Cooking MTV
Ingredients – Mochi Dough: |
|
Sticky rice flour |
50 g |
Sweetener |
5 tsps (approx. 20g) |
Water |
75 g (approx. 1/3 cup) |
Cooked sticky rice flour |
Small amount |
Ingredients - Filling: |
|
Adzuki beans |
55g (approx. 1/4 cup) |
Sweetener |
4 tsps |
Strawberry |
4 pieces |
Method:
- Pre-soak the adzuki beans in water for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight.
- Transfer the soaked adzuki beans to a pot, add 1 cup of water and bring to the boil under medium heat. Change to low heat and continue to cook for another 30 minutes or until the beans turn soft (If the beans weren’t soft enough, add another 1/2 cup of water and continue to cook. Alternatively, turn off the heat and leave the beans covered under residual heat for another 15-20 minutes). When only 1/3 of the water remains, add sweetener and mash the beans with a fork or a blender. Reserve the bean mash for later use.
- Clean the strawberries and chop the tops off.
- Divide adzuki bean mash approx. 15-20g each and roll into balls.
- Flatten one of the adzuki bean balls and wrap around a piece of strawberry. The pointy end of the strawberry should remain exposed. Repeat with remaining strawberries.
- Mix sticky rice flour and sweetener together in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Add water into (6) and mix until smooth.
- Cover the bowl with cling wrap, place mixture into the microwave to cook for 2-3 minutes (Microwave for 1 minute first, then microwave further in 1 minute increments; mix the dough with a spoon each time. As a guide, for 500W power will take around 3 minutes, 700W power will take around 2 minutes). Remarks: You may cook the dough by steaming it for 20-25 minutes.
- When the dough turns translucent it means that it is fully cooked.
- Place the cooked dough on a plate of cooked sticky rice flour, let it cool to touch and divide into 4 halves.
- Flatten a piece of sticky rice dough and wrap it around a previously prepared strawberry in adzuki bean mash. Knead the ends of the dough together so it is fully enclosing the piece of strawberry. Repeat with remaining doughs.
- Sprinkle the strawberry mochi with cooked sticky rice flour to prevent it from sticking together.
Variations:
- You may use store-bought no-sugar-added adzuki bean mash instead of making your own, or omit the adzuki bean mash completely.
- You may add 1/2 tsp. matcha powder into the sticky rice flour to make matcha flavoured strawberry mochi.
Ingredients: |
|
Penne |
3 bowls |
Scallops |
8 |
Shrimps |
6 |
Garlic |
2 cloves |
Skimmed milk |
40 ml |
Low-fat yogurt |
200 g |
Low-fat cheese |
2-3 pieces |
Olive oil |
2 tsps |
Clapsicum (diced) |
1/2 |
Cherry Tomatoes |
6-8 |
Onions |
1/4 |
Seasoning: |
|
Salt |
1/3 tsp |
Black pepper |
1/3 tsp |
Method:
- Boil the penne for 10 minutes.
- Dice the garlic and low-fat cheese, onion and cherry tomatoes set aside.
- De-vein the shrimps, then rinse with the scallops and drain. Add seasoning.
- Heat two teaspoons of oil and pan-fry the scallops and shrimps.
- Stir in the garlic, onion, capsicum and cherry tomatoes.
- Add skimmed milk, low-fat yogurt, and penne to the pan, stir briefly. Turn off the heat and mix well.
- Add the cheese pieces, salt, and black pepper and then serve .
Nutrition tips:
- Stir in the garlic when the scallops and shrimps are thoroughly cooked to prevent overcooking.
- Low-fat cheese, which has less than 0.3g fat per 100g, is used to lower the calories in this recipe
Ingredients: |
|
Chicken thigh (skinless) |
480g (about 4 pc) |
Sweetcorn |
1/2 bowl |
Shredded coconumt |
1/2 tbsp |
Marinade: |
|
Low sodium soy sauce |
2 tsp |
Pepper |
1/2 tbsp |
Sugar |
1/2 tbsp |
Sauce: |
|
Garlic |
6 pieces |
Shallot |
1 |
Chilli |
1/2 pc |
Shredded coconut |
1/2 tbsp |
Tomato paste |
1 tbsp |
Reduced-fat peanut butter |
1 tsp |
99% reduced chicken broth |
1/2 cup |
Skimmed milk |
1/4 cup |
Black peper |
1/2 tsp |
Method:
- Chop the garlic, onion and deseeded chili, set aside.
