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Jokbal (Korea Briased Pork Trotters)

  I always loved braising dishes but always been doing Chinese Lor Bak. After my family went to Korea last December, my kids been asking if ...

Sunday, December 6, 2020

Fried Korean Silver Fishes

 


Ingredients and method: 
  1. Rinsed and drain dry 2 cups of Korean Silver fishes after thawing. Use kitchen towel to dry extra water from fishes. 
  2. Marinate fishes with 1 tbsp of salt, 1 tsp of white pepper and 1 tsp of cooking wine. Set aside for 30mins. 
  3. Prepare the batter. This is an estimation so adjust accordingly when mixing. Add 1.5 cups of Self-raising flour; 4 tbsps of sweet potatoes flour / crispy frying powder (Hup Loong Frying powder bought from wet market) and 1 tsp of baking powder. Slowly mix in ice water and create a smooth batter. Add 1/2 tbsp of cooking oil, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of chicken powder and a dash of white pepper. Batter should be slightly thick with no lumps but not watery. 
  4. Heat oil in a pot. Oil is ready when tested with chopsticks and you can see bubbles floating upwards. You can also test with some batter. Batter will puff up quickly once in hot oil. 
  5. Coat marinated fish with batter and gently lower into hot oil. Fry a few pieces at a time for easy control. Deep fry fish fillets when crusts is form and light brown. Before removing, increase to high heat for few seconds and fry till its golden brown. Drain and served hot.

Friday, December 4, 2020

Seafood Bento 🍱 (Collaboration with GoodSalt)


  

Simple and easy seafood bento 🍱 for ah girl 👧🏼! With a long day at badminton training and rushing for tuition, she doesn’t have much time for her meals. Prepared this simple bento for her dinner before her tuition starts. She loves seafood and with simplest marination of GoodSalt and pepper, it definitely brings out the flavors of seafood! 

GoodSalt Photo Contest

[💸💸💸 CONTEST ALERT 💸💸💸 – ends 15 December 2020]

One winner walks away with $200 worth of prizes!


🧂 Like @imilifestylesg page


🧂 Submit a creative photo of a dish you and your family love, cooked using #GoodSalt. Photo needs to include the box of GoodSalt.


🧂 Post the photo on the @imilifestylesg FB community page, tag @imilifestylesg, and #gsphoto2020.


🧂 Share the photo with your friends and family, and get them to like your photo on our community page.


🧂 🧂 The photo with the highest number of likes on our community page will win!


🍽️ HAPPY COOKING!! 🍽️


Ingredients: 

  • Half-piece of salmon 🍣 
  • 3-4 pieces of Japanese scallops 
  • 4 pieces of prawns 🍤 
  • 1 hard-boiled egg 🥚 
  • Some sliced cucumbers 🥒 
  • Some blanched broccoli 🥦 and carrots 🥕 (or any vegetables of your own choice) 

Method: 

  1. Rinse, soak and cook Japanese rice in rice cooker. 
  2. Boiled and peeled hard-boiled egg and set aside. 
  3. Rinsed and cut broccoli and carrots. Blanched vegetables in boiling water, with a tsp of GoodSalt and cooking wine. Set aside. 
  4. Rinsed and pat dry seafood with kitchen towel. This will help with cooking as there will be less splattering during Panfry. 
  5. Seasoned salmon, scallops and prawns with a dash of GoodSalt, olive oil and some black pepper. 
  6. Heat up a saucepan at medium-high heat. Pan-sear salmon, scallops and prawns till cooked and set aside. 
  7. Assemble bento according to your preferences. I made a kitty using Japanese rice. Shaped rice using cling wrap to shape the face and paws. Cut some seaweed for the ears and ham for the ears. ☺️ 




Monday, November 16, 2020

Korean La-la in cream sauce

 


Ingredients: 

  • 3 tbsps of unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsps of minced garlic
  • 3 stalks of spring onion (chopped) 
  • About 800g-1kg Korean la-la or clams 
  • 2 tbsps of white wine (I replaced with sake) 
  • 1 cup of chicken broth (store-bought swansons brand) 
  • 1/2 cup of water 
  • Salt and black pepper to taste 
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon (optional) 
  • About 1/2 cup of cooking cream (add more if you like creamier) 
  • Chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions: 

  1. In a large pan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the garlic and green part of spring onion. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally. 
  2. Add korean la-la and green part of spring onion and cook for another 3 minutes. (For fresh clams, please cook for about 5mins. Then simmer longer at step 3 till clams opens up). 
  3. Add the white wine/sake, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a rolling simmer. Reduce to lowest heat. Add in cooking cream and lemon juice. Mix well. Add in remaining 1 tbsp of butter and season with salt and freshly grated black pepper. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately. You can serve with rice, pasta or even sourdough! 

