Aloe Vera Dessert

This dessert is really refreshing in the summer. It's crunchy, slightly sweet... and of course healthy!!!! I have a few pots of large aloe vera plants I can harvest from. It's quite easy to grow and quite cheap. There are so many different uses of the gel. When using it for external purposes, all you need to do is cut the stalk, wait until the yellow sap is all drained, and aply the open end to dry skin, mosquito bites, etc. The skin must be removed when the aloe is ingested, as it can cause stomach ache. I would say the most difficult part is peeling the aloe, as it requires some practice working with a massive amount of aloe vera gel dripping from your hands! Next time I make it I will talk pictures of how the process is done.

Ingredients
- 6 large and plump stalks of aloe vera; 2 inch large (gives 2 cups when peeled and diced)
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 cups water
- pinch of salt

• Harvest the stalks. In a large bowl, place them opening down so the yellow (or reddish in some varieties) sap can be drained. Let it drain for 30 minutes.

• Peel off the skin (careful not to cut yourself, the stalks are quite gooey). Make sure there are no green or yellow parts left. A little bit of pale green is okay. Cut into bite-sized dice.

• Rinse the pieces in cold water briefly. In a pot, add the water, the aloe vera pieces and the sugar. Bring to a boil and taste (you can add more sugar if desired). Let it simmer for 30 minutes.

• Remove from fire and let it cool before putting it in the fridge. Serve cold!

The taste of the dessert will largely depend on the sort of sugar you use. Aloe Vera itself has a subtle flavor that can be easily overwhelmed. I used Chinese brown sugar once but dislike it as it give a strong caramel taste to the dessert. Sometimes I like a mix of 1/2 white sugar and 1/2 refined brown sugar. You can experiment with different mixes. I'm sure you can also add a lot of different flavors! The pinch of salt will bring out the sweetness of the sugar. It's a useful trick to cut down on the amount of sugar without making a dessert less sweet.

Bundaegi - Silkworm Pupae Snack

Bundaegi Crisps

I'd like to introduce you to bundaegi, a snack sold from stands in Korea. It is also eaten in China and South Asia (Vietnam) from what I've heard, although they use bigger ones that are crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy inside as they are deep fried:) The Korean ones are seasoned with soya sauce and sugar, and steamed or boiled. Hmm what does it taste like you ask? Well it is a mix of chicken and dried shrimp/crab. This depends on how you eat it too. My recipe will taste like dried shrimp/crab, but boiled bundaegi tastes a bit burnt.

Bundaegi in a can

Bundaegi can - sorry it is upside down, the opening is at the bottom for some reason

I prefer mine slightly fried than boiled, as the outside (shell) is easier to eat. I buy bundaegi in a can ($1.29, quite cheap), drain the excess juice, and stir fry in a pan with a little canola oil until crunchy. Careful of oil splatters! You can add seasoning like gochujang (red pepper paste), garlic or green onions.

Bundaegi crisps - Silkworm pupae Crisps

(oil free!)

Ingredients:
- Can of bundaegi
- Dried seasoning (salt, chili powder, sugar, garlic powder, etc). I use Nanami togarashi (7 spices mix for japanese udon). Its ingredients include chili pepper, orange peel, sesame seeds, Japanese pepper, ginger and seaweed.

Nanami Togarashi

• Drain bundaegi from the water in the can. Add seasoning to the bundaegi to your taste and mix well.
• Roast bundaegi in your oven at 350°c for 30 minutes until dried and crispy
• Serve with very cold soju! Or any other cold alcohol!

Well this is not authentic Korean, but still quite good :)

Dare to try?

Yogurt

Yogurt with maple syrup and mint

I love making my own yogurt, because it is very healthy and easy to make. Store bought yogurt with mixed in fruits is often high in fructose. Sometimes it can contain artificial flavors and additives. Since I started making my own, I cannot stand the over-sweet taste of store bought fruit yogurt!

All you really need is a starter culture, which can come from store-bought plain yogurt. Make sure the yogurt contains active bacterial cultures. A candy thermometer is also very useful to make sure that your yogurt is at the right temperatures. Invest in one, as it becomes very useful and it can be quite inexpensive (I got mine for ~7$)

Ingredients:
- 1 cup milk (I use 2%)
- 1 tablespoon already made plain yogurt
- Sterilized jar

• In a deep saucepan, heat the milk until it has reached 90°C (195°F). Do stir with a spoon to avoid scorching at the bottom. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

• Leave the milk's temperature to drop to about 38°C (100°F). You can dip the saucepan in a bowl of cold water if you are impatient.

• Mix in the plain yogurt slowly and pour in the jar. Close tightly.
  

• Leave the jar for 12-14 hours at a warm place between 32°C (90°F) and 43°C (110°F). I usually leave it on a medical electric heating pad. You can use the candy thermometer to find the right setting. You can also leave it in your oven if you can bring the temperature that low.

• Verify the consistency of your yogurt, refrigerate and serve once chilled!
  

I wrote down the measurements for one cup of milk. Of course, if your jar can hold more, you can double/triple/quadruple the recipe. I usually make 3 cups at a time.

Good serving suggestions: honey, maple syrup, vanilla, fresh fruits, shredded coconut, roasted rolled oat, mango puree to make mango lassi!

