How To Combine 3 Simple Ingredients To Make an Easy Peasy Yet Super Healthy and Nutritious Dessert or Tong Sui 糖水

Sweet potatoes flesh are not always in orange colour.  You can find spectacular purple-flesh potato, which is also known as Okinawan potatoes. Like orange sweet potatoes, purple sweet potatoes are low in carbohydrates and fat.  They are an excellent source of fiber and vitamin A, which boost our immunity and help preserve our eyesight. They are also rich in complex carbohydrates and fibre.

Purple Sweet Potatoes are found to improve blood sugar regulation. Eating purple sweet potatoes also help lower blood pressure. But what makes them truly stand apart from their orange counterparts is the fact that purple sweet potatoes have high contents of anthocyanin which may have anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, anthocyanins have been epidemiologically associated with a reduced cancer risk and cardiovascular disease.

Sweet potatoes can be steamed or boiled, or in anyway you like.  I usually use orange or purple sweet potatoes for breads, buns, desserts or just steamed it. They are delicious!!

Red Beans is one of the richest foods in antioxidants. It provides half your daily requirement of fiber, source of iron and thiamine (vitamin B1) which stimulates attention and memory.

Ginger is known for its medicinal properties. Modern scientific research has revealed that ginger possesses numerous therapeutic properties including antioxidant effects, an ability to inhibit the formation of inflammatory compounds, and direct anti-inflammatory effects.

Just combine the above 3 ingredients into a delectable and nutritious dessert for your breakfast. I cooked this dessert in a slow cooker. Just switch it on to Auto before you go to bed. The next morning, you will have hot dessert for breakfast!

So, starting your day with a bowl of this simple 3-superfood dessert will definitely cheer you up and get you through the day!! Something different for your family instead of the usual Milo, milk, bread,cake, etc, right?

Sweet Purple Potatoes Dessert with Red Beans and Taiwan Ginger Cube (姜母茶)

Ingredients : 

(Please take note that, the measurement for this simple dessert is quite flexible.  You may adjust it to your taste)

- 2 medium sized purple sweet potatoes (peeled and cubed)

- 1/2 cup of red beans (washed)

- 1 cube of Taiwan Brown Sugar Ginger Cube

- 1500ml water 

- 8 tbsp brown sugar

- few blades of pandan leaves (washed and knotted)

Method :

1)  Put everything into the slow cooker except the pandan leaves.

2)  Turn it to Auto before you go to bed. (If you want to have it for breakfast.  Otherwise, you may prepare it anytime you like).

3)  Alternatively, you can cook it over the gas stove.

4)  Add the pandan leaves few minutes before serving.

That day, I had it with a slice of radish cake. In case you are interested, do kiv for this radish cake recipe....

Other similar recipes you might be interested :

Have a great weekend and cheers!

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Sorry to inform that for the time being, I have disabled comment box as I won't be able to return visit to my fellow bloggers who are kind enough to drop me a line or two. The comment box will be enabled when I am not so tied up with my work schedule. However, you may contact me by leaving your message or comment at SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL AND HEALTHY LIVING FACEBOOK. My sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused. Thanks for visiting my blog and have a nice day :)

Simple Braised Tofu with Minced Meat and what better way to serve it with plain rice congee during this hazy conditions than eating out

First of all, my sincere apologies for MIA for quite a while.  Well, finally I am able to squeeze some time for my readers and followers who have been actively visiting my cyber home even though there isn't any new updates from me.  Of course from the live traffic feed I am able to see new and existing viewers still keep coming in.  I am touched!!!!  My sincere gratitude for all your generous support.

Well, with the current hazy conditions which hit Singapore and Malaysia, most of us have not been feeling well and even our appetite are affected too.  In fact most of the time, I have been cooking savory or plain rice congee for lunch or dinner for my family.  In case you are interested, you may click at this link for more congee recipes rice congee/porridge.

