Aloo gobi (spicy potatoes and cauliflower)

Potato - Part 1.

Fire up your taste buds.

Ingredients (serves 4 to 6):
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 green chillies, sliced
5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely shredded
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
Salt to taste
300g new potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tsp garam masala
A bunch of coriander leaves

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the cumin seeds for 30 seconds. Lower heat, add the chillies and ginger, and stir-fry until fragrant.
2. Add turmeric, ground coriander and salt. Stir to mix. Add the potatoes and cauliflower and stir to coat spices evenly.
3. Add a splash of water and cook over low heat until vegetables soften, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the pan gets dry, add a splash of water at a time.
4. Turn up the heat and gently toss the vegetables in the pan to dry off excess water.
5. Stir in the garam masala and serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves.

Tips:
Leftover Aloo gobi makes for great samosa filling. Fold thawed popiah skin in half to make triangles, fill and deep-fry.

Recipe source: Simply Her magazine (Mar 2008)

Instant noodles with beef bulgogi and kim chi

Ingredients (serves 2):
150g thinly-sliced beef (sukiyaki beef)
1/4 cup light soy sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
2 spring onions, finely chopped
Thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely chopped
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp chilli flakes or chilli powder
2 packets FairPrice Authentic Korean Noodles (Udong flavour)
4 tbsp store-bought kim chi
3 tbsp vegetable oil

Method:
1. Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, spring onions, sugar, ginger, sesame oil and chilli flakes or chilli powder in a bowl. Whisk well to blend.
2. Place the beef slices in the marinade and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Heat the oil in a frying or grill pan then fry the beef slices until they are lightly cooked. Remove and set aside.
4. To make the instant noodles, follow the instructions on the packet.
5. Top the instant noodles with the kim chi and beef. Serve hot.

Tips:
Recipe uses FairPrice Authentic Korean Noodles ($3.41) available at all FairPrice supermarkets.

Recipe source: Today newspaper (5 Jun 2008)

Steamed fish with ginger and spring onion sauce

Ingredients (serves 4):
2 x 200g cod fillet
Salt and white pepper
4 bok choy, cut into half

For the sauce:
1 tbsp FairPrice oyster sauce
3 tbsp cooking oil
3 tbsp light soy sauce
4 tbsp water
3 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, sliced finely
4 spring onions (white parts only), chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp sesame oil

To serve:
4 spring onions (green parts only), finely sliced
1 red chilli, sliced lengthwise

Method:
1. Season the fish in salt and white pepper and steam for 10 minutes until the flesh flakes easily when tested with a fork.
2. To make the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan.
3. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for about 30 seconds, until it becomes fragrant but not browned.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients.
5. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 2 minutes.
6. Blanch the bok choy for 30 seconds in boiling water. Drain well.
7. To serve, place the bok choy at the bottom of the plate and place the fish over it. Pour the sauce over the fish and garnish with the spring onions and chilli.

Tips:
Recipe uses FairPrice Premium Oyster Sauce ($2.45) available at all FairPrice supermarkets.

You can pour this sauce over any firm white fish, be it a pomfret or snapper. Just make sure that the fish you use is the freshest.

Recipe source: Today newspaper (22 May 2008)

Chicken curry

Ingredients (serves 4):
1 chicken, cut into pieces
2 potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, skinned
1 stick cinnamon
1 cardamom pod
5 star anise
6 to 8 curry leaves
3 tbsp curry powder
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
2 tomatoes, quartered
3 green chillies, each snapped into two pieces
1 tsp salt
A dash of white pepper
4 tbsp vegetable oil

Method:
1. Rub the salt and pepper into the chicken pieces and set aside.
2. Pound the onion, garlic and ginger to a paste.
3. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan or a wok and fry the paste with the cinnamon, cardamom pod, star anise and curry leaves until fragrant.
4. Mix the curry powder with three tablespoons of water to form a paste.
5. Add the curry paste to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Remove the curry mixture from the pan and set aside.
7. In the same pan, heat another two tablespoons of oil and fry the chicken pieces and potatoes until they are halfcooked. This should take about 8 minutes.
8. Stir in the curry mixture and toss so that the chicken pieces and potatoes are coated evenly.
9. Add in the yoghurt and half a cup of water, and stir.
10. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.
11. Add the tomatoes and green chillies, season to taste, and serve.

