[Dessert] Sweet Potato Soup

I am sure you can easily find this common sweet soup available at most dessert stalls in Singapore. But are you willing to pay for the price ranging from  S$1.20 - S$2.50 just for a bowl of Sweet Potato Soup - 番薯汤 similar to this?

In fact you can cook this quick and easy sweet soup anytime of the day at your own comfort zone with just minimum ingredients required. But before you starts you have to take note of some tips to make it taste just as good as what you had from those dessert stalls.

The key point of this dessert is to control the sweetness of the soup and texture of the sweet potatoes. The soup base cannot be too bland or too sweet and as for the sweet potato it must not be overcooked or else it will be too soft and affect the overall taste of this dessert. And to enhance the taste of the soup, you can also add in a few slices of ginger and some dried longan for that extra spicy taste and fragrant.

Ingredients: (serves 4)
2 Orange Sweet Potatoes(番薯), peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 Japanese Potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
Cane Sugar To Taste
2 - 3 Slices of Ginger, optional
1.8 Litres of Water
5 Pieces Pandan Leaves, tie to knot

Method:-

1. Bring 1.8 litres of water to boil together with pandan leaves and ginger slices for about 3 minutes.

2. Add in all the potatoes and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes or until soft.

3. Lastly add cane sugar and stir till dissolved.

4. Remove from heat, ladle into serving bowl and serve warm.


I simply adore this sweet potato dessert which brings back a lot of my wonderful childhood memories where my mum and I used to patron a dessert stall outside the cinema area where we used to visit after our show for late night supper.

[Singapore Blog Awards 2011] Rally Post!

As usually every year during voting and rally period for the Singapore Blog Awards we would have to either record a 2 minutes video or a blog post to thanks our supporters and etc. For me as being the lucky winner for 2009, Best Food Blog Award, it actually widen out my blogging life in different aspects. And also from there I get to know more friends that share same interest such as "cooking, baking, food hunting and photo shots". On top of that, there are also some very supportive blog readers whom often exchange cooking/baking tips with me via blog comments/facebook page. With all these bits and pieces I would like to say "Thank you" to each and everyone of you who gives me your supports and friendships throughout all these years. Without all your kind comments, feedback and support, Cuisine Paradise will not have gone so far with all its' achievements today. So friends and readers, please continue to cast your precious Vote(s) for this 2011 Best Food Blog Awards because your supports are pillars of this blog.

Voting starts from 06 June 2011 - 03 July 2011, for more details click this link HERE for voting instructions. Thanks for your support.

[Giveaway] Prima Taste Singapore Laksa La Mian

Laksa(叻沙) is a popular spicy noodle soup dish origin from the Peranakan culture, which is a merger of Chinese and Malay ingredients. Basically there are two types of Laksa such as "Curry Laksa" and "Asam Laksa(Penang Laksa)". Curry laksa used coconut curry as soup base together with noodles, tau po, bean sprout, prawns and etc while Asam laksa is a sour fish soup with noodles.

Laksa Leaf also known as Vietnamese mint/cilantro is a kind of herb used in either salad, soup, dish or etc. And in Singapore and Malaysia, the shredded Laksa leaf is an essential ingredient for "Laksa" which is a famous spicy curry noodle soup that is popular between all races.

You can also grow this herb at home for cooking purpose. First just get a handful of this herb from the wet market or supermarkets. Next pluck off most of the leaves leaving only the top, plant the roughly 5 inch stems into the ground and water every morning and you will soon get some freshly grown Laksa leaves.

Although "Thick Rice Noodles(粗米粉)" are most commonly used for Laksa but sometime due to individual preference thin rice vermicelli(幼米粉) or yellow noodles(熟面) are also used. Here for Prima Taste Laksa, La Mian is used instead of the traditional laksa noodles and it taste just as good with it's springy texture.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
2 Packet of Prima Taste Singapore Laksa La Mian
2 Hard-boiled Egg
1/2 Cup Bean Sprouts
Some Sliced Fish Cake
6 Fried Bean Curd Puffs(Tofu Pok), halves
6 - 8 Medium Shrimped, boiled and shelled
1100ml Water

Method:-

1. Cook shrimps in boiling water for about 5 minutes, remove the heads, shells, veins and set aside.

2. Next blanched bean sprouts, sliced fish cake and fried beancurd puffs separately for about 30 seconds, remove and rinse with water. Set aside.

3. Add label "A" Laksa Paste and "B" Laksa Premix into 1100ml of water, mix well and bring to boil.

4. Put noodles into the boiling Laksa soup and cook for about 5 minutes. Add in beancurd puffs continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

5. Top cooked noodles with cooked shrimps, fish cake, bean sprouts and hard-boiled egg and serve with some finely chopped Laksa leaves.

