Easy drink recipes of dragon fruits

In 2011, an entrepreneurial and creative girlfriend who grew up in Shenzhen, China and did her graduate study in Cambridge, England came to live in Singapore for half a year. Having neither seen nor tasted dragon fruits before, she was fascinated by and loved eating them very much.

You tend to grow loving things and people whom your inspiring friends - your influencers - also love.

Since then, I have developed an appreciation for dragon fruits, also known as pitaya / pitahaya / 龙珠果, which are often served cut in lunch or dinner buffets in Singapore.

You will hardly miss dragon fruits sold in tropical markets or supermarkets, thanks to their beautiful vibrant magenta skin.

In contrast to its eye-catching outer appearance, the mildly sweet flesh of dragon fruits offers delicate aroma. The sweetness reminds me on melon, honeydew and pear, but dragon fruits are softer in texture than them.

Widely grown in the tropics, dragon fruit has been reported as potential anti-cancer (PMID 21535651), thanks to its anti-oxidant phenolic content in both skin / peel (more!) and flesh.

Blending pitaya hopefully helps to break its black and crunchy seeds, which are indigestible unless chewed. Please do not forget to treat your olfactory senses to the subtle fragrance of pitaya, before gulping them down to quench your thirst.

In this post, I lovingly share two drink recipes of dragon fruits. Enjoy!



Dragonfruit detox juice (火龙果排毒果汁)
Ingredients:
♥ 1 ripe dragonfruit (火龙果)
♥ 1 stalk organic celery (有机芹菜)
♥ 1 tsp honey (蜜糖)
♥ 150 ml water (过滤水)

♥♥♥

Dragonfruit banana smoothie (龙珠果香蕉冰沙)
Ingredients:
♥ 1 ripe dragonfruit (龙珠果)
♥ 1 ripe banana (香蕉)
♥ 100 ml fresh milk (鲜奶)

Directions:
1. Wash dragofruit, cut into halves. Use a large spoon to scoop out its flesh. Trim away any extra inedible skin. Cut into chunks.
2. Peel & chunk banana.
3. Blend dragonfruit, banana, milk together.

Tips: Since the skin has higher anti-oxidant content, consider using its flesh-facing side as a mask before throwing away.

由于火龙果的皮肤具有更高的抗氧化剂含量, 扔掉之前, 请考虑使用它的肉面对侧作为面膜。



Other recipes that I love:
♥ Dragonfruit and black sesame mochi ice cream by Maya, a scientist by training @ Foodiva's Kitchen, Brunei Darussalam, Borneo
♥ Dragon fruit mock mojito by Elizabeth @ Frugal Mom Eh! Canada
♥ Pitaya sorbet by Yolanda Bertaud @ Byzantine Flowers

Check also our other #5minutemeal recipes.

With love,
ServicefromHeart
Spring 2014

J for jiaozi for #AtoZChallenge: jiaozi 饺子 / Chinese dumplings recipe

If the Italians have ravioli, the Chinese have jiaozi dumplings. The versatile jiaozi (饺子) - often wrapped in cornu shapes, are eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Preparing and eating jiaozi are also a tradition to welcome Chinese / Lunar New Year / Spring Festival and other joyful occasions.

For the wedding of my sister in JinTan (金坛), Jiangsu (江苏), China, her in-law family had prepared countless beautifully & uniformly wrapped jiaozi - a symbol of fortune & prosperity.


♥♥♥

Before we arrived at Xian - my first visit to Xian, an ancient capital of Chinese kingdoms, Mac Ching told us how she looked forward to having a banquet of jiaozi! She succeeded to set our expectation high.



Steamer baskets of jiaozi incessantly arrived at our table in charming presentations of multiple colors, shapes and flavors. 



While a meal could be very delicious to the extent that we feel beyond blessed, it was the companionships of dearest friends (hailed from worldwide, thanks to China Synergy Program 2010*) - savoring the jiaozi together that made a dinner unforgettable, imprinted permanently in our hearts and memories.

* It is a great privilege to be a participant of China Synergy Programme; with great privilege comes great responsibility.

"To those whom much is given, much is expected." ~ John F. Kennedy

♥♥♥

The Japanese version of dumplings is called gyoza (ギョーザ, ギョウザ). When, I was busy and working hard in California, I once bought some frozen gyoza and packed it with my lunch box. At Urey Hall, La Jolla, I would then heat my lunch box with a microwave*. The gyoza made my relatively meatless lunch box complete!

* Now, I try to minimize using microwave, if possible.

