Fusion Food + New Blog Layout

Hi everyone!

For those that have known me before my transformation to somebody quite decent, you might remember that I was a wreck and a careless and carefree girl who avoided the colour pink. Well karma paid me off and here I am with a revamped look of the one by two kitchen blog, and guess what - entirely in pink! I've also changed the name from a mere the one by two kitchen name to the one by two kitchen blog.

The reason why I change the colour to pink is because all of a sudden I fell in love with the softness of the colour and the feeling that it brought to my blog upon trying on new templates. As the one by two kitchen promotes good, healthy, and easy food recipes, I always feel compelled to continuously promote my blog to greater audiences. Personally, I also believe that girls my age have to be exposed to the world of cooking (because it's a great activity and you can feel self-sufficient and womanly too :) yay!), and thus I'm hoping to make my blog more attractive to female audiences. It'd be great if you all can share the link to my blog! Just copy and paste the following link: http://onebytwokitchen.blogspot.com to your Facebook, Twitter or any sharing options.

While I was cooking my dinner this evening (Quorn Chicken Tikka Masala Spaghetti), I thought to myself on how I really like fusion cooking. Well I'd be honest with you! I used to hate fusion food when dining at posh restaurants, I always thought that the 'authentic' recipe is always the best. However, as a university student, I found that making a totally authentic dish is expensive and complicated, and a large amount of excess ingredients might go down to waste! As somebody who's studying to build a more sustainable and environment friendly world, I cannot withstand the thought of 'wasting' stuffs off!

Salmon teriyaki with spaghetti: inspired by Pasta de Waruku

While I was in Indonesia I never really liked the restaurant 'Pasta de Waruku' which is a fusion Japanese restaurant with Japanese dishes combined with various pastas. However, I really like the concept of combining salmon teriyaki and spaghetti. I never can really digest creamy and cheesy spaghetti (unlike my sister Rachel who can eat several plates at once!) However I love whole wheat spaghetti, not only because of its Al Dente texture but also because of its health benefits! If you know SBD diet quite well, you will know that whole wheat and wholegrains are recommended in Phase 2 and 3 to fulfil your daily carbohydrate requirement! Thus - instinctively to me, this recipe came out to my head and I made one of my first notable fusion cooking. I love everything about this dish - the teriyaki broth, the whole wheat pasta, the salmon and the onion, as well as the healthy spinach! The dish above was created at the original one by two kitchen approximately a year ago.

Steamed salmon and mushroom teriyaki with cheese topping

My second try of fusion dish was to combine cheese and teriyaki. I made this dish a year ago, and it was because I was so inspired about steamed dish because of its health benefits (maintaining the vitamins and minerals of green leaves, for example). This dish is more for SBD Phase 1 since there is no main carbohydrate ingredients (unless you count some grams of the teriyaki sauce). Who can imagine that steamed cheese can melt in a perfect way when combined with teriyaki? I made the dish often and can't wait to make it again this year.

Steamed morning sandwich

Now here comes the curious one! Steamed morning sandwich! My good friend Bila always wondered and pondered about this dish to me. I did not have a steamer last year, so I used all possible means to steam my food (continuing my heavy obsession of steaming food). Basically the sandwich was made up of two slices of wholegrain bread, wafer ham, tomatoes and a slice of Gouda cheese (my favourite). I had to use my sifter to steam, but hey! It worked! The best thing about this sandwich was that the texture of the wholegrain bread became quite chewy and moist in the nicest way. What a way to start your day with something rather fusion-istic style!

Last but not least - is today's dinner. Quorn chicken tikka masala spaghetti. I personally didn't make the Tikka Masala paste but bought it from a supermarket (Loyd Grossman's Hot Tikka Masala). Instead of using the whole jar, I used around one-quarter of the paste with half a cup of water to create a Quorn chicken stir-fry, then mix in the wholewheat spaghetti. Nicely done as shown below.

Quorn Chicken Tikka Masala Spaghetti

So there you go, chefs! I know quite a lot of good fusion restaurants across the countries that I have lived or visited. In America, I'm sure it's more down to the Japanese-American fusion (as well as in Indonesia), while in London you can find quirky but delicious restaurants serving fusion food. But why not make one yourself? I shall post one of the recipes soon for you to impress yourself and your guests!

