Monday 4 February 2013

Osmanthus And Chestnut Koi Jelly Plus Osmanthus Flower Giveaways

Thinking of what dessert to make this coming Chinese New Year? Why not try this super easy Osmanthus And Chestnut Koi Jelly which I am sure your guests would be impress with those cute and auspicious Koi Fish (锦鲤) and Ingot (元宝). With just 3 main ingredients such as Osmanthus Flower, Konnyaku Jelly and Water Chestnut you could easily replicated this dessert which is similar to Osmanthus Cake (桂花糕) but in jelly form rather than cake.


OSMANTHUS AND CHESTNUT KOI JELLY


For this jelly dessert I did not add any food colouring and the "golden colour" effect comes from the natural colour of the Osmanthus flowers itself. So if your prefer a darker colour,  you could either add in a teaspoon more of the Osmanthus flower or a few drops of yellow food coloring. But if you cannot get hold of any Osmanthus Flower or Konnyaku Jelly, you could try another flavour instead of Osmanthus using Lemongrass with a reference recipe here.

As for the Koi And Ingot jelly mould, you could get it from Kitchen Caper. I bought mine with 3 different assorted mould for S$5.00 during their festive promotion.  


(Serves: 4-6  | Preparation: 15 minutes  | Cooking: 7 minutes)

Ingredients:
  • 1 Packet Red Man Brand Konnyaku Premix Jelly Powder
  • 1200ml Water
  • 3 - 4 Teaspoons Osmanthus Flower
  • 1.5 Tablespoons Wolfberries, soaked till soften
  • 8 Water Chestnuts, skin removed and diced
  • 1 Knot of Pandan Leave, optional


Method:-
1. In a pot, add 1200ml of water and bring to boil together with pandan leave for 3 minutes to infuse the water with pandan leave fragrance. 

2. Lower the heat, add in osmanthus flowers and simmer on low heat for 2 minutes.

3. On the lowest heat, slowly stir in Konnyaku Jelly Powder using a balloon whisk or wooden spoon until powder fully dissolved. Turn off the heat and remove from stove.

4. Add 2 wolfberries (pre-soaked in water for 3 - 5 minutes till puff) and 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of water chestnut in each jelly mould (refer to the photo above).

5. Slowly pour in jelly solution into the prepared mould. Cool and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours to firm it before serving.


Osmanthus And Chestnut Koi Jelly

Steam Osmanthus Cod Fish

Glutinous Red Date With Osmanthus Syrup

Huiji Steamed Pomfret With Osmanthus

Osmanthus Honey Tea
If you have no time to involve yourself in the kitchen, perhaps a cup of this refreshing Osmanthus Honey Tea (recipe) will be great to help smoothing your mood as well as detoxification and beauty maintenance.


GIVEAWAYS


Lastly in order for those who are interested to try our Osmanthus Flower. I would be giving away 2 trial packet (4g each) of Osmanthus Flowers to 2 Lucky Readers to try out some of the related recipes that I have shared.


How To Win:-
1. Comment (on this post) which recipe with Osmanthus Flowers that you would like to try.

2. Click LIKE and SHARE the above photo over at Cuisine Paradise Facebook Page (here); AND

Leaving a comment (on facebook) that you have "Like And Share" the above.

Closing Date: 05 February 2013 (Tuesday), 12.00 NOON
*Giveaway is open to ALL READERS of Cuisine Paradise with a valid mailing address.


[Giveaway Result Updated on 05 Feb 2013]


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Saturday 2 February 2013

{Mobile Post} Salmon And Edamame Fried Rice

If you notice the title above, I have added a {Mobile Post} tag in front because from this February onwards I would be sharing meal ideas (recipes) with mobile phone photos straight from my kitchen to dinning table. I am sure this would be a great idea for those who wish to try the recipe(s) which I have uploaded the "food photos" on Cuisine Paradise Facebook page and yet without any recipe links.


