{soya bean drink in hermie ... asian style}

I was always the soya bean drink person and my sister was the opposite with her choice being a chrysanthemum tea or the like. This was of course when my mum did the weekly grocery shop at the Asian Grocer and we asked for a yeos 'fruit box' of choice for the ride home. When you're that young, try explaining the difference in the Asian style soya bean drink and commercial western soy milk to your friends! They are very different and one mistaking the other can lead to an accidental dislike for something that is so yummy.

So, at attempt #5, I am finally able to say that I think I have mastered the making of an Asian style soya bean drink. This leads to so many things. Not only can I determine the sweetness of the drink, but if minimal or no sugar is added, using a few extra steps, we can then make tofu and also tau foo fa (the sweet Asian dessert that is soo silky and smooth). These will be hopefully my next successes but first, I'm just enjoying the yummy drink that I hope to make over and over again. Enjoy!

130 grams soya beans
water for soaking beans
60-90 grams sugar
600 grams water
400-500 grams hot water
nut bag for straining

1. Place soya beans into TM bowl. Soak for at least 6 hours or overnight if possible. If for 6 hours, I use hot water. Water must cover the beans.
2. Using the TM steaming basket, strain the excess water from the soaked beans.
3. Add 600 grams water into TM bowl. Blend 20secs/ speed 9. Scrape down sides and then add sugar (I use the whole 90 grams).
4. Cook 25mins/ varoma/ speed 3. You will find that the liquid bubbles up to the MC hole. When this occurs, decrease the temperature to 100C (by pressing the 100C button) for the remainder of the cooking time.
5. Add the remaining 400-500grams hot water and mix 3secs/ speed 3.
6. Using an extra bowl that is about 1.5L in capacity, place the nutbag over and then pour the soya bean liquid into the bag to strain. You can see after I have done this, my bag is just strung up over the bowl so it can continue to drip out.

7. If you are using a very fine material like a nutbag, feel free to squeeze out the liquid for maximum effectiveness. If your bag is not very fine, I don't recommend doing this as you will get the pulp pushed through which is not very nice to drink!
8. Taste for sweetness and adjust if required. 

Makes ~1-1.2L

Bon Appetit xx

Tips: the nutbag that I use has been so useful and easy to clean compared to a muslin cloth. A quick rinse and all the pulp is gone. I bought this one at a health food store.

{'claypot' chicken, mushroom & fu chuk in hermie}

Whenever I go overseas, I like to look in local book shops for recipe books from that country. This recipe is from one of those such books that I acquired when in Singapore from the famous Kinokuniya book shop. The book is full of claypot dishes that are overflowing with delicious, saucy dishes that are perfect served with a bowl of steamed rice. However, until now, I had only tried one of these dishes because I never got around to buying an actual claypot! 

Now with Hermie, I've decided to give a few more a go and this time round I have been really happy with the results... I'm not sure that I really need a claypot anymore. The original recipe is for a chicken and liver claypot however, I'd rather eat fu chuk (beancurd) and therefore replaced the liver.

fu chuk (beancurd) & dried chinese mushrooms

4 dried chinese mushrooms
4 fu chuk sticks (or as many as you want to taste)
good thumb of ginger, peeled
2 spring onions cut in 10 cm lengths
400-500 grams chicken thighs (5-6), cubed in 4cm

seasoning A:
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornflour

seasoning B:
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon cornflour
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1. Soak mushrooms & fu chook sticks in Thermoserver with hot water.
2. Place ginger & spring onions in TM bowl. Chop 3 sec/ speed 6
3. Marinate chicken in seasoning A in a spare bowl.

4. Remove mushrooms from server, chop off stems and cut in half. Remove fu chuk from server and cut into about 8cm pieces (or however long you would like to eat them). Set aside.
5. Saute spring onion & ginger 2min/ varoma/ stir speed/ reverse. Add mushroom. Cook a further 2 mins / varoma / stir speed / reverse.
6. Add chicken & seasoning B. Cook 17min/ 100C/ stir speed/ reverse. Add fu chuk and stir through with spatula. Stand 5 minutes and then pour into thermoserver to keep warm until serving.
7. Serve with steamed white rice and asian greens for a complete meal.

Serves 4-5 as part of a shared meal.

Bon Appetit xx

Tips: Fu Chuk and dried chinese mushrooms can be found in all good Asian Grocery Stores. 

{mapo tofu in hermie}

People often say that eating tofu is boring and tasteless however, I have grown up eating it in it's many forms and have never thought this. When I married my hubs I wasn't sure what he was used to eating for dinner and when I made this for him, he thought it was 'the bomb' (his words... not mine). It has a bit of everything from texture, spiciness, silkiness and sauce. It's so yummy that Miss I loves to eat it with steamed rice soaking up all the tasty sauce.

2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled
10 grams vegetable oil (I use canola)
250-300 grams pork mince
400-500 grams silken tofu, cubed in 4 cm pieces
150 grams of 'char choy', soaked for 1 hour, rinsed and cut into small fat sticks (optional)
3 tablespoons chilli bean sauce
1 heaped teaspoon cornflour
75 ml cold water
300 ml hot water
2 spring onions, chopped into 1 cm pieces

1. Add garlic cloves to TM bowl, chop 3 sec / speed 7.
2. Add oil and pork mince. Saute 6 mins / varoma / stir speed.
3. While the mince is cooking, place tofu in a dish that will fit into the varoma. I use a 6 cup capacity pyrex rectangular dish. Place into varoma for later.
4. When the mince beeps, scrape down sides, add the char choy (if applicable) and saute  4 mins/ varoma/ stir speed / reverse.
5. Add chilli bean sauce to TM bowl and saute 2mins / varoma / stir speed / reverse.
6. Scrape sides of bowl. Mix cornflour with cold water in MC and add to TM bowl.
7. Add hot water to TM bowl and mix with spatula. Place varoma on top of TM bowl.
8. Cook and steam tofu for 10mins/ speed 1/ varoma / reverse.
9. Place spring onions into bottom of thermoserver. When tofu is steamed hot, add to thermoserver.
10. Check the mapo tofu sauce. If it is still a bit runny, reduce by cooking a further 5mins/ speed 1/ varoma/ reverse. Sit for 5 minutes and pour over the tofu. Mix through before serving. Serve with steamed rice.

Mapo Tofu served with steamed rice & bak choi

Serves 6 as part of a shared meal.

Bon Appetit xx

Note: 'Char Choy' is the name of the mustard green vegetable that has been preserved using a salting method. It can be found in packets in all good Asian grocers along with the  Chilli Bean Sauce (which is also known as toban jan). I use the below brand as it does not have MSG added. 

Chilli Bean Sauce (Toban Jan)

Mustard Green Salted (Taiwanese)

Tips: This can very easily be made on the stove the traditional way and it tastes just as good. I know it's not traditional but I also sometime add cubes of eggplant at step 4 to add more vegetable to the dish.