Asian Dishes, Chinese, Poultry, Soups

Herbal Chicken in a Thermo Pot

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I used to watch over my pot boiling for hours this chicken soup dish but with the thermo pot it’s so simple!

The family loves Chinese herbal chicken soup and thankfully shops sell plenty of the ready made herbal ingredients.

To make this dish, it is really about buying, and then throwing all in and wait it out. I love it!

The above are some of the root ingredients that come in the packet. With it are also a small packet of goji berries. I added some red dates which I kept in the fridge in the mix too.

My thermal pot is a small one but it’s enough for the four of us and even for leftovers the next day! I only added three large pieces of chicken meat to it.

Boil furiously for ten minutes or more then cover in the thermal pot.

Since it’s fasting month, it was a perfect dish to keep.

The taste is sublime! So chickeny and herbally! I served it with rice, and fried broccoli with beef, omelette and plenty of fresh coriander.

Asian Dishes, Bread and Batter, Malay, Meat, Singapore

Roti John

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Essentially a minced beef french toast on a batard. Who invented this nobody really knows but definitely in Singapore/Malaysia during Colonial rule.

Buy baguette or batard or what we locals simply call the French Loaf (Roti Perancis). Cut in half and then slice open but don’t cut all the way through.

Prepare seasoning ingredients. Curry powder, ground chillies, chopped coriander, minced beef. Crack five small eggs and whisk till smooth.

Pour two to three tablespoons of oil, and then add a teaspoon of ground chilli paste. Fry till chilli is cooked then add minced beef. Mine is already precooked but it’s ok to use raw ones too, just cook longer till beef is thoroughly cooked through. Add 1/8 teaspoon of curry powder and salt and black pepper. Add one teaspoon of chopped coriander.

Now this is the tricky bit. Form and spread meat mixture in the hot pan to roughly cover the area of the bread. Quickly pour just enough whisked egg to cover the meat mixture and the spread the bread on top of it. Use your fingers to manipulate and get all the egg and meat mixture into the bread. Press down and cook till browned. Flip over and cook the other side so both sides are crispy.

Above is the non-chilli version. Suitable for kids and those who don’t like it too spicy.

To serve, fold the bread and then slice into roughly one inch portions. Make a mixture of ketchup, chilli sauce, water and lime juice to dip the bread with.

Try it! It’s a hawker favourite, especially back in the 80s.

Asian Dishes, Malay, Salads and Vegetables

Lemak Lodeh

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This is a VERY typical and common dish in the Malay world. So today I thought I’d make this since there was a special request for it.

There are many variations so I used the simplest one. The best part is no oil in the dish, just boil and boil.

This dish is usually eaten with lontong or compressed rice and serondeng, a coconut floss dish. But the Malays eat this with rice quite regularly too as a day to day home dish with sambal tumis.

Today’s version is not thick because the special requester asked for a thin version. And also requested for lots of vegetables. No problem there!

Step 1.

Blend one large red onion, 2-3 cloves of garlic, a piece of turmeric and a small handful of ikan bilis. Blend with water to a super fine paste.

Step 2.

Boil blended paste with enough water to cover half the pot for ten or more minutes till the paste has a wonderful aroma. Add two teaspoons of salt. Basically the concept here is to cook the raw ingredients in the paste but instead of using oil to cook it down, you just boil with water long enough to cook it. A much healthier option.

Step 3.

Add bruised lemon grass and daun salam, or fresh local bay leaves.

Step 4.

Prep the vegetables. French beans, carrots, cabbage, firm tofu and tempeh. I fried the tofu and tempeh first because I wanted that golden colour in the dish later. Not the healthier option. You can choose not to fry first.

Step 5.

Add the vegetables and let boil till tender but still has a nice crisp.

Step 6.

Add one packet of coconut cream. Add a bit of salt if needed after tasting. Let simmer but don’t let it boil or the coconut cream will separate.

And this is the meal today:

Noodles and Pasta, Uncategorized

Penne Mushroom Carbonara Casserole ðŸ¥˜

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And so the June holidays have begun and my kitchen has opened. No more Mama’s cooking for the next four weeks!

So today, I’ve decided to cook a penne casserole dish. Now I know why Americans love the casserole. It’s easy to make and delicious. Just add your favourite ingredients, top with cheese and let the oven do the rest.

For this dish, I didn’t use any recipes but my gut feel.

Step 1.

Boil penne in salted water till al dente

Step 2.

Heat olive oil in pan, add sliced sausages and smoked paprika for added flavour. Add sliced white mushrooms and broccoli. Add a bit of chopped garlic.

Step 3.

Add bottled mushroomcarbonarasauce. I also do not like to waste ingredients so I added the leftover mushroomsoup from last night and about half a cup of cream from the fridge. Add penne and stir to combine.

Step 4.

Transfer to a baking dish. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and parmesancheese. Sprinkle dried Italianherbs.

Step 5.

Bake till cheese melts and browns.

Step 6.

Serve hot with mesclun salad.

Uncategorized

Detox Water 🥒

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Since I’ve to be on a low purine diet, I’ve been finding recipes to make my meals healthier.

And all the health websites say I’ve to drink plenty of water – at least 8-16 cups a day. So what better way then to start detoxing my water with fresh fruits and vegetables.

Today, I tried the cucumber and lime method. Simply slice limes and cucumbers and pour water in a jar with the sliced vegetables. I’ll let it sit for many hours and then drink 8-16 cups of it. 😌