Indonesian Chicken Sushi (Lemper)

Lemper (sometimes lemper ayam) is an Indonesian dish made of sticky rice and chicken. The chicken is rolled inside the rice, in a fashion similar to an egg roll; this is in turn rolled and wrapped inside a banana leaf or tinfoil to make a packet ready for serving. Lemper are most often seen as snacks, but may sometimes be served as appetizers as well. Lemper tastes very good. The chicken is sweet.
Ingredients :
• 1 kg glutinous rice grains
• 300 cc thick coconut milk
• 3 pcs kaffir lime leaves
• 1 tsp salt
• Banana leaves, cut about 20 x 10 cm for wrapping sushi
• Sufficient toothpicks, to embed wrapper

Fillings :
• 400 gr boiled chicken breast, shredded
• 3 pcs kaffir lime leaves
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 pc white part lemon grass
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp cummin powder
• 1 tbsp oil
• ½ tsp sugar
• Salt to taste

Directions :
1.soak glutinous rice for 2 hours, drain, steam half cooked
2.Boil the thick coconut milk, add salt, kaffir lime leaves
3.Add gloutinous into the coconut milk and stir up
4 .Steam mix glutinous until cooked

Fillings :
1. Heat oil, add garlic stir well until fragrant, add another ingredients, stirr well until coconut milk absorbed all, put aside

Finishing :
1. Take a sheet of banana leaf and put 2 tablespoons of glutinous rice in the middle, round it off and shape it flat. Place 1 tbsp filling in center of dough, then close. Shape, banana leaf on top of sushi roll and fasten both ends with toothpicks. Grill for 15 minutes.

Note :
If you have trouble wrapping the dough, you may use aluminum foil.

Dried Shrimp Fried Rice

Homemade fried rice is the epitome of comfort food because it normally includes our own favourite items. Do it by first pounding the dried shrimp and chili to bring all the flavours together. You can use a heavy rolling pin in a mixing bowl.

Ingredients :
• 6 cups cooked rice, left overnight in the fridge
• 4 tablespoons canola oil
• 50 g dried shrimp
• 1 handful dried chili, cut to small pieces
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 g chopped spring onion
• ½ tablespoon soya sauce
• 1 teaspoon white pepper powder

Directions :
1. In a mortar and pestle, add the dried shrimp and chili before pounding and grinding until the dried shrimp and chili start breaking apart.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat before frying the dried shrimp and chili mixture for about 1 minute. Add the minced garlic and fry for another minute.
3. Add the rice, pepper and soya sauce and stir until the rice gets nicely coated in the flavoured oil. Turn up the heat and continue frying until very fragrant, tossing every step of the way.
4. Divide and serve hot with a sprinkling of chopped spring onions.

For 6 servings

Smoked Salmon Sushi

A very basic and easy way to make sushi rolls.

Ingredients :
• 2 cups Japanese sushi rice
• 6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 6 sheets nori (dry seaweed)
• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and sliced
• 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
• 8 ounces smoked salmon, cut into long strips
• 2 tablespoons wasabi paste

Directions :
1. Soak rice for 4 hours. Drain rice and cook in a rice cooker with 2 cups of water. Rice must be slightly dry as vinegar will be added later.
2. Immediately after rice is cooked, mix in 6 tablespoons rice vinegar to the hot rice. Spread rice on a plate until completely cool.
3. Place 1 sheet of seaweed on bamboo mat, press a thin layer of cool rice on the seaweed. Leave at least 1/2 inch top and bottom edge of the seaweed uncovered. This is for easier sealing later. Dot some wasabi on the rice. Arrange cucumber, avocado and smoked salmon to the rice. Position them about 1 inch away from the bottom edge of the seaweed.
4. Slightly wet the top edge of the seaweed. Roll from bottom to the top edge with the help of the bamboo mat tightly. Cut roll into 8 equal pieces and serve. Repeat for other rolls.

For 6 rolls

Amount Per Serving Calories : Calories: 291 | Total Fat: 6.9g | Cholesterol: 9mg

Vegetables Rice

This recipe is the act of my right brain at work! When my son told me about the yummy Herbal Fried Rice offered by the Vegetarian Stall in his school.  I was not present in the HERE and NOW, upon hearing the word 'herbal', my right brain wander off to the thoughts of fried rice with olive, then it reminds me of the preserved olive vegetable and many other things that eventually lead me to this creation - adding preserved olive vegetable to cook the rice.   