Tips:
Serve with FairPrice frozen roti prata (plain: $1.83; spring onion: $2.15) available at all FairPrice supermarkets.

This chicken curry recipe is typical of that found in Eurasian or Peranakan kitchens. It has a sourish edge to it thanks to the use of yoghurt, but if you prefer, you can substitute the yoghurt for coconut milk.

Recipe source: Today newspaper (8 May 2008)

Kimchi

Ingredients:
A:
2 large napa cabbages
250g spring onion
1/2 cup salt
1 cup radish juice
2-3 tbsp sugar

B:
1/2 cup dried shrimps, rinsed
1 walnut size ginger knob
6 cloves garlic
1/2 - 3/4 cup ground chilli

Method:
1. Cut each napa cabbage into quarter wedges. Rub plenty of salt between leaves. Let stand for 2 hours until soft. Use a heavy pot or bowl to press napa cabbage. Rinse and dry.
2. Clean and rinse spring onions. Cut into almost same lengths as napa cabbage. Lightly crush the thicker (white portion) stalk of spring onions.
3. Ground or pound dried shrimps, ginger and garlic until fine. Mix with sugar, radish juice and ground chilli.
4. Spread chilli mixture between leaves of napa cabbage, putting a few stalks of spring onion between some leaves.
5. Pack tightly into pickle jar or crock pot. Press packed kimchi with a weight (use a heavy plate or bowl depending on size of container; or a thoroughly washed brick, and wrap the pot with cling foil and aluminium foil). Leave it in the refrigerator to pickle for at least 4 days before serving.
6. Cut kimchi crosswise into 3-4cm wide slices. Ladle a few spoonfuls of liquid over it and serve chilled.

Recipe source: Lifestyle magazine

Radish and fish soup

Ingredients (serves 4):
300g fresh fish fillet (threadfin, cod, snapper)
200g shredded radish
2 cloves garlic, peel and crush
2 pcs x 4cm long leek, julienne
4-5 stalks chrysanthemum leaves (tang orr), optional
2 fresh green chillies
Flour - corn, potato or tapioca
Sesame oil

A:
1 tbsp cooking wine
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp chopped spring onion
3/4 tsp grated ginger

B:
1 tbsp cooking wine
1 tsp soya sauce
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Cut fish fillet into 1 cm thick slices. Season with ingredients (A) for at least 10 minutes.
2. Dust fish slices with your choice of flour. Drop in boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Remove and add to simmering soup.
3. Grease a soup pot with sesame oil and heat over moderate heat. Add crushed garlic and shredded radish. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add 5 cups of water and bring a a rolling boil. Continue to boil until radish is soft.
5. Add sliced green chillies and blanched fish fillets to radish soup.
6. Add seasoning (B) and sliced leek. Turn of heat.
7. Place some clean chrysanthemum leaves (if using) in each soup bowl. Pour piping hot soup over leaves in bowls. Serve immediately.

Recipe source: Lifestyle magazine

Roti john

Roti John, essentially an omelette sandwich, is a popular Malay breakfast and snack item in Malaysia and Singapore. This is a healthier version.

Serve size: 260g
Calories per serving: 440kcal
Fat: 16g

Ingredients (serves 8):
1 French loaf, sliced thickly
400g minced beef or chicken or sardines
2 eggs, beaten
1 large onion, minced
2 green chillies, seeded and minced
2 tsp meat curry powder
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ginger, minced
salt and sugar to taste
2 fresh green chillies, chopped
sweet chilli sauce & ketchup
cucumber, sliced

Method:
1. Mix beaten egg, minced onion and meat together.
2. Add curry powder, garlic, ginger, salt and sugar. Mix in the chillies.
3. Spread the mixture onto thick slices of French loaf.
4. Heat a pan and coat thinly with oil. Shallow-fry the bread slices until the egg mixture becomes brown and sizzling and the bread is crispy.
5. Serve with cucumber slices, sweet chilli sauce and ketchup.

Tips:
If you can't fund lotus leaves, use a porcelain rice bowl as a mould.

