Tau Eu Kay

Tau Eu Kay (Sweet Soy Sauce Chicken)

Food Diary (October 06, 2011)

Breakfast: Rolled oats with plums, sunflower seeds and flax seeds

Lunch: Tau Eu Kay (Sweet Soy Sauce Chicken) with pasta

Dinner: Wholemeal sourdough toast, beetroot and apple salad

Baking/sweets:

Recently the lovely Sonia from Nasi Lemak Lover presented me with some gifts, including a book called “nonya flavours: A complete guide to Penang Straits Chinese Cuisine.” The book contains over 150 authentic nonya recipes. I don’t know if I will be able to make all the recipes but I thought a good place to start would be one of the easiest recipes.

The recipe for Tau Eu Kay (Sweet Soy Sauce Chicken) looks really basic and simple but the outcome is really really delicious. I have eaten and also cooked something similar many times but the non-nonya version which had little or no sugar. Perhaps the version I had was from mainland China and the nonya’s added sugar.

This dish is eaten with rice. I don’t think nonya’s eat it with pasta like I did. Sonia probably now regrets gifting me this book. In my defense I ran out of rice, I would have preferred rice. The recipe is available here.

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Source: Delicious with Jolien

Mango Cake

Today’s Favourite Blog

Source: Care2

Eating whole natural foods is usually recommended. However there are a few whole natural foods to watch out for.

Milk: Milk one of the most common allergens. Furthermore an estimated 70 percent of people worldwide are lactose intolerant. Nonorganic milk may also contain hormone, pesticide, and antibiotic residues, which can contribute to all sorts of health problems.

Cauliflower: Cauliflower is rich in purines, a substance that occurs naturally in a number of animal and plant foods. Normally, our bodies convert purines into uric acid, which is then eliminated through the kidneys. However, some people have difficulty processing the uric acid. This buildup can cause uric acid crystals to form in the connective tissues and/or in the joints, triggering pain, inflammation, and gout. In addition, an excess accumulation of uric acid can contribute to the formation of kidney stones. Foods high in purines don’t necessarily cause gout on their own, but numerous studies point to purine-rich diets, particularly when combined with high levels of protein, as a significant contributing factor in causing flare-ups.

Eggs: Along with milk, eggs are on the list of the top eight food allergens. In Chinese medicine, eggs are thought to contribute to excess mucus in some people, which, according to Paul Pitchford, author of Healing With Whole Foods, can lead to gall bladder obstruction and impaired liver function. Indeed, research indicates that eggs may worsen gallbladder disease. A study published in the February 2009 edition of Diabetes Care, the journal of the American Diabetes Association, found an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes among men and women who ate eggs daily.

Nightshades: Nightshades are a plant family that includes tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, hot peppers, and sweet bell peppers. Spices and condiments derived from these foods, including cayenne, paprika, and Tabasco sauce, also fall into the nightshade family. Nightshades can aggravate joint inflammation, so many health professionals tell patients with all types of arthritis to steer clear of these foods, although it seems that only certain people are sensitive. Nightshades contain a toxic alkaloid called solanine, which is normally destroyed in the intestines. Solanine irritates the gastrointestinal tract and can also cause diarrhea, headache, and vomiting.

Wheat: Wheat also makes it on the list of top eight allergenic foods. Wheat contains several types of protein, including gluten. Gluten sensitivity or intolerance is fairly common. Whole wheat also contains oxalates, substances which occur naturally in plants and people. But when oxalates reach high levels in the body, they can crystallize and contribute to the formation of kidney stones.

Grapefruit: Compounds found in grapefruit and grapefruit juice in particular block an enzyme that helps the body metabolize and regulate certain common drugs. This can cause these drugs to stay in your system longer, lingering in your intestines and liver and even boosting the level of the drug in your body to dangerous levels. Many drugs can be affected by grapefruit or grapefruit juice, from certain allergy medications and cholesterol-lowering statin drugs to medications used to treat depression, migraines, high blood pressure, HIV, and more. Grapefruit juice has also been linked to an increased risk of developing kidney stones — and in some people, grapefruit and other citrus fruits can trigger joint inflammation, aggravating arthritis.

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