magazine i 2015
Food
8 foods for fabulous skin
Familiar recipes with
a tasty twist
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Kitchen Hacks Easy kitchen Cheat Sheet
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Recipes: Recipes with a tasty twist 16 Salt and Pepper Tofu 18 Seafood Fried Rice 20 Rolled Oats Cereal Prawn 22 Luo Han Zhai (Buddha’s Delight) 24 Seafood Hor Fun 26 Green Tea Jelly Home: Kitchen How-To 28 The kitchen Cheat Sheet 30 The Refrigerator Revamp
Contents
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Food: Eat your way to fabulous skin 6 Blueberries 7 Bell Pepper 8 Tomato 9 Green Tea 11 Dark Chocolate 12 Walnut 14 Soy
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Food
Eat your way to
fa bulous
skin
Here’s a beautiful reason to stop by the supermarket today: Certain foods are powerhouse ingredients that keep skin supple and smooth — One bite at a time...
As beauty products get more high-tech, can the top complexion cures still come from the most natural quarters: the aisles of your supermarket? You already know that filling your diet with power foods—like dark leafy greens, dark chocolate, citrus—can help beat chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes. However, there are certain foods can also work wonders on your skin.
Eat your way to fabulous skin
Studies are finding links between certain nutrients and wrinkle reduction, radiance, and acne prevention. “There’s a growing body of research showing that diet really does affect your complexion,” says Jessica Wu, MD, a dermatologist in Los Angeles. “What you eat can affect your hormone balance, cause acne, and create or lessen inflammation, which is associated with skin aging.” In fact, what you eat can be as important as the serums and creams you apply on your skin.
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Food
Fight Acne with blueberries These plump little beauties can help save skin.
Vitamins A and C, while low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. They are also a good source of antioxidants, and can be eaten raw, cooked with other foods, or dried for use in tea. No matter what form blueberries take in your diet, their many vitamins and nutrients can be good for your skin. Whether you suffer from acne, broken capillaries or splotchy skin, the nutrients in blueberries will help.
Eat your way to fabulous skin
Although acne is typically attributable more to hormones than to the physical condition of your skin, certain nutrients can counteract the hormonal conditions which encourage pimples. Many of the vitamins in blueberries may neutralize or normalize oil levels in your skin, making it healthier and less likely to accumulate sebum. Vitamin A, in particular, is used in a variety of acne-related skin treatments.
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Food
Fight Crow’s-feet with Bell peppers Carotenoids, the colorful plant pigments some of which can turn into vitamin A, are very powerful antioxidants.
Eat your way to fabulous skin
Orange and yellow fruits and vegetables have high vitamin A activity because of the carotenoids they contain. Generally, the deeper the color of the fruit or vegetable is an indication of a higher concentration of carotenoids. They help decrease skin’s sensitivity to the sun. One study in the British Journal of Nutrition found that people who ate the most green and yellow vegetables (up to 250 grams; one large pepper is about 190 grams) had fewer wrinkles, especially in the crow’s feet area. This may be because of antioxidants that fight aging free radicals.
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Food
Firm up with tomatoes
Eat your way to fabulous skin
These plump little beauties can help save your skin.
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Tomatoes are rich in vitamin C, which helps to keep the skin firm and taut by aiding collagen production They also contain lycopene: the red pigment which not only gives tomatoes their bright red colour, but also stimulates skin circulation. Lycopene, helps eliminate skin-aging free radicals caused by ultraviolet rays. Your body gains the most sun-shielding nutrients when the vegetable is heated. Just a half cup of cooked tomatoes or pasta sauce has 16 milligrams of lycopene; along with ample sunscreen, that daily dose should help keep you out of the red.
Food
Rejuvenating green tea
Just what can’t green tea do?
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add some citrus Adding lemon ( or any circus juice) increases tea’s antioxidant potential.
People who drank a beverage containing green tea polyphenols daily for 12 weeks had skin that was more elastic and smooth, and had one-quarter less sun damage when exposed to UV light compared to those who did not. The brew’s catechins like EGCG (antioxidants) boost blood flow and oxygen to the skin, which delivers key nutrients to keep your complexion healthy, say researchers. Sip one cup a day, and fight redness with green tea! Brew the perfect cup every time with these simple tips…
Black teas should be steeped in boiling water but green tea needs it a bit cooler. (Boiling water can actually burn green tea!) After boiling just wait a few minutes before putting your tea bags.
