Secrets to Oriental Evergreen Beauty and Wellbeing - Osmanthus and Chrysanthemum Flowers Exotic Teas and Sweets

In the midst of a sultry southern hemisphere summer afternoon, flowers will lift your moods, douse the heat and regenerate energies.

Sipping a cup of osmathus and fruits is an age old beauty formula (not much of a secret now if you know how). A simple recipe of Osmanthus fruit tea :

1. Throw in two thin slices of starfruit (carambola) and bashed kamquat (either fresh or dried) into a slightly warmed tea pot.

2. Put osmanthus dried flower and leaves into a tea ball or tea strainer and fit across the tea pot.

3. Pour boiled water to steep tea and fruits.

4. Rest for 5 minutes and it's ready for drinking.

Osmanthus Jelly

1. Dissolve a packet of standard gelatine powder or leaf in 1/2 cup water a large dish.

2. Boil water and make a pot of 700 ml of osmanthus tea. You may strain the flowers but it is not necessary as they provide a pretty decoration to the jelly.

3. Dissolve castor brown sugar in the tea.

4. Pour tea into the gelantine and stir well. You may wish to spoon into smaller moulds.

5. Cool for 20 minutes, cover and store in the fridge for at least 2 hours before removing from moulds and serving.

Chrysanthemum Tea

1. Make chrysanthemum tea as with osmanthus tea above.

2. Pour hot tea over goji berry.

Chrysanthemum Jelly

Prepare gelatine mixture.

Pour hot chrysanthmum tea and goji berry over gelatine.

Mix well and pour into mould or cups.

Homemade Slow Roast Cashew Nuts - best in the world

I have given up buying cooked cashew nuts from moderately to highly priced of all sorts from supermarkets or gourmet stores. With the exception of very few speciality nut vendors, the taste and texture are disappointing to say the least.

Once you have done home-made cashews, you probably won't bother to try any of the ready cooked ones anymore. Though it may not mean savings, it is well worth the effort (not much actually)!

Purchase premium quality large size cashew nuts from nut shop, grocers that get supplies from reputable importers or health food stores.

Pour boiling water into cashew in a large pot. Give it a quick stir, ensuring that the nuts remain intact and are not broken. Leave to stand for 5 minutes. (Note : the water should just cover the nuts by 2 cm.)

Drain and repeat with another pot of hot water.

(Note : if this step is skipped and the nuts are baked or roast, it will take a much longer time cook the nuts and the results won't be as delicious)

Drain and transfer into an ovenproof pan. Spread it out evenly and sprinkle with salt.

Put the tray into a preheat oven of 150 degrees. After 15 minutes, stir the nuts and return to oven for another 15 minutes.

Turn the oven down to 120 degrees. Roast for another 90, during which the nuts should be checked and tossed at least 4 times.

When nuts look light golden colour, turn off the heat.

Remove from oven and sprinkle a little brown castor sugar. Mix well. Return to the oven and let it continue to absorb some residue heat and infuse the sugar.

(Note : do not roast the cashew nuts till it is brown as it will have a bitter and burnt taste)

Alternatively, the nuts can be deep-fried in oil. However, that would be a less healthy option. Moreover, you have to be very quick to avoid getting the nuts overly brown as they burnt quite easily.

Versatile Verjuice - versatile traditional French ingredient given a new breath of life in modern western cuisines

I have recently discovered the uses and versatility of verjuice. Despite the initial inertia and apprehension of trying something out of my comfort zone, I managed to gain confidence after following some recipes successfully.


What is verjuice? Verjuice is the juice extracted from large unripened grapes which is unfermented (unlike wine) and popularly used in classic French cooking. Some Mediterranean cuisines also use verjuice, owing to the abundance of grapes grown in these regions.

To sum up, verjuice has the lemony taste without the tartness and acidity of vinegar and citrus fruits. Verjuice is also a good substitute for wine for those with dietary restrictions.

MARINADE
- roast pork marinade for crispy skin
- fish and other seafood

SAUCES
- vinaigrette salad dressing by mixing with herbs
- salad cream : whip with egg yolk, seasoning and vegetable oil
- toss in pasta with olive oil
- pickled vegetables

COOKING
- deglaze meat in stir fry
- moisten halfway through cooking meat or root vegetables
- add to vegetables or seafood soup
- paella or fried rice
- fried noodle

DESSERT
- syrup for cakes
- poach pear or quince
- apple pie
- sorbet
- jelly
- soak dried or fresh fruits

Verjuice has made a swift comeback in recent times. Maggie Beer popularised when she ventured into and successfully bottled it commercially, as well as recommending various uses for verjuice.

