Satisfying my Asian Cravings

Having lived in Singapore for the past ten years, it'd be safe to say that Asian food (Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Singaporean, Korean, Malaysian, Indonesian etc.) is a staple part of my diet. Not in the sense that I cook it at home often, but in the sense that I absolutely love it! Since I left Singapore in July and traveled like crazy for a month and a half and then moved to London, my Asian food consumption has plummeted. I might have eaten four Asian meals (tops!). And I miss it so much! My family and I hit up London Chinatown for a dim sum fix, I ate ramen with friends, went to a high-end Japanese restaurant and cooked noodles at home... but that's not enough for three months and counting!

On top of all this, not only am I not getting Asian food, I miss hot, home-cooked food. Apologies if I sound spoiled, but I mean, a girl's gotta have good food... right?

So, what's my point? I finally (partially... more like very slightly!) satisfied my Asian cravings. On Sunday, my two friends and I went to an Asian joint called Dojo that has three pages dedicated to noodles - wok fried, in broth and with sauce. Top that with an entire page of rice dishes and another of side dishes - Asian food heaven. It offers the entire range from Singaporean to fusion Thai to Hong Kongese! One of my friends had the chicken katsu curry (Japanese) and the other had chicken char siu yellow mee noodles. What did I have, you ask?

Succulent king prawn dumplings, pak choi, chinese leaf, assortment of veggies, thick rice noodles in a light chicken broth. 

The dish was hot, fragrant, huge and absolutely delicious (pretty healthy and fresh as well)! It did the trick for the day, but I'd be lying if I said I don't want more Asian food. Right about now would be nice!

Update on Life

Hi guys! Sorry I haven't posted in what feels like forever - it's been crazy and I've been super busy settling in. Cambridge is absolutely gorgeous, the weather has been amazing these past few days (today is cold and rainy, though) and the people are super nice.

I'd be lying if I said I don't miss home, friends and family, but I'm so fortunate, excited and happy to be here! I just returned from my first lectures this morning, and I almost forgot just how much I love learning. Sure, it's only the first day. A week from now I can assure you I'll be stressing out and wondering what in the world I was thinking when I wrote this. But it's true. I love learning!

Last weekend, a few days after I had settled in, my parents and sister dropped over from London for half a day. It was so nice to see them again. You're probably wondering why and how they would visit for such a short time only three days after I left... Well, we're tight. They are the people I can rely on, trust, who support me and love me unconditionally (it's mutual!). Anyways, I'm getting off track here. The point I'm getting to is the fact that my mom made me loads and loads of good and wholesome food to get me through the next several days and I honestly cannot thank her enough. I haven't been bothered to take a picture of any of it, but I'll definitely list what she brought me below! I cannot keep eating the dining hall food - the options are not bad to be honest: soup, bread rolls, salad bar, two meat dishes, two vegetarian dishes, rice, pasta, an assortment of veggies, potatoes and dessert... but it can get boring... and fast. Food is food, after all, and I'll definitely eat there occasionally, but I'm going to try to make other provisions when I'm in the mood. The Sainsbury's grocery store and a Marks & Spencer Food Hall and tons of other possibilities are a stone's throw away.

Once again, I've slightly deviated from what I wanted to share with you - THE FOOD:
(She made this all in one day. I don't know how, but she is the best mom on the planet/in the universe! And all of it is delicious. DELICIOUS.)
- Spinach soup
- Pesto pasta salad with spinach and cherry tomatoes
- Pasta with red pepper sauce, zucchini and spinach
- Chicken quesadilla
- Hummus
- Coconut almond chocolate bars
- Pecan, cranberry, oat cookies
- Scrumptious oat, coconut, fruit and nut breakfast bars
- Chicken salad made with greek yogurt

Things she brought but didn't make herself:
- Fresh salted peanut butter from Whole Foods
- Foccacia bread with olives, tomatoes, basil and feta
- Organic, unsweetened dried mango from Whole Foods
- Lebanese flat bread
- Whole Foods fresh pesto
- Wholemeal bread

While we're on this topic, I'll just list what I already had in my "collection" of food:
- Jar of dates
- Jar of almonds
- Trail mix
- Pecans
- Peanut brittle
- Honey
- Dorset cereal
- Special K cereal
- Fruits: apples, pears, bananas, nectarines, plums
- Milo
- Roasted and salted cashews
- Date and mixed nut squares
- Milk
- Greek yogurt
- Raspberry jam

All I can say is THANK YOU MOM. I love you to infinity and beyond! Apologies in advance that the next recipe post will probably only be when I return home in December, but I'll try to keep posting once in a while with updates on life, food and fitness!

