Savouries

There's just something about salt that makes my tastebuds excited. Salted fish, salted eggs, salted fries, salted popcorn (double yums).

However, due to the fact that Diabetes runs in my family (thank GOD I have managed to stay diabetes-free!) I have always favoured savouries to sweets. 

Here are some of my favourites. I have only managed to post the photos

MEATLOAF - Microwave version

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 whole garlic minced (about 8 cloves)

2 Tbsp Ketchup in the meatloaf

3 Tbsp Ketchup for glazing

2 Tbsp Soya Sauce

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard (I also threw in some mustard seeds simply because!)

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp ginger - grated

1 tsp milk powder

1 cup rolled oats (quick cook)

1/3 cup water (to soak the oats)

1 egg, beaten

600 gms Beef mince

400 gms Mixed veges

Method

• 1.     Mix all and knead well together.
• 2.     Mold into a meat loaf shape in microwavable casserole dish
• 3.     Microwave on medium heat for 5 mins, then on high for another 5mins. At the final 2 minutes spread the 3 Tablespoons of Ketchup evenly over the top and sides of the meatloaf as a glaze. (this glaze can be skipped if desired)
• 4.     Meat loaf comes out moist and soft. (possible to reduce water and oats to make it more dense).

Note:
Because this is a main, I very often make a side dish to complement:

• Coleslaw/fresh salad
• Baked potatoes
• Rice (Yes, rice, what to do when you have a very hungry husband and leftover rice in the fridge?)

Tip: If you want to taste test, simply take a heaped tablespoon of the mixtures and microwave it in a bowl for a few minutes until cooked. And adjust your mixture to taste. 


CHWEE KUEH

The finished product! Yummilicious! and notice there's no trace of oil

Of course it is cheap in Singapore. A mere dollar and I get to enjoy it immediately. But nothing beats making it with your own hands. Eating healthy also means cutting back on oils! So here is the low fat version of Chwee Kueh!

Makes: 20 chwee kuehs

Ingredients for chwee kuehs: 

1 3/4 cup  rice flour

7 tsp corn flour
3 1/4 cup water
1tsp oil (for oiling the molds)
½ tsp salt

Method:
1. Thoroughly mix the flours in a bowl and pour in about 1 cup of water slowly. Keep stirring and it will form into a smooth batter. Make sure there are no lumps.

2. Bring remaining 2 1/4 cups water and salt to boil. Remove from heat. Pour in batter, drizzle in slowly and stir quickly and constantly till it thickens. Make sure there are no lumps. On the very lowest flame, keep stirring constantly over VERY low flame. Strain with sieve.

3. Lightly grease the chwee kueh molds. If you don't have these, use any shallow bowl/plate that can be steamed in. (these will just be BIGGER kuehs, in this case, fill the mold only to about 2 cm thick)  Fill the mixture into each mold. Once the water is boiling, place the molds carefully into the steamer. Steam for about 10 minutes. The chwee kuehs will set a little more when it is cooled. Check that it isn't watery.

4. Remove from mold when a little cooler and spread topping over it.

5. Serve hot with radish (chai poh) topping.

Ingredients for Radish topping

800g chai poh (sweet type)

1 tbsp oil

2 whole garlic, minced
6 tbsp sugar

4 Tbsp dark soya sauce

Method:
1. Cut the chai poh into small bits (half cm cubes). Soak the chai poh for 10 minutes. Rinse and drain well.

2. Heat oil and brown the garlic.

3. Add in the chai poh and stir-fry till dry. (because there is less oil, you may want to add a little water if you notice it is getting too dry)

4. Finally add in the sugar and dark soya sauce . Stir well, and serve!