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Watch the clock
Most teas take 3-5 minutes. However, if tea is oversteeped it can taste bitter, green teas normally only need 2-3 minutes.
Eat your way to fabulous skin
When Green Tea is hot, the bionic brew releases catechins, a type of antioxidant with proven antiinflammatory and anti-cancer properties. (The tea’s antioxidants start to degrade as it cools, so drink it while it’s hot.)
Temperature matters
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Food
Grown under the sun throughout the whole season
Eat your way to fabulous skin
Green tea leaves are higher in antioxidant, Catechin
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Grown under the shade before harvest (so more costly)
Higher in theanine ( the umami, savory of tea) When tea leaves are exposed to sunlight, Theanine changes to Catechin
Matcha v.s Green Tea Although both beverages are now very popular around the world, not many understand the difference between the two teas.
Food
Get glowing with dark chocolate For maximum flavonol content, eat chocolate that’s at least 70 percent cacao and not any regular milk chocolate The sweet treat is rich in cocoa flavanols, plant compounds with antioxidant properties, which help hydrate skin and improve circulation. These high levels of flavonols, are a potent type of antioxidant.
Eat your way to fabulous skin
Cocoa hydrates your skin, making it firmer and more supple. , Women who drank cocoa fortified with 326 milligrams of flavonols (equal to a standard Hershey’s Special Dark bar) had better skin texture and stronger resistance to UV rays than those who drank cocoa containing just a small amount of the antioxidant. You need just a few ounces a day. A couple of squares a day should be enough to improve luminosity.
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Food
Eat your way to fabulous skin
Soften Skin with Walnuts
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Snack on a handful of walnuts each day to improve your complexion’s texture Walnuts contain omega-3 essential fatty acids, which can improve skin’s elasticity. It’s the only type of nut that contains a significant amount of omega-3 fatty acids, which is especially important for vegetarians who are skipping fish. The nuts are also loaded with copper, a mineral that boosts collagen production Walnuts pack an omega-3 called alpha-linolenic acid. Deficiency in this fat can result in eczema, which is associated with dry, scaly skin.
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Eat your way to fabulous skin
Food
Even Your Skin Tone with soy
Eat your way to fabulous skin
Drink a latte with soy milk or eat edamame and you may get a clearer complexion.
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A small study of middle-aged Japanese women found that those who daily consumed 40 mg of aglycone (an isoflavone found in soy), had fewer fine lines and improved skin elasticity within 12 weeks compared to a placebo. The isoflavone can help stop collagen from breaking down, which is what leads to sagging and lines. You’ll find about 40
mg of isoflavones in 3 ounces of tempeh, 1 ounce of dry roasted soybeans, or 6 ounces of tofu.
Check out our Salt and Pepper Tofu reciple at page 17.
recipe
Recipe menu Cook these familiar Zhi-Char stall dishes, with a healthier twist to it so that your loved ones could enjoy eating without compromising their health, or at least, less guilt for eating more!
Starter
Salt and Pepper Tofu
Main
Seafood Fried Rice Rolled Oats Cereal Prawn Luo Han Zhai (Buddha’s Delight) Seafood Hor Fun
Dessert
let’s make it
Recipes
Green Tea Jelly
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recipe
Recipes
This vegan salt and pepper tofu recipe is a great dish to entertain with. Either serve it as an appetizer with tooth picks, or serve it as an entree with some tomato like a bruschetta. All the components of this recipe can be made ahead and put together just before serving. This is a truly fancy, delicious, vegan, Chinese dish and it tastes like something you’d get at a restaurant.
