My Latte Art ~~2016

I am not the professional barista, my latte art is not the best yet, I will keep on learning~~

Latte art is a method of preparing coffee created by pouring steamed milk into a shot of espresso and resulting in a pattern or design on the surface of the resulting latte. It can also be created or embellished by simply "drawing" in the top layer of foam. Latte art is particularly difficult to create consistently, due to the demanding conditions required of both the espresso shot and milk.
There are two main types of latte art: free pouring (pattern created during the pour) and etching (using a tool to create a pattern after the pour). Free pouring is far more common in American cafés, and requires little additional time in preparing a drink.
The two most common forms of poured latte art are a heart shape and the "rosetta" or "rosette"
Etched patterns range from simple geometric shapes to complicated drawings, such as crosshatching, images of animals and flowers, and are generally performed with a coffee stirrer of some sort. Etched latte art typically has a shorter lifespan than free poured latte art as the foam dissolves into the latte more quickly.
(source: wikipedia)

Lotus Leaf Tea /荷叶茶/연잎차

Dear friends, share with you this homemade Lotus Leaf Tea .
According to Dr Paul Haider, Lotus Leaf Tea :
@ Lower cholesterol
@ Lower blood sugar level
@ Is great for detoxing the blood
@ Lower blood pressure
@ Help to lose weight
@ Help to promote healthy liver function~~

荷葉含有蓮鹼（Roemerine）、原荷葉鹼（Pronuciferine）和荷葉鹼（Nuciferine）等多種生物鹼及維生素C。有清熱解毒、涼血、止血的作用。
荷葉是「藥食兩用」的食物，荷葉中富含的黃酮類物質，是大多數氧自由基的清除劑，可以提高SOD（超氧化物歧化酶）的活力，減少MDA（脂質過氧化物丙二醛）及0X－LDL（氧化低密度脂蛋白）的生成，它可以增加冠脈流量，對實驗性心肌梗塞有對抗作用；對急性心肌缺血有保護作用；對治療冠心病、高血壓等有顯著效果；對降低舒張壓，防治心律失常、心血管病等也起重要作用，因此荷葉黃酮是一類極有價值和待開發的物質，它既可作為心血管疾病的原料藥，還可廣泛應用於功能食品、保健食品和飲料中。此外，荷葉中另一大類活性物質oslim花草的生物鹼，生理活性顯著，具有明顯的降血脂、抗病毒等功能（资料来源 ：医学百科）　

                                Fresh lotus leaves , wash and drain ~~
                                新鲜的荷叶，洗净和濾乾~~

Cut the leaves into small pieces and put in the dehydrator, dehydrates it for about 3 to 4 hours~~
将它剪成细长条状， 放在风干机内， 3-4 个小时的风干过程~~

After dehydrating , fry in the wok or fry fan (  without cooking oil ) till slightly golden brown colour~~
风干后， 在锅内乾炒至呈稍微金黄色~~

Lotus Leaf Rice / 荷叶饭 / 연잎밥

My husband received a box of lotus leaves from his friend. I used it to make lotus leaf tea and lotus leaf rice.~~

先生的朋友送了一盒的荷叶给我们。 我用它做了荷叶茶和荷叶饭~~

                                    Wash and drain the lotus leaves ~~
                                    将荷叶洗净和濾乾水份~~

                                 Blanch the lotus leaves in the hot water~~
                                 把荷叶在热水中，轻轻泡软~~

                           Cook the glutinous rice by using the rice cooker ~~
                           在饭锅内将糯米煮熟~~

Topping ingredients : Chest nuts, mushrooms, pork belly， garlic and shallot~~
外馅料 ： 栗子，蘑菇，三成肉，蒜蓉，小葱头片~~

                             Fry the topping ingredients ~~
                             炒香馅料~~

Place the topping ingredients on the top of the cooked glutinous rice~~
将馅料摆在饭团上~~

                             Fold the leaf and wrap the glutinous rice~~
                             将荷叶摺好和包裹好饭团~~

Ingredients :
8 pieces of lotus leaves
glutinous rice 900 g
chest nuts 80 g
peanuts 80 g
red beans 60 g
mushroom 8 pieces
pork belly 100 g ( may also use chicken, beef to substitute it )
jujube ( red date ) 8 pieces
minced garlic 1 tsp
chopped shallot l tsp

sauce : ( according to your taste or preference )
oyster sauce
black & sweet soy sauce
pepper
salt
sesame oil
oil

Method :
1. Wash the lotus leaves.

2. Cook the glutinous rice together with the  red beans & peanuts by using the rice cooker.

3. Blanch the lotus leaves in the hot water, so that it will be easy to wrap the rice.

4. Slice  each of the jujube and mushroom  into 4 pieces, set aside.

5. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan over medium heat. Saute the shallot, garlic. Add the pork belly, mushrooms, chestnuts. Add in oyster sauce, black & sweet soy sauce, pepper, salt , sesame oil, stir fry for a while until all the ingredients are cooked half way. Set aside.

6. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan over medium heat, fry the cooked glutinous rice, add in oyster sauce, black & sweet soy sauce, pepper, sesame oil according to your taste.

