Tom Yam Fried Rice

 

Besides having tom yam soup, why not opt for something different - tom yam fried rice. Just add tom yam paste into the fried rice and you'll still be able to enjoy the kick from the chill and fragrance of the lemongrass at the same time. You can add in any kinds of meat, seafood and vegetables to make it a complete meal. You can even add in some sliced red chillies to make it spicier. This dish is great for parties, picnics, or even a simple family meal.    

Prep Time : 5 mins

Cooking Time : 10 mins

Yield : 3 - 4 paxs

Ingredients : 

• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, keep refrigerated overnight before cooking
• 1 chicken breast, thinly sliced or diced
• 50g beansprout
• 1/2 stick carrot, cut into matchsticks
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp garlic
• 2 chilli padi (optional)
• 2 - 3 tbsp oil

Marinate for Chicken:

• 1 tsp sauce sauce
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cornflour
• pinch of pepper

Seasoning :

• 2 tbsp tom yam paste
• 1 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp salt

Method :

1.  Marinate the sliced or diced chicken for minimum 10 mins in the fridge, best overnight.
2. Heat up oil in a non-stick pan and add in the garlic, stir until fragrant. Add in the eggs and stir occasional to break it into small pieces. Then add in the carrots and chicken and stir-fry until chicken is no longer pink.
3. When all is cooked, add in the cold rice into the pan and stir-fry with all the ingredients until mixed evenly. You may add in a bit of oil if the mixture is too dry. 
4. Lower the heat and add in the seasoning. Mix evenly to ensure that all the rice is coated with the seasoning. 
5. Add in the beansprouts, chilli padi and a dash of pepper, and toss it for another 1 - 2 mins before serving. 
6. Decorate with coriander leaves and serve. 

Spaghetti Bolognese

 

 

You can never go wrong with the traditional meat sauce with spaghetti. Adults and kids love it and it's so simple to make. The meal can be eaten alone or accompanied together with a bowl of soup, salad and baked potatoes. You can prepare this in advance and store the sauce in the freezer and heat it up whenever you want. Good for people with busy schedules or working parents.

Prep Time : 10 mins

Cooking Time : 15 mins

Yield : Serves 3 - 4

Ingredients :

• 1 packet of spaghetti
• 2 jars of pasta sauce, i prefer the beef flavoured ones
• 1 packet of mince beef
• 1 can of button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 sausages, cut into small sections
• 1/2 stick of carrot, finely diced
• 1/2 stick of celery, finely diced (optional)
• 1 - 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 white onion, finely diced
• 1 tsp dried or fresh oregano (optional) 
• 2 tbsp olive oil, or any other vegetable oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar

Method :

1. Boil a big pot of water with salt and cook spaghetti according to packet instructions. Drain and drizzle in olive oil to prevent it from sticking.
2. Saute the onions, carrots and celery in a hot pan with 2 tbsp oil until the onions turn soft and fragrant.
3. Add in garlic and saute until fragrant before adding the minced beef in. Do not over cook the garlic or else it will turn bitter. Cook until the beef turns brown.
4. Add in the pasta sauce, mushrooms and sausages and stir well. Cook on medium heat until sauce starts to bubble, reduce to low heat for another 5 mins.
5. Before turning off the heat, add in the salt and sugar into the sauce and stir well.
6. Placed a small amount of spaghetti onto a place and pour sauce on top. Best served hot.

Red Bean Soup with Sago

 

This simple traditional dessert is one of my favourite. You may serve it hot or chilled. I personally prefer it hot especially on a cold or rainy day. It just instantly warms the body. Red beans are quite heaty so don't eat it too often or else you may get a sore throat very easily.

