Known as Asia’s most recognisable brand for sweeteners, Equal aims to promote healthy eating by introducing both sweet and savoury recipes that encourages consumers to enjoy their meals without compromising to taste. Equal has also added two new products in its range of sugar-free alternatives; Equal Gold and Equal Sugar Blend.
For consumers who are concerned about their individual health and weight management, they can opt for Equal Gold and Equal Sugar Blend.
Equal Gold is conveniently packaged in a single stick sachet and it’s made from sucralose, a high quality sweetener derived from sugar and yet, it contains zero calories! Equal Gold is recommended for reducing the risk of diabetes, which is increasing in Asia.
Equal Sugar Blend is exactly similar to Equal Gold, except that it contains sugar. However, it offers 50% less calories than sugar itself, and only requires half the amount for the same sweetness. Equal Sugar Blend also has good heat stability and quick soluble formula which makes it easy to to include in everyday meals, even baking.
Equal Gold and Equal Sugar Blend are available in major supermarket retailers such as Cold Storage, Giant, NTUC FairPrice and Sheng Siong.
Equal’s healthy eating recipes are created with the help of nutritionists and chefs such as Chef Sherie Quek and Madame Patisserie. The recipes created are simple where consumers can enjoy preparing these healthy home cooked meals, without worrying about calorie or sugar intake.
These recipes include local favourites such as sweet and sour pork and pandan chiffon cake. There will also be locally infused recipes created by Chef Sherie such as soy milk panna cotta and vanilla yoghurt mousse.
Image courtesy of Dasha Petrenko/Shutterstock.com
CRÈME BRÛLÉE
INGREDIENTS
Egg yolk: 1
Equal Sugar Blend Milk: 1 teaspoon
Whipping cream Vanilla oil: 40ml
Equal Sugar Blend: 40ml
Vanilla oil: little
Equal Sugar Blend: 1 teaspoon (to torch)
STEPS
1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk the yolk and Equal Sugar Blend until well blended.
2. Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan set over medium heat and add a few drops of vanilla oil.
3. Slowly add the cream to the yolk mixture.
4. Pour into ramekins.
5. Preheat the oven to 170-180 C.
6. Place baking cups into a tray of shallow water and bake for 15 minutes until firm. 6. Remove from tray and set aside to cool.
7. Sprinkle Equal Sugar Blend and torch until caramelised.
Image courtesy of leungchopan/Shutterstock.com
HONG KONG EGG TART
INGREDIENTS
Pastry Crust Low-gluten flour: 100g
Unsalted butter: 55g (room temperature)
Equal Sugar Blend: 12g
Beaten eggs: 20g
Vanilla oil: 1⁄2 tablespoon
Egg Custard:
– Eggs: 2g
– Equal Sugar Blend: 10g
– Warm water: 60g
– Evaporated milk: 25g
STEPS
PART 1: PASTRY CRUST
1. Mix the butter with Equal Sugar Blend.
2. Add vanilla oil and sift the flour into the mixture to form the dough.
3. Knead gently until about 5mm thick. Cut the dough into circles and place each piece into an egg tart mould.
PART 2: CUSTARD
1. Mix Equal Sugar Blend with warm water and slowly add the beaten eggs and evaporated milk.
2. Strain the egg mixture through a fine mesh strainer to ensure that it is smooth and divide the mixture between the egg tart moulds.
3. Set the oven to 180 C and bake the tarts for 15 – 18 minutes.
Image courtesy of jreika/Shutterstock.com
SWEET & SOUR PORK
INGREDIENTS
Pork ribs: 450g
Pepper and pineapple: desired amount
White vinegar: 30ml
Equal Sugar Blend: 20g
Eggplant pulp: 30ml
Ginger: 3 slices
Salt: a pinch
Soy sauce: 15ml
Corn starch: 3 tablespoons
STEPS
1. Marinate the pork ribs with salt, soy sauce, ginger, and cornstarch for 1 hour.
2. Coat the ribs with a thin layer of corn starch before frying.
3. Add a small amount of oil to the pan and fry the ribs for about 1 minute on high heat.
4. After 1 minute, reduce the heat and fry until cooked through, turning up the heat again for the last half a minute.
5. Transfer the ribs to a paper towel-lined plate.
6. In the same pan, add the Equal Sugar Blend, white vinegar, tomato sauce and 2 tablespoons of water. Simmer on medium heat until the sauce thickens.