Recipe source: Simply Her magazine (Aug 2006)

Ginger carrot cream soup

Ingredients (serves 2):
4 carrots, skin removed
4 thin slices of ginger
3 cups good quality chicken stock
1 cup thick cream
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 stalks of fresh spring onions, tied into a knot
small bunch of coriander
pepper and salt to taste

Method:
1. Boil the carrots until soft and blend them in a food processor until smooth.
2. Place the butter, ginger and spring onions in a pot and saute until fragrant.
3. Add the carrots and stir the mixture for another 5 minutes.
4. Pour in the chicken stock and let the soup boil for another 10 minutes on medium heat. Add pepper and salt to taste.
5. Once soup is boiling, add the cream and stir the soup for another 5 minutes.
6. Sieve out the ginger and spring onions. Serve immediately with a dollop of cream and a sprig of coriander.

Recipe source: Family magazine (Feb 2007)

Baked curry puffs

Ingredients (makes 16):
3 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp ginger, chopped
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp meat curry powder
150g chicken fillet, diced
2 large potatoes, boiled, peeled and diced
125ml water
4 sheets of frozen shortcrust pastry, thawed
2 hard-boiled eggs, cut into eighths
1 egg, beaten and mixed with 1 tbsp water

Method:
1. Heat oil and fry onion, garlic, ginger, salt, sugar, curry powder and chicken together.
2. When chicken is cooked, put diced potatoes in, adding water to prevent burning. Cool filling.
3. Use the rim of a small bowl (about 12.5cm in diameter), press and cut circles in the shortcrust pastry.
4. Place 1 heaped tbsp of filling and a piece of hard-boiled egg in each circle.
5. Twist edges shut.
6. Place on a greased baking tray, brush tops with beaten egg and bake in a pre-heated 230 deg C oven for 20 minutes until golden brown and crisp.

Tips:
If you want your curry puffs flakier and lighter, substitute shortcrust pastry with frozen puff pastry.

Recipe source: Simply Her magazine

Traditional longan red date tea

Ingredients (serves 10):
50g seeded red dates, soak in water for 10 minutes
75g dried longan, rinse before use
30g fresh ginger, crushed
80g rock sugar or more to taste
3 pandan leaves, knotted

Method:
1. Bring 8 cups water to a rolling boil.
2. Add knotted pandan leaves, softened red dates, rinsed dried longan, crushed fresh ginger and rock sugar. Simmer for 15-20 minutes on moderate heat.
3. Adjust sweetness according to taste. Can be served hot, at room temperature, or chilled.

Recipe source: Lifestyle magazine

Kampong chicken soup

Ingredients:
1 lean chicken (or kampong chicken if you can get it)
100g Yunnan ham, or salted pork shoulder
1 packet dried lotus seeds
1 small piece ginger

Method:
1. Cut the chicken into 4 large pieces. Remove all fat and skin.
2. Cut up the Yunnan ham into large pieces. If you are using salted pork shoulder, chop it up into large pieces.
3. Place lotus seeds in a microwaveable container and cover with water. Microwave on high for 10 minutes. Let cool.
4. Remove all the bitter green shoots inside the lotus seeds and discard any bad nuts.
5. Bring 2 litres of water to a boil in a large pot and add the chicken pieces, ham or salted pork shoulder. Add lotus seeds and ginger.
6. Bring soup to a rolling boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook at least 1 hour for flavours to develop. Serve hot. (There is no need to add salt because the ham is savoury enough to season the soup.)

Recipe source: Today newspaper

Har Cheong Kai (虾酱鸡)

Har Cheong Kai is chicken marinated in shrimp sauce and other aromatic seasonings and fried to a beautiful golden-red hue.

Ingredients (serves 4 to 6):
5 tbsp chopped ginger
3 1/2 tbsp Chinese rose wine (玫瑰露酒)
2 tbsp Lee Kum Kee Fine Shrimp Sauce (幼滑虾酱)
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp sugar or honey
A pinch of white pepper
1 chicken, cleaned and chopped into small pieces
150g tapioca flour
Oil for deep-frying
Cut calamansi limes, sliced cucumber and tomato, chilli sauce as garnish

Method:
1. Pound ginger to extract about 2 tablespoons of ginger juice. Stir well with rose wine, shrimp paste, cornstarch, sugar and pepper in a large bowl.
2. Add chicken, mix well. Cover, refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.
3. Heat oil in a large wok over medium-high heat. Roll chicken pieces in tapioca flour to coat, shaking off the excess to leave a thin, but even, coat.
4. Fry a few pieces of chicken at a time for about 5 to 6 minutes until they turn pale golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
5. Reheat oil until very hot, then fry chicken again for 1 to 2 minutes, till they turn a deep golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve with garnishes.

