Jade: Bitemycongee#3

I have come to really appreciate the beauty of smooth, velvety congee......the contrast of creamy grains and crunchy yao char kuai, the robust flavour of good quality stock lifted by the subtle fragrance of jasmine rice...and with winter just around the corner, I forsee many many pots of congee bubbling merrily away on my stove. The secret to thick, lush congee that all but glides down the throat, I think, lies in the choice of rice. I've experimented with quite a few being the anal retentive person that I am..and for me, a mixture of sushi rice and glutinous rice with a ratio of 1:1 is perfect. Add a spoonful of shallot oil to marinade the rice with overnight and you're on your way to congee heaven.

Sweetcorn congee~ my new favourite thing to eat. If you love congee, you must try this....the perfect combination of savoury and that lovely golden sweetness you can only get from corn.

50g sushi rice

50g glutinous rice

1 tbsp shallot oil

2 pork ribs

1 small can sweetcorn

small handful goji berries

few dried scallops~mine are baby scallops so i used about 6 or 7

salt to taste

1. Wash rice grains until water turns clear and drain

2. Marinate with shallot oil and leave overnight

3. Blanche the ribs in boiling water, and drain

4. Put the ribs back in the now empty pot, add cold water and your can of corn. [ I don't actually measure out the water, I just generally fill it to about the level of the handle if that makes sense]

5. Add goji berries and scallops and bring to a gentle boil. I used a double boiler which is an absolute godsend when it comes to soups and congees. If you don't have one, keep an eye on the heat, and use a heat diffuser.

6. Now chuck in the rice and give it a good stir. If you're using a normal pot over direct heat, stick around and give it constant stirs to break up the grains and make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.

7. I left mine to simmer gently for 2-3 hours only because I had a certain consistency in mind

8. Season to taste, garnish with fried shallots and tuck into a hot little bowl of bliss. Trust me when I say you don't need any other accompaniments... :)

Jade: Bitemypoundcake

Salted caramel pound cake. Because I'm on a self imposed shopping ban.......and I got really really really bored. Let me know if you want the recipe.

Jade: Bitemynaan

Fluffy homemade naan and creamy chicken curry. So easy..yet so satisfying. On a completely unrelated note, my patient told me I look 25.....so I stuck in a large bore cannula instead of a bitty blue one....the things we do to get through the day....

Naan~adapted from here

1 satchet dry yeast, about 7g

1 tsp sugar

1/2 cup warm water

2.5-3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup buttermilk [ 1/3cup milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice/vinegar, left to curdle]

1 egg

1. Mix warm water and sugar and sprinkle yeast on top. Make sure the water isnt too hot, else it'll kill the yeast. Leave the mix in a warm place until it foams, the oven is a good place as long as it's switched off please

2. Whisk the oil, milk and egg and set aside

3. Start off with about 2 cups of flour. Make a well in the centre of the flour and salt, add in the now bubble yeast mixture, give a few quick stirs, and add the egg mix

4. Once you get a clumpy, sticky dough, turn onto a well floured counter and knead, adding flour as you go along. You want a soft, smooth dough that doesn't stick to your hands

5. Pat into a ball and leave to rise in a lightly greased bowl for about 45 minutes. Again, oven is a good place.

6. Once it's doubled in volume, flatten slightly and divide into 8 balls

7. Heat up a non stick frying pan, you could grease it lightly if you'd like, I didn't bother. Roll out the bread dough, don't do it all in one go, best to roll one out and cook it straightaway.

8. Cook the bread on medium heat till it bubbles on top, flip over and cook for a while longer...generally takes a few minutes

9. Serve as is or brush with some garlic oil and sprinkle with chopped coriander...I'm thinking cumin seeds and crushed curry leaves for my next batch:)

Jade: Bitemypolenta

I love my carbs. I think there is very little in this world that is more comforting than a big bowl of steaming hot kimchi noodles...or a generous hunk of freshly baked bread. I don't, however, like potatoes...I know...I have my fish and chips without the chips..if I had my way I'd have it without the fish too..deep fried batter and tartar sauce..mm...I'd much rather have my sunday roast with steamed vegetables...and don't get me started on mashed potatoes...I wish I knew why...it's actually quite inconvenient to have to nibble the crispy bits off big fat chips and leave the rest of it in a pile..

