Month: November 2016

Banana Cream Shake

It’s been a while since my last post, but now I’m back. Well, I have been learning to bake and the best way I learn – Bake it yourself! Cooking is fun but sometimes it’s like a laboratory measuring, testing etc. That requires a lot of patience!

So, yesterday I thought of making a refreshing drink. The best part is it requires very little effort and time. All it takes is a few ingredients, blend it together and top with a dollop of homemade whipped cream. While the Greek yogurt adds protein, its creamy and tasty. This is my first topping on a drink and it got me instantly excited. It tasted great! Not too sweet which I always enjoy.

TGIF everyone!

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2

Appliance needed: Electric Blender, Hand mixer

Ingredients

Banana – 2 medium

Greek yogurt – 3/4 cup, (I used farmers union Greek yogurt)

Cold milk – 1 cup

Vanilla essence – 1/2 tsp

Ice cubes as required

 

 

For the whipped cream

Whipping cream – 1/2 cup (keep this in the fridge until you’re ready to use)

Powder Sugar – 1 tbsp (Icing sugar will do)

Whipping cream to make whipped cream topping on banana shake

Directions

1. In a blender, mix banana, yogurt, milk, vanilla essence, ice. Blend until smooth.

Banana shake in a blender later topped with whipped cream

2. Remove the whipping cream from the refrigerator. Using a hand mixer whip the cream in a bowl (you can also use your hand to whip: use very very cold cream with a nice whisk).

step2_img_5355

3. Begin whipping initially on low speed at 1 and gradually increase to higher speed. In 2 – 3 minutes time it will form soft peaks.

Whipped cream- homemade for banana cream shake

4. Divide the shake between 2 glasses.

Scoop a tablespoon full of the whipped cream and top the banana shake. Top with nutella or any chocolate syrup desired. Enjoy!

 

 

Stay Healthy!

 

 

Notes

*I prefer less sweet. You can add more sugar if required.

*You can combine ice cream for more creamy flavor and use almond milk instead of plain milk.

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Pork Wonton Soup Recipe

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Serves: 4

It’s lovely exploring different cultures through food especially the Chinese food. I like Chinese food a lot and we have a lot of restaurants here that provide incredible food. Chinese wontons are commonly served which made me plan on making them at home as I was curious on how it would turn out.

Did you know that there is a difference between a wonton and a dumpling? I always thought they were the same! As I did some research I got to know the difference. A wonton skin is thinner than dumpling. It has a filling of pork or sometimes shrimp which is boiled and served as a soup whereas a dumpling is steamed, sometimes served with or without soup.

Finding a wanton wrapper was easy for me. At the grocery store it was available in the refrigerator section. If you have trouble finding them at your local grocery store look into the Asian/Chinese stores. They are found in round and square shapes mostly frozen I believe. I used the square wanton wrapper to give a desired shape while filling it with pork mince. Check out the video below if you like to know how to make wantons or dumpling in a creative way if you have the time. Until my next post, have a fabulous week!

Ingredients

Corn flour – 1 tbsp

Chicken stock cube – half

Oyster sauce – 1 tbsp

Spring onions & pepper powder for garnish

For the wonton filling:

Wonton pastry – 20 wrappers

Minced pork – 200 g

Spring Onions – 15 g

Ginger-Garlic paste – 1/2 tsp

Egg – 1

Garam masala powder- 1 tsp (optional)

Water / egg yolk for sealing the pastry

Salt

Directions

1. Add all the ingredients for wonton filling and mix together. Keep water in bowl to seal them (you can even use egg yolk) .Make the dumplings as shown in video.

2. In a pot filled with 2 cups boiling water add the rest of the remaining pork mince and cook for 10 mins on medium or until it boils.

remaining minced pork added to boiling water

3. In a small bowl containing 2 tbsp hot water ( I used 2 tbsp of soup), stir in the corn flour until no lumps are found. Also mix in the chicken stock cube. Add this to the pot. Add 1 more cup of water.

Corn flour

4. Carefully drop the wontons one-by-one into the pot. Add garlic. Take a tablespoon of oyster sauce and stir in lightly (you can also add the sauce before dropping the wontons).

Let it cook on low heat for 5 – 10 minutes or until it starts boiling.

wontons ready to cook

pork wontons droppped into the cooking pot with garlic

Oyster sauce

5. Garnish with spring onions and pepper powder. Serve hot.

Pork Wonton

Pork wontons soup garnished with spring onion

Note:

* If you have the wonton wrapper in the freezer. Place it in the refrigerator section for an hour or two before making the wontons. If you plan to make it right away keep it out in a warm area so it gets easier to remove the wrapper skin easily.

 

 

Stay Healthy!

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