♥♥♥

For #AtoZChallenge on 2014 April 11 Fri, I lovingly present a jiaozi recipe.



Servings: 40 pieces
Preparation time: ~ half day (I am a beginner, please pardon me!)
Cooking time: 5 minutes or until dumplings are cooked

Ingredients:
♥ dumpling wrappers (饺子皮)
♥ water to wet dumpling wrappers
for the filling:
♥ 350g meat (肉), grounded
♥ 250g shrimp (虾), grounded
♥ flour* (面粉), e.g. sweet potato flour, corn starch, lotus root powder
♥ 2 eggs (鸡蛋), beaten
♥ 1 firm bean curd / tofu (豆腐)
♥ 2 tbsp sesame oil (麻油)
♥ 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (香醋)
♥ 1 tbsp honey (蜜糖)
♥ 6 cloves garlic (大蒜), minced
♥ 1 tsp ginger (姜)
♥ grounded white pepper (白胡椒), to taste
♥ salt (盐) / light soy sauce (kecap asin), to taste
♥ 3 stalks scallion (大葱), finely chopped
♥ parsley (香菜), finely chopped (optional)
♥ chives (韭菜), finely chopped (optional)
♥ leek (韭葱), finely chopped (optional)
♥ bamboo shoots (竹笋), finely chopped (optional)
♥ lotus roots (莲藕), finely chopped (optional)
♥ black fungus / wood ear (黑木耳), minced (optional)

* adjust the amount until the filling mixture sticks

Directions:
1. A faster way to finely chopped vegetables is to use food processor (Pulse mode) in few seconds. Unless you want to have pesto, pulse briefly only and not too many times.
2. Mix all ingredients for filling in a large bowl. Stir thoroughly.
3. Drop a tsp of filling into a wrapper. Fold.
4. (optional) Place dumplings individually on plastic-covered plates. Do not let them stick to each other.
5. (optional) Freeze together on plates. Once frozen, store dumplings in a box separated with plastic so that it will be easy to take them for cooking.
6. In boiled water, add dumplings to cook until they float for 5 minutes.
7. Besides (1) vinegar and sliced ginger sauce, you may also like (2) peanut dip sauce (3) hot chilli oil to accompany jiaozi dumplings. 

Frozen jiaozi dumplings are generous companions for fast-to-prepare noodles, please check our other #5minutemeal recipes.

With love,
ServicefromHeart
20140411

PS: This post is also dedicated to my sister and brother-in-law, who both make better jiaozi than me.

E for egg for #AtoZChallenge: 5 easy ways of enjoying eggs

While living frugally in Malaysia, an egg for our breakfast was a treat for me. Now, most of us can easily buy and enjoy eggs. Sometimes, we enjoy eggs without paying much attention to the eggs: from crispy fried finger food to sweet desserts, cakes, cookies. What are your favorite ways of savoring eggs?

For #AtoZChallenge on 2014 April 05 Sat, I lovingly share 5 simple & easy ways to enjoy an egg or more eggs:
1. sunny side up egg
2. steamed egg
3. soboro egg
4. cheesy egg
5. egg mask

♥ ♥ ♥

In this post, egg refers to chicken egg. Egg is an inexpensive source of complete protein as it contains all essential amino acids.

Essential amino acids are termed as essential because human bodies do not synthesize them.

A list of essential amino acids:
♥ phenylalanine (F)
♥ methionine (M)
♥ isoleucine (I)
♥ leucine (L)
♥ lysine (K)
♥ tryptophan (W)
♥ threonine (T)
♥ histidine (H)
♥ valine (V)

To remember, Fat MILK WiTH Vitamins as a mnemonic. 

Besides essential amino acids, babies and children also need the following amino acids:
♥ cysteine (C)
♥ arginine (R)
♥ tyrosine (Y)

To remember, CRY as a mnemonic.

♥ ♥ ♥

SUNNY SIDE UP EGG

Normally, I fry sunny side up egg with a tea spoon of olive oil. Use sesame oil for a more fragrant sunny side up egg.



Some cherry tomatoes and bok choy mixed with tiny amount of sesame oil as happy companions:



Serve with green apple yogurt salad:



♥ ♥ ♥

STEAMED EGG



Recipe is here.

♥ ♥ ♥

SOBORO EGG

To make egg soboro そぼろ, also known as iritamago,
mix 2 eggs, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp anchovies in a bowl.
Cook over a frying pan over medium heat.
Use 2 wooden spoons (or 2 pairs of wooden chopsticks) to keep stirring the egg mixture to allow them to form fine granules.