Note: 

  • If you’re using fresh clams, do simmer and cook for a longer time for the clams to open up and cooked. 
  • Do adjust accordingly to your taste! 

Thursday, November 12, 2020

Osmanthus Scrambled Eggs (桂花炒蛋)


Collaboration with IMI Lifestyle

When I was a kid, I always loved to follow my parents for dinners (jiak do) and the dish that I always looked forward to was the Cold Dish (冷盘)! I loved the egg dish right in the centre, served together with the other appetizers as starters! ☺️ With fresh ingredients and simple seasonings, it’s easy to replicate at home.


Using GoodSalt, which is lower in sodium content and yet full of flavour, and it is just like regular salt with healthier essential minerals, it enhances the flavor of this dish! Choose GoodSalt for a healthier choice in your daily cooking by replacing regular salt, gram to gram!


🎁[GIVEAWAY]

Stand a chance to win $20 NTUC vouchers and a #goodsalt gift pack! Simply head over to IMI Lifestyle Facebook Page and do the following:

👉🏻Follow  Facebook page

👉🏻Tag 3 friends in the post

👉🏻Like and Share the post

👉🏻Comment in post - Reducing sodium in your diet can help to ___________"

Recipe:

Ingredients: 

  • ½ red onion, thinly sliced
  • ½ red chilli, deseeded and cut into thin long strips (I replaced with ½ red capsicum for my kids) 
  • ½ carrot, finely julienned
  • 1 handful of wood ears fungus, soaked, washed and thinly sliced (you can use fresh wood ears fungus too) 
  • ½ cup of cooked crab meat 
  • About 1/3 cup of Mung bean vermicelli, soaked and cut into about 2 inches
  • 2 sprigs of spring onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 2-3 beaten eggs (depends on how big your eggs are) 
  • 1 cup homemade chicken stock 
  • About ½ tsp of GoodSalt 
  • A dash of pepper to taste 

Method

  1. Heat wok on high heat and add 3 tablespoons of oil. 
  2. Put in onions and stir for 10 seconds. 
  3. Add sliced chilli/red capsicum and stir fry for another 5 seconds.
  4. Add carrots and wood ear fungus. Stir fry for 20 seconds. Add crabmeat and stir well. 
  5. Pour in chicken stock and bring to a boil. Season with GoodSalt and pepper. Taste and adjust accordingly. 
  6. Add in vermicelli to let it absorb the chicken stock until 1/3 of original liquid is still visible.
  7. Add in beaten eggs and spring onions and toss everything until it dries up. 

Note

  • The timing of when you put in the eggs is crucial. The end product should taste moist, but look dry. 

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Chicken Cheese Baked Rice (collaboration)




Chicken Cheese Baked Rice (Collaboration with The Little Rice Company) 

My Do-Re-Mi 👧🏼👦🏼🧒🏼loves baked rice! But only littles boy is a fan of brown rice 😏 I have been trying out many brands of brown rice and finally found this brown rice from The Little Rice Company that they like! It’s easy to cook this brown rice as there’s no need to soak and texture is fluffy! Now I can cook a healthier rice for my family 😊😊😌 

#switch2brown, give our brown rice a try! And here’s a bundle deal to get you started.�

