Maja Blanca @ Coconut Pudding with Corn - AFF Philippines~ Merienda #2

Maja Blanca is a popular merienda/meryenda (tea time snack) from Philippines. The taste isn't unfamiliar to us. And the topping Latik (fried coconut curds) gives it a wonderful touch, although looking deceivingly unimportant, but I do not recommend leaving it out as it imparts a beautiful flavour and textural contrast to the merienda. Latik is what we locally know as tahi minyak found on top of kuih kole kacang.

Beetroot and Sweetcorn Soup - Soup Week #1

I was attracted to this by the colour. I’ve never seen a Chinese soup using beetroot. So, this is a must try for me. Few times at Jusco, I can’t get nice beetroots, and then I finally got a nice blemish free, still plump beetroot. But then I forgot the white radish/daikon, but I usually prefer to get the slim and curvy type at a Malay vendor in KK. That variety taste much better than the fat plump straight variety.

But on the day I wanted to boil this, it rained cats and dogs, and I couldn’t go out to get my white radish. So, I just skipped it. It might still taste good, fingers crossed : )

Beetroot and Sweetcorn soup
Recipe adapted from : The Sweet Spot

400gm beetroot
2 ears of corn
200gm waterchestnut (7 large ones)
200gm carrots (2 medium ones)
200gm pork loin or lean pork, or 300gm pork ribs
2.5L water (10 bowls)

1. Bring the water to boil.
2. Peel beetroot, cut into chunks.
3. Peel waterchestnuts, cut into halves.
4. Peel carrots, cut into slanting chunks
5. Shuck the corn and cut into chunks
6. Cut pork into smaller pieces.
7. When water has come to a boil, put in everything and let it simmer for 2 hours.
8. Season with salt.

Verdict:
Yummy. Everybody loved this soup especially my Mother in Law.

Thanks Swee San for this cute soup... Oh yes, I do find this cute.

Sweet Corn Sherbet

When I was a kid, I don't think I've eaten much of those creamy creamy milky ice creams. I grew up eating sherbets, an ice cream that does not contain "cream", but milk. It's not creamy, but it's not grainy.

When I was 5, Kindergarden ends at 4.30pm. Then I'll be home by 4.40pm. Then dinner at 5 to 5.30pm. I'd be sitting at the front door, on MY small rattan chair, getting fed by Grandaunt. I'll see this ice cream lady pushing her ice cream cart everyday, passing by my house during my dinner time. And without fail, grandaunt will get me 10 sen worth of "ice cream", put into my empty drinking cup for later consumption after I finish my meal.

Brings back a lot of memories when I made this. It made me feel like a 5 year old again.
What about you?

My husband loved this, he said, it's better than those creamy creamy ice creams. Maybe it brings back childhood memories for him too. And to my surprise, my ice cream loving Lydia, didn't take a 2nd lick at this. She didn't like it. She prefers creamy ice cream, that most kids nowadays are so accustomed to.

It feels cold, yes, cold from the inside after I ate these 2 scoops after I took pictures of it. So, it's really perfect for a hot hot day.

Sweet Corn Sherbet Recipe

250ml evaporated milk
500ml water
250gm creamed corn
100gm sugar

1. Cook everything together until it comes to a boil.
2. Leave to cool. (you can just mix everything together, but I'd rather bring it a boil first)
3. Put in a freezer proof bowl and put in freezer.
4. Let it freeze until it is the outer ring is frozen, take it out and whizz with a hand held mixer to break up the ice.
5. Repeat process another hour later. (itmakes the ice crystals more friendly to the blender later)
6. When everything seems half frozen, whizz it with an immersion blender or break it up into a regular blender and whizz til fine.
7. Pack into freezable containers and keep frozen.

Chayote, Sweet Corn and Mushroom Soup

I saw this recipe on Blessed Homemaker’s. I was attracted to this soup, because it uses chayote. Well, some call it buddha’s hand gourd, some call it english gourd, whatever you call it, it’s that green gourd with a slit in the middle.

I have always loved Chayote, because it is so swweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.
And indeed, when paired with sweet corn in this soup, it is even sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeter. Infused with the fragrance of mushrooms. Minimal salt is needed, but, please, do not use loads of water, if not, don’t blame me if the soup is tasteless.

The original version called for Agrocybe aegerita mushrooms, but my shitakes weirdly are labeled as 茶树姑, the same Chinese name for aegrocybes. I just used that (hahaha, just because the Chinese name’s the same), because I don’t have agrocybe, the real茶树姑. My mushrooms are from Eu Yan Sang, so that can’t be wrong, I guess they might have been grown on Chinese tea tree trunks. Actually they might be camellia mushrooms , as the Chinese tea bush’s scientific name is Camellia Sinensis, so I’m not surprised that these shitake lookalikes are actually camellia mushrooms, hence the Chinese translation 茶树姑.

Here’s what I did,
1 chayote, about 400gm, peeled and cut into chunks
2 sweet corns, cut into small pieces
5 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked, cleaned and halved
250gm pork loin or lean pork
2.5L water or 10 cups

Bring water to boil and put in everything. Put in on high eat for 30 minutes and low heat simmer for 2 hours. Season with a little bit of salt.

Everything got pretty tasteless after all the boiling, but…… the soup is so flavourful. Everything went into the broth…. Yummy :)