♥ ♥ ♥

CHEESY EGG

Melt a slice of cheese while the egg is just scrambled & still hot:



♥ ♥ ♥

EGG MASK

I am grateful for the gift of luxurious Kose white mask. Once I finish using it, I am going to use egg white as a DIY face mask to tighten & tone our skins, a happy (bi)weekly beauty routine.



Egg white consists predominantly water (90%) and 10% proteins (albumins, mucoproteins, and globulins).

For a quick face mask, an egg white alone is sufficient.

If you have extra time, you can whisk egg white with any / some of the following ingredients:
♥ 1 tsp fresh lemon juice (masks the egg white odor & lightens skin)
♥ 1 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice (tones skin)
♥ 1 tsp honey (moisturizes skin with antiseptic & antibacterial properties)
♥ 1 tsp plain unsweetened yogurt (enlivens dull skin)
♥ 1 tbsp instant oatmeal, soaked in hot water (absorbs oil from oily skin)

Directions:
1. Relax your face & apply the egg white mask for 10-15 minutes.
2. While on mask, minimize talking, smiling or laughing to prevent wrinkles.
3. When the mask has completely dried on your face, gently scrub it off using warm water.

The egg yolk can be used as an ingredient to make meatballs. 

♥ ♥ ♥

Recipes that I also love:
♥ different degrees of soft-boiled eggs by Marc Matsumoto @ No Recipes. Thank you Marc! You are an awesome private chef, recipe developer & restaurant consultant. 
♥ Chawanmushi / 茶碗蒸し / savory egg custard by ServicefromHeart


With love,
ServicefromHeart
20140405

Postcards from Parkview Square Singapore (百威广场, 新加坡)

Standing tall and firm along North Bridge Road in the Downtown of Singapore, Parkview Square - a commercial building designed by James Adams Design and DP Architects - houses offices and embassies.

Opposite to the Raffles Hospital (private), Parkview Square is referred to as 'Gotham City building' (of Batman) locally. The design is of the classic Art Deco style, which is characterized by rich colors, bold geometric shapes, and lavish ornamentation.




A friendly taxi driver uncle* shared with me in Chinese Mandarin, that he remembers the Parkview Square well because of the statues of bony men holding up heavy things. Can you see them in the picture above?

* We call men who are older than us 'uncle' in Singapore or Malaysia.

In his words, "they look very struggling, perhaps they represent Life." He finished in accepting yet optimistic tone, "We struggle in lives."

***

The lift from street level to the square level was locked. I took an escalator up without realizing that I would need to go down few steps of staircase. A Cantonese-accented lady in an elegant above-knee dress helped me to carry baby Ren and his pram down. I am grateful to my heroine of the day!



At the plaza before entering the building, a signature crane sculpture is ready to fly towards the direction of Mainland China. The graceful golden crane - a symbol of wealth bringer - is supported by a pedestal with a Chinese poem that goes

黄鹤楼

故国旧有黄鹤楼
北望神州几千秋
黄鹤展翅飞万里
伟哉狮城见鹤楼

Yellow Crane Tower

In my old country once stood a Yellow Crane Tower
how many autumns have I gazed north, homewards?
A yellow crane spreads its wings to fly ten thousand miles
Alas! In the Lion City I see a Crane Tower!

This home-longing poem reminds us on a poem by Li Bai from the Tang Dynasty:

黄鹤楼送孟浩然之广陵

故人西辞黄鹤楼，烟花三月下扬州。
孤帆远影碧空尽，唯见长江天际流。


Sending Meng Haoran Off at Yellow Crane Tower to Yangzhou

My old friend bids farewell to me at Yellow Crane Tower,
he is going down to Yangzhou in the third month of spring misty blooms.
The image of his lonely sail fades into a jade-green void of sky;
now all I see is the mighty Yangztze River flowing to the horizon.

Note: Guanglin (广陵) is the classic name for Yangzhou (扬州).




Plato, Lincoln, Churchill, Sun Yat-Sen, Newton, Chopin, and Dali (standing tall in bronze statues) welcome everyone at the plaza. Physically dead yet spiritually alive in souls whom they have inspired over generations, I tried to introduce baby Ren to them but the noon sun was perhaps too strong for us.



Built at a cost of SGD$87.93 million and completed in 2002, rents of offices in Parkview Square (D07) cost tenants ~ SGD$8 psf (hence beyond  6 digits of monthly rents for a unit greater than 12,500 sqft / 1160 sqm) as of March 2014 (CommercialGuru). 

