Steamed Egg With Milk and Pumpkins 鲜奶金瓜炖蛋

We got home late tonight but my little boy requested if he can have the steamed egg dessert. Since I had just bought a carton of fresh milk and some eggs, I agreed to making it with him. After all it only took us 20 minutes.

Using the same recipe for the Steamed Egg with Milk and Banana, I used chopped pumpkin cubes and substituted the castor sugar with 1 table spoon of organic raw sugar this time, and it tasted really delicious!

I forgot to warm up the milk before putting them into the steamer, so I steamed them for extra 5 minutes today. The texture of the steamed egg was so smooth that made me feel like a pro this time. >:)

If you managed to try out this recipe, feel free to drop me your photo and I'll upload onto my blog for reference by others..

Steamed Egg with Milk and Banana 香蕉牛奶炖蛋

I was in the mood for dessert tonight, since I was given order by doc to stay home for few days, homemade dessert is the best option I had right now.

So I checked up the fridge, found some milk, eggs and bananas... Just the right ingredient I need for making some steamed custard!

So I referred to my favorite Christine's website and made this banana egg milk custard. It's so easy that it only takes 15min from scratch.

Seen here, the ingredient - 250ml fresh milk, 2 eggs and 2 table spoon of sugar (and 1 banana not in pic). I reduced the sugar instead of 30gm as suggested.

Subsequently I used only 1 table spoon of organic raw sugar, it tasted nice and smooth too. So moving forward I'll opt to use brown sugar or organic raw sugar only for better health benefit.

The egg mixture and the sliced bananas. I whisked the eggs vigorously using a fork then add milk & sugar, only took a good 30 seconds or so.

I used this sift to filter the bubbles in order to achieve the super smooth texture. Pour slowly to avoid overflow and lightly press with a spoon if need to (optional)

Put on the cover (or use a plate instead) onto each bowl and they are ready to enter the steamer. Make sure the water is boiling before you put them into steamer, starts timer right after you close the lid. As seem here, I used a Wok to do the steaming.



Ta da, my super smooth egg milk custard is ready after 12 minutes of steaming (you have to open lid every 4 minutes to let the steam escape, this is the key to ensure a smooth texture).

This is the original version for my big guy.

The banana version for my 15 months old (even lowered sugar content). The steamed banana is so sweet and soft, there's no fear of chocking at all.

It's yummy when serve hot, can taste the freshness of milk and egg in each bite.. I kept a bowl in the fridge for tomorrow cold dessert for my little boy since he liked it so much, I'm pretty certain that it will taste even nicer! :)


You may refer to Christine's original website here for the methods. I follow exactly except for reduction of sugar and addition of the bananas.


Want some Variety?

Subsequently I made a Pumpkin Steamed Egg with Milk, tasted really nice, highly recommend you to give it a try!

Other substitutes you can used instead of banana or pumpkin: Broccoli stems, asparagus, fresh orange, sweet potato, peaches, button mushrooms. When I have the chance to try them will post the update.

What milk? Some asked. I used Pura Australia fresh milk here, however I believe breastmilk will work as well. If any breastfeeding moms had tried using BM to make this dessert, please do share with us here and I'll most certainly upload the photo to share with others!

Do take note that....
Some infant may be allergic to egg (especially egg white), so it is not recommended to serve egg to little ones under 1 year old. Watch out for allergic reaction such as rashes or itchiness if this is the first time you are offering egg based food to your little ones.

Cheesy Pork Burger with Thick Onion Sauce 乳酪猪扒汉堡

There seems to be many things happening at the same time; work, family, inevitable duties. However Life goes on and tummies still need to be filled. So despite the many thoughts entangling inside, I still have to ensure the well being of my little ones. Good thing is that after becoming mom of 2 and countless practices, cooking has become quite an easy chore that I can cook up something decent without prior planning.

Anyway, totally non related with the recipe I'm about to share. Let's get back to the topic here.

I made this Cheesy Pork Burger tonight and it was well received by my little boy as well as big guy, they all finished their portion and asked for more. Even my 15 months old refused to eat her usual porridge and insisted to have a portion of our burger. So I mashed up one of the vegetable pork patty for her and she happily ate up all without any left over bits. I'm blessed to have a baby girl who truly enjoy her food :)

My little boy's burger, I always serve his burger in a pocket so it's easier for him to hold without the fillings dropping out. He enjoyed his pocket especially when I told him I made "special sweet sauce" for him. On normal day he would reject the onion, but not tonight, he loved his special sauce :)

The Double Decker Cheese Pork burger for man of the house. He had 3 of these since they are just medium size burger, not the large hamburger serves in Burger King.

The skinny burger for myself. No cheesy and single patty.

Ready to make some burgers now? Let's get ready the ingredient.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serving for: 3-4 persons

Ingredient:

4 Burger Buns of your choice
4 slices of cheddar cheese
Some cucumber or tomato slices

For the Patty:
10 meat balls / 250gm of minced lean pork meat
1/2 cup of chopped celery (1 stalk)
1/2 cup of chopped onions
1/4 cup of chopped carrots
4 glove of garlics, chopped
2 tablespoon of bread crumb
1 medium size egg

For the Patty Marinate:
2 table spoon of premium soy sauce
Few dash of Xiu Heng wine 花雕绍兴酒
Few dash of salt and pepper

For the Thick Onion Sauce:
1/2 yellow onion, cut into long thin slices
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
2 table spoon of premium soy sauce
A dash of black pepper
4 table spoon of water

The Steps:

The Patty
1. Mix the minced meat with the marinate (except the egg and bread crumb), set aside.

2. Blend all the vegetables into chunky bits and add into the minced meat. Add the bread crumb follow by the egg a bit at a time and mix well until you get the right texture, the patty should not be too soft or it may break apart when you cook them.