- Wipe then chop the chicken after rinse.
- Pour the marinade, set aside for 30 minutes.
- 200°C Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
- Pre-heat the non-stick frying pan, the fry the chicken pieces until golden, and is about 80% cooked.
- Fry the garlic, onion chili, tomato paste and sweet corn, then pour in the remaining sauce.
- Pour the sauce onto the chicken pieces, then sprinkle shredded coconut .
- Bake for 10 minutes, ready to serve.
Nutrition tips:
- Placing a baking paper onto the tray can help absorb excess oil, it also makes cleaning easier.
Ingredients: |
|
Hard tofu |
1 |
Edamame |
15 |
Carrot |
1/2 |
Black fungus (soaked) |
1/2 bowl |
Egg |
2 |
Oil |
2 tsp |
Corn Flour |
2 tbsp |
Seasonings: |
|
Wine |
1 tbsp |
Sugar |
1 tbsp |
Soy sauce |
2 tsp |
Salt |
1/3 tsp |
Pepper |
A pinch |
Fat-free chicken broth |
As desired |
Directions:
- Soak the black fungus and slice, then peel and slice the carrot.
- Whisk the egg and set aside, then mash the tofu.
- Boil the edamame in salted water for 20 minutes, then mash.
- Heat the pan, add oil, then fry the fungus and carrot.
- Add seasonings and bring to the boil, then scoop out the fungus and carrots and set aside.
- Mix the cooked fungus, carrot slices, eggs, tofu and edamame mash, and corn flour, then make them into tofu cakes.
- Cut the tofu cakes into small pieces.
Tips:
- Adding corn flour will help remove the moisture in the tofu. To make the tofu cake crispier, you can also add flour.
Ingredients: |
|
Filo pastry (approx. 48 x 25 cm) |
1 sheet |
Red apple |
2-3 |
Lemon |
1 half |
Sweetener |
4 tbsp |
Cinnamon |
1 tsp |
No added sugar apricot jam |
2 tbsp |
|
|
To prepare for the tart moulds: |
|
Low fat butter |
20g |
Flour |
20g |
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 190 degrees.
- Defrost filo pastry.
- Spread the melted butter evenly on to the tart moulds and sprinkle with flour.
Method:
- Cut apples in half, remove the core and thinly slice the apples.
- Fill a microwave-save bowl with water and add lemon juice by squeezing the lemon. Place the apple slices into the water and microwave for ~3 minutes until soft.
- Strain out the apple slices.
- Spread out the filo pastry and cut into 6 even strips (approx. 25 x 6 cm).
- On each strip of filo pastry, spread a thin layer of apricot jam. Starting from one end, place apple slices on the top half of the filo pastry (with the curve side facing out), slightly overlapping side-by-side, until reaching to the other end of the pastry.
- Sprinkle lightly the cinnamon & sweetener onto the apples (you can skip this step if you’re not using cinnamon).
- Fold the bottom half of the filo pastry up so the apple slices are enclosed in the filo pastry.
- Roll up the apple slices from one end to form a rose shape.
- Place the apple roses into the prepared tart moulds and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until golden.
Ingredients: |
|
White Bread |
4 |
Egg |
2 |
Skimmed milk |
2 cups |
Sweetener |
1/2 cup |
Nutmeg powder |
As desired |
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Dice the bread, then distribute evenly on a baking tray.
- Mix the eggs, sweetener and skimmed milk using a mixer.
- Pour the egg mixture on the bread, squash the bread with a fork and leave for 10 minutes.
- When the bread has absorbed the egg mixture completely, sprinkle nutmeg powder on top.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 200 °C first, then for another 20 minutes at 250 °C.
