Hijiki Sea Weed Salad (Japanese Recipe)

Preparation: 15 mins


Ingredients (serves 2)
° 2 tablespoons (15g) hijiki seaweed, soaked with 500ml water for 15 mins, drained well and blanched
° 50g carrot, sliced (or Radish, sliced)
° 50g bulldock, sliced (soak in salt water for 15 - 20min after sliced)
° 3/4 tablespoon sesame oil
° 1/2 tablespoon molasses (or brown sugar)
° 1 tablespoon Kikkoman light soy sauce
° some sesame seeds (optional)


Method
1. Remove the sliced bulldock from the salt water. Pour in 1 cup (250ml) of water into the cooking pan and place the sliced bulldock for cooking till soft (about 10 min).

2. In order to avoid the sesame oil over cook under high heat, add 1-2 tsp of sesame oil & well cook the sliced bulldock together with the water.

3. Add in the sliced carrot and continue to cook for 5 min.

4. Follow by the Hijiki Seaweed and well cook for 5 min. Combine all ingredients and season well with Kikkoman light sauce and molasses. Serve chilled if prefer.

Recipe: Indian Chickpea Curry and Crispy Roti Plata

Clove (Right) Star Anise (Top Bottom) Cinnamon (Top Left)

Ingredient:-
¾ bowl (150gm) Split Chickpea (Chana Dal)*, washed
4 cups (1 litre) Water
5 - 6pcs Lady finger
1 Eggplant, sliced about 0.5" thick
1 Carrot, sliced
4-5 Tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 tablespoon tamarind pulp soaked in ½ cup (125ml) warm water, and strained to obtain juice
½ cup Coconut milk / Soya Milk / Cream Milk Powder dilute in luke warm water
4 - 5 Dried Chillies (finger-length)
1 sprig Curry Leaves
½ medium Cauli Flower, cut into small florets
3 tablespoons Coconut Oil/Olive Oil (Low boiling temperature Oil) / Ghee

1 - 2 tablespoons Vegetarian Belachan Paste (main ingredient is Chillies Padi)


Spices:
½ teaspoon Turmeric powder & dissolve in ½ bowl of water
Sea Salt , to taste
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 Cinnamon Stick

5-10 Cloves

2-3 Star Anise

Step-by-Step:-
1. Well cook Chana Dal (split chickpeas) with water in a pot till soften before add in the fried spices.

2. Heat the ghee or coconut oil in a large saucepan, add the black mustard seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves, star anice, curry leaves, dried chillies slightly fry until fragrance. Add in the diluted turmeric powder and well cook for 3-5 min.

3. Transfer these spices into the pot and well mix with Chana Dal.

4. Add in other vegetables like eggplants, tomato, cauli flower, carrot together with tamarind juice and cover, continue cooking for half-an-hour.

5. Lastly, add in the lady fingers (as it is easily become soften & smash), soy milk/cream milk, belachan paste, some sea salt to taste and leave for cook in another 10 mins before serve.

6. This "Chickpea Curry" can either serve with Nasi Bryani or Roti Prata.

*The words "chana dal" mean "split chickpeas." (Chana gram is a whole chickpea). Chana dal are baby chickpeas that have been split and polished. The most popular legume in India. Chana dal is a very versatile dried split yellow lentil with a slightly sweet taste, nutty flavor

** "Ghee" - Ghee is a Sanskrit word for a clarified butter used primarily in Indian cuisine. Because the preparation of ghee involves heat, it has a distinctive toasted flavor, often described as nutty. By heating butter, the fat and moiture are separated, and the butter fat is then spooned from the top - the result is ghee! Before the advent of commercial vegetable oils, ghee was widely used for deep frying. Unlike other butter-based products, ghee has a high smoking point and can be stored without refrigeration for weeks. As long as ghee is stored in air-tight containers, it does not spoil easily. (For health concern, discourage to use ghee for deep frying purpose, instead it is ideally to quick fry the spices or preparing the Nasi Bryani)

***Coconut Oil - Recommended visit this website for further details. http://products.mercola.com/coconut-oil/

Health tips on the Benefits of Spices like Cinnamon, Star Anice and Clove can be viewed at http://myblisshealingcorner.blogspot.com