As I was scratching my head what to cook the other day, I realised that I had a medium sized of pork belly in my freezer and 5 pieces of hard tofu.  Aha... why not cook a simple dish to go with plain rice congee?  So, here's this simple yet appetizing recipe.

Ingredients :
- 1 strip of pork belly (blanched and cut into small pieces or minced)
- 5 pcs hard tofu (cut into eight, slightly fried until golden brown)
- 1/2 tbsp fermented soy bean paste/tau cheong
- 1 bulb of garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 Bombay onion (finely chopped)
- water (enough for braising)

Seasonings : (to taste)
- a dash of salt
- a dash of pepper
- a dash of mixed spice
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
- 3 tbsp caramel sauce (reduce the amount if you don't like your dish to be in dark colour)
- 1 tsp sugar

Method :
1) Heat some oil in a wok and pan fry the tofu until slightly brown.

2) Set the tofu aside.

3) With the remaining oil, add pork belly and stir fry for a while.

4) Then add garlic, onion, and fermented soy bean paste and continue stir fry until aromatic.

5) Add in fried tofu and seasoning. Stir and mix well.

6) Finally add enough water and cover.

7) Let it boil over high heat for about 5 minutes. Then, lower the heat and let it simmer until the gravy is thickened.

8) It takes about 30 to 45 minutes depending on the fire and pot/wok used. Add water if you want more gravy.

9) Dish up and serve with plain porridge or steamed rice.

Another similar dish you might be interested.

Have a great weekend ahead and cheers!

To receive new updates, do LIKE SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL AND HEALTHY LIVING FACEBOOK. 

Sorry to inform that for the time being, I have disabled comment box as I won't be able to return visit to my fellow bloggers who are kind enough to drop me a line or two. The comment box will be enabled when I am not so tied up with my work schedule. However, you may contact me by leaving your message or comment at SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL AND HEALTHY LIVING FACEBOOK. My sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused. Thanks for visiting my blog and have a nice day :)

How your regular cup of green tea can works wonders for your skin in minutes

Green tea has a host of health benefits which most of us are aware of. Rich in antioxidants, it helps keep a lot of diseases at bay. Not only does it regulate your blood pressure but also helps you stay in shape. You can read more about green tea's benefits from the image below:

But did you know that your regular cup of green tea can work wonders for your skin too? And the best part is you do not need blenders, other fancy ingredients to make a paste for your face. Yes, that's true !!

All you need to do is next time you make yourself a cup of green tea, just remember to make some more for your skin too :P

1. The used green tea bags act as excellent eye packs for tired eyes and helps remove puffiness around the eyes. Just keep the used green tea bags in the refrigerator and keep it on your eye for around 15minutes at the end of the day.

2. You can also pour green tea in the ice tray and leave it to form green tea ice cubes. Once cubes are formed, use it directly on your skin. This is will act as natural toner for your skin and tighten pores. It also delays the aging process of the skin.

3. If you are slightly on the lazier side like me, You can simply splash chilled green tea on your face. This will also work as a toner for your skin. 

In case you have more views to share with us, please write to me :) Would love to hear your beauty and skin care hacks :P

Steve Madden opens its flagship store in Kolkata

Steve Madden store in Quest Mall, Kolkata

If you yet to shop for the perfect footwear to go with your dresses, the Steve Madden store in the 1st floor of Quest Mall is the place to look out for this season. New York's iconic luxury footwear brand, Steve Madden is now in Kolkata. 

The brand offers trendsetting fashion forward footwear and accessories for both men and women. The new store aptly reflects the versatality of the brand. Whether you are looking out for comfortable bellies, stylish wedges or sexy stillettos, men's contemporary formal or fashionable wear the store has something to offer to everyone.The accessories include fashionable handbags, cluthes and belts to complete the look. 

I personally liked the Boho collection from the store. The trendy shoes from the collection are the ones you can easily incorporate in your everyday wear, be it during the day to office and rush straight to a party after work. 