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups of brown rice (The Little Rice Company) 
  • 1 packet of chicken shabu-shabu (CP Brand) 
  • 1 cup of frozen vegetables 
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced 
  • 1 packet of cooking cream 
  • 1/2 block of unsalted butter (estimated) 
  • 1 tsp of salt (adjust accordingly to taste) 
  • Freshly cracked black pepper 
  • Grated mozzarella cheese 
  • Dried parsley for garnishing 
Method: 
  1. Wash and place brown rice to cook in rice cooker. Add 1.5 tbsps of garlic powder, 1 tsp of onion powder and 1/2  tbsp of salt. Cook brown rice as per normal like white rice. When rice is cooked, add 2 tbsps of unsalted butter and mixed well. Remove from rice cooker and mix in mixed vegetables. Set aside. 
  2. Marinate chicken shabu-shabu with salt and black pepper. Set aside for 15 mins. 
  3. Heat pan. Add 1/2 tsp of oil. Panfry chicken shabu-shabu till it’s cooked and set aside. 
  4. Using the same pan. Melt 30gm of unsalted butter. Once butter is slightly bubbling, stir in with 1 tbsp of plain flour until flour disappears. Gradually add cooking cream and stir until sauce turned runny & smooth. Add freshly cracked black pepper and some salt to taste. 
  5. Scoop desired amount of mixed rice to oven-proof dish. Pour cream sauce on top of rice. Lay chicken shabu-shabu on top of rice. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese. 
  6. Placed dish into preheated oven to bake at 200 degrees till cheese melts and brown. Sprinkle some dried parsley on top to garnish. Serve hot. 
  7. Alternatively, you can airfry at 190 degrees for 7-8 minutes until browned. Sprinkle some dried parsley to garnish and serve immediately. 

Sunday, September 13, 2020

Peppery Chicken Mee Suah Soup (Collaboration with Cravins)


CRAVINS Singapore Style Bak Kut Teh is made from the finest quality Sarawak white peppercorns which are perfectly roasted and ground to give the most aromatic and addictive peppery soup. It offers a quick and easy way to prepare this heartwarming dish in the comfort of your own home with a robust flavour that will leave you craving for more!

Cravins is now available on offer from $2.20 - $2.95 each (U.P.: $2.60 - $3.50 each) at selected FairPrice stores and online on FairPriceOn and Redmart. Cravins, leaves you craving for more! #Cravins #CravinsSG

[ GIVEAWAY ]  We are giving away 20 sets of Cravins gift sets! Participate at https://www.facebook.com/singaporehomecooks/posts/3608209745938885

Ingredients (For 3 pax):
  • 2 chicken carcasses 
  • 8 chicken mid-wings 
  • 2 bulbs of garlic whole with skin (rinse) 
  • 2 tbsps of wolfberries 
  • 1 packet of Cravins Singapore Style Bak Kut Teh 
  • 1 small can of button mushrooms 
  • Chinese parsley for garnishing (optional) 
  • 3 pieces of mee suah 
Method: 
  1. Blanched chicken carcasses and mid-wings to remove blood and scums. Rinsed and set aside. 
  2. Bring to a pot of 1.8 liters of water to boil. Add chicken carcasses, Cravins Singapore style bak Kut Teh soup packet and 2 bulbs of garlic. Once it boils again, lower heat and simmer for 30mins. 
  3. Add chicken mid-wings, button mushrooms and 1tbsp of wolfberries (rinse and place in filter bags). Continue to simmer for another 30mins. Taste and adjust taste accordingly. Remove filter bag of wolfberries and add another spoon of rinse wolfberries into soup. Off heat. 
  4. Concurrently while simmering soup, boil a pot of water to blanch mee suah. Once mee suah is done, set aside in a bowl. Scoop soup and ingredients onto mee suah and serve hot. Garnish with Chinese parsley. 
Note: You may add in crushed peppercorns for additional kick but my family is fine with spicy level of the soup packet. 

Saturday, September 12, 2020

Char Siew Chicken Drumsticks 🍗 with Chicken Rice


{Collaboration with Cravins} 

CRAVINS Char Siew Sauce is a super shiok sweet and savoury marinade for the best homemade char siew you will have! Best of all, it is so easy to cook -  all you need is a pan with a lid. It is also very versatile and can be used as a marinade for BBQ. 

