Friday was an eventful day which I could have done without. Just as I finished my leisurely breakfast and was planning what I would do next while waiting for the kids to come home from school, my phone rang. It’s one of those calls you’d rather not receive from school. My little one had thrown up while getting in line after recess. Sigh.

In 2 minutes I got a set of clothes, a paper bag and a pair of shoes, my car keys and I was out of the door and on the way to school to right all things that went wrong. The poor kid was in tears, her tummy was feeling queasy and she’d thrown up on her coat, her jeans and boots. Hmmm…my brain went “I suppose I’ll need to put laundry on that list of to-do things I was thinking about”. So I did what needed to be done in the Health Room, got her signed out, collected some of her things which she’d left behind in class and by the time we were in the car, she was in a much better mood than when I first saw her. *pat on mummy’s back*

The problem was, she still had the pain and by the time we got home, she was running a temperature and looking pasty. Well she’s much better now. I suppose some bug got to her poor little tummy. But that meant no milk, no oily food and being the fussy eater that she is, no boring porridge after 2 doses of that “yucky gooey stuff”. But of course, only because she wasn’t complaining of the tummy ache  and the fever had subsided that I relented and decided to try something new that was healthy, without oil and easy on the tummy and tasty. So maybe if you’re looking for tasty-no oil-healthy-wholesome food, you might want to try this.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

3 pcs chicken thigh - boneless, sliced thinly
1 tbsp cornstarch
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp orange juice
1/4 - 1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 can of cut young corn/fresh young corn cut into 1 inch pieces
2 carrots - sliced thinly diagonally
1 can of sliced button mushrooms - drain the liquid and rinse under a running tap for 30 sec
2 stalks of spring onions - cut into 1 inch lengths
1 tomato - cut into 4 thick discs
1 very thin slice of ginger

Method:

1. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch garlic powder, sugar and salt.
2. Combine the sliced chicken with the contents in the bowl and mix well to coat the chicken pieces thoroughly.
3. Add the orange juice and mix well. Leave to marinate for 10 minutes.
4. Prepare the steamer.
5. Then add the water, soy sauce and garlic powder to the chicken and mix well.
6. Combine the corn, carrots, mushrooms and spring onions. Stir well.
7. Line the sides of the dish/bowl to be used in the steamer with the tomato slices.
8. Half fill the bowl with the chicken mixture. So that the gravy will not overflow when the dish is steamed.
9. Place the sliced ginger on the top of the chicken mixture.



10. Steam for 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Test by piercing the chicken slices. They should be tender.
11. Remove from steamer and stir the steamed dish a little to break the chicken pieces that might have clumped together as well as to coat all the ingredients with the gravy.
12. Serve hot immediately with whit rice.