Crab cakes with caramelised vinaigrette sauce

These baked crab cakes will be a hit at beach outings and dinner parties alike.

Ingredients (serves 4):
For crab cakes:
400g cooked crab meat
1 small carrot, parboiled and finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
A handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp powdered mustard
1 1/2 tsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
3 tbsp panko flakes (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup olive oil

For the coating:
1 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1 cup panko flakes

Vinaigrette sauce:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 tbsp brown sugar

Method:
1. Mash the crab meat and remove excess water. Mix with the rest of the ingredients.
2. Roll small handfuls of the mixture into balls and flatten into patties.
3. Coat the crab cakes with flour, followed by egg and panko flakes.
4. Place the crab cakes on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Brush olive oil on crab cakes, then bake at 175 deg C for 20 minutes, until golden brown.
5. Mix all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan, then simmer on low heat until the sauce thickens. Drizzle over crab cakes just before serving.

Recipe source: Simply Her magazine (Mar 2008)

Roast chicken with rosemary and lemon

Ingredients (serves 3 to 4):
3 tbsp FairPrice Extra Light Olive Oil
4 pieces chicken thigh
1 onion, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp fresh or dried rosemary
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup white wine
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:
1. Mix salt and pepper, onion, garlic, rosemary, Worcestershire sauce and olive oil in a large bowl.
2. Toss and coat chicken with the marinade ingredients. Set aside in the refrigerator for one to two hours.
3. Arrange chicken and marinade ingredients in a large roasting tray. Brush some honey over the chicken skin.
4. Place the tray in the oven and roast the chicken at 180 deg C, setting the timer at 40 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, take the chicken out and baste it with some of the pan juices. Add the wine and lemon juice to the roasting tray and combine with the remaining pan juices. Put the tray back in the oven for 10 minutes.
6. Turn oven off and wait five minutes before removing chicken from the oven.

Tips:
Recipe uses FairPrice Extra Light Olive Oil 1 litre ($13.50) available at all FairPrice supermarkets.

When the meat is cooked, serve it with hot potatoes or steamed rice. You may substitute the thigh pieces with drumsticks, depending on your preference. And, instead of using rosemary, other herbs such as tarragon or thyme will work just as well.

Recipe source: Today newspaper (10 Jul 2008)

Mini hamburgers

Ingredients (serves 6):
1 packet mini hamburger buns
1 butterhead lettuce, leaves separated
1 packet FairPrice Reduced Fat Cheese Slices
1 tomato, sliced
300g minced beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp salt
A dash of black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil

Method:
1. To make the beef patties, mix the minced beef with the chopped onion, salt and black pepper in a bowl. Then, form into small patties using your hands.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet, then fry the patties until they are fully cooked through — about 4 minutes on each side. Set aside.
3. Cut the buns into half cross-wise.
4. On one half of the buns, place a slice of tomato, followed by a butterhead lettuce leaf, a beef patty and a slice of cheese. Cover with the other half of the bun.
5. Serve with ketchup on the side.

Tips:
Recipe uses FairPrice Reduced Fat Cheese Slices ($2.95) available at all FairPrice supermarkets.

Recipe source: Today newspaper (19 Jun 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)

Korean beef BBQ

Using an electric Stylux 3-in-1 BBQ set.

Ingredients (serves 4):
750g sirloin steak, sliced thinly
250g shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 large white onion, thickly sliced
8 spring onions, white stems only
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Bulgogi marinade:
2 tbsp garlic, minced
4 tbsp light soya sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp corn syrup
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
2 tbsp rice wine
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 Chinese pear, skinned

Method:
1. Mix all the marinade ingredients, except the pear.
2. Grate the pear into the bowl and mix well.
3. Keep about 3 tbsp of marinade for the vegetables. With the rest, marinate meat for 2 hours. Vegetables can be tossed with the marinate about 30 minutes before the meal.
4. Heat grill and hot stone. Brush both with vegetable oil.
5. Cook mushrooms and vegetables on the grill first. Then, keep them warm in warming pans below the grill.
6. Sear meat briefly on the grill; transfer to the hot stone and let it cook slowly. Serve everything directly from the grill.

Tips:
The hot stone is ideal for stir frying beansprouts or cooking burger patties as these are hard to scrape off a metal grill.

Recipe source: Simply Her magazine (May 2007)

Baked espresso teriyaki fish

Coffee - Part 2.

A flavourful yet light dish for picky eaters.

Ingredients (serves 4):
2 tbsp grapeseed oil
500g fish fillet, cut into 4
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tbsp teriyaki sauce
2 tbsp brewed espresso
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp dried coriander
1 onion, sliced
1 tsp raw cane sugar
3 tbsp orange juice

Method:
1. Heat oil in a non-stick pan, put the fish in and sear for 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a baking dish.
2. In the same pan, saute the garlic, teriyaki sauce, espresso, mustard powder, coriander, onion and sugar. Let it boil for 2 minutes, then pour the sauce over the fish in the baking dish.
3. Bake the fish in the oven at 175 deg C for 10 minutes, using the top and bottom heat.
4. Check that the fish is cooked, then pour orange juice over it and serve immediately.