Polenta chips~ the answer to my tuberphobia...not sure how much healthier it is though, considering the amount of cheese that went into it..but I suppose if you really want healthy, you could always opt for a carrot stick instead. Adapted from NQN

1 cup full cream milk

1 cup stock

3/4 cup polenta

1/4 cup finely grated cheddar

salt to taste

some paprika for a little kick

oil to grease the pan with

1. Grease an 8x8 baking tin

2. Heat milk, stock and stock until it just starts to bubble

3. Grab a whisk and start whisking as you pour in the polenta slowly

4. Keep stirring until cooked, mine took about 5 minutes...it's not a science..they tell you what to do on the packaging

5. You'll know when it's done...you end up with quite a stiff mixture...like super thick cake batter

6. Stir in the cheese

7. Scoop it into your greased tin and level it out with a spatula

8. Stick it in the fridge to set....should take a few hours

9. When it's ready, cut into thick chips and either shallow fry it till golden brown and crispy or bake in a 220 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

10. Serve with a juicy burger and lots of dip :)

Jade: Bitemycheesecake

It's no fun to cook for one. It's even less fun to bake for one...especially when I don't have a sweet tooth. But you know those days when you're dying for some cheesecake....yet baking an entire cheesecake just seems excessive...and buying a sub-par slice from Tesco's is hardly worth the effort...so you go to bed feeling unfulfilled, wake up cranky the next morning, and spend the day secretly wanting to suspend analgesia for over dramatic patients...I'm a firm believer in not going to bed angry..enter mini cake tins, about the size of half a coffee mug, perfect for midnight cravings and those odd moments of self indulgence.

Mini lime and coconut cheesecake~ Because I had 1 lime, 1 carton of expiring cream cheese and a tubful of coconut cookies that never made it to the Tuesday MDT.

6 coconut cookies- the kind that's made of tightly packed toasted coconut and sugar

2 digestives [ you don't have to use coconut cookies, either use more digestives or add some toasted coconut]

2-3 tbsp melted butter, salted please

Abt 70-80g cream cheese

100 ml double cream

2 heaped tbsp sugar

Zest of 1-2 limes

juice of 1 lime

pinch of gelatine powder/ agar powder

1. Crush the biscuits till fine, add melted butter and mix until it looks like wet sand

2. Press firmly into a greased mini cake tin and pop in the fridge to set. I left mine overnight

3. For the cheese topping, rub the zest into the sugar to release all that gorgeous citrusy oil

4. Whisk sugar and cream into soft peaks

5. Zap lime juice and gelatine powder in the microwave for about 10 seconds

6. Add that to the cream cheese and mix till the cheese is softened. Don't overdo it or the whole thing will just turn to liquid

7. Fold the cream into the cheese mix, pour over your biscuit base and chill to set..again, couple of hours should do it, but I left it overnight

8. Makes one palm sized cheesecake packed with tropical flavour......that still took me about a week to finish...one deliciously tangy bite at a time

Jade: Bitemypasta #2

With weekdays spent on wards and moving to a new hospital every few weeks, I used to think weekends were pretty precious commodity in uni. But if anyone had told me how much rarer they were going to be once I started working..I would've made a conscious effort to cram every single Saturday and Sunday with all the books I wanted to read, backlogs of fashion magazines, leisurely pedicures and massive dinner parties....that, or I would've just quit med school all together. Nobody messes with my pyjama-time.

Sausage and asparagus pasta~ because my mum decided she didn't like the sausages she bought and left them in my freezer. Thanks, ma

2 pork sausages~preferably non-mushy ones...not like the ones my mum left

2 cloves garlic

5-6 stalks of asparagus

double cream

1/2-1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

100g penne

freshly cracked black pepper

torn up basil

1. Boil some water and cook the pasta

2. Chop the sausages into bite sized pieces and pan fry till you get crispy little nuggets

3. Add the garlic and asparagus and sauteed on low heat till tender

4. Add double cream and mustard

5. Season to taste, toss in the cooked pasta and coat with the silky cream

6. Top with freshly cracked black pepper and some torn up basil. Sheer comfort food..the perfect ending to a lazy weekend...the kind where you do nothing but laze around in a soft kimono and red lipstick:)

Jade: For Phoebe

For you, Phoe. Jie hopes wherever you are, you can see all the pretty things around you again...and may there be lots of peanut butter. I miss you.