Cravins is now available on offer from $2.20 - $2.95 each (U.P.: $2.60 - $3.50 each) at selected FairPrice stores and online on FairPriceOn and Redmart. Cravins, leaves you craving for more! #Cravins #CravinsSG

[ GIVEAWAY ]  We are giving away 20 sets of Cravins gift sets! Participate at https://www.facebook.com/singaporehomecooks/posts/3608209745938885

Ingredients
  • 3 big chicken drumsticks 
  • 1 packet of Cravins Char Siew Sauce 
  • 1 tbsp of chinese cooking wine
  • 1 tbsp of oyster sauce 
  • 1 cucumber (sliced) 
  • 1 tomato (sliced) 
  • 2 cups of jasmine rice 
  • 1.8-2 cups of chicken stock (depending on how you want your rice to be) 
  • 3 stalks of pandan leaves (tear and tied in knot)
  • 1 thumb size ginger (sliced) 
  • 6-8 cloves of garlic with skin (wash and smashed) 
Method
  1. Add 2 tbsp of salt to chicken drumsticks. Rub all over drumsticks to remove smell and scums. Rinsed away salt and pat dry. Use a fork to poke all over drumsticks. This will help the marinate to penetrate into the meat. 
  2. Mix marinate in a bowl. Place chicken into a ziplock bag and pour in the marinate. Seal bag and massage to ensure chicken is well coated with marinate. Chill overnight or at least 4 hours. 
  3. Remove chicken from fridge 30 mins before cooking. Preheat oven at 180 deg. Place chicken on baking dish without the marinate. Keep the marinate to baste the chicken while grilling. 
  4. Grill chicken for 30-40mins at the lowest rack, flip once in between and baste with the marinate. 
  5. Increase to 210 degrees to brown the chicken. Mix 2 tbsp of honey with 1 tbsp of water. Brush on chicken. Shift chicken to higher rack. Brown for about 10-15mins. Remove chicken when done. Let it rest for 5 mins before chopping to smaller pieces of serve as a whole with chicken rice and blanched vegetables. (** Chicken is done when you poke through with a chopstick and there is no blood in juice from chicken.) 
Note: Oven temp varies so you have to gauge your own oven when grilling chicken. 

Chicken rice: 
Wash 2 cups of jasmine rice. Add homemade chicken stock, pandan leaves, sliced ginger and smashed garlic. Add about 1 tbsp of salt. Mixed well and cook rice as per normal in rice cooker. 

Herbal Mutton Soup (Collaboration with Cravins)


考试要到了!Ah girl 👧🏼 最近很 stressed 😩 Body also hay wire 🙈 该补一补了! 煮了羊肉汤给她给她补补身体! Added additional herbs to cook this herbal mutton soup for my girl to build up her body! Cooked this with my thermal pot and Cravins convenient soup pack is so easy and mutton meat is tender and falls off the bone! 

Made with a selection of authentic premium quality herbs, ​CRAVINS Herbal Bak Kut Teh delivers a nourishing meal with a rich, subtly sweet and robust herbal flavour. ​It also includes 2 packets of premium soya sauce, which is made from high quality soy beans and specially blended to deliver a fragrant, full-bodied, dark-coloured broth. 

Cravins is now available on offer from $2.20 - $2.95 each (U.P.: $2.60 - $3.50 each) at selected FairPrice stores and online on FairPriceOn and Redmart. Cravins, leaves you craving for more! #Cravins #CravinsSG

[ GIVEAWAY ]  We are giving away 20 sets of Cravins gift sets! Participate at https://www.facebook.com/singaporehomecooks/posts/3608209745938885

Ingredients (For 4 pax): 
  • 500g fresh mutton ribs 
  • 10 pieces of red dates (红枣)
  • 6 slices of liquorice (甘草)
  • 2 tbsp goji berries, wolfberries (枸杞) 
  • 1 tbsp of American ginseng beard (人参须) 
  • Salt to taste 
  • White pepper to taste 
  • 1 tbsp of chopped Chinese parsley for garnishing 
  • 1 tbsp of julienned ginger 