7. Add the pork ribs back into the pan.
8. Add the pineapple and peppers. Stir everything well, making sure the ribs are evenly coated with the sauce.
Image courtesy of Brian Maudsley/Shutterstock.com
VINEGAR PORK RIBS
INGREDIENTS
Pork ribs: 300g
Shallot: 1
Ginger: 10g
Rice wine: 2 tablespoons
Soy sauce: 1 tablespoon
Salt: 1⁄2 teaspoon
Equal Sugar Blend: 1 tablespoon
Italian vinegar: 50ml
STEPS
1. Chop the ribs into small pieces.
2. Dice the shallot and grate the ginger.
3. Marinate the ribs with the diced shallot, grated ginger, soy sauce, salt, and rice wine for 20 minutes.
4. Add oil to the wok and fry the marinated ribs over a medium heat until golden.
5. Transfer the ribs to a paper towel-lined plate and drain the remaining oil from the wok.
6. Using the same wok, add vinegar, Equal Sugar Blend, and the left over rice wine. 7. Allow the liquids to simmer over a medium heat, stirring gently until it thickens. 8. Add the ribs back into the wok and toss to coat evenly.
Image courtesy of bonchan/Shutterstock.com
SWEET GLUTINOUS RICE DUMPLINGS
INGREDIENTS
Glutinous rice flour: 110g
Water: 100g
Black Sesame: 25g
Equal Sugar Blend: 5g
Butter: 1 1⁄2 tablespoons
STEPS
1. Sauté the black sesame seeds over medium heat.
2. Set the sesame seeds aside and allow to cool before grinding.
3. Cream the Equal Sugar Blend and butter until smooth. Slowly warm up the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. When the butter has melted, take the saucepan off the heat. Mix in the ground sesame seeds and stir well to form a smooth paste. Transfer the paste to a container and leave it in the refrigerator.
4. In a bowl, mix the water and the glutinous flour well to form a dough. Knead well until the dough is not sticky. Separate the dough evenly into 8-10 portions.
5. Take the sesame paste out of the refrigerator.
6. Flatten the dough slightly with the palm of your hands. Using your thumb, create a small dent in the dough and spoon the sesame paste into it. Seal the dough and roll it until it is round and smooth.
7. Place the dough balls into boiling water. The dough balls will float to the top when they are cooked through.
Image courtesy of Chuah Chiew See/Shutterstock.com
PANDAN CHIFFON CAKE
– Created by Chef Sherie Quek of Madame Patisserie
INGREDIENTS
PART A
Cake flour: 103g
Baking powder: 3g
Equal Sugar Blend: 30g
Salt: 2g
Vegetable oil: 52g
Egg yolk: 52g
Milk: 75ml
Vanilla essence: 1g
PART B
Egg whites: 103g
Cream of tartar: 1g
Equal Sugar Blend: 28g
STEPS
1. Pre-heat the oven to 160 C.
2. In a large bowl, mix the ingredients required in Part A.
3. In a separate bowl, add the ingredients for Part B. Beat the mixture using an electric hand whisk on medium speed until the mixture resembles a fluffy cloud and stands up in soft peaks when the blades are lifted.
4. Gently fold both mixtures together.
5. Transfer the mixture into a cake tin and place it in the oven.
6. Ensure the temperature is 160 °C (top heat) & 170 °C (bottom heat).
7. Bake for 35-40 mins.
8. Take the cake out to cool before removing it from the tin with a sharp knife.
Image courtesy of Francesco83/Shutterstock.com
SOY MILK PANNA COTTA
– Created by Chef Sherie Quek of Madame Patisserie
INGREDIENTS
Soy milk (unsweetened): 100g
Equal Sugar Blend: 5g
Gelatine sheets: 4pcs
STEPS
1. Add the soy milk and Equal Sugar Blend into a saucepan and bring it up to a simmer. 2. Add the gelatine sheets to the pan and take the saucepan off the heat.