LOVE. the one by two kitchen.

the one by two kitchen Matcha (Green Tea) Cupcakes

Hello again!

This week alone, I have made more than 40 cupcakes (in two batches)! Basically since I am still in my SBD diet Phase 2, I'm allowed to use wholemeal flour and Splenda sugar substitute. I myself have not been a big fan of Aspartame or any sugar substitute, but somehow found Splenda okay (because of the seemingly good health review and sugar aftertaste).

One of my favourite thing in the world is green tea. I don't know whether it's because it's green, the fact that it has so many health benefits, or because of its aroma. When I used to live in China, I always bought the Long Jin Cha, a green tea speciality from the Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, recommended by my good friend Cissy Wang!

However, I have to admit that nothing beats the original Japanese green tea! Matcha or Green Tea is very popular especially in East Asia region.. and to me, they will make fabulous desserts!

A friend of mine Nicky gave me a cupcake recipes book on my birthday, and it wasn't til recently that I finally have the time to try the recipes. My first try is the green tea cupcake, however I alter and change many ingredients to suit my SBD diet.

Proud owner of the one by two kitchen :)

Using Splenda instead of ordinary sugar has also got its own baking benefit! Splenda does not brown that easily and thus the cupcakes come out beautifully green. However, the icing will be very sugary and thus high-calorie, so it is entirely up to you if you'd like to have your cupcakes with icings or not.

Grab your notes and get ready for this Low-calorie, Good-carb and seriously lovely green tea cupcakes!* I actually counted the calories - if you're using small cupcake cases (one batch will produce around 18 - 20 cupcakes), one cupcake is less than 100 calories!

Half of a batch!

*Warning: you need to have an oven, cupcakes/muffin mould (I use my silicone cupcake case), cupcake/muffin paper cases, big mixing bowl, sifter, whisker (electric is preferable, however manual is fine - I use manual instead) and measuring cups. 

Cupcake Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter (185 grams)
• Green tea powder (4 teaspoons)
• Splenda sugar substitute* (20 teaspoons)
• Wholemeal self-raising flour (1 1/2 cups)
• Semi-skimmed milk (125 ml)
• Vanilla extract (preferably natural) (1 teaspoon)
• Eggs (3)

*Splenda can be substituted to 170 gram caster sugar (superfine sugar)

Green Icing Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter (60 grams)
• Icing sugar (120 grams)
• Green food colouring (preferably natural)

Decorative Ingredients:

• Poppy seeds
• Walnuts; or if available, Azuki beans

How to Prepare the cake:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius for around 15 minutes
• On a saucepan, bring the milk to boiling point and quickly remove from heat
• Mix the green tea powder in, stir until even
• On a mixing bowl, beat the butter, Splenda sugar and vanilla in with electric whisker (or manually)
• Crack each of the eggs in, one by one, and beat well
• Using your sifter, sift the wholemeal flours in to the mixing bowl, then fold using your wooden spoon (do not use your whisker!) until even
• Pour the green tea milk mixture in (after making sure that it is even) and fold again with your wooden spoon. I recommend that the green tea milk mixture is in a warm/hot condition, because as mentioned in my previous posting, I was told that when making cakes/cupcakes, pouring hot water/liquid to it will somehow mix the mixture very well
• Line your cupcake cases on to your muffin mould or cupcake mould, then pour evenly (to 3/4 height of each)
• Bake for 12 - 14 minutes, then remove from oven
• Make sure that the cakes are baked well by inserting a toothpick to one of the cakes. A clean toothpick means that the cakes are baked well. If there are many residues, put it back to the oven for around 3 - 5 minutes. However this is a very unlikely case and it would mean that you might got the ingredients wrong!
• Let the cupcakes cool and prepare the icing!

How to Prepare the Icing and Decorations:

• In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and icing with an electric mixer, and drop 2 drops of green food colouring, beat well
• When cakes are cooled down, pour the icing to your liking on each cupcakes and you are free to decorate! (I use poppy seed and walnuts on mine! You can use chopsticks to help you with the decorations.)

SMILE :)

Serve with a huge big smile from the one by two kitchen recipe blogs!

