kitchen in preparation for Chinese New Year. We made pineapple nastar rolls, as well as German cookies to gift to our friends.
While making the pineapple nastar rolls, I tried making them in rooster shapes too. I made it using the same dough as the pineapple nastar rolls (recipe here) - to make the rooster shapes, first make a pineapple jam ball (about the size of a marble), then another slightly bigger ball using the dough. Flatten the dough, then place the pineapple jam in the centre, wrap and roll back into a ball. Stick on the red heart shaped decoration as the comb, and also another one as its beak (the pointy bit facing outwards) and then two black sesame seeds for its eyes. Have fun making them!
Rooster Pineapple Tarts for Year of the Rooster
I also had some leftover dough (no more pineapple jam) when I was making my third batch of pineapple tarts - hence we made another version of rooster cookies using the leftover dough. To make, simply roll the pineapple dough into balls, stick on the heart-shaped edible decoration as the comb and beak, and then use two chocolate chip cookies as its feet. Stick on two black sesame seeds for its eyes. They taste just like butter cookies ;)
Made another short video to show you how to put together these rooster cookies.
Over the weekend, Baby D also helped make German Cookies, for his classmates and teacher. We made over 150 of them! :D Recipe can be found here.
This year, we also made bak kwa (Chinese pork jerk). Do enjoy this short recipe video that I made on how to make bak kwa. It's so easy and sooooo much cheaper than buying from the shops. Recipe can be found here.
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Hilton Kuala Lumpur celebrates the auspicious arrival of the Year of the Rooster with four sumptous set menus at Chynna. The mix of fashionably modern and traditional festive dishes are meticulously crafted by Chinese masterchef and TV personality Chef Lam Hock Hin.
The Chinese New Year set menus will be available from 5 January until 16 February 2017, with prices starting from RM238 nett per person for the Rainbow Set, RM298 nett per person for the Great Chynna Set, RM368 nett per person Prosperity and Glory Set and RM588 nett per person for the Year of Rooster Set. For the full menus, please scroll down to the bottom of this post.
Gather your family and friends at Chynna for the prosperity toss, aka "lo hei". Their signature Year of the Rooster Lo Sang is pretty special, whereby healthy, beautifully arranged julienned fresh fruits (strawberry, dragon fruit, jackfruit and pear) is topped with crisp, crunchy sweet and sour chicken. Sesame seeds, crushed peanuts and pok chui is added to signify "a floor full of gold" for the coming year, and olive oil is poured over for a "smooth sailing year". We love the light, refreshing taste of this fruity yee sang. Other than this, guests can also choose from other yee sang toppings such as Norwegian salmon, Chilean crab with gold flakes, Caesar salad with grated Parmesan cheese, and Australian 3 head abalone, with prices starting from RM128 nett for half portion.
We sampled the Great Chynna Set, a 7-course set menu which starts off with the Braised vegetarian fin soup with Shanghai style crab meat soup, made using shark's fin melon. A superb tasting soup, my favorite dish of the evening!
Fish is a must-have during a CNY dinner as it symbolises abundance for the new year. Patin is one of the most prized freshwater fishes in Malaysia. Chef Lam uses wild patin buah, which is steamed with salted fish, taucu, and chilli, which gives the sauce a hint of spiciness. Delicious!
Steamed wild patin buah with salted fish and touchu, chilli and congee broth
Another highlight for us was the Simmered abalone cubes with sea cucumber and mushrooms in abalone sauce. The sea cucumber and mushrooms were stuffed inside a beancurd roll, and it was very flavorful. I was also happy to savour the meaty abalone cubes, which symbolises definite good luck for the year. :)
Sea moss, aka fatt choy is usually eaten during CNY as its homonym stands for "struck it rich". Here at Chynna, Chef Lam adds it to his stir fried Korean pear with vegetarian meats. The vegetarian meats, made from soy, resembled chicken and the sweet, crunchy Korean pear cubes added an interesting touch to the dish.
We do not usually look forward to the rice dish, as we're super full by then. However, the Stir fried fragrant rice with sausage and char siew (pork-free) here was so good that we savoured every spoonful of it. The rice definitely had lots of wok hei, and was so tasty, we wished we could have another bowl!
For dessert, we were served a refreshing, Chilled coral weed (珊瑚草) with ginseng and wolf berries. A lovely end to our meal.
CNY Set Menus
For more information or reservations, please call 03-2264 2596. Visit this link for the hi-res copy of Hilton KL's CNY Brochure.
Pork-free.
Opening times: Lunch : Mon to Fri - 12.00noon to 2.30pm; Sat & Sun - 11.00am to 2.30 pm;
Dinner : Mon to Sun - 6.30pm to 10.30pm.
Location: Chynna, Level 5, Hilton Kuala Lumpur, 3, Jalan Stesen Sentral, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, 50470 Kuala Lumpur.
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