Method: 
  1. Trim membranes and excess fats from ribs. You can choose to chop into chunky pieces. I sliced mine into pieces along the bones. Soak in salted iced water for about ten minutes. Rinsed. Blanched in boiling water and rinse thoroughly. 
  2. Boil a pot of water, about 1.6litres water. Rinsed and add herbs (red dates and liquorice) and with Cravins Herbal Bak Kut Teh packets. Bring to a simmer for 15mins and add mutton. Bring to a boil and gently simmer for 1-2hours. Top up water if necessary. Check if mutton is soft at 2 hours. Add ginseng and wolfberries and simmer for another 30mins. Discard herbs and add fresh wolfberries. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and ginger and serve hot. 
  3. I used a thermal pot to cook instead so what I did was to boil mutton together with Cravins soup packet and 2 herbs. Once it’s boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 20mins. Off heat to transfer inner pot to outer pot and leave it for 6hours. At the 6th hour, check if mutton is soft. If not soft, heat up again and place back to outer pot. 
  4. When mutton is soft, add ginseng and wolfberries and bring it to a boil again. Simmer for 15 mins. Discard the herbs and add fresh wolfberries. Season with salt and pepper. Then served hot with Chinese parsley and ginger. Serve immediately. 
Note
  • Some mutton smells and some doesn’t. The key to a pot of good soup is to use fresh meat. I bought mine from wet market. 
  • Try not to simmer ginseng and wolfberries for more than 1 hour. Overcooked ginseng tastes bitter and overcooked wolfberries may turn sour. 

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Stirfry Clams (La-la)

 

Ingredients
500g fresh clams (La-la), washed and scrubbed 

2 teaspoons sake (Can use white wine) 

2 teaspoons mirin (Japanese sweet wine)
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon cooking oil 
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1/2 green onion, chopped

1/2 thumb size ginger, julienned 

2 cloves of garlic, chopped 


Method

  1. Scrub and rinse clams. Soak in a large bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
  2. Heat a wok or large saucepan over high heat. Add oil and then ginger. When ginger is slightly brown, add chopped garlic and sauté till fragrant. Quickly pour in the sake, mirin and rice vinegar. Add the clams, then cover and cook until the clams open, about 3 to 4 minutes. Discard any clams that do not open.
  3. Remove any scum that forms on the surface using a spoon. Add soy sauce and drizzle some sake/ white wine At the side of the pan. Taste and adjust accordingly. Add in chopped green onions and off heat. Arrange clams on a serving plate and drizzle the sauce over them. Serve immediately.


Thursday, July 16, 2020

Easy Potato Pie with Ayam Brand Saba


Ah girl 👧🏼 loves potatoes 🥔 and one of her favorite dish is potato pie! Made this easy potato pie in airfryer as ah girl rushed back home for her zoom tuition 😅 As she’s a fan of ayam brand products, I added the newly-launches saba flakes range as I had ran out of ham at home! There are 3 vibrant namely Saba chili, Saba mayo and Saba EVOO. Saba is +50% more Omega-3 than tuna! 

Lai lai... come and replicate my recipe and stand a chance to win $50 Fairprice voucher! Remember to #sabaflakes in your post so we know. Ayam Brand Saba is available at all Fairprice outlets!
#sabaflakes #ayambrandsg

Ingredients
  • 5-6 russet potatoes 
  • 1 tbsp of garlic powder
  • A tsp of chicken powder 
  • 1/2 cup of fresh milk
  • 1 tbsp of grated Parmesan cheese
  • A dash of freshly cracked black pepper and salt 
  • 3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 can of Ayam brand Saba flakes in EVOO (drain oil from Saba) 
  • 2 tbsp of unsalted butter 
  • 1 egg beaten 
Method
  1. Peel and cut potato into chunks. Place potatoes into a pot and filled water to cover potatoes. Add a pinch of salt into water. Bring it to a boil and simmer till potatoes soften (use a fork to test if potatoes can be poke through). Drain potatoes on colander.  Add butter, a tsp of chicken powder and freshly cracked black pepper and mash until well mashed. 
  2. Add in 1/4 cup of mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and milk into potato and mix well. Add in Ayam Brand Saba flakes and mix till combined. 
  3. Butter the sides of a oven-proof dish or bowl. Pour in mashed potato mix and spread evenly in the dish. I made two portions with the above ingredients. Spread rest of mozzarella cheese on top. 
  4. Preheat airfryer at 190deg for 5 minutes. Cover dish with aluminum foil and airfry for 7 minutes. Remove cover and continue to airfry till top is brown. Garnish with dried parsley leaves. Ready to serve! 😊
(You can bake this in oven if you don’t have an airfryer. Bake potatoes covered in preheated oven of 200deg for 8 minutes. Then uncovered and continue to bake till Cheese melt and top is brown.) 