7. Divide the cooked rice, the topping ingredients into 8 portions.

8. Place the cooked rice on the center of the leaf, put the mushrooms, chest nuts, pork belly, jujube on top of the rice.

9.Fold the leaf & wrap the rice, to make it square shape.

10 After wrapping all of them, put in the steamer and steam it for about 40- 45 minutes.

材料 ：
8 片荷叶
糯米 900 g
栗子 80 g
花生 80 g
红豆 60 g
蘑菇 8 个
三层肉 100 个（ 可以鸡肉，牛肉代替 ）
红枣 8 粒
蒜蓉 1 tsp
小葱头片 1 tsp

调味料 （ 请根据您的口味 ）：
耗油
甜黑酱油
胡椒粉‘
盐
麻油
油

做法：
1. 洗净荷叶。

2. 将红豆， 糯米， 花生 ， 放入电饭锅内煮熟。

3. 把荷叶放入热水中，轻轻泡软， 以便容易包裹饭团。

4. 把每一粒的红枣， 蘑菇 各切成 4 片。 待用。

5. 以中火在锅内烧开热油，炒香蒜蓉， 小葱头片， 放入三层肉，蘑菇， 栗子， 加入耗油，甜黑酱油，胡椒粉，盐，麻油，炒至半熟，待用。

6. 以中火在锅内烧开热油， 放入煮熟 的糯米饭， 加入耗油，甜黑酱油，胡椒粉，盐，麻油炒香。

7. 把饭团，馅料 各分成 8 份。

8.将饭团放在荷叶中央，上面摆上蘑菇，栗子，三成肉，红枣。

9. 将荷叶摺好及包裹饭团，使成为方块状。

10. 全包好后，放入蒸笼， 蒸约 40 - 45 分钟即可。

Sesame Flowers/芝麻花/참깨꽃

Dear friends, I believe that you are very familiar with the sesame seeds, sesame oil ! Have you ever seen the flowers of sesame. Share with you this picture which I took at the weekend farm in Seongnam, Korea.

Sesame is an annual plant growing 50 to 100 cm (1.6 to 3.3 ft) tall, with opposite leaves 4 to 14 cm (1.6 to 5.5 in) long with an entire margin; they are broad lanceolate, to 5 cm (2 in) broad, at the base of the plant, narrowing to just 1 cm (0.4 in) broad on the flowering stem. The flowers are yellow, tubular, 3 to 5 cm (1.2 to 2.0 in) long, with a four-lobed mouth. The flowers may vary in colour, with some being white, blue, or purple.(source:wikipedia)

亲爱的朋友们，我深信您对麻油，芝麻都非常的熟悉 ！ 您可曾见过芝麻花 ？ 与您分享我在位于城南周末农场所拍摄的照片。

胡麻為一年生植物，植株高度約50-100釐米高，全株被茸毛，茎直立，四棱形，单干或分枝。葉對生或互生，葉緣全緣，葉長約4至14釐米，葉披針形、心脏形或椭圆形，在植株基部的葉子較闊，寬度約五釐米；在花莖上的葉子較窄，寬度約一釐米。花一般都是筒形四瓣的，長約3到5釐米，顏色是白色到紫色。种子扁椭圆形，有白、黄、棕红或黑色。喜温耐旱，不耐霜涝。（资料来源：维基百科）

Pungcheon Eel /丰川鳗鱼 / 풍천장어

Dear friends, yesterday was "Malbok/말복" . Do you know what is called " Sambok/삼복" ? These are Chobok (초복), Jungbok(중복) and Malbok(말복). These are three distinct days of the lunar calendar, are commonly among the hottest summer and most sultry days in Korea.
Korean will take Samgyetang on this day, we do take eel, croaker fish ,etc too.

My husband went to Gochang and bought the eels from there, therefore, we took grilled eels instead of samgyetang on Malbok.

Gochang is located in Jeolla Province, is the town with most dolmen sites in Korea. Seonunsa or Seonun Temple, Gochangeupseong Fortress are famous too.

What is Puncheon Eel  ? 

The Incheon River area where sea water of the Seonun Mountain mouth meets fresh water is called Pungcheon. Grass eels swim to the upstream fresh water and grow there for more than 7 – 9 years. They stay in the water where sea water meets fresh water before returning to the deep Pacific Ocean for laying eggs. The eels caught during the period are called Pungcheon Eel

.As a specialty of Gochang, it is sweet and tasty and it brings down cholesterol level along with mountain berry wine. It is rich in vitamin E, effective in preventing sclerosis of the arteries, cancer and aging and recovering fatigue. ( source : Gochang County homepage)

亲爱的朋友们们， 昨天是 “ "Malbok/말복/ .末伏”。 您可知道，什么事 “三伏” 吗 ？三伏是农历中夏季长达30天或40天的一个时段，是初伏、中伏、末伏的统称。三伏开始日大约在公历的7月10至20日之间，结束日大约在8月8至18日之间，是北半球每年炎热天气中的一段。一年中初伏、末伏各10天，中伏在不同的年份为10或20天。（资料来源：维基百科）

