Taiwanese QQ Ball Dessert Soup Recipe

Life needs more colors and chewy Taiwanese ball dessert! These are as popular as boba teas but healthier using natural ingredients and much less sugar. I made them with my boys for some messy fun!

Ingredients

300 g taro/sweet potato/pumpkin

300g tapioca starch/corn starch (100g if use sweet potato or taro as they contain less water)

Sago

Screwpine leaves

Sugar (1/4cups) can replace with sweetener

Each 100g dough equals to 1 serving.

Cut the pumpkin and then steam with high fire for 15 minutes until soft. Peel the skin off. 

Smash pumpkin well, mix in sugar when the taro is still hot. Add tapioca starch in after the mixture cooled to room temperature.

Knead to form a soft ball, add water if needed. Add more flour if your mixture is too wet and more water if the mixture is too dry (start cracking while rolled).

Then divide the dough into 4 equal portions, shape each one into thin long log (around 1.5cm in diameter). Then cut into small dices. Dust some tapioca starch to avoid them from sticking together.

To cook the pumpkin balls,

Bring a pot of water to a boil, and then gently lower the balls in. Add 2 tablespoons of cold water when the taro balls floats. Then continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Strain the liquid. 

Make sure the water is already boiling before adding the balls, otherwise they disintegrate into a pot of glue. After adding the balls, slightly stir them to prevent them stick to the bottom of the pot. 

These pumpkin balls can be frozen well. Dust the balls with a thin layer of starch to keep them separated. Then cook directly for next serving. They can be frozen up for 1 or 2 months.

Similarly, use the method to cook 1/2 cups of sago. 

Prepare the sugar syrup by boiling screwpine leaves with sugar and 4 cups of water for about 10 minutes.

Serve the balls immediately with the warm/cold sugar syrup and add some evaporated milk for extra creaminess!

Lazy Keto Seafood Savoury Pancakes Recipe

Enough of sweet stuff. Tonight's dinner is calling for savoury pancakes which is low carb and low GI. Time to clear off home grown, organic long beans in the fridge. And also to sneak some nutritious fresh ingredients into my picky eaters' plates.

Ingredients

Filling

1medium brown onion, sliced

1 cup well-fermented napa cabbage kimchi, chopped 

1/2 cups Enoki mushroom, chopped

1/2 cups long beans, chopped

1/4 cups squid

Batter

1/4 cups squid

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup wholemeal flour

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 cup milk

3 large eggs

2tbsp sunflower oil

Yields 10 pancakes 

Fillings

Caramelize onions in pan using 2tbsp of sunflower oil.

Add in and stir fry Enoki mushroom.

Dish half of it up. Add in long beans and stir fry (Kids version)

Add in squid, kimchi and half of the onions and mushroom then stir fry (Korean/adult version).

Batter

Mix all the batter ingredients in  Philips food processor until smooth.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 1 day; stir for a few seconds before using.

Lightly coat  a skillet with oil on medium heat.

Quickly pour 1/4 cup batter with 1/4 cup of the filling (Kids/Adults) into center of skillet, tilting and swirling pan until batter evenly coats bottom.

Cook until pancake is golden in places on bottom and edges begin to lift from pan, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.

Flip the pancake over. Cook for another 45 seconds or so.

Enjoy!

Tips: 

They don't taste as good when left to cool. But if you have excess batter, you can refrigerate it overnight.

If you are adding coconut flour to a gluten-free flour blend or substituting it for flour in a regular recipe,  substitute coconut flour for up to 20% of that blend. The liquid and/or fat combination needs to be increased by about 20% (fat preserves the long term moisture of the final baked product). 

Coconut flour typically call for a lot of eggs. Every 1/4 cup (30.8g) coconut flour typically requires one egg for both moisture and structure.

When storing coconut flour, it’s best to keep it airtight and refrigerated since coconut flour absorbs moisture.

Lazy Keto Chinese crullers

This has always been one of my favorite teatime-- You Tiao aka Chinese crullers. But it's also very sinful-- deep fried with lots of goodness of the gluten. To enjoy it in a slightly healthier way, I have mixed coconut flour to give it lower carb/GI. 

1 3/4 cups (200g) all purpose flour

1/4 (40g) cups coconut flour

1 1/2 teaspoon (4g) baking powder

2 eggs (120g)

25ml milk

25ml water

2 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

oil for deep-frying

In a stand mixer, add all the ingredients together and then knead with hook on low speed for 7-9 minutes until the dough is quite elastic. Shape into a ball and then cover with plastic wrapper. You can set aside in fridge overnight. Alternatively, cover dough and proof for 4 hours before use. 

In the next morning, bring the dough outside and set aside for around 2 hours until it is returned to room temperature.

Slightly dust your operating board and then shape the dough into a long log and then further to a rectangle. Cut the rectangle into strips around 3cm wide. Lay one stripe over the other one and press a mark in the center (lengthwise).

Heat the oil to around 200 degree C. Then hold the two ends and slightly stretch the strips to around 18cm (or slightly adjust the length according to your frying wok). Press the two ends so they can stick together.

It really needs a lot of oil for the crullers to have time and space to expand nicely. At least 1kg I would say.

Enjoy while hot!

Tips: 

They don't taste as good when left to cool. But if you have excess batter, you can refrigerate it overnight.

If you are adding coconut flour to a gluten-free flour blend or substituting it for flour in a regular recipe,  substitute coconut flour for up to 20% of that blend. The liquid and/or fat combination needs to be increased by about 20% (fat preserves the long term moisture of the final baked product). 

Coconut flour typically call for a lot of eggs. Every 1/4 cup (30.8g) coconut flour typically requires one egg for both moisture and structure.

