No-wrap Healthy Glutinous Rice Dumpling

I belanja you No-wrap Glutinous Rice Dumpling this dragon boat festival! I have no skills to wrap it to be honest but we want a healthier homemade version so I improvise to create this No-wrap version using lean meat. All cooked within 45mins. Are glutinous rice dumplings too high in calories? Not entirely, refer this article how to enjoy it the healthy way.

Ingredients

For the rice:

320ml or 2 rice cups glutinous rice / sweet rice / sticky rice 

540ml water

6 shitake mushrooms 

160ml or 1 rice cup mung beans

6 chestnuts deshelled or 18 lotus seeds

Filling:

10 cloves garlic - finely minced

25 gr dried shrimp - soaked and drained off water

800 gr pork or boneless skinless chicken thighs - dice into small pieces

6 salted egg yolks - cut into 12 small pieces, optional

2 Tbsp cooking oil

1 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp oyster sauce

1/4 tsp white pepper powder

Marinade for meat:

1 Tbsp oyster sauce

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp white pepper powder

Others

12 bamboo leaves

Method

The night before:

Marinade the meat.

Soak bamboo leaves in water.

Weigh it down with a heavy bowl or pan so the leaves won't float. 

Discard the water the next day and rinse them clean.

Soak rice, mung beans, chestnuts and Shitake mushroom in water. Keep refrigerated until use.

Cook the filling:

Stir fry garlic for about 10 seconds and dried shrimp until fragrant. 

Add meat to caramelize.

Add mushrooms.

Add rice.

Add mung beans.

Season.

Use the soaking water for the rice (top up to 360ml if necessary), simmer until glutinous rice absorbs the liquid. That way we get all the umami taste of the mushrooms yum yum!

Line a small stainless steel bowl with bamboo leaves, overlapping to cover the base and the side. 

Add the fried ingredients.

Slot in salted egg yolk if used.

Gently pack it down with the back of the spoon.

Pour 2 cups of water into the pressure cooker.

Place the trivet in.

Arrange the bowls on the trivet.

Boil at high heat until the pressure cooker starts whistling then turn to medium heat and cook for 30mins.

Wait 30 minutes for it to cool down and then serve.

Masked face and Double Cleansing | Chrisear White Milk Cleanser Review

Welcome to the new normal! 

Masked faces and even face shields are the way to go, probably for the next 6 months. What does this mean to me as a full-time doctor? On average, I have to wear a 3 ply surgical mask for up to 9 hours a day， perhaps even longer when I'm on call.

Do you know that prolonged face mask use can cause skin damage? The tight fitting N95 masks tend to feel fairly suffocating to breathe in, and the edges of the mask can exert significant pressure on skin surface, causing pressure injury especially where the skin is thin and near to bony surface. Even normal surgical masks can increased humidity level and skin irritation due to trapped sweats under stressed conditions, causing acne, itchiness and rash.

Wound care experts from the European Wound Management Association and NPIAP (US) have spoken extensively with this regards. You can find the video here. And the article here.

What can we do to mitigate the risk?

A good skincare regime is the key. Cleansing and moisturizing are important steps to prevent skin problems. In certain cases, preventive dressings can be applied on the face to stop pressure injury from developing.

Will double cleansing help?

Double cleansing is the backbone of many popular Korean skincare regimes. At the end of the day, it is extremely vital to clear our skin off dirt, impurities, pollutants and makeup residues. Even if one doesn't wear makeup, it is still important to double cleanse as impurities can cause premature skin ageing including sun spots and wrinkles.

The first step of double cleansing involves an oil based cleanser (examples include Chrisear White Milk Cleanser) or micellar water. This removes makeup and sebum buildup without stripping the skin off natural oil.

Step 2: Use a lathering cleanser to wash upwards and outwards in the direction of the hair follicles for deep cleansing.

Step 3: Rinse with water and pat the skin dry.

Chrisear White Milk Cleanser

Chrisear White Milk Cleanser is a non-foaming cleanser with cleansing and makeup removing function suitable for all skin types. It's gentle yet effective so it can also be used around the eyes.

The main ingredients are-

Liquorice provides deep cleansing to unclog the pores so as to prevent acne from forming. It also faints skin pigmentation to achieve fairer complexion.

Isaflavonoids are potent antioxidants which rejuvenate the skin and soothe irritated skin.