Tips:
For convenience and good results, mix the meat with the marinade in the morning and fry it for dinner the same night.

Recipe source: Today newspaper

Sweet garlic prawns

Ingredients (serves 3 to 4):
10 large fresh prawns
3 tbsp Lee Kum Kee Char Siu Sauce (Chinese barbecue sauce)
125ml water
1 tsp rice wine
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp oil
6 large cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
3 thin slices ginger
chopped spring onion, for garnish

Method:
1. Remove prawn shells, heads and veins, leaving tails intact. Wash prawns and pat dry.
2. Add in 2 teaspoons of Char Siu Sauce and mix well. Set aside, covered and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
3. Mix remaining Char Siu Sauce with water, wine, sugar and cornstarch, and set aside.
4. Heat oil in a wok over medium-low heat. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry gently for 3 to 4 minutes until garlic is pale golden brown. Scoop on to a plate, leaving oil in wok.
5. Increase heat to high. When oil is very hot, put prawns in and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add in sauce mixture, stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes more until prawns are cooked and sauce has thickened to a sticky glaze.
6. Stir in garlic, then dish up. Garnish with chopped spring onion and serve hot.

Tips:
Instead of prawns, you could use chunks of chicken meat or thin slices of beef tenderloin, both of which should be left to marinate a little longer.

Recipe source: Today newspaper

Sugarcane prawn kebabs

Ingredients (serves 6):
12 sticks of sugarcane, each 15cm long
750g prawns, peeled
1 clove of garlic
1 1/2cm piece of ginger, peeled
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg white
1 tbsp cornflour
oil for basting

Method:
1. Pare away the skin of the sugarcane.
2. Trim the middle section a little thinner.
3. Place prawns, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, sugar and pepper into the food processor and pulse into a smooth paste.
4. Add egg white and cornflour to paste. Mix well.
5. With wet hands, mould the prawn paste around the thin section of each sugarcane skewer and smooth into a sausage shape.
6 Brush with oil and grill in a pre-heated oven at 200 deg C for 20 minutes until prawn mixture turns pink.

Tips:
No sugarcane? Just pat the prawn mixture into round or sausage-shaped patties, grill and serve wrapped in fresh lettuce leaves.

Recipe source: Simply Her magazine (Mar 2007)

Spareribs curry

Ingredients:
500g AIRPORK spareribs, already chopped into bite sized chunks
40-50g curry powder for meat
15 shallots, sliced
3 onions, sliced thinly
6 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
2cm piece of ginger, cut into fine strips
5 medium sized potatoes, halved
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup coconut milk or evaporated milk
3 cups water
4 tbsp vegetable oil

Method:
1. Mix AIRPORK spareribs with 3 tablespoons of the curry powder and marinate for 1 hour.
2. Blend remaining curry powder with enough water to form a paste.
3. Heat a wok, add the oil and when it is hot, add the sliced shallots, onions, garlic and ginger. When it is fragrant, add the curry paste and stir fry till fragrant. Add the spareribs and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes before adding the water.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer the spareribs gently for 30 minutes. Add the coconut milk and potatoes and simmer till the spareribs is tender and the gravy is thick. Add the salt, taste and serve.

Recipe source: Lifestyle magazine

Coke chicken

A favourite with students abroad as it's easy to cook and suits most tastes.

Ingredients (serves 4):
1 kg chicken drummettes (part of the wing)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 shallots, crushed
2 knobs 1.5cm ginger, crushed
3 leeks, 3cm lengths
2 cans x 330ml Coca-Cola
3/4 tsp black soya sauce
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
2 and 1/2 tbsp cooking oil

Method:
1. Heat cooking oil in a medium pot until hot. Reduce heat to medium and saute crushed garlic, shallots and ginger until fragrant. Add leeks and stir for another 2 minutes.
2. Add chicken drummettes, toss and mix for 2 minutes or so. Pour Coca-Cola over chicken and boil for 10 minutes, uncovered.
3. Stir chicken, add black soya sauce and salt. Cover pot and boil until gravy is reduced to a quarter. Stir occasionally.

Tips:
You can use chicken wings or other parts of the chicken too.

Recipe source: Lifestyle magazine