This is the characteristic of a Right-Brained (often misunderstood), where they can think of one thing, say another and their brain has already moved on to another thought. 


If you are curious whether you are a right-brained or left-brained person, take the simple test @ The Right Brain vs Left Brain test. Have fun!

Preparation:     10 mins, Cooking time:  15 mins

           

Ingredients :

°         200g rice, washed and drained

°         400ml water

°         2-3 tablespoons preserved olive vegetables

°         some freshly chopped spring onion (optional) 

Directions :

1.      Combine all the ingredients into an electric rice cooker, mix well and turn it on.

2.      When done leave the cooked rice to rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

3.      Garnish with chopped spring onion and serve hot.

Serves 2

Soy Bean Sprout Rice

This is rather similar to Korean Rice Dish - Kongnamul Bab. You can even simplify it by having two ingredients -  rice and soy bean sprout,  with simple seasoning like salt or light soy sauce with or without sesame oil.  You may even replace carrot with mushroom or other ingredients you have in your kitchen.

Never underestimated the taste of this simple dish! We are surrounded by many simple and yet delicious vegetarian dishes. So just experience the richness of vegetarian food by taking the opportunity to savor it and fully taste it, by just focusing on the sensations in the mouth and appreciate it fully.

Preparation:     15 mins  Cooking time:            15 mins

Ingredients :

°         200g rice, washed and drained

°         400ml water

°         125-150g soy bean sprout, trimmed

°         25g carrot, peeled and shredded

°         1 tablespoon curry powder (optional)

°         salt and granulated mushroom bouillon  to taste

Garnish :

°         some shredded nori and roasted sesame seeds

Directions :

1.      Combine all the ingredients into an electric rice cooker, mix well and turn it on.

2.      When done, leave the cooked rice to rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and garnish with shredded nori, sesame seeds and serve hot.

Serves 2

Pumpkin and Yam Congee

Lately, has a Mindful Lunch in Silence! Someone asked us to watch our mind during lunch time with questions like - What is the mind doing? What is the mind aware of? What is the aspect of the food are we enjoying? How many percentage of the time are we enjoying the food or thinking of the food (via internal chattering or commenting)? How is the mind relating to the five senses? It was a very interesting to see how the mind works! 

Basing on our previous experiences, knowledge and life circumstances, our mind would tend to have predetermined views on food or certain type of food knowingly or unknowingly.  All would feel differently and all food reviews can be subjective.  Therefore, feel free to change the ingredients or explore with different type of ingredients to come up with something that you would like.  

Preparation:    5 mins

Cooking time:  20 mins, plus 2 ½ hours standing time

                      

Ingredients :

°         100g rice, washed and drained

°         100g pumpkin, cut into small cubes

°         50g yam, cut into small cubes

°         50g king oyster mushroom

°         1 pcs kelp (2cm x 5cm)

°         800ml water

°         salt and pepper, to taste

°         some shredded nori, roasted sesame seed, spring onion, for garnish

Directions :

1.    Wash the rice and drain well. Put the rice in a plastic or metal container and freeze it for 2 – 2 ½ hours in the refrigerator.

2.    Remove from the freezer and add 250ml water to it and leave to stand for 5 minutes.

3.    Pour the rice into a claypot or pot. Add the remaining water, pumpkin, yam, kelp and bring to a boil. Simmer for another 15 minutes or until the congee is soft. Stir to mash up the pumpkin. If it is too thick, just add some water. Season to taste with salt and pepper

4.    Ladle the congee into individual serving bowls. Garnish with shredded nori, sesame seeds, spring onion and serve hot. 

Serves 2

Woodsy Gobo Gohan

Quick and easy, awesome and yet wholesome brown rice with root and sea vegetables that anyone can whip up! Marrying Kinpira to One-pot Rice! Burdock Root or gobo is a nutritive powerhouse which is high in fiber and low in calories. It is also a blood purifier in herbal medicine but not suitable for pregnant and lactating women due to the plant's uterine actions.