It doesn't contain harsh chemicals or preservatives. Therefore, Chrisear White Milk Cleanser is suitable for expecting mothers as well.

What does Dr Yingzangel think?

Whenever possible, I double cleanse before hitting the sacks- at least 2-3 times/week. Honestly, sometimes I'm just too tired. But I'll at least use a lathering cleanser and apply moisturizer. I don't put on much makeup but eye makeups can be notoriously difficult to remove because most are waterproof. Chrisear White Milk Cleanser makes the job much easier. It's lightweight and doesn't burden the skin. At the same time, it preserves natural sebum to protect the skin. I find the light scent relaxing at the same time.

Get your own Chrisear White Milk cleanser at JomBeautii 

360° Medi Skin is a certified aesthetic clinic that offers a range of beauty solutions - from medical grade facial treatments to minimally invasive office aesthetic procedures like filler injection and laser treatments.

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Facial puffiness 101 | 360° Medi Skin V-Lift Phyto Stem Cell Spray Review

Beauty treatment at home is the way to go! Due to the current Pandemic, it's always wise to cut down non essential trips away from home. 

But this is no excuse to neglect skincare.

What is V lift?

V lifting is an aesthetic treatment that tightens skin to reduce puffiness and lightens wrinkles. I have previously tried nose threading using polydioxanone (PDO) fine threads. Read my experience in this post. It's a fast, effective and safe procedure under trained hands. The thread can also be inserted to create V shaped face. But now it's possible to do needleness V lifting! All in the comfort of your home.

What causes facial puffiness?

Facial puffiness is caused by water or salt retention under the skin. This can happen when the blood vessels are leaky; or when body cannot excrete excessive water or salt from the body. Or when the lymphatic and/or blood drainage is blocked.

Before spraying.

In healthy people, this can happen if one has too much salt, sleep deprivation (like me during my oncalls), alcohol, PMS and hot showers.

Besides that, people with certain health conditions can have puffy face such as
1. Allergies with angioedema
2. Kidney problems
3. Heart failure
4. Liver failure
5. Severe malnutrition with low protein in blood
6. Thyroid problems

Read more about facial puffiness here at Women Health Mag.

What can we do to lessen facial puffiness?

Drink up! Water of course. Make sure you have at least 1.5L to 2L of plain water a day. Have enough sleep. Exercise and be active. Remove makeups completely before sleeping. Cut down alcohol and salt. Or try V-lift treatments for more immediate and lasting results. I have recently tried 360° Medi Skin Instant V-Lift Phyto Stem Cell Spray as a quick fix at home.

360° Medi Skin Instant V-Lift Phyto Stem Cell Spray

This spray contains stem cells derived from plants to provide durable lifting and firming effect to the skin which helps to alleviate puffiness, round cheeks and uneven facial contour. The product is the much sought after V-shaped instagrammable face!

How to use?

This stem cell spray contains a potent concoction of botanical goodness. Just spray the face and neck twice a day after cleansing at about 4inch distance. It can also be used around the eyes. Just make sure you closed your eyes before spraying. Then gently tap and pat the solution after 10 seconds to facilitate absorption.

The effect is visible almost immediately. It's really magical and incredible. There's no injection involved and very minimal side effects as the content of the spray is natural.

The main ingredients are

1. Apple Stem Cells: It contains strong anti-ageing and rejuvenating properties

2. Acetyl hexapeptide-8 : This helps to tighten the skin and reduce appearance of fine lines.

3. Caffeine: I love my coffee! This reduces puffiness and make sure the skin is supple without cellulite.

What does Dr Yingzangel think?

360° Medi Skin Instant V-Lift Phyto Stem Cell Spray is a convenient and effective therapy to create supple and photogenic face instantly. It's not invasive and safe for daily use. So I suggest ladies who think they have tried everything else besides aesthetic treatments can use the stem cell spray to help with facial puffiness. Everyday is an instagrammable look!

Get your own 360° Medi Skin Instant V-Lift Phyto Stem Cell Spray atJom Beautii.

360° Medi Skin is a certified aesthetic clinic that offers a range of beauty solutions - from medical grade facial treatments to minimally invasive office aesthetic procedures like filler injection and laser treatments.

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Steam Pumpkin Huat Kueh Recipe

Even though covid 19 cases are dwindling, we still need to be cautious. So we tend to buy groceries only once a week to avoid the crowd, especially during this festive season. Pumpkin is a great and versatile ingredient that can last a few weeks without refrigeration. Once cut, it can be steamed, mashed and frozen until used.