Do leave me comments should you want to ask about the ingredients in Indonesian/Mandarin Chinese language or if you need further help/explanation!

LOVE. the one by two kitchen.

Sizzling Hot Pork with Miso sauce inspired from Buta no Misoyaki!

I have a thing about Japanese food. I really do.


While I was back home at Jakarta, Indonesia, one of my favourite time of the day is lunch with my dad while we were working at the office. Our lunches range from simple Indonesian waroeng takeaways to fancy Chinese dimsum restaurants. Still - my old time favourite is the Japanese lunch at Gumon, Kyoei Prince tower at Jalan Jenderal Sudirman. The best thing about the place is that it is absolutely a hidden gem in every sense - Japanese chef, fresh ingredients, and the fact that the restaurant is always full of Japanese expatriates (always a good sign!)


While I cannot proclaim that I know everything about Japanese food, I can say that I know quite a lot. My dad's former boss was a Japanese man (and a kind-hearted one), and so my dad is quite an expert when it comes to Japanese dining. I learnt a lot from him, and we ventured a lot to various Japanese restaurants everytime I am at home.


One of the dishes that really intrigued me is Buta no Misoyaki, or grilled pork with miso sauce. I've always liked Miso sauce, but at winter time I'm usually not quite for the mood of grills. 


So on one night, while thinking about how good miso soup is, I decided to try on a new dish made from extra lean pork and miso soup paste. That simple!


The taste is superb especially in the winter time when the weather is cold. This admittably is a very simple dish, but sometimes good things come in the simplest forms, something that I truly adhere to when it comes to writing for the one by two kitchen blog!

My sizzling hot pork with miso sauce, cooked on the hob!

OK - let's get to the recipes. Jot down the shopping list and in a good 20 - 30 minutes you're ready to have this awesome sizzling hot pork with miso sauce.


NOTE: You can substitute Pork with Tuna. I've tried it and it is equally delightful. I use extra loin pork because I'm quite health conscious and is available to me, if it's not, you are free to substitute it to normal pork loin.


Makes 1 Serving.


Ingredients:

• Extra loin pork (2 medallions) [I got mine from Sainsbury's]
• Teriyaki Sauce (to marinade)
• Spring Onions (2, chopped o small pieces)
• Lettuce (handful, chopped to bite size)
• Egg (1)
• Tofu Miso Paste (preferably with seaweed inside)

Preparation*:
*Preparation is not compulsory but is recommended to ensure better taste

• Marinade the extra loin pork with Teriyaki sauce for one night (best result) or,
• Using your fork, puncture the meat evenly while smearing the Teriyaki sauce, leave for at least 30 minutes

How to Prepare:

• Dilute the Tofu Miso Soup Paste with warm water of around 200 ml
• Lightly coat the pan with oil, add spring onions when oil is hot enough
• Sizzle the spring onions for 1-2 minutes
• Put the chopped lettuces in, stir-fry and add one tablespoons of teriyaki sauce and some water, stir-fry until half-cooked
• Pour the Miso Soup in
• Put the meats on to the pan on medium heat
• Cook for around 10 - 15 minutes
• Crack the egg in to the pan
• Cook for around 10 minutes or until meat is fully cooked
• Serve on a plate or a bowl!

Served piping hot for lunch before lectures

It's so easy but it is really nice! These days I have been cooking this a lot because of its simplicity and the Miso taste (I love Miso!) I'm sure if you have never had a go for Miso, you will find the taste soy-basedly nice.

Til the next recipe!

LOVE. the one by two kitchen.

Interesting the one by two kitchen dishes pictures to keep you entertained!

Hello again everybody!


I decided to be more active for the one by two kitchen blog in 2011, and here comes the second post of the year!


This one is not a recipe post, though. This is an overview of what I have been creating and cooking in the past week. During the past week I have somehow found myself being filled with constant rush of creativity (especially in creating new recipes and getting inspired!) At night time I often think about new recipe dishes. I guess this must be because of my current obsession of staying slim with less carbs; this seems to intrigue the creativity side of me to find new dishes that are appealing and carb-less.. Anyway since not everyone here knows me personally on Facebook (I use Google Analytics to analyse my blog's popularity and such and found that the people who read my blogs actually come from everywhere), I decide to post this picture+blog collections!


