Durian Freeze 榴莲冰

A post in continuation to the previous three consecutive others all within one same chapter - this is one ending the episode on hubby's birthday celebration this year with a sweet note. A dessert and a drink long loved, a promise to try recreating it at home long made. Presenting... the "king of fruits" freeze!

Another big time favorite of his, I have not an exact idea as to when and how he started falling in love with this durian freeze. I have never known the durian freeze myself until we made a trip to Chicago a couple of years back, my first ever trip there. It was then when I was introduced to this restaurant chain by the name of Joy Yee's Noodles in the Chinatown-Downtown. It may be well known for its extensive menu with a range of real attractive food replicas displayed behind all those huge glass panels as you walk pass, but I have always loved it better for its drinks - specifically, the bubble tea drinks. My personal all-time favorite - the papaya milk tea with tapioca!

The durian freeze - it took me a while to accept the fact that such a drink actually exists. I mean, it's DURIANS made into an ice blended drink! lol. But taking a sip, it really isn't bad at all. In fact, it makes pretty good a drink! It is rich and creamy, sweet and tasty, not forgetting the fact that it comes packed naturally with the durian's unique flavor and fragrance. Seriously, whoever so creative that first came out with the idea must have quite a great sense of taste adventure in life!

A fruit with conflicting opinions like none others, the durian is indeed one that you either love or simply dislike. And this durian freeze, it is all the more so. Hubby's #1 choice for a while now, the durian freeze has always been a not-to-be-missed these days whenever we make a trip there to Chicago.

And he's certainly not the only person that I know who really does love this durian freeze. We have another friend who loves this just as much, if not more. Traveling together at times, it has almost been an unspeakable practice that we would usually end our trip there in Chicago with a stop to this place, starting our journey back after with a cup of drink of our choice in hand.

And have you ever been warned of the durian burps? lol. When you have two big fans of durian freeze, each with their cup of favorite drink traveling within the same car, the moment they take their last sips will be the moment when your nightmare is just about to begin! lol. Even with a world-class level of courtesy practiced to shield and protect the innocents, an experience of the aftermath is almost always guaranteed - it's inevitable!

Well... good for them - I will never despise them for just that few belches (although they may at times last the whole journey home) lol.

Back to this homemade version - having very little idea as to what really are the different ingredients to a cup of durian freeze, this set out to be an experiment, done with a little imagination (and my fingers crossed). Well good for me (and the birthday boy too, of course) - it turned out awesome! Naturally flavored with the durian itself, it is sweetened a little further with the use of just the pure coconut water and nothing more. The cooling coconut water balances the rich durian; and of utmost importance - its presence does nothing in altering the unique taste of the KING OF FRUITS.

durian, coconut water and ice cubes made of coconut water

And a real huge plus - this homemade version of durian freeze is real simple and all-natural!

Chilled Mango Puree with Sago & Pomelo 杨枝甘露 - Chinese New Year Series

It's 4 days to Chinese New Year! I'm so gonna take a little break from all the cookie baking and making lol. Thinking of something light and easy to slip in between, this Chilled Mango Puree with Sago & Pomelo 杨枝甘露 instantly crossed my mind. With a name so auspicious in accordance with the Chinese New Year theme, I think it makes all sense to be featuring it as a part of the Chinese New Year series. This is a dessert so popular in Hong Kong it's simply hard to miss. Needless to say I had my first taste of it there a couple of years back and again the year after. This dessert has since became THE DESSERT in between hubby and I. A love token between us, as how he would call it lol.

With so much time already spent on spring cleaning, baking, shopping, decorating, cooking and preparing for the Lunar New Year, this dessert comes with a plus that you and I and everyone else will appreciate. You and I - because needing minimal preparation, this dessert can be prepared in advance, easily assembled and served in a snap! And as for everyone else - we know how dessert can hardly go wrong with mangoes. Light and refreshing, rich, creamy and cold, sweet with a light hint of tartness not forgetting its prominent golden hue, this makes a good dessert to a perfect Chinese New Year meal. It will be a hit!