韩国人喜欢在三伏享用人参鸡汤， 鳗鱼，鳘鱼等也是首选。

我先生到高敞/GochangGochang 买了鳗鱼， 所以我们在末伏就烧烤鳗鱼而不享用人参鸡汤。

高敞位于全罗道，支石墓，禅云寺，茂長邑城等都是观光景点~~

什么是丰川鳗鱼 ？

禅云山口海水与江水相汇的仁川江地区被称为丰川。细鳗鲡在淡水中生长，7～9年后，洄游到太平洋深处产卵之前，在海水与江水相汇之处停留。此时捕捉的鳗鱼称为丰川鳗鱼。

丰川鳗鱼是高敞代表性特产之一，尤为清淡味美，配以高敞地区的特产覆盆子酒的话，可促进胆固醇代谢，与丰川鳗鱼含有的维生素E混合后，对动脉硬化、癌症、抑制老化、恢复疲劳等具有明显效果。（资料来源：高敞郡网站）

Grilled the eels~~is very simple, sprinkle some salts on the eels !
烧烤鳗鱼~~非常的简单，在鳗鱼上，撒些盐 ！

Eat the eels together with the sliced ginger, you will have good appetite to enjoy it ~~
在品尝鳗鱼的时候，配上一些鲜姜丝一同吃，非常开胃~~

Dear friends, do you throw away the borne of eels ? I strongly recommend you to fry battered borne till golden brown, will be very crisp and delicious~~ Yesterday, we grilled the borne, the taste was not as delicious as we fried previously.
亲爱的朋友们， 您可曾吧鳗鱼的骨头扔掉 ？ 我极力推荐您， 将鳗鱼骨头沾上面粉糊，炸至金黄色， 非常香脆可口 ~~昨天，我们烧烤骨头，其味道不如以前我们所炸的。

We grilled the spicy eels too ~~
我们也烧烤辣酱鳗鱼~~

Zucchini leaves rice rolls / 櫛瓜叶饭卷 / 애호박잎쌈밥

Dear friends, have you ever tried to use the pumpkin leaves to make rice roll ? In Korea, pumpkin leaves are available at the market. Picked  the zucchini leaves from my weekend farm and made the rice rolls instead of pumpkin leaves ~~

亲爱的朋友们，您可曾采用南瓜叶做饭卷 ？ 在韩国，在市场上可以买到南瓜叶。 我从周末农场采了些櫛瓜叶，做了櫛瓜叶饭卷，而没采用南瓜叶~~

 You may garnish the rice rolls with the sliced red dates / jujube ~~

您可在饭卷上加上红枣片~~

You may also garnish the rice rolls with the "ssamjang"~~

您也可在饭卷上加上韩式"ssamjang"~~

I used the zucchini leaves from my weekend farm, you may use pumpkin leaves too ~~Steamed the zucchini leaves before used it to wrap the rice rolls ~~

我是采用了从周末农场采回来的櫛瓜叶， 您也可以以南瓜叶作为材料~~
将叶子蒸熟~~

I used the pickled cucumber and fried  anchovies, cooked rice, zucchini leaves and also the perilla leaves  too ~~
For the rice, you may add in sugar , sesame oil and vinegar according to your taste~~

我是以醃渍黄瓜和辣酱江鱼子作为内馅，其大的材料有饭，櫛瓜叶和苏子叶~~
您可以根据个人的口味，在白饭内加些白糖， 麻油和醋 ~~

Chopped pickled cucumber and fried anchovies ~~ You may get the recipes from http://kkimchi88.blogspot.kr/2012/10/stir-fry-of-dried-anchovies.html
 and   http://kkimchi88.blogspot.kr/2015/08/o-i-ji-cucumber-pickle.htm respectively
You may also use other ingredients as the filling ~~

将醃渍黄瓜和辣酱江鱼子剁碎。 您可从这参阅醃渍黄瓜和辣酱江鱼子的做法  http://kkimchi88.blogspot.kr/2012/10/stir-fry-of-dried-anchovies.html
 and   http://kkimchi88.blogspot.kr/2015/08/o-i-ji-cucumber-pickle.htm
您也可以其大的内馅取代醃渍黄瓜和辣酱江鱼子~~

Placed one layer of cooked rice in the mould , add in the chopped anchovies~~

在模型内放入一层白饭，加入剁碎了的辣酱江鱼子~~

Placed one layer of cooked rice again and  use the mould to make the rice rolls, and wrapped it with the leaves ~~

加入内馅后，再铺上一层白饭~~，用模型做出饭团， 然后用叶子包好~~

Placed one layer of cooked rice in the mould , add in the chopped pickled cucumber~~
在模型内放入一层白饭，加入剁碎了的醃渍黄瓜~~

Here are zucchini leaves rice rolls and perilla leaves rice rolls ~~
这是櫛瓜叶饭卷和苏子叶饭卷~~

Nymphaea tetragona /睡莲/ 수련

Dear friends, these  Nymphaea tetragona flowers /睡莲 are also available at the Si Heung Lotus Flower Theme Park ~~