So if you're a fan of carbohydrates, please put up with me! Next week I shall be introducing healthy carbs back to the blog!


First and foremost - seafood. Have I mentioned how big of a fan I am of seafood and especially of prawns?

King prawn medley with tomato and spring onion; served with miso soup! 

I've always loved king prawns, and this is the first time that I got king prawns with tails while in the UK (M&S Food store). The taste of this dish reminds me of the Mediterranean sea and of the beaches in Bali. Yum!

Onto the second one then! This is chicken breast filled with cheese slices wrapped with Parma ham (better known as Prosciutto!) and served with asparagus (one of my favourite vegetables of all time).

Chicken breast and asparagus, each wrapped in Prosciutto and served with tomato. Chicken breast is filled with cheese slices.

Notice the singularity. Tomato. That's because my personal view on this dish is that since the prosciutto would make the chicken and asparagus rather salty, the tomato should add a bit of tanginess to the dish and thus lessen the saltiness. I might be wrong, Gordon Ramsay might laugh at my idea if he must, but I can only say good things about this recipe. It makes me want more, although I'm still working on how to minimize the saltiness. The reason I did not choose bacon and use Prosciutto is because of the high fat content of bacon! I'm going to experiment more about this dish, perhaps using mozzarella and other type of hams!

Seafood, tick. Chicken, tick. I'm also a big fan of extra lean meat. Although I'd be honest, I don't eat red meat or pork that much. However I got hold of extra lean pork in Sainsbury's and, at one night, this inspiration comes. I'm still very proud of this dish that I found, I simply love the taste. What else can I ask?

the one by two kitchen take on Buta no Misoyaki with lettuce and egg!

Basically they're made up of two extra lean porks, egg, lettuces, Japanese soy sauce, and miso paste. I'll post the recipe of this (I think I've made it to close-to-perfection by my standard). The picture above is when I'm cooking the dish (it looks beautiful!) Here's another picture (after balancing the lights).

And below is the picture of when it is served:

That's Buta no Misoyaki ala the one by two kitchen for you!


Second to last is another take of pan-seared tuna steak, this time served with Mascarpone sauce. Alright I did not make the Mascarpone sauce, ok? Gordon Ramsay made this sauce and sold it for Comic Relief and I happened to pass by this product in Sainsbury's! Still - what a nice dinner for me!

And below is the close-up look of my Pan-seared Tuna with Mascarpone sauce (and asparagus!)

Right - and I'm finishing off with a vegetarian (not vegan) dish! It's Quorn chicken with mushroom , pan-fried with lighter than light Flora butter!


PS: Super amazing way to start off your day!

ALRIGHT - that's about it for now! I'm going to post more recipes as soon as my brain starts working (I'm gonna be brutally honest - I am going crazy with my university's research project going now, I mistook socks for my clothes, misread stuffs and just went brain-crazy the whole day today).


Leave me some messages and comments. Or subscribe to this blog!


I shall want you to read more interesting posts later!


LOVE. the one by two kitchen.

Pan Seared Tuna Steak

Hi everybody!


Firstly a big happy new year hugs to you all! 2011 should be more fun, better and full of love to you all!


Sorry for taking ages of updating my blog.. Basically, I truthfully, whole-heartedly blame this on the amount of coursework I've been having (I only have time for Facebook and Twitter, believe me or not but going online on MSN or Skype are for the sole purpose of asking questions about my never-ending coursework!)


Now that I'm free from all those horrible days (and horrible, crappy and unhealthy food), I'm back to cooking and blogging and taking awesome pictures too!


The good thing is that I recently bought myself a new camera. It's a digital compact camera (Pentax RZ10) with good optical zooms (precisely what I need) and so all the pictures from now on would look better (hopefully!) I'm still trying to master the camera so hopefully soon I'll be able to produce good pictures for the one by two kitchen!


After the holiday (end of year holiday) and especially Christmas, a lot of us (including me) would really fancy some fix to our waist length after all those merry foods we've been eating. I was in Spain, and was in love with the Paella, the Tapas, the gelatos, sangria, cocktails, more cocktails and more wines. I know I needed to get back in shape so last week I started on dieting.