Tips:
Leave the fish semi-cooked from the pan - it will cook fully in the oven.

Recipe source: Simply Her magazine (Sep 2007)

Cheesy rice balls

Cheese - Part 2.

A great way to use up leftover rice - overnight rice grains are harder and hold their shape better.

Ingredients (serves 6-8):
3 cups cooked rice
2 tsp dried coriander
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp sesame seeds
200g Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups flour
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 1/2 cup cooking oil

Method:
1. Mix the rice, coriander, cinnamon, onion, sea salt, black pepper and sesame seeds in a mixing bowl.
2. Grease your palms with oil, roll some rice into a ball and make a dent in the middle. Fill the dent with a heaped teaspoon of Mozzarella cheese and seal up the rice ball. Repeat with remaining rice.
3. Coat the rice balls first with flour, followed by the egg, and then the breadcrumbs.
4. Heat a wok with oil on high heat and pan fry the rice balls until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Tips:
To make a baked rice dish, place in a casserole and add more breadcrumbs.

Recipe source: Simply Her magazine (Oct 2007)

Cauliflower with haloumi cheese

Cheese - High in calcium and full of flavour, this gourmet treat adds richness and character to your dishes.

To prevent cheese from becoming tough and stringy, cook it at a low temperature or add it to your cooking at the last stage.

To retain the softness of cheese, chop finely or use a grater with large holes.

Cheese - Part 1.

A twist to your usual Western broccoli and melted cheese. Best eaten lightly pan-fried or toasted, Haloumi cheese is firm Middle Eastern cheese that won't melt when cooked.

Ingredients (serves 4):
2 tbsp olive oil
150g Haloumi cheese, cut into cubes
1 medium onion, sliced
5 cardamoms
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground turmeric
400g cauliflower florets
2 medium carrots, par-boiled and chopped
3/4 cup vegetable stock
Pepper to taste
Fresh coriander, to garnish

Method:
1. Heat some oil in a non-stick pan, saute the Haloumi cheese until golden brown and set aside.
2. In the same pan, add the rest of the oil, then saute onions, cardamons, cumin, cinnamon and turmeric until fragrant.
3. Add the cauliflower, carrots and vegetable stock and let simmer under low fire for about 10 minutes until the stock reduces.
4. Toss in the cooked cheese and add pepper to taste. Stir fry for another 5 minutes and remove. Top with fresh coriander and serve immediately.

Tips:
Don't feel like cheese? Then use tau kwa cubes instead.

Recipe source: Simply Her magazine (Oct 2007)

Irish stew

Ingredients (serves 6):
1 kg lamb, cubed (neck chops or boneless lamb leg)
2 tbsp olive oil
25g butter
2 large onions, quartered
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 carrots, cut into chunky rounds
1 stick of celery, cut into 5cm pieces
350g new potatoes
225g mashed potatoes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
500ml chicken stock

Method:
1. Season lamb cubes with salt and pepper. Leave for at least 30 minutes.
2. In a heavy casserole dish, brown meat in olive oil, then remove from pot.
3. Scrape all meat from the bottom with a wooden spoon, add butter and saute onions and garlic until soft.
4. Add carrots, celery, browned lamb and chicken stock and bring to a boil.
5. Simmer for an hour before adding new potatoes.
6. Simmer for another 45 minutes until lamb is tender and potatoes cooked.
7. To thicken stew, add mashed potato and stir until well combined. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Serve hot with crusty bread.

Tips:
Brown the lamb, saute the onions and garlic and then combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker. Leave to cook for about 8 hours while you get on with other things.

Recipe source: Simply Her magazine (Dec 2006)

Beef stew

Ingredients (serves 4):
300g Banksia beef cubes, for stewing (available at Fairprice)
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 stalks celery, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
Potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup beef stock (use beef stock cubes)
1/2 tbsp thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
Italian parsley, for garnishing (optional)

Method:
1. Season beef with salt and pepper for 1 hour.
2. Heat oil in a pan over high heat and fry beef cubes for about 4 to 5 minutes until browned.
3. Add onion, carrot and celery, and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add potatoes and mix well.
4. Stir in tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce.
5. Pour in beef stock and stir well. Bring to a boil, and season with thyme, and more salt and pepper if required.
6. Simmer over low heat for about 1 to 2 hours until cooked. If the gravy is too thick, adjust the consistency with more stock. Garnish with parsley and serve hot.

Tips:
Serve with rice, bread, pasta or mashed potatoes.

Recipe source: Today newspaper

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)

Prawn pilau

An Indian dish.