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recipe
Salt and Pepper Tofu Serves 2 as an entree or about 4 as an appetizer I Prep + Cook Time = 15mins
1/2 tablespoon oil 2 medium leeks, white part only, washed and grit removed (1 cup when chopped) 1 celery rib (1/2 cup when chopped) 1 small green pepper (1/2 cup when chopped) 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar for the tofu 1 block (14 oz when drained) extra firm tofu 4 tablespoons corn starch 1/2 teaspoon or to taste freshly cracked black pepper Salt Vegetable or canola oil for frying
1 Chop the leeks, celery and green pepper into a fine dice. Heat
oil in a wok on medium-high heat. Add chopped leeks, celery, and green pepper. Sauté on high heat for about 2 minutes. Add ginger and garlic. Cook another 1-2 minutes. Add soy sauce and brown sugar and cook 30 seconds. Set this mixture aside.
2 Pat dry the drained tofu. Cut into 1 inch cubes. Place the tofu
cubes in a large bowl. Add corn starch, salt and pepper. Gently toss till the tofu pieces are very well coated.
3 In a skillet, pour oil so that it comes up 1/2 inch. Heat the oil.
Make sure oil is hot. Add tofu cubes a few at a time. If you fry too many in one go they won’t crisp up. Fry the tofu pieces, flipping them around, so that all sides are golden brown. Drain onto a few layers of paper towels.
4 Heat up the sautéed leeks, celery and bell pepper. Add the fried tofu cubes to this. Toss well. Serve vegan Chinese salt and pepper tofu with your favorite chilli sauce and garnish with celery leaves or green onions.
Recipes
for the sauté
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Recipes
recipe
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recipe
Seafood Fried Rice Serves 4 I Prep + Cook Time = 30mins
3 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoons sesame oil 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 onion, diced 2 carrots, peeled and grated 1/2 cup frozen corn 1/2 cup frozen peas 3 cups cooked rice 2 green onions, sliced
1 In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger
powder and white pepper; set aside.
2 Heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add shrimp, and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste; set aside.
3 Add garlic and onion to the skillet, and cook, stirring often, until
onions have become translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in carrots, corn and peas, and cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are tender, about 3-4 minutes.
4 Stir in rice, green onions and soy sauce mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in shrimp.
Why it’s a Smart Choice:420.7 calories; 12 g fat (1.9 g sat, 5 g mono); 214.5 mg cholesterol; 47.9 g carbohydrates; 4.7 g added sugars; 29.3 g protein; 3.2 g fiber; 964.5 mg sodium.
Recipes
INGREDIENTS
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recipe
Rolled Oats Cereal Prawn Serves 2-4 I Prep + Cook Time = 45mins
main INGREDIENTS 12 pieces prawns (medium size) ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon white pepper ½ egg whites from an egg 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for pan fry About ¼ cup oat flour, for coating (blend from ¼ cup old fashioned rolled oats till fine) ½ cup rolled oats for the sauté 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1 salted egg yolk, diced 3 stalks curry leaves 1 big red chilli, sliced diagonally 1 teaspoon sugar
1 Remove prawn heads, shells with the tail intact. De-vein prawns.
Marinade prawns with salt, pepper and egg whites for about 10 minutes.
2 Put 1/2 cup rolled oats inside wok. Without adding any oil, pan fry the oats till fragrant and lightly brown. Dish out and set aside.
3 Heat up wok, add in vegetable oil. Dust marinated prawns with oat flour. Arrange in hot wok and cook till golden brown. Dish out and set aside.
4 Without washing the wok, melt butter and vegetable oil in wok.
Add in diced salted yolks and stir-fry on medium heat. Once the yolk and butter mixture turned bubbling, add in curry leaves, sliced chillies, sugar and toasted rolled oats.
4 Quickly stir-fry for few seconds till rolled oats are well coated, feel light and crispy. Toss in cooked prawns. Mix well and serve.