I've always been a big fan of the SBD (South Beach Diet) simply cos it works for me. Simply put, cut out the unhealthy carbs, eat the healthy ones, and eat more veggies/lean protein.


That's why one of my newly found recipe is the Pan Seared Tuna Steak, inspired by Manchester's The Second Floor restaurant at Harvey Nichols!

The overall impression of my pan-seared tuna steak!

It's fairly easy too. These days I tend to use butter instead of my usual oil. However if you're watching your waist, make sure that it's a low-fat butter or lighter than light butter (mine is Flora, lighter than light).


For my dinner, I made it half-done/medium-well, simply because I'm a huge fan of everything that is medium-well. However if you have doubts over the freshness of your fish, do cook it thoroughly.


Alright, I'll stop the talking and get you ready for this low carb/high protein meal!


Makes 1 Serving


Ingredients:

• Tuna steak - around 200 grams (FRESH ones please! I got mine from M&S)
• Japanese Teriyaki Sauce (around 4-5 tablespoons for marinating)
• Low-fat Butter (you may substitute for oil)
• Spring Onions (2)
• Fresh Lettuce (a handful)
• Tomatoes (two medium-sized)
• Lime (half)

How to Prepare:

• Cut lightly, vertical and horizontal, on one side of the tuna steak. Do not cut deeply, this is merely to marinate the tuna steak
• Pour 4-5 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce in a bowl and marinate your tuna steak
• Leave it for 3-5 minutes or until you finish cooking the tomato/lettuce stir-fry
• Chop the spring onions to small pieces
• Chop the lettuces to small pieces
• Cut the tomatoes to eight small pieces
• On a pan, smear butter on the pan and put the spring onions in, sizzle for 1-2 minutes
• Put the lettuce and the tomatoes in
• Sprinkle lightly with the teriyaki sauce
• Stir-fry until the lettuce and the tomatoes are cooked to your liking
• Remove the stir-fry from the pan to a plate
• You might want to clean your pan at this time, I choose not to
• If your pan is very dry, lightly coat it with butter or oil and wait until it sizzles
• Place your tuna steak on the pan
• Sizzle for around 3-5 minutes if you are on a medium heat, or until one side turns opaque (don't wait until it turns opaque to the centre of the steak if you want it to be medium-well)
• Flip and sizzle for another 3 minutes until the other side turns opaque
• You might want to hold the tuna steak while cooking the thin side of the steak, do not overcook!
• Move the steak on top of your stir-fry
• Sprinkle Shichimi (Japanese chilli powder) on top of the tuna
• Garnish with lime
• Serve!

This is what you want to achieve if you're doing medium-well

That's it! How easy can it be? How lovely can it be too! I simply love the taste and the half-doneness of the dish. Remember to choose fresh tuna from a good store. I found mine in Marks and Spencer, very fresh and quite good. However you might want to cook the tuna well-done if you have doubts against the freshness/healthiness of eating raw food.

Leave the one by two kitchen some comments or send me messages! Greatly appreciated!

LOVE. the one by two kitchen.

Simple Asian Noodle: the one by two kitchen take on Chicken Mushroom & Meatball Noodle!

Hi everyone!

A week ago I promised a friend of mine, Kevin, that I was going to make him noodles for either lunch or dinner. My favourite noodle up to now is still the local Indonesian "Mie Bakso" or Meatball Noodle in English.

I went to shop the Asian Beef Meatball (which is in grey colour; unlike the western type brown coloured Swedish meatball), egg noodles and other ingredients. I think I successfully made the dish, although there are rooms for improvements. This is not my first time doing the dish though, as I have made this before in the past. Although I will try to perfect this particular dish, for those who have been seriously missing some noodles action in your life, this simple one by two kitchen recipe will do - and I guarantee you will be satisfied too!

The key trick, I think, is to mix the noodles with enough seasoning and spices before putting the topping, veggies and pouring the noodle's soup!

Try this simple dish to alleviate that little tingling sensation of missing home!