Preparation:        15 mins  Cooking time:    30 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)

°          200g brown rice, washed and soaked and drained

°          1 tablespoon barely

°          500ml water

°          100g gobo/burdock root, cut into thin match-stick length

°          4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced

°          25g carrot, peeled and cut into match-stick length

°          2 pieces konbo (4cmx 6cm)

°          4 tablespoons light soy sauce

°          1½  tablespoons cooking rice wine (optional)

°          ½  tablespoon sugar or to taste

Garnish

°          some coriander leaves or spring onion shreds

°          sesame seeds and chilli flakes or shichimi (optional)

Method

1.       Combine all the ingredients into an electric rice cooker, mix well and turn it on.

2.       When done, leave the cooked rice to rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and garnish with coriander leaves or spring onion, sesame seeds and chilli flake or shichimi and serve hot.

Vegetarian Jerky Fried Rice With Mock Floss

Finally, here the recipe ...

Preparation:     5 mins, Cooking time:  8 mins 

Ingredients (serves 2)

°         200g rice, cooked

°         25g-50g (1-2 slices) vegetarian jerky or Bak Gua, cut into small square

°         25g carrot, cut into small dices

°         1½-2 tablespoons olive oil

°         salt and pepper, to taste

°         2 tablespoons mock floss

°         6-8 kaffir lime leaves, shredded

Method

1.      Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat and stir fry the vegetarian jerky till fragrant.

2.      Throw in the carrot and stir  in the cooked rice and season salt and pepper.

3.      Add in the kaffir lime leaves and fry about 2 minutes or until rice is heated through. Sprinkle with some water if it is too dry.

4.      Top with mock floss and garnish with kaffir lime leaves, vegetarian jerky and serve hot.

Nori Chazuke

I had a Nori Chazuke (Chazuke) from a Japanese Restaurant, which is rice topped with julienne seaweed and wasabi where you just need to pour in some clear broth before eating it. A simple dish and I tried to re-create it using Shojin Dashi (Vegetarian Dashi) broth.  In this recipe, I added chilli flake for garnish and just a piece of nori instead of julienne nori.  As for the mushroom and kelps from the Dashi stock, used them to make side dishes.

Preparation:     5 mins, Cooking time:  20 mins

           

Ingredients :

°         1 bowl cooked plain white rice

°         wasabi, to taste

°         some julienne nori

°         some toasted sesame seeds

°         some matcha powder

°         some chilli flake (optional), for garnish

Vegetarian Dashi :

°         10-12 kelps in knot

°         25g dried chinese mushroom

°         1 slice ginger

°         500 ml water

°         2 tablespoons light soy sauce

Directios :

1.      Place the mushroom and water in a bowl and leave it to soak for 2-8 hours.

2.      Place kelps, ginger, mushroom and water from soaking the mushroom (strain) in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove the kelps, ginger and mushroom. Season to taste with light soy sauce.  Ladle vegetarian dashi into a tea pot.

3.      Place a bowl of rice on a serving plate or bowl, top with nori, sesame seeds, wasabi, mataha powder and chilli flake and serve with the vegetarian dashi.

Serves 1

Beans and Rice

Ingredients (use vegan versions) :
• 1 can of organic black beans (Eden, Shari Ann's,etc.)
• 1 small onion
• Half of red or green pepper (whichever you prefer) (or a little of each)
• Half of a small (8 oz) can of Hunts Tomato sauce (Hunts is vegan)
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions :
1. Cut up the onion into small pieces, along with the pepper.
2. Saute in a small-medium sized pot, with some olive oil
you can just drizzle enough on the onion and pepper to
cover, or you can measure out in tablespoons, it's
according to how much oil you want to use)
3. Add at least 1/4 of salt ( I use sea salt) or more
4. Add pepper (I usually just use a pepper shaker and shake
it about 10 times, sometimes more)
Saute on low heat until veggies are soft
5. Add half a can of tomato sauce, followed by can of black
beans. Let it come to a quick boil, then reduce heat to low or
simmer. The longer you let it simmer, the more flavorful
the dish. Stir occasionally.

• You can use any kind of beans, I just prefer black beans
Serve with rice. Enjoy.
• This is a simple dish. You can adjust any of the
ingredients according to taste!