Tips:
- Place the baking tray filled with the bread pudding onto a supporting tray filled with water. This will make the pudding softer.
- Move the pudding to an upper level of the oven for the last period of the cooking time. This will help to brown the pudding.
Ingredients: |
|
Beef tenderloin |
160g |
Onion |
1 |
Red capsicum |
1 |
Green capsicum |
1 |
Black pepper |
As desired |
Oil |
2 tsps |
Salt |
1/3 tsp |
Wooden skewers |
5 - 6 |
Sauce: |
|
Fresh orange juice |
50 ml |
Orange zest |
1/2 tsp |
Sugar |
1/2 tsp |
Salt |
1/3 tsp |
Corn starch |
2 tsps |
Water |
1 tsp |
Method:
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C.
- Rinse and cut the meat into cubes, then marinate for 15 minutes.
- Cut the onion, red and green capsicum, then thread the vegetables with the meat onto the skewers.
- Brush with oil and sprinkle black pepper onto the skewers, then grill them in oven for six to seven minutes on each side.
- Heat orange juice and stir in sugar and salt, add orange zest and corn starch water to thicken the sauce.
- Pour the sauce onto the cooked skewers, then serve while hot.
Nutrition tips:
- Soaking the wooden skewers in water prevents them from burning in the oven.
- Readymade sauces are high in sugar and sodium, while this homemade orange sauce does not contain added sugar and only has 1/3 teaspoon of salt, making it a healthier option.
Ingredients: |
|
Sweet potatoes |
270g |
Chestnuts |
100g |
Flour |
250g |
Water |
260ml |
Oil |
3 tsps |
Salt |
1.5tsps |
Sprint onion, coriander pepper |
As desired |
Method:
- Peel the sweet potatoes and shred into thick strips.
- Peel the chestnuts, steam until soft then dice.
- Mix the flour with water into a thick paste.
- Add sweet potatoes, chestnuts, coriander and spring onion into the mixture.
- Add salt and pepper for seasoning.
- Heat oil in a frying pan and pan-fry the sweet potato cakes until golden brown.
Tips:
- Sweet potato is rich in water-soluble potassium. Therefore, steaming, baking and pan frying can preserve about twice the amount of potassium compared to boiling.
- We can use purple sweet potato as it contains the same nutrients as yellow ones as well as anthocyanin, which is good for eyes and lowering blood pressure.
Ingredients: |
|
Chicken thigh (skinless) |
320g |
Pineapple |
2 slices |
Egg |
1 |
Green and red capsicum |
1/2 each |
Instant oatmeal |
30g |
Canola oil |
4tsps |
|
|
Marinade: |
|
Corn starch and sugar |
1/2 tsp each |
Salt |
1/3 tsp |
Pepper |
As desired |
|
|
Sauce: |
|
Apple cider vinegar and water |
1 tbsp each |
Tomato paste |
2 tsps |
Sugar |
1.5tsps |
Low sodium soy sauce |
1 tsp |
Crushed garlic and ginger |
1/2 tsp each |
Chili pepper |
As desired |
|
|
Marinade: |
|
Fresh orange juice |
50ml |
Cornstarch |
2 tsps |
Method:
- Cut the chicken thigh into small pieces, then marinate for 30 minutes.
- Cut the pineapple, and the green and red capsicum into small pieces, and whisk the egg.
- Coat chicken thigh with whisked egg and instant oatmeal.
- Heat three tsps canola oil, pan fry chicken thigh over a low heat until golden brown and cooked. Remove from the heat.
- Heat one tsp canola oil to sauté the crushed garlic and ginger, stir into the sauce and bring to the boil.
- Stir quickly the chicken thigh, green and red capsicum. Then add pineapple and pour cornstarch mixture before serving.
Tips:
- Fresh orange juice and apple cider vinegar can replace the excess use of sugar in a traditional sweet and sour sauce recipe to bring out the subtle sweet and sour flavor.
- Traditional sweet and sour recipe will deep-fry the meat which adds lots of calories. Coating with oatmeal and pan-frying the meat can make it just as crispy.