Makes 2 Servings

Ingredients:

1. Chicken breast (1 piece)
2. Chinese dried mushroom (3 mushrooms)
3. Egg noodles
4. Spring onions
5. Beansprouts
6. Green vegetable (optional)
7. Sesame Oil
8. Soy Sauce
9. Indonesian sweet sauce (kecap manis - if available)
10. Chicken Stock (cube is fine to haste the process)
11. White pepper (or black if white is unavailable)

Preparation:

1. Dice the chicken breast, sprinkle with green onion and soak in soy sauce. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
2. Soak the Chinese dried mushroom in a cup of water. Do not throw the water away.

How to Prepare:

1. Boil hot water in pot and put two rolls of dried egg noodles in.
2. Simmer until the egg noodles soften to the texture that you like (approximately 7 to 8 minutes for most egg noodles). Drain when ready.
3. Pour considerable amount cold water over the cooked egg noodles on the drainer/sieve to prevent them from sticking to each other.
4. In two serving bowls, create a mixed seasoning by pouring approximately a tablespoon of sesame oil, a tablespoon of soy sauce and sprinkles of peppers onto the bowl.
5. Divide the noodles to two and serve them over the mixed seasoning.
6. In another pot, mix the Chinese dried mushroom water with 1.5 cup of water and put the chicken stock cube in. Stir. Add salt to suit taste.
7. Put the meatballs and beansprouts onto the boiling soup. Put the heat down and simmer for around 4 minutes. If there is any green vegetable, put them in and simmer for another 3 - 4 minutes.
8. Drain the meatballs, beansprouts and vegetable but do no t throw the soup away. Put the soup in a different serving bowl and sprinkle with green onion. Arrange the meatballs, beansprouts and vegetable.
9. In a saucepan, heat oil, and stir fry the diced chicken breast with the green onion. Add the mushroom and stir. Add the Indonesian sweet soy sauce and sprinkle pepper. When cooked, divide into two portions and arrange them on top of the noodles alongside the meatballs, beansprout and vegetables.
10. Serve the two bowls with the soup bowl. Diners are to adjust the desired amount of soup in their own bowls.

Done the one by two kitchen way!

PS: I wrote this page for quite a long time - it seems that this would be my longest recipe to date.

LOVE. the one by two kitchen.

Cha Siu Pork

Hi again! I don't really like posting many things at the same time - but since I have been inactive for quite a while - I guess it really is time for me to keep on updating my blog.

So during my birthday lunches (read the post below), I remembered one of my mom's favourite dishes at home called Cha Siu Pork. For most of the South East Asian people, this must have sounded very familiar to your ears. Cha Siu sauce has always been proclaimed as the Barbeque sauce of the orient, and it pretty much goes with other meat such as chicken (as replacement).

The dish is very simple and easy but will definitely makes you ask for more!

*Warning: this dish is prepared using the Oven. Preparation time is 2 hours minimum.

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

1. Pork loin* (500 gram) or to be replaced with Chicken Breast (500 gram)
2. Cha Siu Sauce (preferably Lee Kum Kee)
3. White Pepper
4. A jar of honey
5. Cooking oil

*Although extra lean pork loin makes a healthier choice, many people will prefer the original pork with fat parts for the crispiness of the dish

How to prepare:

1. Cut the pork loin to long pieces of around 1 cm x 3 cm; put the pieces to a bowl
2. Pour 5 tablespoons of Cha Siu sauce to the pork loins
3. Using your hand, mix well the sauce with the pork, sprinkle pepper, mix well again
4. Put cling film on the bowl, refrigerate for a minimum 2 hours (although overnight will be best)
5. When ready, preheat your oven to 175 degree Celcius.
6. Prepare a baking tray and grease lightly with oil
7. Pour the marinated meat onto the baking tray
8. Bake the marinated meat for 15 minutes, then take it out and pour roughly 3 tablespoons on top of the marinated meat or until the meat is fully covered with honey
9. Put back the meat to the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the meat has become crispy. Occasionally turn the meat around to better distribute the heat.
10. When ready, move the meat to a plate, you might want to either get rid of the oil on the baking tray or pour them over the meat dish
11. Serve!

Happy trying! Everytime I miss home I can always make this to make me feel better!

LOVE. the one by two kitchen.