Whole Tomato Rice

This one-pot rice dish has been so epic and crazily circulated around on the internet. As I grew up with one-pot rice and often made this kind of rice for my family, like Shiitake mushrooms and chicken rice. Often times, I cook tomato dishes for my family. It shouldn't surprise me at all. What intrigued me is that a whole tomato is going to be placed in a rice cooker (or a pot) to make a meal. Even better, you can make your own creative versions with many extra vegetables or meats you like.

Here's my version, I added some Edamame beans (immature soybeans in the pod) that you might have tasted at sushi bars and found in the Taiwanese and Japanese cuisines. These little beans are flavoursome and rich in protein and plant sterols. That said, Edamame beans can help lower cancer risk too. On top of that, some bacon dices were added to suit the taste buds of the meatlovers in the family. You might like to tweak this recipe with your own preferred meats and vegetables. Or skip the meat and turn it into a vegan dish. What is the final verdict after my trying this whole tomato rice? I’ve already marked it as a high-priority recipe in my family menu just in case for a hectic day.

Korean Braised Beef Short Ribs

Whether it’s cold or hot, this Korean dish is so versatile to entertain your family’s taste buds. The cooking time looks a bit long, yet it’s downright easy. Once all the ingredients are ready and put into a pot, you can sit back and relax. Or you might like to check it out once in a while to see how much water is left. Don’t let it dry up. That’s all you need to do. I pretty like their clever method of cooking meat in Korean cuisine. By browsing the recipe, you’ll know what’s the secret ingredient that takes the whole dish up a notch. Yes, that’s one pear. The beef ribs will take up its natural sweetness and turn softened more quickly. Beef and radish are good partners, blending their flavours so well. Our family enjoyed this one-pot dish so mush and didn’t want to miss every spoon of the soup. I blanched some rice noodles to go with it. It turned to be a tasty light meal for my family.

Chinese Almond Dessert

This is my childhood dessert that I often enjoyed with my dad in a little dessert shop in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong version of it yields those almonds for making Chinese soups, sweet almonds (南杏) with a little bit of bitter almond (北杏). The fragrance of the almond is so strong that makes you love it or hate it, similar to the case of celery and coriander. I love it very much. Well, it’s not the cup of tea for my family though.

Almond is recognized as a healthy food. It helps lower LDL-cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease. I have been trying to add some almonds in my family menu.

This time I opted for using the large Australian almond kernels. The smell is not as strong as the traditional almond dessert I used to enjoy. I like its mildly sweet taste with a cleansing feel. My family was very pleased and took a large bowl. This dessert is not too sweet with a creamy texture. It’s good for wrapping up your dinner or as a snack throughout the day.