Saturday, June 27, 2020

Spaghetti Carbonara 🍝



Ingredients:

  • 1/2 packet of pasta packet bought from supermarkets (about 250g) 
  • 1/2-3/4 packet of cooking cream 
  • 1 medium yellow onion (chopped finely) 
  • 6 cloves of garlic (minced) 
  • 300gSwiss Brown mushrooms (slice) 
  • 400g Bacon (sliced into smaller pieces) 
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 tbsp butter
Directions:

  1. Boil the pasta in a large pot of water with 1 tbsp of salt. Cook until al dente.
  2. Whilst the pasta is cooking, cut the bacon into small strips and fry them in some oil until they turn crispy. Remove the bacon.
  3. Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat until they become a consistent yellow mixture. Add on cheese, mix well and set aside.
  4. Using whatever leftover oil from frying the bacon, add the butter and fry the onions, followed by the garlic.
  5. After a few minutes, fry the mushrooms until they turn soft. Add the bacon and mix well. 
  6. Add half packet of cooking cream. Add more cream if you prefer your sauce to be creamier.
  7. Bring the sauce to a simmer and add pasta to coat well. Then off the heat. 
  8. Let pan rest for half minute. Pour in egg mixture and keep stirring until the sauce is slightly thicken and achieve a smooth consistency. This step is important as the egg will become scrambled eggs if you’re not fast enough.
  9. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more parmesan cheese if desired.
Happy Cooking!

Saturday, June 6, 2020

Honey Char Siew Drumsticks 🍗



Honey Char Siew Drumsticks

Ingredients
3 big chicken drumsticks

Marinate
  • 4 tbsp of Lee Kum Kee Char Siew Sauce 
  • 3 tbsp of Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce 
  • 2 tbsp of light soya sauce 
  • 3 tbsp of sugar 
  • 2 tbsp of honey 
  • 1 tbsp of cooking wine


Method
  1. Add 2 tbsp of salt to chicken drumsticks. Rub all over drumsticks to remove smell and scums. Rinsed always salt and pat dry. Use a fork to poke all over drumsticks. This will help the marinate to penetrate into the meat. 
  2. Mix marinate in a bowl. Place chicken into a ziplock bag and pour in the marinate. Seal bag  and massage to ensure chicken is well coated with marinate. Chill overnight. 
  3. Remove chicken from fridge 30 mins before cooking. Preheat oven at 180 deg. Place chicken on baking dish without the marinate. Keep the marinate to baste the chicken while grilling. 
  4. Grill chicken for 30-40mins at the lowest rack, flip once in between and baste with the marinate. 
  5. Increase to 210deg to brown the chicken. Mix 2 tbsp of honey with 1 tbsp of water. Brush on chicken. Shift chicken to higher rack. Brown for about 10-15mins. Remove chicken when done. Let it rest for 5 mins before chopping to smaller pieces of serve as a whole with chicken rice and blanched vegetables. (** Chicken is done when you poke through with a chopstick and there is no blood in juice from chicken.) 


*** Note: Oven temp varies so you have to gauge your own oven when grilling chicken. 

Monday, May 4, 2020

Braised Lamb Shanks with mashed potatoes 🥔


Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • 2 pieces of lamb shanks
  • 1 large white onion (diced)
  • 5 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 2 carrots (cut into small chunks)
  • 2cups of chicken stock (either store-bought or homemade)
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup of red wine (I replace with cooking sake)
  • 3 tbsps of tomato paste
  • 2 tbsps of ketchup
  • 3 stalks of fresh rosemary
  • 3 stalks of fresh thyme
  • 1 tbsp of dry parsley (preferably finely chopped fresh parsley if have)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt and freshly cracked black pepper (to season)

Method:

  1. Wash and pat dry lamb shanks with kitchen towels. 
  2. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a heavy-based pot. 
  3. Pan seat lamb shanks until browned on all sides. Remove the transfer to plate and cover with foil to keep warm. 
  4. Add another tbsp of oil. Sauté diced onions and carrots for about 3 mins. Add minced garlic and cook for a minute. 
  5. Return the lamb shanks into the pot. Season with a tap of salt and some freshly cracked black pepper. 
  6. Sprinkle flour and toss well and cook for about 4 minutes. 
  7. Add chicken stock, wine, tomato paste, ketchup and herbs. Mix well. 
  8. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally and flipping lamb shanks to ensure even cooking. Simmer till meat is tender and falling apart. 
  9. Adjust taste accordingly. Serve hot with mashed potatoes or rice. 