SALMON AND EDAMAME FRIED RICE


So to start off, here is the first post on my Salmon And Edamame Fried Rice which I make used of the leftover salmon from our early Chinese New Year Dinner gathering (here) together with some diced Bak Kwa (BBQ pork) for new year atmosphere.


(Serves: 2 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:
  • 2 Cups Cooked Cold Rice (preferably precooked and keep in the fridge)
  • 1/2 Cup Salmon Cubes
  • 1/4 Cup Diced Bak Kwa (肉干), optional
  • 1/2 Cup Edamame (blanched and removed beans from pods)
  • 2 Eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 Stalks Spring Onion, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoon Cooking Oil
  • 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
Seasoning:
1 Teaspoon Of Light Soy Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon of Fish Sauce, optional
1/4 Teaspoon Of Ground Pepper
Splash of Cooking Wine


Method:-
1. Heat up wok/frying pan on medium heat with cooking oil. Saute minced garlic till fragrance, add in diced bak kwa and continue to fry for another 10 seconds.

2. Add in cooked rice, pressing down using the back of the spatula to separate any clusters of rice. Give it a good toss and push the rice mixture to one side of the wok.

3. Using the other half of the wok, add in 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil and cook the salmon cubes till half done. Mix in the rice and give it a good toss.

4. Next slowly swirl in the beaten egg, coat the rice evenly with the egg mixture and fried for another minute before adding in Edamame, spring onion and seasoning.

5. Mix well and it is ready to serve.


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Friday 1 February 2013

Huiji Steamed Pomfret With Osmanthus

Silver Pomfret (Yin Chang - 银鲳鱼) or White Pomfret (白鲳鱼) is one of the seafood choice which is popular among the Teochew (a dialect group). And usually for a Teochew family like us, we love to include preserved salted vegetables, tomato and sour plums in our Steamed Silver Pomfret dish. But since I am re-create this dish for Chinese New Year, I decided to add in some Osmanthus flower which has a distinctive fragrance that enhance the flavour of this dish.


HUIJI STEAMED POMFRET WITH OSMANTHUS


During Chinese New Year, it is a must have for each household to have "Fish" as one of the auspicious dish which symbol "abundance" of good luck and fortune. And when it comes to fish, the best way is to either Steam or Poach whereby using the most least ingredients to draw up the natural flavour and sweetness of the fish.


(Serves: 4-6 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 20 minutes)

Ingredients:
  • 1 Silver Pomfret, about 400g
  • 2 Cup (40ml, using huiji measuring cup) Huiji Waist Tonic
  • 1 Stall Spring Onion, cut into sections
  • 2 – 3 Slices Ginger, Shredded
  • 1 Teaspoon Osmanthus Flower
  • 2 Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms (optional), sliced
  • 1 Teaspoon Shallot Oil, optional

Seasonings:
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil


Method:-
1. Clean pomfret to remove any scales or intestines. Rub pomfret evenly with salt and marinate for 5 minutes.

2. Place pomfret on steaming plate that consists half portion of shredded ginger and spring onion.

3. Arrange remainder ginger, spring onion and mushroom on the fish before scatter the osmanthus flower on it.

4. Steam pomfret over high heat for 10 – 12 minutes. Remove from heat, garnish with shallot oil and drizzle a cup (20ml) of Huiji Waist Tonic on the fish and serve immediately.


With my bottle of Huiji Waist Tonic that acts as a great helper in the kitchen, it definitely helps to boost up our health as well as enhance the flavour of the dish. For your information, Huiji Waist Tonic is now made in "Singapore" with a richer taste that filled with more goodness. And for Lunar New Year, you can pamper your loved one with either their festive gift sets such as Gifts of Thought (S$53.00), Gifts Of Warmth (S$93.00, shown above) or Huiji Waist Tonic and Fruity Lite Bundle Pack (S$42.80) which helps to bring them health and beauty.

Lastly I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.

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