When storing coconut flour, it’s best to keep it airtight and refrigerated since coconut flour absorbs moisture.

Lazy Keto Grilled Waffles Recipe

We don't make waffles very often so we didn't invest in a waffle pan. Instead we use our grill pan to make equally delicious waffles! There you go, our simple low carb low GI waffles!

Ingredients

100 grams all-purpose flour

30 grams cornstarch

30 grams coconut flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon erythritol sweetener

1/2 teaspoon salt

250 ml milk

80 ml vegetable or lightly flavored oil

2 eggs

With a hand mixer, beat together eggs, sugar and melted butter till light and fluffy. Add milk and beat further for 1 minute.

Add the flour mixture and beat till it is mixed. The batter has to be slightly thicker than a pancake batter.

Preheat your grill pan on medium heat. 

Brush the center of the pan with a good high-heat oil-- coconut oil, grapeseed, canola oil or clarified butter.

Pour 1/2 cup of batter in the center of your pan, letting it spread.  

Lower the heat and let it cook for about 3-4 minutes. 

Don't rush the cooking so the waffle has time to develop the crisp ridges and cook the center without burning.

Once the edges start to look dry and the bottom has turned golden and crispy (lift an edge to take a peek), you can flip it.

Press down slightly with your spatula. 

Let it cook for another 2-4 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

The wire rack will let the waffle rest and cool without creating steam that will soften the crispy edges. I learned it by creating some soft waffles like the picture above. Lol.

Enjoy with a good fruit compote, cream cheese，  peanut butter, chocolate spread or even more butter!

Tips: 

They don't taste as good when left to cool. But if you have excess batter, you can refrigerate it overnight.

If you are adding coconut flour to a gluten-free flour blend or substituting it for flour in a regular recipe,  substitute coconut flour for up to 20% of that blend. The liquid and/or fat combination needs to be increased by about 20% (fat preserves the long term moisture of the final baked product). 

Coconut flour typically call for a lot of eggs. Every 1/4 cup (30.8g) coconut flour typically requires one egg for both moisture and structure.

When storing coconut flour, it’s best to keep it airtight and refrigerated since coconut flour absorbs moisture.

Honey Papaya Sorbet Recipe

No ice cream maker at home? We still can make healthy sorbet using fruits at home. This hot weather and papaya season calls for none other than honey papaya sorbet!

Ingredients

10g jelly powder

250ml water

2 tbsp pure honey

1 medium papaya peeled and cubed

In medium saucepan combine jelly powder, water and bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring until powder dissolves.

Can be made in advance and refrigerated up to 2 days in an airtight containter.

Place all ingredients into a blender and puree everything.

Pour into a freezing container and store in the freezer for two hours.

Take out and beat to break the ice crystals.

Keep in the freezer for another two hours and take out and beat.

Freeze overnight.

Leave on the countertop for 5 minutes before scooping and serving.

Enjoy!

Potato Chips Omelette Recipe

Potato Chips Omelette is being viralled in social media nowadays. Since Mr husband bought a pack of Lay's potato chips, let's try it out! We fried it in the conventional way instead of boiling it using the chip wrapper because it's way faster. We also believe that the plastic wrapper is not safe to be heated in boiling water.

Ingredients

4 large eggs, beaten

0.5 cups Lay's Salt& Vinegar potato chips (about 2 ounces), crushed

2 tbsp. oil

1small onion, chopped

0.25 cups medium sized brocolli florets only

0.25 cups julienned carrots

0.25 cups shredded salmon

50g cream cheese or 2 slices of cheddar cheese

20g cheese sauce powder

60ml warm water

In large bowl, combine all ingredients.

In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium-low. Add onion, cook 8 minutes.

Add egg mixture. Stir slowly until edges start to set, then cook undisturbed until top is mostly set.

Cover with large lid and carefully flip. Slide omelet back into pan; cook 5 minutes or until set.

Dissolve cheese sauce powder in warm water and serve as dip.

Enjoy!

Lazy keto banana ice cream recipes

While it's very tempting to grab tubs of ice creams from the stores, since the children are staying at home during MCO, we have more time indoors. Afterall, we still have a few bunches of bananas and 1kg peanut butter purchased from Shopee! Speaking about silly excuses to justify our purchase during the 4.4 sales :p

The first recipe is for an instant guilt free afternoon treat.

Banana peanut ice cream

Ingredients

2 Tbsp almonds

2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds

2 Large bananas cut into coins and frozen

1 Tbsp Natural peanut butter + additional for drizzling

2 chopped Oat Krunch Chunky Organic Hazelnut Cookies

Serves 2

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C fanforced and spread the almonds and pumpkin seeds onto a small pan. Bake until lightly golden brown and toasted, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Place the frozen banana coins (cutting them into coins before freezing helps them blend smoother) and the peanut butter into a high-powered blender and puree.

Add the toppings and enjoy it straightaway!

The second recipe calls for more freezing time and space in the freezer which we are lacking.

Chocolate banana peanut ice cream

Ingredients

4 ripe bananas

4 dates or 2 tablespoons maple syrup/honey (optional)

1/2 cup fresh milk

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup cacao or cocoa powder

2 tablespoons instant coffee powder (optional)

3 tablespoons vodka (optional)

1 pinch salt

Chopped KitKat bars (number to your liking!) and more for toppings (because life is too short)

Serves 6

In a blender, puree all the ingredients until smooth. 

Look at my busybody boy helping out.

Add in chopped KitKat bars and mix well. Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for 4 hours or overnight. 

Remove 10 minutes before scooping to soften the ice cream a bit. 

Add the toppings if desired and enjoy!