Verjuice novice cooks may want to experiment with less expensive verjuice available in some larger supermarkets in the beginning, so that making a few failed attempts would be quite affordable.

Tribute to a wonderful chef without advertising the product :
http://www.maggiebeer.com.au/products/details/?Item=PrdctsVerjuice62

More recipes to try out :
http://www.welshmansreef.com/welshmansreef8.html

Korean Chap Chae - stir fry potato noodles with vegetables and meat

Korean Chap Chae - Stir Fry Vegetables with Sweet Potato Noodles

There are many ways of whipping up a delicious Korean Dish Chap Chae. The main ingredient is sweet potato noodles (mung bean vermicelli which is thinner could be
used with shorter cooking time).

Ingredients : Preparation
Soak noodles in warm water for 15 minutes. Rinse with cold water and drain.
Garlic and ginger - sliced thinly
Spinach
Green shallot - sliced thinly
Green or brown onion - slice thinly
Carrot - julienned
Hard tofu (white or deep fried) - slice into thin strips

Meat (minced or thinly sliced beef beef)
Long white cabbage (Tianjin / Korean variety)
Shiitake mushrooms - sliced (use fresh directly or soak dried ones in water)

Chilli - slice thinly (alternatively, use red and green capsicum)
Vegetable oil

Seasoning :
Soy sauce - according to taste
Korean fish sauce
Salt - final tasting
Sesame oil
Brown sugar (optional)
Sesame seeds (optional)

Fry garlic and onion in oil using a heavy pan till fragrant. (Do not turn the heat too high)

Fry vegetables in the sequence of hardest to cook to soft - mushrooms, carrot, cabbage, tofu, spinach, shallot. When vegetables are almost cooked, add blanched noodles and seasoning sauces. Mix well using large chopsticks.

Add sesame oil last. Mix well. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top before serving.

Orange Semolina Mediterranean Cake soaked in syrup

This is a Mediterranean inspired dessert (Greek and Lebanese). It has been adopted as Modern Australian owing to the cultural heritage of our rich and diverse migrant population. Omit semolina for a flourless gluten-free recipe.

Cake Ingredients
(serving for 6 - 8 small slices)
Unsalted butter 125 g
Castor Sugar 1 cup
10 egg yolk
6 egg white
Semolina 1 cup
Ground almond (almond meal) 1 cup
Baking powder 2 tsp
Flour 60g
Mixed spices (ground cinnamon, caraway, cardamom) 

Rind from one lemon and one orange
1 tsp vanilla essence

Syrup Ingredients (heat over low heat) 
 

Juice from 1 lemon and 3 oranges
Orange zest 3 TBS
Brown sugar 1 cup
Grand Marnier or Contreau 1/4 cup

Topping
Toasted almond flakes
Lemon or orange rind 8 - 10 pieces

Optional: a handful of red currants soaked in brandy and roasted pinenuts

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 C.
2. Line 8 inch ring pan with baking paper at the base and sides. Place the centre ring before baking.
3. Mix soft butter and sugar till light and creamy. Add zest and vanilla essence.
4. Blend beaten egg yolk to the butter mixture. Combine well.
5. Add semolina, almond meal and baking power gradually and fold into the mixture gently. Add nuts and fruit at this point.
6. Whisk egg white to soft peak. Carefully blend flour and egg white into butter mixture.
7. Pour mixture into baking pan. Bake in the oven for at least 30 minutes. Check that it comes clean of the skewer before turning off the heat.
7. Meanwhile, bring the juice, sugar and liquor to the slow boil over low heat. Reduce till it is thick and glacy.
8. When cake is still warm, pierce holes with sharp skewer.
9. Pour syrup (reserve 2 TBS) over the cake evenly.
10. Sprinkle almond flakes and citrus fruit rind on top of the cake.
11. Pour remaining syrup over the cake before serving.
12. A dollop of Greek yoghurt and agave syrup would be heavenly!