Empty Nest

There is always the starting point at birth, and at some point the finish line. There are so many ways to define this finish line. For the Swallow, it could be defined as death when she closes her eyes on earth and wakes up to eternity with her Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, or it could also be defined as "Rapture" when her Lord and Saviour returns again to bring her and all who trusts in Him to Heaven to spend eternity with Him. Either way, a finish line awaits. Between these two points, it is life. A journey.

Life is a journey.

When the Swallow was younger, the journey stretched out before her with possibilities. Hopes. Dreams. Milestones. Then the journey became one of faith, and she chose to follow her Lord wherever He led her.

That was Singapore, and in this country, she was given many opportunities to grow her faith. Leaving the comfort of home, family and friends...finding a new church...starting a new job.

Then came marriage and motherhood. Learning to understand her mate, managing her young ones and the household on a full-time basis, coping with additional work here and there. Routines, time-tables, deadlines, monotony, and mundane chores challenged her at many points of the journey. Days became weeks, months, years...again and again, opportunities given to grow her faith. Her Lord never failed her.

She had thought life was difficult and challenging, but with her Lord as her strength and refuge, she coped and managed and pressed on.

Now, the young ones have grown. An empty nest.

How does one cope with an empty nest?

Assam Chicken Cooked with Lady Fingers

Adding some colour to Assam Chicken

Click here for the recipe.

Braised Beef

In the Swallow's childhood days, it was common for people in Malaysia to get their meat or vegetables from wet markets. In those days, she would trudge behind her mother, carrying the bags and bags of meat and vegetables passed to her, sometimes dreaming of what it would be like to do marketing in a different environment. Maybe somewhere drier. Maybe somewhere cooler. Maybe somewhere quieter.

Fast forward to the present, and this has become a reality to the Swallow. Nowadays, it was more usual for her to push her trolley cart in supermarkets which were drier, cooler and quieter than the wet markets, and which also provided her opportunities to obtain toiletries, appliances and other household needs at the same time.

Her friend, however, made regular visits to Chinatown wet market to buy meat and seafood. According to her, the prices were very reasonable and worth the more-than-an-hour journey there from her home. Invited to follow along on one such visit, the Swallow accepted, for the fellowship with her friend if nothing else. It was a nostalgic visit, bringing to mind those days with her mother.

Purchasing some beef brisket, she had tried cooking some Braised Beef. That first try was a hit but she had forgotten to write down the actual ingredients. Since then, there were many near hits and misses as the Swallow dabbled with various methods and amounts of ingredients to get that first hit again till finally, a written recipe approved by family and friends.

BRAISED BEEF (serves 4 to 6)

Ingredients

• 1kg beef brisket / boneless beef shank, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 500g beef tendons, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1 tbsp oil
• 3 large carrots / 1 large white radish, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pc thumb-sized ginger, chopped
• 2 spring onions, chopped (keep 1 tbsp of the soft green parts for garnishing)
• 1 pc cinnamon, about 1 1/2 inches long
• 1 pc star anise
• 1 tsp 5-spice powder
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup light soya sauce
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp hua tiao jiu
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1L hot water
• 2 tsp cornflour

Method

1. Bring a big pot of water to a boil. When boiling, blanch the beef brisket / shank / tendons for a few minutes to remove scum. Drain and rinse the beef in cold water. Drain again.
2. Heat oil in a large wok on medium high heat. Add garlic, ginger, spring onions, cinnamon, star anise, 5-spice powder and black pepper. Fry till aromatic.
3. Add the beef and carrots / radish. Toss the mixture several times.
4. Add light soya sauce, oyster sauce, hua tiao jiu and sesame oil. Toss the mixture several times until well mixed. Add hot water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.
5. When boiling, turn off the heat and transfer everything into a slow cooker (with a minimum 4L volume capacity). The sauce should come up to 3/4 level of the ingredients. Add more hot water if necessary.
6. Cook at high heat. After 2 hours, stir the mixture gently and remove a bowl of sauce from the slow cooker, and continue cooking the beef at low heat for another 1 1/2 hours.
7. Allow this sauce to cool to room temperature. When cooled, add cornflour and mix well. Stir the mixture well into the pot of braising beef to thicken the sauce, but gently so that the beef do not break up. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes, or until the beef is soft and tender but not falling apart.
8. Switch off the slow cooker, dish out, garnish with the spring onions which had been set aside, and serve hot with rice, noodles or bread.

Notes

• This recipe can be cooked in advance. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to a month (ensure fridge / freezer temperature is constant). Remove from freezer and thaw in the fridge. Reheat thoroughly and garnish with spring onions just before serving.
• A thermal pot may be used. Adjust cooking times according to the manufacturer's guidelines. Reheating may also have to be done several times to bring out the flavour of the beef.
• If cooking over the stove, cook at medium high heat till the sauce is boiling, then turn the heat to low and simmer for several hours until the beef is soft and tender but not falling apart. Check sauce level occasionally and add more hot water if necessary as the sauce may evaporate over the stove. When the beef is almost ready, thicken the sauce by mixing the cornflour with a little water and adding this mixture to the sauce.

