6.  Fried White Bee Hoon

A detoxification (detox) tea like lemongrass ginger tea should have a simple dish to go with it and what better than ‘plain’ bee hoon like this (you can prepare this in advance for a lazy Sunday lunch and thereafter enjoy the lemongrass ginger tea..)

I was inspired by this link but as I always ‘shop from my pantry first’ I made some modifications..

I had an extra packet of bee hoon (400g)so I used that. I also had on hand a packet of frozen seafood (400g) as well as a packet of minced meat (300g) (might as well clear everything!)

It’s that hard to get your daily serving of greens rich in vitamin C when you eat out so I bought about 4 packets of greens (‘xiao bai cai’ was on offer at 45cents per pack at 200g each) to supplement the bee hoon.

As in the recipe, I did not want to put onions so I replaced it with leeks (quantity up to you and even this is optional-remember..keep it SIMPLE)

You can actually follow the steps in frying the bee hoon from the above link.

But this is my method:

First, I soaked the 400 grams of dry bee hoon inside water. Once they were softened, I removed them, drained them, then snipped them. This makes for easier handling of the bee hoon later while frying them.

Secondly, I heated up 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and began frying the leeks (omit this step if you are not using), then any uncooked ingredients  (like the minced meat which had been marinated using the recipe from Beef Mince Congee (the link can be found below under my next dish “Meat Congee”). This was subsequently followed by frying the seafood I had on hand.

Thirdly, after all the above were cooked through and through, I poured the 400 ml of stock (1 stock cube earlier dissolved inside warm water)into the wok, added 7 to 8 tbsp of light soy sauce and brought the whole mixture to a boil!

Fourthly, I poured the bee hoon into the stock. Cover the wok with the lid and set your timer (I always use a timer!) to 2 mins. After 2 mins, remove the lid, off the fire, transfer the wok to a cooler part of the stove and stir the bee hoon thoroughly.

This is when the bee hoon is first submerged into the stock…BEFORE you cover the wok for 2 mins..see that gravy in the bottom left corner of the pic?

This is AFTER 2 mins when you remove the wok cover and then off the fire..you can see the bee hoon has absorbed most of the stock..the water quantity is just nice!!

This is the surefire way of getting the bee hoon to the right consistency: the bee hoon would have absorbed most of the stock by and become adequately soft and ready to dish out and serve!

7. Citrus Coriander and Carrot Soup

The last ‘comfort food’ or what I regard as a ‘comfort, healthy soup’ (it’s good for the eyes, to my belief:) is the citrus carrot coriander soup.

Seasoned with some freshly ground black pepper 🙂

I first received this recipe when I and my husband attended a massage session at Mayuri Ayurvedic Spa umpteen years ago.

The consultant recommended this soup recipe for both of us because of our similar mind-body constitution ( ‘dosha’)

This soup is really for anyone! It tastes amazing..very comforting..a refreshing taste..very low-fat and low carbohydrates (because no oil and also carrots and oranges are main ingredients).   I consider it as one of my best tasting ANTIOXIDANT soups!

I cooked this for a recent potluck and was repeatedly asked for what went into it.

I have modified the original recipe by omitting the ghee and also because I cook this in a slow cooker…

Simply add the following to a slow cooker and mix everything up before turning the slow cooker on high (as always 4 hours on High or 8 hours on Low) The end in mind is to have tender soft carrots:)

You may blend the soup after it has cooled if you so wish.

2 tbsp of coriander leaves and/or 4 tbsp of evaporated milk were suggested in the original recipe as a soup garnish (optional especially if one is lactose intolerant)

Ingredients: 2 tsp of coriander powder, 3/4 tsp of salt (can omit), 1/4 tsp of (preferably freshly grounded) black pepper, diced 500 grams of carrots, chopped 100g of onions, 900ml of stock or water and 300ml of orange juice(fresh orange juice is recommended in the given recipe but I cheated and used unsweetened orange juice from a carton..still yummy!)

Takeaway points:

Some cooling drinks, a detox soup,  hydrating and comforting congees and ‘plain’ rice vermicelli to nourish and heal from within the body- beauty inside out…

Create a loving ambience <3   in the home with these surefire recipes which require really simple preps!

Your family will love you all the more for it and your body, as well as theirs, will thank you for it. As a family carer, our stock of recipes should also include those of nourishing ourselves too!

The aromatic flavours and loving intent of these cooling drinks and ‘comfort food’ soups and congees will fill your home with love – an ingredient for happiness!