2. Stir until the gelatine has dissolved.
3. Divide the mixture among ramekins and set aside to cool.
4. Chill ramekins in the refrigerator, covered, at least 4 hours or overnight.
Image courtesy of margouillat photo/Shutterstock.com
CHOUX PASTRY WITH VANILLA YOGHURT MOUSSE
– Created by Chef Sherie Quek of Madame Patisserie
INGREDIENTS
PART 1
Water: 500g
Unsalted butter: 200g
Equal Sugar Blend: 2g
Salt: 2g
Bread flour: 300g
Eggs: 9
PART 2
Plain yoghurt: 200g
Equal Sugar Blend: 30g
Whipped cream: 320g
STEPS
PART 1: CHOUX PASTRY
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 °C.
2. Add water, butter, Equal Sugar Blend and salt in a saucepan.
3. Slowly sift in the flour and stir well.
4. Cook over a low heat and stir slowly for 2-3 minutes.
5. Set the mixture aside to cool.
6. Whisk eggs in a separate bowl.
7. Slowly add the eggs to the mixture and beat well with a wooden spoon.
8. Grease the baking tray with oil. Spoon 25-30 teaspoons of the mixture onto tray, about 3 cm apart. Alternatively, use a pastry bag fitted with a 1.5 cm-diameter plain piping nozzle to pipe the choux buns onto the baking tray.
9. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the choux buns are puffed and golden.
10. Remove from oven and turn the oven off. Using a skewer or a small knife, pierce the base (or top) of each choux bun to release the steam. Return the choux buns to the oven and leave them for 15 minutes to dry out. Remove the profiteroles from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
PART 2: VANILLA YOGHURT MOUSSE
1. Pour in the whipping cream into a large bowl and whisk until it whips up. Make sure it has the same texture as the yogurt.
2. Add the yoghurt and Equal Sugar Blend to the whipping cream and mix.
3. Divide the mixture into glass cups and place in the fridge to chill for about an hour.
Image courtesy of taelove7/Shutterstock.com
TERIYAKI COD
INGREDIENTS
Cod fillets: 180g
Sea salt: a pinch
Sauce:
White miso paste: 1 tablespoon
Equal Sugar Blend: 1 tablespoon
Japanese soy sauce: 2 tablespoons
Sake: 50ml
Lemon Juice: 1⁄2 teaspoon
STEPS
1. Season the cod fillets with a pinch of sea salt.
2. In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
3. Fry the cod in a frying pan over high heat for two minutes on each side or until golden brown.
4. Reduce the heat before adding the sauce to the frying pan. Allow the sauce to simmer and caramelise.
Image courtesy of 54613/Shutterstock.com
NEW YEAR CAKE
INGREDIENTS
Vegetable oil: a small amount
Glutinous rice flour: 50g
Rice flour: 115g
Wheat starch: 50g
Equal Sugar Blend: 40g
Coconut milk: 225g
Water: 40g
Orange food colouring: a small amount
STEPS
1. Dissolve Equal Sugar Blend in warm water and set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl, sift in the glutinous rice flour, wheat starch and rice flour.
3. Pour in the coconut milk and mix until well blended.
4. Add the Equal Sugar Blend solution and continue to mix the batter.
5. Strain the coconut milk batter and discard the lumps.
6. Take a small amount of batter and add the orange food colouring.
7. Grease the cake mould with vegetable oil.
8. Pour the orange batter into the cake mould and steam for 2-3 minutes until its shape is firm and the batter becomes matte.
9. Remove the cake from the cake mould and set aside. Pour in the remaining batter. 10. Steam for 10-12 minutes until cooked through.
We hope you like these recipes. Start cooking, mummies!