Almond Joy + Samoa Cookies + Millionaire's Shortbread = Coconut Almond Chocolate Layer Bars

OH. MY. GOSH.
I just made the best treat I have ever eaten. It's samoa cookies meets almond joy meets millionaire's shortbread. And the best thing? It's HEALTHY. I repeat, HEALTHY. Not low calorie, not light, but made with no refined sugars and only wholesome, real food ingredients. And you wouldn't know the difference.

I promise. One bite and you'll be sold. I wish words could do these bars justice. But they really just can't. I don't know what more to tell you. THESE ARE THE BEST THINGS EVER. Dessert, tea time, breakfast, snack, please just eat them anytime. They are gooey, fudgy, crunchy, chocolately, lip-smacking and out-of-this-world scrumptious.

Have you ever felt speechless? Well, that's the way I feel about these bars. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll leave you to it.

If you haven't got the gist yet, MAKE THESE BARS. NOW. They are absolutely crazy delicious.

Ingredients
For the "crust":
2 cups almond meal
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup baby oats
3 tbsp coconut oil
4 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp salt

For the middle layer:
1 1/2 cup dates, pitted and soaked in warm water
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup coconut milk

For the chocolate topping:
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate
1/4 cup milk

Instructions
Preheat oven to 175 C.
Brush an 8"x 8" square baking pan with some coconut oil.
Throw the baby oats in a food processor and give them a quick pulse. Add in the rest of the crust ingredients: coconut oil, desiccated coconut, honey, salt and almond meal and process until a moist crumble dough forms. Press this mixture into the base of the baking pan. Bake for 12 minutes until the top of the crust has become a light golden brown.

Meanwhile, make the middle layer. Drain the dates. Add the dates and coconut milk into a food processor and process until an almost smooth puree forms. Mix in the desiccated coconut. Once the crust is cooled slightly, spread this mixture evenly across the crust and place in fridge to cool.

Melt the chocolate chips, dark chocolate and milk in a double boiler until silky smooth. Remove pan out of fridge and pour the chocolate mixture on top. Even it out and place back in the fridge for an hour until the chocolate has set.

Cut into squares and store in the fridge.

ENJOY! This deserves more than an enjoy so, devour!

P.S. Don't forget to like the Strawberry Chocolate Concoction Facebook Page for tips, recipes and updates: https://www.facebook.com/StrawberryChocolateConcoction!

Pumpkin Muffins with Vanilla Glaze (Doughnut Muffins!)

So, it officially has started looking like fall here in London. The leaves are starting to turn red, brown, orange and yellow. The weather is definitely getting colder. And supermarkets and farmer's markets are piled high with apples, pears and pumpkins.

I have never ever baked with pumpkin before. I haven't even tasted pumpkin pie. Don't kill me yet. I took this opportunity to make scrumptious pumpkin doughnut muffins (the vanilla glaze makes them doughnut-y). Pumpkin combined with cinnamon and nutmeg - it just screams fall!

I made my own pumpkin puree from fresh pumpkins following this method. I highly highly highly recommend doing the same because the flavor is so much richer, it's more fresh and there are no sketchy additives! 

Unlike most other recipes, the glaze here is a must. It adds that tad bit of crunch, sweetness and most of all, gives them the doughnut feel.

Fall, muffins, pumpkin, faux-doughnut. What are you waiting for?

Ingredients

For 9 large muffins
For the muffins:
1 1/2 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup baby/quick-cooking oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking soda
 4 tbsp greek yogurt
1 cup homemade pumpkin puree
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the glaze:
1 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
Preheat oven to 195 C.
Prepare a muffin tin with 9 muffin liners and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda.
In another mixing bowl, beat brown sugar and egg until thick and pale. Add in the vanilla extract, pumpkin puree and greek yogurt. Beat again.
With a spoon, mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the 9 lined muffin cups. Fill each fully.
Bake 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in a center comes out clean.
While the muffins are cooling, make the glaze. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and mix in the milk and vanilla extract.
When muffins are almost cool, dip and swirl tops of muffins into the glaze and let the glaze run off the sides. Place in a plate or on a wiring rack till muffins come to room temperature and glaze has hardened.
As always, enjoy!