Ingredients:

(A) Starter

50g all-purpose flour

50ml warm water

1 teaspoon instant yeast

(B)

250g blended rice flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

(C)

300g pumpkin puree (steamed and mashed)

150 ml evaporated milk

1 tbsp sugar

1 egg

Yields 12 muffins

Methods:

Mix all the starter ingredients and set aside for ½ hour to rest.

In a mixer, put in pumpkin puree, evaporated milk and egg. Mix till well combine. Set aside.

In a big bowl, sift in all-purpose flour and baking powder. Make a well in the center.

Pour in mixture from step 3 together with starter. Fold till well incorporated.

Pour batter into aluminum cups till full. 

Bring water to rapid boil. Place the cups into steamer and steam at high heat for 30 minutes. 

Only fill up the cups as many as you can steam. Do not fill them up and wait to be steamed.

Serve with some melted Gula Kabung!

Healthy Fruity Frozen Oreo Cheesecake Bites Recipe

When mom's backyard yield mulberries, it calls for some frozen treats! This cheese cake is foolproof and easy to make. And make a great teatime. 

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/2 cup Oreo cookies

Filling

220g cream cheese, softened

4 medium ripe mashed bananas

1/2 cup plain homemade yogurt

1 1/2 tablespoons honey (optional)

Pinch of salt

Mulberries toppings

Throw all the berries in a container with 1/4 cup of sugar overnight to let them macerate turning them into a fruity syrup. I do this as mulberries can have a lot of tartness. 

Methods

Spray freezer safe containers with cooking spray and set aside.

Crumb Oreo Cookies using a blender.

Press the crumb down using a small bottle. 

Put the container in the freezer to firm up the crust.

Use a electric mixer to make creamy and smooth filling.

I microwaved the cream cheese and my frozen bananas for about 10-20sec until soft before mixing.

Fill the containers.

Top with mulberries with the sugary syrup. Freshly picked from the garden!

Cover the containers and return to the freezer for at least 4 hours before serving.

Healthy Purple Sweet Potato Boba Latte Recipe

Taiwanese Boba Teas are everywhere in Malaysia. They are so tempting. But most of them are loaded with calories, refined sugar and artificial flavouring.

To satisfy our craving, we created a healthy version of Healthy Purple Sweet Potato Boba Latte! Just get some quick cook Boba pearls from Shoppee and we are good to go!

Ingredients

1/2 cup quick cook Boba pearls
6 cups of water
4 screwpine leaves
1 medium purple sweet potato, peeled
1L fresh milk, chilled

Method

Measure 4 cups of water for every 1/2 cup of boba. Bring the water to a boil.

Boil the boba pearls and stir constantly until they begin to float.

Turn the heat to medium and cook the boba covered for 12-15 minutes.

Turn off the stove. Let the pearls sit covered for another 12-15 minutes.

At the same time, boil 2 cups of water with screwpine leaves in another pot.

Cut sweet potato into similar size to the boba.

Simmer until sweet potato is soft and the liquid is just enough to cover the sweet potatoes. Remove screwpine leaves.

Assemble the latte.

Place 2 tbsp of boba at the bottom.

Layer with 1/3 cup of sweet potato soup.

Top with fresh milk.

Enjoy it cold!

Healthy Cauliflower and Potato Gratin Recipe

When I just realised that we have a week old cauliflower and potatoes in the pantry I wanted to cook curry. But what to do when my children do not take spicy food? That calls for aloo gobi for the adults but gratin for the children using the same core ingredients. 

Ingredients

1 (3-pound) head cauliflower, cut into large florets

4 potatoes, cut into slices

salt

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk/evaporated milk

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Mozarella

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 cup macaroni

Methods

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, cauliflower florets and potatoes and cook on a medium heat for 7 minutes. Drain.

Blanch macaroni until al dente. Drain.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter, add flour, milk and whisk to combine until no lumps remain.

Remove pan from the heat. Whisk in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, pepper, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.

Transfer cooked macaroni, cauliflower and potatoes into the 8 by 11 inches baking dish. Cover with a white sauce and carefully mix to combine the ingredients.

Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoon of melted butter and sprinkle mozarella on top.

Air fry at 180C for 10 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Serve warm!