Prep Time : 5 mins

Cooking Time : 30 mins

Yield : Serves 4 - 5

Ingredients :

• 1/2 packet red beans
• 6 - 8 pieces rock sugar
• 1 - 2 tbsp sago
• 1 knot pandan leaf
• 2 pcs dried orange skin (optional)

Method :

1. Soak the red beans for 1 hour, best overnight. This will enable faster cooking.
2. Boil 10 rice bowls of water in pot and add in the red beans and pandan leaf. Cook on high flame for 10 mins before turning it down to medium / low flame and continue cooking for 15 mins.
3. Boil the sago in a separate pot until it turns transparent. You may rinse the sago in cold water to remove the access starch, but it's not necessary.
4. When the red beans have turned soft, add in the rock sugar and sago, and cook for another 5 mins on medium / low flame.

Pumpkin Porridge

After returning from our Hong Kong trip, my hubby had frequent craving for pumpkin porridge which he had eaten there. So we went to the supermarket and bought a quarter piece of pumpkin and some minced chicken home to cook pumpkin porridge for him.

I don't eat pumpkin and didn't try out the pumpkin porridge that he had in Hong Kong, so i don't really know how it taste it. But fortunately, my hubby feedback that it was nice and similar, so i guess it was a success.

Prep Time : 5 - 10 mins

Cooking Time : 20 - 25 mins

Yield : Serves 2 -3

Ingredients :

• 3/4 cup carousal rice, soaked in water for 1 hour, best overnight
• 1 quarter pumpkin, cut into cubes
• 50g minced chicken, or pork
• 2 tbsp frozen corn

Seasoning :

• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar

Method :

1. Season the minced chicken with a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp of water. Mix evenly.
2. Steam the pumpkin cubes for about 5 mins or until tender. Put the cooked pumpkin into a processor and blend it until it becomes a smooth paste. 
3. Boil 3 cups of water and add in the soaked rice. You may use long grain rice if you do not have carousal rice.
4. Boil the rice on high heat for 10 mins, then add in the pumpkin paste , minced chicken and corn into the pot and mix evenly until the porridge turns yellow. 
5. Lower the flame to medium / low heat and cook for another 10 - 15 mins. Stir constantly to prevent porridge from sticking to the pot.
6. You may add in more water from time to time if the porridge becomes too dry.
7. When almost ready, add in the seasoning. 

Kailan with Chinese Mushrooms

For those who do not eat beef or is looking for a vegetarian version of the stir-fry kailan with beef, here it is. Just replace the beef with chinese mushrooms and it taste just as good.

I remember cooking this dish with a few of my classmates for lunch at our school nurse's house gathering. It was really fun doing it together and since it was our first time cooking it, we panic a little - worried that the kailan might be overcooked or too salty. A tip when cooking with chinese mushrooms - go easy on salt and / or soy sauce as it is quite flavourful and salty by itself.

Prep Time : 5 mins

Cooking Time : 5 mins

Yield : Serves 2 - 3

Ingredients :

• 300 g baby kai lan, cut into 5cm long sections
• 5 - 6 chinese mushrooms, soaked and sliced thinly 
• 2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

Sauce :

• 1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp chicken sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 rice bowl of water

Method :

1. Soak the chinese mushrooms in a bowl of water till tender, then squeeze out the water and slice thinly.
2. Wash and cut the kailan into 5 cm long sections.
3. Heat up 1 - 2 tbsp of oil in a hot wok, add in the garlic and stir-fry till fragrant. Add in the chinese mushrooms and continue stiring for 30 seconds till fragrant.
4. Add in the kailan and stir-fry till the leaves starts to soften, then add the sauce in. Stir-fry for a while more or until sauce thickens slightly. 

Kailan with Beef

There are many types of kailan in the market but i like this type the most. I usually buy the baby kailan which has thinner stems as it is less bitter yet still be able to enjoy the crunchiness and crisp of the vegetable. But it's not easy to get; not all NTUC branches sell it. You can still use the large stem kailan if you're unable to find the baby type. This dish is an all time favourite for me as it has vegetables and beef all in 1 (as i mentioned in the beef bulgogi recipe that i love beef) - simple just serve it with a plate of rice and it's a complete meal. For those who are vegetarians or do not eat beef, you may leave it out or replace with pork, chicken or lamb. Although it was told that it was a typical cantonese dish, i believe other dialects groups and asians love this too. I could even find this dish in Bangkok.

