Buttermilk Broccoli Soup

Just a couple of weeks ago, my regular Hypermarket which I visit for grocery shopping had an offer for broccoli. So I bought two whole ones and finally decided to make a soup out of it since its the easiest to make use of them without getting sick of eating broccoli.

And because I had leftover buttermilk from my fried chicken, I also decided to incorporate it into this dish.

It tasted so good and I would definitely cook this soup again as its easy and tasty!

Ingredients
- butter (3 TB)
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 4 celery stalks (chopped)
- chicken stock (3 cups)
- 2 whole broccoli (cut into small pieces so that it will cook faster)
- 2 cups of milk/buttermilk
- Salt and pepper to taste

Steps
1) Put the butter into the soup pot and start adding in the onions. Fry till fragrant and translucent.
2) Then throw in the celery and toss them around until tender

3) Add broccoli and the stock. Cover them completely with the stock/water. Let it cook and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add a pinch of salt.

4) Use a stick blender to blend everything in the pot. If not, you just need to transfer the soup into the blender.

5) See if you like the thickness of the soup. Surprisingly, when I checked mine, it was already quite ok. Not as watery as I thought it might be. So I did not add flour to my soup at all.

6) Add buttermilk to the pot only at the last minute of boiling before serving. The buttermilk thickens it up a little. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you prefer a thicker version of the soup, you can just add flour to your milk before pouring it in.

Very easy to make! Enjoy! Perfect with homemade garlic bread!

Stuffed Bean Curd Puffs- 2 ways

Now that I am a stay at home mum, I have been thinking of what to have for lunch with my helper at home. So yesterday, she said she had cravings for something she used to eat- Stuffed bean curd puffs. So I told her to make me some for me to try and it was refreshingly nice, simple and healthy!

Give it a try! Makes a great party snack!

Ingredients:

- cabbage (sliced thinly)

- bean sprouts

- carrots (sliced thinly)

- garlic (minced)

- flat leaf parsley (chopped finely)

- bean curd puffs

Steps:

1) Add some oil to the frying pan/wok. Throw in your garlic.

2) Add the sliced carrots before your garlic turns brown

3) Add your sliced cabbage and stir fry it

4) Then add bean sprouts

5) Season it with salt and soya sauce to your liking.

6) Finally, throw in the chopped flat leaf parsley and give it a few tosses before you off the fire.

7) The vegetables should be cooked but yet crunchy. (Pressure Point: Don't overcook it if not it becomes soggy and soft. Look at your bean sprouts for a good gauge. It should still be crunchy without having the raw taste)

8) Then remove the vegetables from your wok into a strainer and a bowl to collect the sauce. You can reuse the sauce for your other cooking since all the vegetable stock flavour is in there. Don't waste it!

9) Then, cut the tofu puffs by doing a slit on just one side of the square. Then you blanch the tofu puff with hot water for just 1-2 mins.

10) Finally, you stuff in the veggies!

This is the healthy version which I prefer!! As you feel so happy and guiltless eating this!

For the deep fried version, you basically pound the garlic, salt and black peppercorns (for some spice if you like)

Then add plain flour to a mixing bowl, together with one egg and some water enough to just dissolve the flour and throw in the pounded garlic,salt and pepper.

Then submerge it with your puffs and deep fry them!

Here's the outcome!

Enjoy!