【素食好主意 -- 紫菜炒饭】Vegetarian Seaweed Fried Rice

多年前我刚上班第一份工作时有个男同事人非常好，温文尔雅，谦卑有礼，也是个虔诚的佛教徒。

后来共事久了，成了很好的朋友，在他的引荐下我加入了国际佛光会和当时刚刚开始的观音基金会。和一班志愿工作者一起参加了很多的义工活动。当时虽然忙碌却非常的充实，满足。

最近和老同事又在FB上联系上了，看着他FB相册里的家庭照和生活中的点点滴滴，突然一下子就把我的记忆带到了那些年。 

第一次吃这个炒饭就是在这位男同事的婚宴上，独特的做法和味道让我这么多年了还记得。

下午就炒了个紫菜炒饭，边吃边回忆那些不为自己而忙碌的日子。然后反思。我的日子是不是越过越退步了？

Many years back when I was still working in Asia, I had a colleague who is a very dedicated Buddhist, it was him who brought me into the Buddha's light association and later on to the Guan Yin (Avalokitesuarn) foundation where I plunged in to volunteering outside my work. Volunteering was one of the best memories of my young age, the joy of doing something for others and for bigger reason than just oneself is beyond description.  Something that I have full intention to continue whenever chances come by.

So come back to my ex-colleage, he then married one of our fellow volunteers and had a very nice vegetarian wedding reception. It was in that reception that I first tried this seaweed fried rice, the taste and image of it stays in my mind for so many years. 

A few days back when I was clearing up my pantry, I saw a packet of Japanese roasted seaweed that I bought for Baby A as snack, he wasn't too crazy about it and refused after a few attempts. Since I had some left over rice in the fridge, I made this fried rice with a little extra Chinese seaweed. It turned out just the way I remembered.

Toddler Meal -- Mini Vegetable Frittatas

I have always homemade baby A's foods ever since he started solids, we started with the good old avocado as his first solids, then progressed to cereal and different kinds of vegetables and fruits. He is always a vegetables and fruits lover, getting enough protein and carbohydrate is the challenge at the moment.

I liked that this recipe called for plenty of vegetable, eggs and cream, it is a high calorie (which is needed for toddler's development) and very well balanced food.

Baby A had two at a go, not bad for someone who doesn't particularly fancy egg dishes.

Simple Chilli Paste (Chilli Boh)

If one go through recipes of Malaysian cuisine, one will definitely find the use of chili in many forms, evidence of the love of spicy food by the people. The other good indication of the love of chili is at the vegetable market (Pasar), be it wet or morning market, every stalls and even the so-called high end supermarket in big shopping malls will surely carry some Chili Boh -- a type of simple chili paste made with the common ingredients of Malaysian cuisine.

This Chili paste is highly versatile and could be used with many different kind of ingredients for different recipes.Being out of the country, I have no choice but to homemade everything (well... most of the things) I needed in order to make foods that I missed. So I do almost always have a box of this Chilli Paste in the fridge.

Pongteh (Nyonya Soy Paste Braised Chicken and Pork)

The origins of Baba Nyonya can be traced back to centuries when the Chinese emigrated from China to the British Straits Settlement of Melaka, Singapore, Penang and also Java of Indonesia. These Chinese then married the local females and form a very unique culture. Their distinct background, cultures and customs blended together harmoniously and became what is called “Peranakan” culture.“Peranakan” means descendant in Malay. There is another local term for them. “Baba” refers to the male while “nyonya” means female.

Oven Baked Tandoori Chicken

I have been wanting to make this famous Indian BBQ dish for a long time. Not until last week that I had a chance to make it for a party. I used a secret ingredient to dye my Tandoori chicken, it is healthy and 100 percent natural. The result was stunning and I just love love how it looks!

Anybody know what is the secret ingredient used?

【纸包盐焗鸡】Chicken en papillote （Grill Chicken ina parchment paper)

 

我们家平时如果俊爸出差宝宝到托儿所时就只有我一个人吃饭，我一般就做一顿吃两三顿的。最近家里有了小烤箱，做饭就更简单了。腌好鸡肉鱼块，连蔬菜一起丢到烤箱烤熟就是很好的一顿饭了。

这个纸包盐焗鸡是今天的午饭，做法非常简单，味道也特别好。再加上一个蔬菜沙拉，满足！

On weekdays when N goes to office and baby A goes to daycare. I only have to prepare lunch for myself.

This chicken in Parchment paper was my lunch today, using the Chinese Yim Kuk Gai (盐焗鸡）rub, it was really easy and delicious, had it with a bowl of salad and it is very satisfying!

Baby Meal -- Wat Dan Misua (This noodle in egg gravy) 滑蛋面线

Misua is a type of very thin noodle made from wheat flour, one of the very few wheat foods in the southern part of China. It was considered to be a very precious ingredient back in the old days as wheat was very hard to come by in the south.

As recent as just tens of years back that the Hokkien does not eat anything made with wheat but misua. It is a kind of food specialized for occasions or only when someone is sick.

I remembered the time mum prepared misua soup for me on my birthday or when I wasn't well. Great memories, with lots of loves, how can I not relate misua to the feelings of love.

I made this as baby A's lunch yesterday and really liked the idea that the misua was rolled up and browned to set, it is much easier for baby's small hands to handle and the noodle does not become soggy fast.

面线是很适合小宝宝的一种面食，口感软糯，也很好消化。

唯一的缺点就是宝宝自己不容易抓了吃。所以每次做面线我都需要一口口的喂俊宝，这对刚刚学会自己抓着吃的宝宝来说有点太没有挑战性了。

后来有一天看一个美食节目，厨师把煮好的面线卷起成团，稍微煎了定型之后再处理。觉得这样的做法吃的时候可以切成小块，宝宝抓着吃很方便，面线也不那么快变糊，是个不错的点子。

于是昨天就做了滑蛋面线给俊宝做午饭。他吃得很欢快哦！

Chicken Seekh Kebab 【印式烤鸡肉串】

Sheekh Kebab is something that I had a lot during my days back in India especially mutton kebab. This juicy and yummy BBQ is so scrumptious that I can never stop at one.

I made created recipe for this kebab for valentine's dinner, we had it with a glass of wine to go with a movie after baby A went to bed... It was one good way to celebrate the lover's day.

这款烤肉串是我在印度的时候经常吃的美食，烤得好的肉串香辣多汁非常美味。美国的印度餐厅也大多会有这款烤肉串，质量就比较参差不齐。

最近俊爸买了个小烤箱，做这类烧烤小吃就很方便。情人节那天宝宝睡下了后，和老公来杯红酒，做几串烤鸡串，再加上一套好电影，日子这么过就是幸福了。