Steve Madden's Boho collection

Available in various colours, the store also has blingy shoes keeping in line with the latest trends. The new arrivals, the Autumn winter collection has elegant boots which will take the style quotient of a any outfit several notch higher.

Accessories available at Steve Madden Kolkata

The handbags are elegant and stylish. You can chose from animal prints, fringes, solids, you name it and you have the bag of your choice. 

Autumn winter collection at Steve Madden store in Kolkata

The staff is very helpful and are welcoming. Though I took a long time to decide upon the right pair for me, the lady was patient and reassured that I am not the only weirdo :P

Prices of the footwear starts from Rs.3999 while the bags start from Rs.5999.

Stylish wedges at the Steve Madden store in Kolkata

The Body Shop Celebrates 20th anniversary of Tea Tree Oil

The Body Shop's Tea tree oil

Beauty trends come and go but sometimes there are precious gems that take the world by storm and cement themselves in beauty history. The Body Shop's Tea Tree Oil is one such icon.The brand is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of their cult classic Tea Tree Oil.

The Body Shop's Tea Tree Oil is one of Body Shop's bestsellers. The  skin-saving  bottle is sold every 8 seconds globally! And its not hard to understand why the Tea Tree Oil is a potent purifying treatment that targets blemishes for clearer looking skin. Its so powerful that you can feel it working from the very first application.

Tea tree oil is well known for its anti bacterial properties. As per the best practices of Body Shop, they source high quality naturally purifying tea tree oil from Kenya. The brand claims that the farmers in Kenya hand harvest the leaves and steam distill them within 12 hours for the most purest  and potent tea tree oil.

It has been a friend for a lot of your favourite stars as well !! :P

Bring your hair alive with the Himalaya Herbals' range of hair care products

Dandruff..dry hair..hair fall..frizzy hair are problems which we all dread.

I myself have been tackling hair fall and dry hair problems for quite some time now. Given the hectic time schedules that I have, I hardly have time to devote to my hair. Chemical treatments are an option left for me which can give me quick results but will take a toll on my hair in the long run. I was not ready to compromise on the quality of my hair.


It was then that I received an invite from Himalaya Herbals for a hair spa experience with the beauty expert and hairstylist, Bridgette Jones at her salon. My day was packed with back to back meetings even on a Saturday but yet I made time for this event as it was my much needed break.

Bridgette discussed about my hair problems and she pointed out that hair fall might also be for hormonal or environmental factors.Dry hair is thanks to all the pollution we face in the city. She suggested the anti hair fall range of Himalaya Herbals' nourishing care for the hair spa. 

Himalaya Herbals is a brand which I have always trusted for my hair because of the natural solutions it offers. The procedure is simple and can easily be done on a weekend. All you need to do is invest two hours of your time. 

• The 1st step is the scalp message with the Himalaya Anti Hair fall hair oil
• Wash your hair with Anti Hair fall shampoo and lukewarm water to cleanse the scalp
• Apply the Anti Hair fall hair cream and leave it on for 15 minutes
• Apply steam on your hair for around 10 minutes for deeper penetration. If you are at home, you can use a hot towel for this
• Wash again to clean your scalp
• Apply a conditioner to moisturize 

After the hair spa, my hair looked soft and aligned

 After the treatment, my hair felt super soft and aligned. While no product is a magic, natural products take time to show their effects. With Himalaya Hair care range, I could almost feel the softness instantaneously. I am sure with regular application, I will be able to combat the hair fall problem in some time and get soft shiny hair.

What I feel about the product range?

I have always trusted Himalaya herbals range and have tried it's various products in the past as well. The brand's products are well researched and use natural ingredients like bhringaraja, amla, tea tree oil, chickpea etc which have been known for ages to work wonders for the hair.The range works for me and I am satisfied with the results.

I would recommend that you invest a little time on your hair and follow the step wise process to see the results. As mentioned, it is not magic and regular application is a must. You need not spend a fortune on parlour treatments and enjoy the hair spa experience in the comfort of your homes.

With Dolon of PoutPretty