Recipes
Why it’s a Smart Choice: 345 calories; 15 g fat (2 g sat, 7 g mono); 226 mg cholesterol; 20 g carbohydrates; 33 g protein; 3 g fiber; 554 mg sodium
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recipe For this recipe substitute Nestum with rolled oats. What is great about this recipe is that there is no deep frying required. The coated prawns are pan fried till cooked before tossing into the buttery rolled oats. This rolled oats prawn dish has less oil, high fibre, tastes good and easy to prepare. Sounds great?
recipe
Luo Han Zhai (Buddha’s Delight) Serves 4 I Prep + Cook Time = 35mins INGREDIENTS 30g/1oz dried Shiitake mushrooms 4 dried bean curd sticks 150g/5oz bamboo shoots 100g/4oz fresh water chestnuts 100g/4oz large carrots 50g/2oz shredded Napa cabbage 100g/4oz snow peas 10g ginger, sliced 2 garlic cloves 15ml dark soy sauce 2.5g sugar 2g sesame oil 30ml/1fl oz vegetable oil Salt and white pepper, to taste3 stalks curry leaves 1 big red chilli, sliced diagonally 1 teaspoon sugar
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Soak the Shiitake mushrooms and the bean curd sticks in separate bowls in warm water. Reserve the water from soaking the mushrooms.
2 Prepare a sauce by mixing the leftover Shiitake mushroom water, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil.
3 Ideally, use a wok to cook Buddha’s Delight. Heat the oil and sauté the ginger and garlic.
4 Slice the carrots and add them in the wok. 5 Sauté for a couple of minutes. 6 At this stage add the snow peas, Napa cabbage, bamboo
shoots, chestnuts and bean curd sticks. Season with salt and white pepper and add the sauce. Cook for 10 minutes. Why it’s a Smart Choice: 232 calories; 14 g fat (3 g sat, 5 g mono); 6 mg cholesterol; 17 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 16 g protein; 4 g fiber; 605 mg sodium;
recipe
recipe
Seafood Hor Fun Serves 4 I Prep + Cook Time = 30mins main INGREDIENTS 600g of broad hor fun 200g of prawn, shelled and de-veined 100g of pork meat (thinly sliced and seasoned with light soy sauce, pepper, sesame oil and corn starch) 50g of pig’s liver, thinly sliced and blanched till almost cooked Fish balls, halved Fish cake, sliced Cabbage or Chye Sim, cut 2 eggs 3 cloves of garlic, minced for the sauté 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce 1 tablespoon of fish sauce 1 teaspoon of salt 1 teaspoon of sugar Pinch of white pepper 1 large bowl of water (about 600g – 800g, amount adjustable) About 1/2 cup of oil (leave & separate 1 tablespoon for later)
Recipes
1/2 small bowl of corn starch slurry, made of 1 tablespoon of corn starch in abt 100g of water (for thickening gravy)
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1 Heat non-stick wok with 1/2 cup (minus 1 tablespoon) of oil
on medium fire. Loosen the hor fun and add to stir fry. Need not to constantly stir fry, but leave it to brown with occasional stirring. Add 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce and stir fry to combine well. Heat off and dish out. Reserve for later.
2 In the same wok, add 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add garlic and stir fry till aromatic (browning is not necessary). Add seasoned pork slices and stir fry till almost cooked. Add prawns, fish balls, fish cakes and cabbage and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
3 Add water until ingredients are fully covered. Cover
wok with lid and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes. Remove lid and add salt, sugar, fish sauce and pepper. Stir fry to combine. Break eggs into the wok and stir immediately to create egg drops effect. Add blanched pig’s liver. Before heat off, add corn starch slurry to thicken the gravy.
4 Divide hor fun into plates. Pour gravy and ingredients into each plate proportionately to serve immediately.
Why it’s a Smart Choice: 428 calories; 10 g fat (3 g sat, 2 g mono); 66 mg cholesterol; 61 g carbohydrates; 5 g added sugars; 5 g total sugars; 25 g protein; 3 g fiber; 798 mg sodium.
recipe There are two ways of preparing noodles the Cantonese way: dry stir fry and wet stir-fry. This seafood hor fun is a great illustration of Cantonese wet stir-fry. The rice noodles are first pan-fried and a white and slightly thick sauce laced with various seafood is then poured on top of the bed of noodles. The outside hor fun dish is usually cooked with the hor fun deep fried beforehand, making it more tasty and less sticking. You wouldn’t waste so much oil to predeep fry the hor fun for your home cooking. Simply stir fry (with a little bit more oil than the usual cooking) it!
recipe
Matcha Pudding Serves 6 (depending on mould) I Prep + Cook Time = 15mins
INGREDIENTS 2 tsp Matcha powder or to your taste 40g Sugar 300ml Soy Milk 2 + 1/4 tsp Gelatin powder 2 tbsp Water
1 In a small bowl, soak and soften the gelatin with 2 tablespoons
water.