A Lifetime Together

The Swallow attended a wedding this morning. Looking at the smiling couple, and the crowd of people who came to witness and rejoice with them, she was reminded of her own wedding so many years ago.

On that day, as she stood at the front with her soon-to-be mate, many thoughts had come to her. Will she be a good wife? Will they be able to live harmoniously together? What will be the effects of giving up your own space and sharing it with another - someone you think you know pretty well (or should know sufficiently since you have decided to spend the rest of your lifetime together)?

Her initial fears were not unfounded. Courtship in no way prepared you fully and though she had gone through pre-marital counselling, the theoretical and practical aspects of a relationship do not always match. True, the theories learned during the counselling may have given her insights on what she can and may expect, but there is no better teacher than life itself if you want to learn the finer aspects of living a lifetime together with another person.

Stir-Fried Endives with Garlic

Stir-Fried Endives with Garlic

Click here for a simple recipe which children can handle with minimal adult supervision.

Choco Banana Muffins

Lately, the Swallow's family have taken to eating muffins for breakfast. Experimenting with various ingredients, the Swallow has finally found one that brought an exclamation of "Amazing!" from her young one. These muffins has the aroma of bananas and the taste of chocolate. Eating them fresh and warm was yummy but even a day after, the muffins remain moist and delicious. This recipe is a keeper.

CHOCO BANANA MUFFINS (makes 12 muffins)

Choco Banana Muffins

Ingredients

• 230g plain flour
• 100g white sugar
• 60g brown sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 200g chocolate couverture dark droplets
• 200g ripe bananas, mashed (about 2 large bananas)
• 125g butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Position rack in the bottom of a table-top oven. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and chocolate droplets together.
3. In another bowl, mix the mashed bananas, melted butter, beaten egg and vanilla extract together.
4. Using a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until the ingredients are well combined to form a thick batter. Do not over-fold as this will toughen the muffins.
5. Using an ice-cream scoop, evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter.
6. Place the muffins in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
7. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Notes

• These muffins are best eaten fresh. If not, store them in a covered container and consume them quickly.
• Oven temperature may vary for different models.

Chocolate Plus Bananas Makes the Young Ones Happy!

Choco Banana Muffins

Click here for a recipe that makes young ones and young-at-heart ones happy!

Dried Mangoes

Mangoes are seasonal fruits in Singapore and Malaysia. Thus it is pricey when they can be found in markets or supermarkets. Back in Malaysia when she was growing up, the Swallow's mother planted a mango tree in the garden. The Swallow had often been tasked with keeping the tree watered and fertilized with the occasional water from rinsing rice. They had success in growing their own mango tree for it bore many fruits for them. A huge benefit for the family! The Swallow remembers too the hide-and-seek game she played with the mangoes, looking for any that may have fallen from the tree during the night.

Most mangoes taste sweet when they are fully ripe although there are some varieties that have some tartness. Some unripe varieties are used in Rojak, a traditional fruit salad which the Swallow enjoys much.

In Singapore, families who are apartment dwellers do not have the land required to grow their own mango trees. Thus they rely pretty much on what they can find at the stores eg dried mangoes, or forgo eating them.

If there is a chance to obtain some dried mangoes, the Swallow will consider making Mango Muffins.

Mango Muffins

There is that occasional gift of dried mangoes when the Swallow's friend return from a holiday to the Philippines. Sometimes, the Swallow's family will eat the sweet dried mangoes as they are. Other times, that would be a good opportunity to whip up a batch of Mango Muffins for breakfast, especially when there is also some yoghurt in the refrigerator.

MANGO MUFFINS (makes 12 muffins)

Mango Muffins

Ingredients

• 150g dried mangoes, cut into small pieces
• 280g plain yoghurt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 75ml sunflower oil
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 260g plain flour
• 100g white sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Position rack in the centre of the oven. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, mix the dried mangoes and yoghurt together. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.
3. Add the beaten egg, sunflower oil and vanilla essence into the mixture and set aside.
4. In another large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.
5. Using a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until the ingredients are well combined to form a thick batter. Do not over-fold as this will toughen the muffins.
6. Using an ice-cream scoop, evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter.
7. Place the muffins in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
8. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Notes

• Fill each muffin cup full with batter as these muffins rise little.
• When the muffins are fresh, there will be a crisp golden crust. This will soften over time but the sweet and tangy taste of the mangoes remain.
• These muffins are best eaten fresh. If not, store them in a covered container and consume them quickly.
• Oven temperature may vary for different models.

Using Dried Mangoes in Muffins

Mango Muffins

Click here to read how dried mangoes can be used to make muffins.