Prep Time : 10 mins

Cooking Time : 15 mins

Yield : Serves 2 - 3

Ingredients :

• 300 g baby kai lan
• 100 - 150 g lean beef ( sirloin or flank steak), sliced thinly
• 2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

Marinate :

• 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1/4 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp corn flour
• 1 tbsp water

Sauce :

• 1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp chicken sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 rice bowl of water

Method :

1. Wash and cut the kailan into 5 cm long sections.
2. Sliced the beef thinly and mix in the marinate. Cover the bowl with shrink wrap and leave it in the fridge to marinate for at least 20 mins, best overnight.
3. Heat up 3 tbsp of oil in a hot wok and stir-fry the beef, stiring constantly. Turn off the flame and remove beef from wok once it's no longer pink. Do not overcook the beef or else it will be very chewy and dry.
4. Heat up 1 tbsp of oil and add in the garlic, fry till fragrant. Add in the kailan and stir-fry for 1 min till the leaves starts to soften. 
5. Add in the beef and the sauce mixture into the wok. Dish up when sauce starts to thicken. 

Japchae

I first tasted it in 2006 when i was on holiday in Seoul with my family. My friend ordered it for dinner and i didn't know what it was called until much later when i came across it on Youtube under the Korean food section. The potato noodles are chewy and springy, unlike our usual rice noodles. It has definitely superceed bee hoon and hor fun as my favourite noodles dish.

The great thing about this dish is that you can add as many ingredients into it as you like. I personally like lots of vegetables and mushroom in it, occassionally i'll add in some sliced beef or fish cake into it. In Korea, they would usually put in chinese mushrooms, squid and some meat in it.  

Prep Time : 5 - 10 mins

Cooking Time : 15 mins

Yield : Serves 3 - 4
 

Ingredients :

• 200 - 250 g potato noodles
• 1/2 carrot, cut into matchsticks
• 100 g cai sim, cut into 5 cm sections
• 6 chinese mushroom, soaked and sliced
• 1/2 white onion, sliced finely
• sliced beef or fish cake (optional)
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic
• 2 - 3 chilli padi (optional)

Sauce :

• 6 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 5 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• dash of pepper

Method :

1. Cook potato noodles according to packaging instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat some oil in a non-stick pan and add in the garlic when oil starts to sizzle.
3. Add in onion, mushrooms and carrots into the pan and stir-fry for 30 seconds before adding in the cai sim.
4. You can then add in the potato noodles once the ingredients starts to soften. Stir and mix everything evenly.
5. Add the sauce mixture slowly and stir the noodles constantly to ensure all is coated.
6. Served alone with as a side dish with rice.

Beef Bulgogi

I love beef and this is definitely one of my favourite Korean dish. I was really surprised how easy it was to make.  Besides being juicy and tender, I like the sweet, saltiness of the marinating sauce - great when pairing it with a bowl of white rice. After trying out a few Youtube recipes, I'd make some fine-tuning to suit my personal taste. It's a die-die recipe not to be missed. 

Prep Time : 20 mins

Cooking Time : 5 mins

Yield : Serves 3 - 4

Ingredients :

• 200 - 250g beef (sirloin or flank steak), fine sliced
• 1 medium-size white onion, finely sliced 
• 1/2 carrot, cut into matchsticks
• 5 strands of spring onion, cut into 5 cm long sections
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Marinate :

• 1/2 tsp minced ginger
• 1/2 tsp mince garlic
• 6 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 4 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tbsp hua diao wine

Method :

1. Mix all ingredients together with marinate into a large bowl.
2. Shrink wrap the bowl and placed it in the fridge to marinate for at least 20 mins, best overnight.
3. Put a bit of oil into a non-stick pan and place the marinated meat into the the pan.
4. Stir-fry on high heat for 3 mins, then simmer on low / medium flame for another 2 mins.
5. Best served hot with steamy white rice.  

