meal. As almost all the ingredients are soaked overnight, all you'll need to do in the morning is stir and garnish the muesli—and make the coffee.
1 Combine oats, apples, pineapple, coconut, and dried fruits in a large bowl, stirring to mix well. Add the honey and 3 cups (750 ml) of the milk. Mix thoroughly, then cover bowl and refrigerate overnight.
2 In the morning, add more milk as required to achieve the desired consistency; cream or plain yogurt could be added instead of milk if preferred. Serve in glass bowls, garnished with the mango slices. You could also garnish this muesli with orange segments or strawberry slices.
Note: For maximum vitamins, add the fresh apple and pineapple in the morning, before adding extra milk to serve. The dried mango, soursop, or papaya could be replaced with other dried fruits such as apricot and peach.
Tropical smoothies
2 cups (500 ml) chilled skim milk
3/4 cup (185 ml) chilled plain yogurt (see recipe, page 32)
6 1/2 oz (200 g) mango, diced, or 6 1/2 oz (200 g) puréed guava
1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
4 tablespoons honey
4 ice cubes
Delicious and healthy mixtures of soft tropical fruits, skim milk, yogurt, lime juice, and honey make a great start to the day, and could also be enjoyed as a between-meal snack.
Combine all ingredients in a blender and process at high speed until smooth. Pour into four glasses and serve immediately.
Chinese-style crab and asparagus omelet with vegetable pickle
8 eggs
4 oz (125 g) cooked crabmeat, picked over for any cartilage
1 cup (80 g) finely shredded long white Chinese (napa) cabbage
1/2 small onion, very thinly sliced
4 asparagus spears, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (40 g) finely shredded leek, or scallion (spring onion)
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Vegetable pickle
1 cup (250 ml) water
1/2 cup (125 ml) white vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon coarse salt
2/3 cup (75 g) carrot, finely julienned
1/3 cup (60 g) cucumber, skin left on, finely julienned
1/3 cup (45 g) red capsicum, finely julienned
2-3 shallots, thinly sliced
This omelet contains a delicate mixture of crabmeat, Chinese cabbage, and asparagus, with extra flavor coming from a little leek and onion. The secret is to shred or slice all the vegetables very finely, and to cook the omelet over moderate heat so the vegetables are just cooked by the time the egg has set.
1 To prepare the pickle, bring the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Put the prepared vegetables in a bowl and mix well by hand. Pour over the hot vinegar mix and leave to cool, then refrigerate 1-2 hours to chill thoroughly. (If you prefer a more crunchy version of this pickle, allow the vinegar mix to cool before pouring over the vegetables. If liked, you could add 1 shredded large red chili to the vegetables.)
2 To make the omelet, crack the eggs into a large bowl and beat lightly. Stir in the crabmeat, cabbage, onion, asparagus, leek, cornstarch, salt, and pepper, mix well.
3 Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add half the omelet mixture, spreading it evenly round the pan. Cook over moderate heat, without stirring, until the egg is golden brown underneath and starting to set on top, about 3 minutes. Slide the omelet onto a plate. Add another 1/2 tablespoon oil to the pan and, when hot, reverse the plate to return omelet to the pan, with the cooked side facing up. Cook until done, another 2-3 minutes. Keep warm while repeating the method with the remaining ingredients.
4 Cut each omelet in half and transfer to 4 serving plates. Serve with vegetable pickle, or if liked, the omelet could be accompanied by some soy sauce, or fish sauce with sliced bird's-eye chilies.
Note: The vegetable pickle is best made 2-3 hours in advance to give time for chilling; if preferred, it could be made the day before. It will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Poached eggs on ham and vegetable medley with spicy hollandaise sauce
3 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee) or vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
8 oz (250 g) picnic ham, diced
2 cups (300 g) diced mixed vegetables, such as red bell pepper (capsicum), cassava (tapioca), potato, sweet potato, sweet corn kernels, green beans, and carrots
3 tablespoons finely chopped assorted fresh herbs, such as fresh cilantro (coriander), basil, and parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 poached eggs (see Note)
4 slices French bread, toasted
Fresh parsley sprigs to garnish
Hollandaise sauce
2 egg yolks
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2/3 cup (125 g) butter
Sweet chili sambal
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
5-6 large red chilies, sliced
1-2 bird's-eye chilies, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried shrimp paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
A touch of sweet chili sambal and creamy hollandaise accentuates this combination of finely diced vegetables, fresh herbs, ham, and poached eggs, in this self-indulgent breakfast. Serve with a slice of French bread and, if possible, a balmy tropical breeze for sharpening the appetite. Serve only those vegetables that you have at hand.
1 To prepare the hollandaise, place the egg yolks in a bowl and season with salt and pepper (preferably white pepper). Pour the yolks into a processor and blend thoroughly, about 1 minute. Heat the lemon juice and vinegar until it just begins to simmer, then switch the processor on again and slowly pour the hot lemon mixture into the eggs. Melt the butter (in the same pan as you heated the lemon and vinegar) without burning it and, when it begins to foam, switch on the processor once again and pour the butter into the mixture as slowly as you can. Wipe the bowl and process one last time. Set aside.
2 To prepare the sweet chili sambal, heat oil in a small saucepan and add both lots of chilies and garlic. Stir-fry over low-medium heat until fragrant, 4-5 minutes, then add all other ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes. Process to a smooth paste, then return to saucepan