Oh, and talking about love, it's Valentine's Day just four nights of sleep from Day 1 of Chinese New Year! If you are not so into Chinese New Year, maybe this is what you can consider for the Valentine's Day instead! Or forget about having to have a reason to make this at all. It makes an all-time perfect dessert on any given day! At least it is to me lol. The credit goes to Noob Cook who in turn had adapted the recipe from Zurynee at Quick 'n' Easy Treats from Zu's Kitchen. Personally preferring a version a little less sweeter and a little more sour, I'm more than contented with the dessert not having any additional simple syrup added in. But if you are one with a strong sweet tooth, by all means have it a little further sweetened as per the original recipe and it's good to go!

Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie

Day 10 into my battle against the seasonal flu, and I finally am getting the first slightest hint that the bugs will be gone real soon. Having a sweet tooth just the night before, we had this to the close the night with - the blueberry pomegranate smoothie, a complete boost to my immune system! Inspired by the very same version of smoothie hubby had at McDonald's, I started getting the idea of making our own at home especially considering that hubby seemed to have fallen in love with that smoothie right after his first try. As good as that can ever be (oh yes, it indeed was very good! lol), I guess we know just too well that once you get past their marketing part and actually bother stealing a second glance at the nutritional information behind the making, they can never be quite on par with those made from real fresh fruits, probably not even close. So make my own I shall! 

 
Unknown to me all the while until I have tried it for myself, blueberry and pomegranate are the refreshing flavor duo that together they make a winning combination, so much so that I would even think that they actually taste better complementing one another compared to having them on their own separately. A combination of two antioxidant superstars that packs a hefty nutritional punch, this smoothie makes a lovely and refreshing beverage that could make you easily over indulge probably without having to have the slightest guilt. With fresh blueberries and the POM 100% pomegranate juice being the two main ingredients, here's a link to the POM Wonderful website that nicely tells all the benefits these pomegranates have. As with the blueberries, here's a quick peek into some of the many health benefits they offer, briefly summarizes from a couple of reference sites.

• Antioxidant Rich in vitamins and wonderful elements they boost your immunity keeping free-radicals in check.
• Brain booster Restoring the general health of the central nervous system, the nutrients in blueberries improve brain functions and hinder the onset to many age related cognitive problems.
• Low glycaemic index In between 40 to 53, their low-in-sugar and high-in-fiber properties keep you full for longer with less sugar level crashes or disturbances and thus a more stable blood sugar level.
• Heart healthy Thanks to the antioxidant within each little berry, they strengthens cardiac muscles and regulates the cholesterol level, increasing the good ones, bringing down the bad. 
• Cancer fighter Anthocyanin - a big word yea lol - a rich source of antioxidants that work in harmony with the other nutrients to pack a punch of cancer combatting properties.
• Healthy vision Again the anthocyanin together with many other various vitamins, minerals and lutein - they work miraculously in maintaining ocular health, easing eye fatigue and simply promoting a healthy vision.

Luo Han Guo with Longan Drink 罗汉果桂圆茶

 

The moment the throat starts feeling dry, phlegm starts building up, body starts aching and lethargy dominates, these make absolutely good signs indicating an overworked body. Or more likely in my case, collectively they make a cue that too much good food must have been chomped down in the past few days or so lol - possibly involving too much grilled, charred, spicy or greasy fried good stuff. Left unattended, getting under the weather is almost certainly guaranteed - just a matter of time really. 

Overpowered with a sense of guilt, I would then be on a mission to attempt reversing the bad done in any ways possible - getting better rest, re-moderating my diet, and trying out remedies with promising rejuvenating and revitalizing powers, all in the hope for a fair fight against those winning bugs. Better late than never, no?

This drink then makes my personal remedy at home that comes in handy without all the hassle and needing not much time preparing it. While it may not miraculously banish all the symptoms right away, it sure works its way in taming down the excessive heat in the body regulating the internal temperature after a while. A natural herbal drink, the Buddha fruit, best known as "luo han guo" in Chinese, has always been a cooling remedy used traditionally in Chinese medicine. Naturally sweet, it is a pleasant cooling beverage on its own needing no other ingredients to enhance its flavor and taste. Adding the dried longan however does bring hype to the drink, making it a good dessert now while retaining its medicinal properties still. Great served both hot or chilled, this is just as perfect in quenching thirst on any days.