{Alternatively, you can cooked each individual packet separately for better texture of the noodles.}


Total cost for this dish is about S$8.75 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Laksa La Mian = S$4.85
~ Shrimps = S$2.00
~ Bean Curd Puffs = S$0.60
~ Bean Sprouts = S$0.40
~ Fish Cake = S$0.50
~ Eggs = $0.40

I am submitting this post to [June $20 Budget Meal - Noodle] host by Me(Ellena) of Cuisine Paradise at this Link HERE.

Lastly in conjunction with this month [$20 Budget Meal - Noodles] theme I would like to share this new "Prima Taste Singapore Laksa La Mian"(2 packets) with 1 Lucky Reader. If you are interested to try this Singapore favourite just leave your Name and your favourite noodle dish (Laksa, Mee Rebus, Carbonara, Bolognaise), example "I Love Fried Prawn Noodles" in the comment box and I will pick ONE Lucky winner and result will be announce on Thursday, 16 June 2011. (draw open to all readers around the world) Good luck!


[Updated on 16 June 2011]

GIVEAWAY RESULTS!!!!!

Congratulation Gertrude. Please email me your mailing address at ellenaguan@hotmail.com so that I could send out the gift by this week. Thanks.

Almond Crumbed Chicken Schnitzel with Potato Salad and Caramel Asparagus

One of my friend Alice has set up a weekly cooking theme on facebook for those who loves to cook to share their dishes base on the weekly specify ingredient. And for this week we have "Asparagus" as the key ingredient to challenge our cooking skill on how we incorporate it into our dish. Since Asparagus is one of my favourite ingredients I decided to give it a try and come out with this set of Quick and Easy Western Dish.

Asparagus is high in vitamins B6 and C plus fiber, folate and glutathione as well as with anti-carcinogen and antioxidant. Although asparagus comes in three different colours such as: white, green or purple but the the green variety is the most common to be found. You can eat asparagus with nothing more than a drizzle of good-quality olive oil or use them in different dishes like: in soups, salads, stir-fries, scrambled eggs, pasta and etc.(read more HERE)

Here we have two side dishes to go with the Almond Crumbed Chicken Schnitzel which are the quick and easy boiled potato salad plus Caramel Asparagus. The potatoes act as a source of Carbo intake the accompany Asparagus are crisp and flavoursome with the dressing.

POTATO SALAD
Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
4 Medium Size Potatoes, about 250g
1.5 Tablespoon of Mayonnaise Cream
Freshly Ground Black Pepper


CARAMEL OLIVE ASPARAGUS
Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
1 Bundle of Baby Asparagus
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

Method:-

1. Cook potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water for 15 minutes or until tender.

2. Drain. Cool. Peel and cut the cooked potatoes into chunks and place it in a large bowl.

3. Scoop mayonnaise onto potatoes, season with salt and pepper then toss using a chopsticks to combine.

4. Set aside in the fridge while preparing the chicken schnitzel.

Method:-

1. Cook asparagus in a frying pan filled with boiling water(with 1/4 Teaspoon of salt added) for about 1 - 2 minutes until tender but still bright green.

2. Drain and refresh in cold water. Set aside.

3. Using the same frying pan, pour away the water, dried it and preheat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

4. Next add in 1/2 Tablespoon of brown sugar and stir continuously till almost caramelize.

5. Remove and dress asparagus with olive oil dressing.

The crispy crumbs coating together with the nutty fragrance from the flaked almond makes it a very addicting finger food/appetiser to go with icy cold beer too.

ALMOND CRUMBED CHICKEN SCHNITZEL
Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
6 - 8 Pieces of Chicken Fillets
1 Egg
1 Cup Breadcrumbs
1/4 Cup Flaked Almonds
Oil for Shallow Frying

Seasonings:
1 Teaspoon cornflour
1/4 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1/2 Tablespoon Cooking Wine
1/2 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
1/4 Teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
Dash of Pepper

Method:-

1. Marinate chicken fillets with seasonings and egg and set aside for about 5 minutes.

2. Pour cooking oil into a frying pan till about 1cm in depth and heat it up.

3. At the meantime roll the marinated chicken in breadcrumbs which combined with flaked almonds, pressing firmly.

4. Cooked chicken for 2 - 3 minutes on each side until golden brown or cooked through on medium low heat. (do not use high heat or it will burnt the breadcrumbs and almonds)

5. Drain on absorbent paper and serve with prepared side dishes.