Ingredients (serves 4):
2 tbsp korma curry paste
1 small onion, finely chopped
300g basmati rice, rinsed and drained
500ml chicken stock
500g cooked prawns, peeled
1 red chilli, sliced into rings
handful of coriander leaves, chopped
lemon wedges, to serve
2 large tomatoes, chopped

Method:
1. Heat a large wide pan and dry fry the curry paste with the onion for 4-5 minutes until the onion begins to soften.
2. Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat with the curry paste. Add the stock, then bring to a boil.
3. Cover the pan and turn the heat down low. Leave the rice to simmer slowly for 12-15 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. Turn off the heat and stir in the prawns, tomatoes and chilli. Cover the pan and leave to stand for 5 minutes.
4. Fluff up the rice grains with a fork. Scatter coriander and serve with lemon wedges.

Tips:
Swap prawns with chicken for chicken pilau instead.

Recipe source: Simply Her magazine (Aug 2006)

Chicken stew with tomato and chilli

A modified recipe of a traditional Italian stew.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp flour
Salt
800g chicken fillets, leg thigh
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 tbsp light soya sauce
4 stalks fresh coriander leaves, chopped
600g broccoli, cut into flowerettes

Method:
1. Place flour, a pinch of salt and a few shakes of pepper into a clean plastic bag.
2. Cut chicken into bite-size cubes and put into same bag. Holding bag closed, shake a few times.
3. Brown flour-dusted chicken in a non-stick pan with olive oil. Do in batches and put aside.
4. In same pan, saute onion, garlic and chilli flakes for 2 minutes.
5. Add tomato paste and light soya sauce, stir.
6. Add chicken and cook over a moderate heat, covered, for 5 minutes. Add a few drizzles of water if it gets too dry. Stir in chopped coriander leaves just before removing from heat.
7. Bring water in a steamer to a rolling boil. Steam broccoli for 3 minutes.
8. Serve chicken and broccoli hot with crusty bread on the side.

Recipe source: Streats newspaper

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

Seafood casserole

Perfect dish for Christmas.

Ingredients (serves 2 to 3):
200g Prantalay Seafood Mix (from NTUC, to thaw, follow instructions on the packet)
125g parmesan or cheddar cheese, grated
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
500ml milk
4 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Heat olive oil in a pan. Fry onions until lightly browned. Add celery and carrots and fry for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add seafood mix and fry for 2 minutes. Set aside.
2. Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix in the flour and butter with a whisk until well blended. Gradually blend the cheese into the mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Place celery, carrots and seafood into a medium baking dish. Spoon the cheese sauce into the dish and toss with the rest of the seafood mixture. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over.
4. Without covering the dish, bake it in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or grill under medium heat until the surface is brown. Serve hot with bread.

Recipe source: Today newspaper

Low-fat chicken and mushroom pie

Ingredients (serves 4):
Filling:
340g chicken breast, without skin
1 large onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
115g white button mushroom
115g white Japanese mushroon (optional)
55g green peas
1 tbsp chopped pasley (香芹)
1 tbsp plain flour
15g butter
300ml skimmed milk

Pie crust:
185g self-raising flour
20g butter
80ml skimmed milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten

Method:
Filling:
1. Melt butter in a pot and put in 1 tablespoon of plain flour. Mix well. Add milk bit by bit, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth.
2. Put in chicken breast, mushrooms, onion, carrot, green peas and parsley and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a deep baking dish.

Pie crust:
1. In a large mixing bowl, rub butter into self-raising flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add milk bit by bit until it forms a soft dough.
2. Roll out to fit the top of the baking dish, seal edges, and brush on beaten egg. Set oven to 180 deg C with upper/lower function.
3. Bake on lower shelf for 30 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Recipe source: Today newspaper

Spicy pasta

Ingredients:
300g pasta
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 green capsicum, sliced
1 red capsicum, sliced
1 tbsp chilli paste
1 tsp salt
200ml Kara coconut cream

Method:
1. Cook pasta in boiling water until tender, drain then toss in 1 tbsp cooking oil and put aside.
2. Heat remaining oil in separate saucepan, fry onions until golden and add all the capsicums. Stir well.
3. Add chilli paste, Kara coconut cream, tomato and salt to taste. Allow to boil.
4. Toss in pasta and serve immediately.

Recipe source: Lifestyle magazine

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

Oyako Donburi (chicken & egg over rice)

Ingredients (serves 4):
200g chicken meat, sliced into 1cm pieces
1 onion, cubed
4 fresh eggs
1 stalk spring onion, chopped
1 sheet sushi nori (seaweed), shredded
4 bowls hot cooked short-grain rice
corn oil

Sauce:
1 tsp stock granules (chicken or ikan bilis)
1 cup water
1 and 1/2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp soya sauce
2 tbsp cooking sherry (mirin)

Method:
1. Bring sauce to a boil to dissolve sugar. Add onion and sliced chicken. Simmer until meat is done.
2. Lightly scramble the eggs in a little heated corn oil and pour over mixture in pan. Turn off heat as soon as eggs are about to set.
3. Cover rice with the chicken and egg mixture. Garnish with shredded spring onion and sushi nori.
4. Serve immediately, with pickles and a clear soup.

Recipe source: Lifestyle magazine