Drink it up

THE good thing about living in multicultural Malaysia is that we feel a part of each others’ cultures without even having to make an effort.

As the Lunar New Year approaches, I find myself getting into the spirit of the celebration ... I’ve spring cleaned my house and have my small change ready for the upcoming gambling sessions. Of course, the house is also stocked with traditional cookies like kuih kapit (love letters) and pineapple tarts.

And then there are the oranges ... lots and lots of oranges. For a person who, regretfully, doesn’t eat much fruit, I find that I actually have too many oranges than I know what to do with! It’s easy to get rid of the excess Mandarins by making all kinds of cake, but realistically, how many orange cakes can one person eat, right?

So, the best way that I thought of to use up the oranges was to make different kinds of orange-based smoothies. Orange and coconut, orange and yoghurt, orange and ginger ... thinking of variations to try is quite fun.

I love smoothies and end up paying an insane amount of money on store-bought ones. So I suppose I should be thankful for the overflow of oranges as it has prompted me to make my own.

Smoothie

2 Mandarin oranges, peeled and taken apart ¼ cup oats ¼ cup Greek yoghurt, chilled* 1 cup coconut water 1 tbsp honey Pinch of turmeric 1 tbsp unsweetened desiccated coconut If you prefer an icy-cold smoothie, freeze the orange segments at least two hours ahead of time.

Whizz up the oats till they become powdery. Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend till smooth. * If you don’t have Greek yoghurt, wrap 3/4 cup regular yoghurt in cheese cloth and leave it over a bowl for the whey to drain. What will remain in the cheese cloth is thick, creamy yoghurt, just like Greek yoghurt.