Braised Yong Tau Foo with Fermented Soy Beans Paste

I was strolling by the sauce section of the supermarket one day and the fermented soy bean paste happened to appear in front of me. Suddenly it reminded me of the braised yong tau foo dish which i haven't been cooking for a very long time. So i bought it back together with some yong tau foo and decided to cook it for dinner. I was wondering whether my husband would like it, since he is not a big fan of yong tau foo but it turned out that he loved it after trying it and asked me to cook this dish more often, with plenty of bittergourd yong tau foo next time.

This simple dish is not only healthy, simple and appetising. It can be eaten with rice or teochew porridge. 

Braised Yong Tau Foo with Fermented Soy Beans Paste

Prep Time : NIL

Cooking Time : 10 mins

Yield : Serves 3 - 4

Ingredients :

• 10 - 15 pcs yong tau foo
• 2 - 3 cloves of garlic, minced

Sauce :

• 1/2 tbsp fermented soy bean paste
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 3/4 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 small bowl water
• dash of pepper

Method :

1. With a little oil, pan fry the yong tau foo till slightly golden brown. Remove and set aside.
2. Add a bit of oil into the pan and saute the garlic till fragrant then pour the sauce into the pan. 
3. When the sauce starts to boil, add the yong tau foo in and braise for 5 mins on low heat.
4. Stir in starch water into the sauce till it thickens.
5. Serve immediately with rice or teochew porridge.

Long Beans with Sambal Chilli

I love eating spicy food and i always put chilli padi or sambal into my dishes, even in my vegetables. Whenever i'm in the mood for sambal, i'll instantly think of this dish and could whip up a plate of stir-fry long beans with sambal chilli in minutes, served with other spicy dishes like curry chicken, thai-style fried fish or just simply with a plate of steamy white rice.

My favourite brand of sambal chilli...more convenient to buy than make it myself

Long Beans with Sambal Chilli
Prep Time : 5 mins
Cooking Time : 5 mins
Yield : Serves 2 - 3

Ingredients :

• 1 pkt long beans (standard pkt from NTUC)
• 2 tbs sambal chilli
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• dash of soy sauce (optional)

Method :

1. Wash and cut long beans into short sections, about 5 cm long
2. Heat up oil in the wok to medium heat and deep fry the long beans for 30 secs. Drain and set aside.
3. Retain 1 tbsp of oil and stir-fry the garlic till fragrant, add in long beans and dash of soy sauce and sambal chilli.
4. Serve immediately with steamy white rice. 

Five Spice Chicken

This is absolutely one of my favourite fried chicken recipes. It's simple to make and delicious to eat; crispy on the outside, juice on the inside. Usually dishes associated with five spice are made with pork and at "zhi char" stalls, it's usually prawn paste chicken instead. So i'd decided to try marinating the chicken pieces with soy sauce, five spice powder and wala, it turned out to be a wonderful dish.  

Five Spiced Chicken

Prep Time : 5 - 10 mins

Cooking Time : 10 mins

Yield : Serves 2 - 3

Ingredients :

• 250 g chicken parts

Marinate :

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1/2 - 1 tbsp five spice powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tbs sweet potato flour
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbs shaoxing wine
• 1/2 egg
• dash of pepper

Method :

1. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towel.
2. Mix chicken with marinate seasoning.
3. Cover the bowl in shrink wrap and let the chicken marinate in the fridge for at least 20mins. Best overnight.
4. Heat oil in wok till medium hot, then slowly place chicken pieces in batches into oil.
5. Fry till surface is crispy and turned slightly brown in colour.
6. Best served hot.