If the taste is too sour, reduce the bacteria developing time to 10 hours or less. Your yogurt may be less thick. Sometimes the kind of starter yogurt can change the taste. Use a less sour one.

Coffee and Condensed Milk Cupcakes

I got inspired to make this one by Cupcake Bakeshop. The recipe is simple enough and very tasty. I haven't had good Vietnamese coffee in a while, so I thought I'd try it out :)

I used the same recipe to make the cake, but I omitted the pudding and used condensed milk buttercream as frosting. The overall result was very intense. The coffee taste came out nicely, without being too strong. The buttercream could have been more flavorful. Next time I will put the whole can of milk.

For the cake base, I thought 2 cups of sugar was too much, so I reduced it to 1 cup, then added 3 tablespoon of milk to retain the same moisture. My cake was lighter in color than Chockylit's, maybe because I didn't use Viet Coffee. The taste of coffee is still very much present.

Condensed Milk Buttercream


Ingredients:
5 egg yolks
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks ~250g), at room temperature
1/2 can condensed milk (~150ml)

• In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks until they become foamy and thick. This takes about 2 minutes with a hand-held mixer.

• Boil the condensed milk in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Careful here, the milk burns quite easily.

• Add the hot condensed milk to the egg yolks gradually while beating with your mixer. Beat until the mixture has cooled down.

• In another bowl, beat butter with a wooden spoon until it has become creamy and light. Combine the egg mixture and stir well.

• Refrigerate the cream for 5-10 minutes before spreading if it is too soft for decorating.
  

If you want to make the buttercream in advance, I suggest you keep it at the warmest place of your fridge, because once it becomes cold, it will become hard like butter. The best is to use it right away and consume it quickly. Otherwise, take your cupcakes out of the fridge 10-15 minutes before serving. The cream will remain soft and uniform after refrigeration.

Fresh Cheese

You should use a yogurt that does not have added thickeners or stabilizers, such as pectin, gelatine or starch. Make sure to read your label! I used Astro Balkan Plain Yogurt 6%M.F. , Phoenicia Plain Yogurt 2% and homemade yogurt from 2% milk. From my experience, Phoenicia’s yoghurt makes the nicest curds.

Fresh cheese can be used in recipes that need cream cheese. It can also be spread on bread and served with olive oil. I like to put it in green salads or couscous.

Ingredients:
2 tsps sugar
4 cups plain yogurt (2 lbs)

• Mix the sugar with the yogurt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for several minutes, until the curds begin to separate from the clear whey.

• Pour the boiled yogurt into a strainer lined with several layers of cheese cloth, or a large paper coffee filter. Let it drain for a few hours.

• Take the cheese out from the filter or cheesecloth. Keep it in an air-tight container in the fridge. It should keep for more than a week.

You can drain the cheese more if you want it to be harder. Wrap your cheese in cheesecloth, put it on down on a board, place a heavy plate on top of it, then add a weight on top. Let the cheese drain for a few hours.

You can also mix in spices such as paprika, black pepper or zaatar (spice mix with thyme), and serve with a dash of olive oil.

Lamb Soup

Lamb soup! This soup is dedicated to all those who love it! It is the best soup for a cold winter, but it is also good any other time of the year. According to the Chinese medicine, it helps the body to resist cold weather. This recipe requires a pressure cooker in order to cook the soup in a minimum grain of time. However, a normal pot would work too, but you would need to simmer the soup for at least 2 hours for a rich taste.

Ingredients: Lamb bones, veggies (potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, etc.), 5 spices powder, black pepper, salt, leek, ginger, and coriander.

1. Boil some water and put the lamb bones in there for a few seconds in order to clean the bones. Remove the bones and throw the water.
2. Boil some water again with the bones.
3. Wash and cut the veggies into small pieces.
4. Add the spices, salt, and black pepper in the boiling water.
5. Put the veggies, leek, and ginger in the pan.
6. Cover and lock the pan.
From here, you have to cook the soup using the instructions of your pressure cooker.
7. Turn to maximum heat until the pressure starts bursting from the top, and then turn the heat to low and wait for 30 minutes.
8. When the pressure is completely gone, open and serve this wonderful soup! :]
9. Add some coriander for a better taste!

Remember that potatoes are very good in absorbing salt and other spices, so if you put a lot of potatoes, put more salt!

Pineapple Treasure Box

Hello!

I remember eating rice in a bamboo shots long time ago. It was such a real delice!
The way they presented the rice was very interesting. Today, I found a recipe of cooking rice in pineapple. Since summer is here and it is also the season for pineapple, time to prepare an exotic dish for the hot weather!
If you are love pineapple, you can give this a shot! Let your imagination and favorite fruit guide you to a wonderful dinner.

List of ingredients:
1 Pineapple, 1 cup of rice, 2 chicken legs, 2 eggs, salt, and cooking oil.
Optional: Dried grapes

0. Remove the meat from the pineapple without damaging it shell.
1. Cook the rice by steam it or use a rice cooker.
2. Heat a wok with oil.
3. Stir fry the chicken, eggs, and pineapple meat by adding salt.
4. Add the cooked rice to the wok and mix it well with everything else.
5. Put everything in the pineapple shell and steam it for 10 minutes.

Now you can serve it while it is hot! :]