3. Heat up 3 table spoon of olive oil in a non stick pan, use a spoon to scoop the patty mixture into the pan and form a round shape of about 1.5cm thick. Cook about 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. You may cook a few in one go but do keep an eye on each patty to avoid over cooked.

For the Sauce

4. Heat up a tablespoon of olive oil, toss in the onion slices. Stir fry until it turns soft.

5. Add the soy sauce, black pepper and water, add the brown sugar and let the sauce shimmer until its thickened to desired texture, turn off the heat and pour into a sauce dish for later usage.

Now you have got all ingredient ready, just assemble your burgers and serve right away, or later. Taste nice either way.

When serving for little ones, do consider getting round bun and cut a pocket instead of cut into half. My boy loved his burger this way.

Make some Variety!
I made some variance in the patty, where:

A) Meaty version - only minced pork with chopped garlic and onion. This patty is firmer and most suitable for elder kids and adults.

B) Balanced version - mixed all vegetables with the minced pork. This patty is softer and more suitable for young toddler with milk teeth.

C) Not a meaty person? Refer to my previous posting on Vegetarian Patty Sandwich instead.


Useful Tips!

I always use a dash of Xiu Heng wine when working with pork or chicken as it brings out the taste in the meat.

I reserve one extra patty to include into my little boy's snack box, just poke it over a short stick and its a ready fast food. :)

Homemade Noodles, again 手工面条做法加食谱

The handmade noodles I made 2 weeks ago had ran out, so I thought its time to make a new batch, but using a pasta maker this time as I would prefer the noodle to be thinner.

It was a right decision, the noodles turned out way better this time.

I made different flavors this time:
Green noodles - Baby Kai Lan with egg
Orange noodles - Carrots
Yellow noodles - Pumpkin
Purple noodles - Red cabbages

This time, I let my little chef helped up since he was so interested with the pasta maker. In fact, he self invited himself when he saw me working on the dough. Pulled out the apron and washed the hands, then told me he's ready to help. He has certainly made significant progress! It requires quite some strength to turn the handle but he did a pretty good job.

Organic Alphabet Pasta with Goji Berries

Today's meal for Baby Claire - Organic alphabet pasta with celery, carrots, onions and goji berries cooked in anchovies soup.

Goji berries, 枸杞, also known as wolfberries, are high in antioxidant and is believe to be good for eye sights and brain development. I soaked them in water for about 5 minutes before cooking, just in case there is any coloring used in the making of the dried goji berries, this shall wash any residues away (I know some may think its totally unnecessary but I rather be safe than sorry...)

The berries have a soft texture after cooking and tasted tangy and sweet, so no resistant faced although this was the first time I introduced this to my 15 months old.


The preparation is simple, takes only about 20 minutes including all the washing and chopping.

Ingredients:
2 palmful of organic alphabet pasta
10 goji berries
1 stalk celery
1/4 medium carrots
1/2 medium onions
1 tea spoon of homemade anchovies powder

Serving size: 2 feeding

1. Soak the goji berries in warm water for 5 minutes, set a side.

2. Cut the remaining vegetables into small cubes.

3. Cook the berries and vegetables in a pot of boiled water for 10 minutes. First 3 minutes of high heat and change to medium heat subsequently. Add a teaspoon of homemade anchovies powder and mix well.

4. Add 2 palmful of organic alphabet pasta, cook according to the time indicated on the packet (I cooked mine for 10 minutes).

Just that simple. Baby Claire loves her pasta and ate up most by herself. Now that she has good eye hands coordination, I started training her to self feed and she is making good progress thus far. Just need to make sure I have many bibs to standby and a wet hanky on stand by :) Needless to mention, I have to supervise her closely to avoid the possibility of chocking.


Note:
Personally I will not give the goji berries to my kiddos on regular basis, as it is a type of herbs so it is always safer to give in moderation to avoid long term side effect.

Cheesy Raspberries Toast 覆盆子奶酪烤土司

This is a really quick snack that is perfect for a lazy afternoon. I had been busy the whole morning, woke up early before everyone else, after caring for the duo I had been running between doctor visit (such a long wait!), car workshop and a brief meet up with my brother. By the time we reached home I was feeling really exhausted that all I wanted to do was to lie flat and sleep like a log. Unfortunately being a mom of 2 one just may not have full control of her time...

As my little boy usually has his snack in the afternoon, I knew his tummy will be rumbling if I don't gather myself up to prepare something for him. So I made this simple yet not less in nutrition snack for him.

These cheesy raspberry toasts, with cute little animal food picks that I bought from the Daiso chain store, were much liked by him.

This is so easy to prepare that no recipe is required. Just follow the pictures and you'll know how :)

We had our toasts served with coffee and warm milk for our little handsome, simple but satisfying snack that keep us kicking and happy :)


Tips:

I invited my little boy to join me "to prepare something yummy" and he gladly accepted my invitation despite he was playing his PS3 games. Preparing food together is a good bonding time and little ones get to learn something useful and feel proud for being able to help. So, do consider to train your little man / little princes be your helper.

Trim the edges of the bread so the toast is softer to chew. I let my little boy used the plastic dough cutter to trim the edges so there's no fear of him cutting his own fingers. The trimmed edges were fed to the fish so nothing is wasted :)

I used almond nibs and dried raspberries for the filling, you can substitute with other dried fruits of your choice

You may noticed I used a rubber mat for the base. I bough it from IKEA for working with dough and fondant, but found that its really useful for sandwich cutting too. All the crumbs just fall within the big mat, no mess on the table top as I just have to fold up the mat and bring to basin for cleaning. Who likes a messy desktop after all? ;)