2 Stir milk and sugar under medium heat until sugar dissolved and milk to almost boil.
3 Heat up wok, add in vegetable oil. Dust marinated prawns with oat flour. Arrange in hot wok and cook till golden brown. Dish out and set aside.
4 Lower heat, sieve in matcha powder, stir well. Add in the soaked gelatin, and mix till gelatin dissolved. Off heat.
5 Strain matcha mixture into moulds and let cooled. Chill pudding in the refrigerator to set for few hours before serving.
Recipes
Why it’s a Smart Choice: 345 calories; 15 g fat (2 g sat, 7 g mono); 226 mg cholesterol; 20 g carbohydrates; 33 g protein; 3 g fiber; 554 mg sodium
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recipe Matcha may a bit of an investment, but a worthy one , especially if you like to make a lot of desserts. Fairprice offers the Ten Ren Match Matcha Powder, as well as the Ujinotsuyu matcha powder at Fairprice Finest.
Recipes
This Matcha Pudding uses soy milk to give it a light and natural sweetness. This harmonizes beautifully with the fresh matcha flavor. A healthy dessert that it is gluten free, eggless and very easy to make. Pour into an ice cube tray for easy bite sizes or simply use recycled chicken essence containers around your home.
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HOME
kitchen cheat sheet Know your figures. Figure out your kitchen.
Weights
1g = 0.035oz
gas 1/2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
°C 120 140 150 170 180 190 200 220 230
imperial ½oz ¾oz 1oz 2oz 3oz 4oz (¼lb) 5oz 6oz 7oz 8oz (½lb) 9oz
Metirc 15g 20g 30g 60g 85g 115g 140g 170g 200g 230g 255g
°F 250 275 300 325 350 375 400 425 450
Oven Temperatures
imperial 10oz 11oz 12oz 13oz 14oz 15oz 16oz (1lb) 24oz 32oz (2lb) 48oz (3lb) 64oz (4lb)
Metirc 285g 310g 340g 370g 400g 425g 450g 680g 0.9kg 1.4kg 1.8kg
HOME
A Spoonful of... 1 teapoon = 5ml 1 tablespoon = 15ml
What's in a cup? Flour Caster Sugar Brown Sugar Butter Raisins Currants Grated Cheese
Imp. Metric /oz /g 5 140 8 225 6 170 8 225 7 200 5 140 4 110
Pint
¼ ½
1 1¾ 2 3
Metric Cups 100ml 125ml ½ 150ml 200ml 250ml 1 275ml 300ml 400ml 500ml 2 570ml 750ml 3 1.0L 4 1.1L 1.3L 5 1.7L 2.0L 8
Liquids Fl Oz. 3½ 4½ 5 7 9 10 11 14 18 20 26 35 40 46 60 70
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HOME
refrigerator revamp Refrigerator storage tips : Organize your Fridge to Keep Food Fresher, Longer (and Cut your Energy Bill)
The door is the warmest part of the fridge and is good place for condiments. Though most models may have a compartment for eggs in the door, it’s probably a better idea to keep them on one of the main shelves. All about location 1. eggs do best where the temperature is most consistent— on the middle shelf.
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2. milk tends to land on the top shelf, but it should be on the bottom, all the way in back, where it’s coldest. 3. yogurt, sour cream, and cheese fare best on the bottom shelf for the same reason. Stack items on a turntable to keep everything accessible and expiration dates visible.
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4. leftovers, drinks, and ready-to-eat foods. The upper shelf is warmer than the one below, a great place to store items that don’t need a high risk
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5. Keep vegetables and fruits separate if possible as vegetables stay fresh longer with a bit of humidity. Store in the original packaging or in a plastic bag, loosely tied.
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Tip: Leave vegetables and fruits unwashed until you use them. Water can promote mold and cause bacteria to grow.
Keep a roll of masking tape and marker near the fridge for easy labelling
Stick suction hooks on fridge walls to hang small items and pieces.