The interior of the lobby is also opulently decorated in the classic Art Deco style like a Western palace.



Perhaps one day we would be able to have a sip of coffee or wine at the Divine Wine Extraordinaire bar of Divine Society but now I am inspired to re-visit the Art Nouveau works by Mucha.

***

Address: 600, North Bridge Road, 188778 Singapore.



From Bugis MRT, the fastest way to reach Parkview Square is through walking the side of Raffles Hospital.

Other travel posts that I love:
♥ Leonard Ng's Yellow Crane Tower @ Rainy Blue Dawn
♥ Jotterboard's visit to the Divine Wine Extraordinaire bar of Divine Society @ Parkview Square
♥ our #travelxp posts

easy sushi rice balls with balsamic vinegar recipe (ada Bahasa Indonesia juga)

What is sushi rice? It is vinegared rice used to make sushi. We remembered: once we were told, at an Asian restaurant that we managed to find open at a late winter night in Paris, that they were running out of steamed rice. "Would you mind if we use sushi rice instead?" Being hungry, we quickly nodded and accepted the offer. It turned out to be a very delicious meal - a meal to remember.

The choice of vinegar matters. Normally, rice vinegar is used to make sushi rice. Japanese rice vinegar normally contains ~5% acetic acid. For today's sushi rice balls, I used balsamic vinegar of Modena (Leonardi brand) with 6% acidity.



Do you love adventures? Sushi that we love has probably traveled from southern China to Japan - a country symbolized by sushi, in accordance to Marc Matsumoto.

In preparing our meals in simple and easy ways, we can be adventurous too. Perhaps, sushi rice can go with other not-so-common sushi ingredients.

Recently, baby Ren's Godmother introduced us to Nestle Cheerios cereals. Both ouf us love them. Besides eating them as a snack, with oatmeal, how else can we enjoy them?




Soft sushi rice can go well with crunchy cereals. Serve with goldfish made of cherry tomatoes and kids will like them!



Serving: 2
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes (depends on your rice cooker)

Ingredients:
♥ 1 rice cooker cup (newly harvested, if possible) rice grains
♥ 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
♥ 1 tbsp honey
♥ 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Rinse and gently rub rice grains (using sieve, if possible) to remove dirt. If you have extra time, soak washed rice for 30 minutes before cooking for fluffier texture.
2. Cook rice using rice cooker using rice:water ratio of 1:1.5 (normally, I will use 1:2 ratio for steamed rice).
3. Meanwhile, mix balsamic vinegar, honey, salt in a small bowl.
4. While the cooked rice is hot, add vinegar mixture over the rice (in a wooden container, if possible). Gently toss without destroying delicate grains of rice*.
5. Make into balls. I prefer to use thoroughly washed bare hands. Wet hands can minimize sushi rice get stuck on our hands.
6. Garnish sushi rice balls with cheese, cilantro, cereals, sesame seeds (optional).


* It is okay if you break some grains, so do I. We are learning, and even great sushi chefs practice over 10,000 hours to retain the original shapes of each grain of rice. 


  
Other recipes that I love:
♥ Marc Matsumoto's sushi rice at No Recipes
♥ Namiko Chen's sushi rice at Just One Cookbook
♥ Issendai's how to cook Japanese rice

Check also our other #5minutemeal recipes.



Brief ingredients and Directions in Bahasa Indonesia:
♥ 1 gelas (ukuran rice cooker) beras baru panen
♥ 1 sdm cuka
♥ 1 sdm madu
♥ 1/4 sdt garam

1. Bilas butiran beras dengan saringan untuk menghilangkan kotoran. Jika anda memiliki waktu ekstra, rendam beras  selama 30 menit sebelum dimasak supaya teksturnya pulen.
2. Masak nasi menggunakan rice cooker dengan perbandingan beras:air 1:1,5 (biasanya, saya akan menggunakan perbandingan 1:2 untuk nasi putih).
3. Sementara itu, campur cuka, madu, garam dalam mangkuk kecil.
4. Ketika nasi masih panas, tambahkan campuran cuka ke dalam nasi (dalam wadah kayu, jika ada). Aduk secara lembut tapi cepat tanpa merusak butiran beras.
5. Buat bola nasi sushi dengan tangan bersih. Basahkan tangan sedikit supaya nasi sushi tidak lengket di telapak tangan.
6. Hias nasi sushi dengan keju, ketumbar, sereal, biji wijen.



With love,
ServicefromHeart
20140222