Note:

  • As I like my sauce with a thickened texture, I used corn flour slurry to thicken sauce. 
  • Keep leftover sauce and lamb for next day’s meal by adding pasta! 
  • You can also use pressure cooker or slow cooker to cook this dish. 

    Thursday, April 23, 2020

    Crispy Mini Fish Bites 🐟


    With 3 kids at home the full day, mama is almost staying in the kitchen and nowhere else! 🙈🤪😝 A challenge to feed them 3 meals and also tea or supper! 😅😅 🤦🏼‍♀️ Before they ask for supper, mama already prepared these finger food for them! Made these mini fish bites using the cream dory fillet bought from SHC groupbuy on Wednesday.
    #SHCGroupBuy

    Ingredients:
    • One packet of cream dory fillet (500-600g)
    • 1.5 cup of self-raising flour
    • 1/4 cup of corn flour
    • 1 small beaten egg
    • 1 tbsp of oil
    • 1 tsp of sugar
    • 1 tsp of salt
    • 1 tbsp of shaoxing wine
    • A dash of pepper
    • Iced water (estimated about 1.5 cups)
    Method:
    1. Rinsed and pat dry fish. Sliced fish into 1 inch by 1 inch cube size. Marinate with salt, sugar, a dash of pepper and cooking wine. Set aside.
    2. Prepare batter. Mix self-raising flour with corn flour. Add iced water slowly into flour till combined. Add oil, salt and dash of pepper and mix well till batter forms a paste. The consistency should be slightly thick and not watery. You can test if the oil is ready by placing your chopsticks into the oil. 
    3. Heat oil in a pot. Deep fry a few pieces at a time for even cooking and better heat control. Increased heat to do a double-fry in order to make the fish bites crisp. Served hot with chili sauce or mayonnaise.

    Thursday, March 5, 2020

    Chicken Tenders


    Using Growth Hormone-free Premium Chicken breasts from Huber’s to make these! As the name said it all, the breast meat is very tender! 😄 Huber’s premium chickens are raised cage-free and growth hormone-free, so It’s healthier.

    Huber’s meats are available for purchase online. Order now at http://bit.ly/2mLD3Wp!

    Get them delivered to your doorstep – they provide free delivery islandwide for orders above $100. #happybutcher #wearepure

    Ingredients:
    • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
    • 1 beaten egg  
    • 1 tbsp of water 
    • 1.5 cups Japanese panko (breadcrumbs) 
    • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
    • 1 tbsp of dry parsley leaves 
    • 500g chicken breasts 
    Seasonings:
    • 1/2 tbsp salt 
    • 1/2 tbsp cracked black pepper 
    • 2 tbsp garlic powder
    • 1/2 tbsp olive oil 
    Method:
    1. Sliced chicken breasts into long stripes and place in a dish. 
    2. Marinate with seasonings evenly and set aside for 30mins. 
    3. Prepare 3 shallow dishes. One dish to place flour. One dish to mix beaten eggs and water. For the third dish, place panko, cheese and dry parsley leaves. Mix well to combine. 
    4. Coat chicken with flour, then egg mixture and lastly panko-cheese mixture. Gently press onto chicken  to ensure chicken is well coated with panko. 
    5. Heat up a pot with enough oil to cover chicken. Shallow fry chicken till it’s cooked. Drain and serve hot. 

    Friday, February 28, 2020

    Stirfry Vermicelli with Pork Belly and Prawns


    Ingredients
    • 8-10 prawns (with shells on) 
    • 5 garlic cloves (peeled and cut half)  
    • 1 Thumb-sized ginger (sliced into 4 long slices)  
    • 4 pcs Coriander roots (about 3cm) 
    • 300 grams dry vermicelli (soaked in water for 5 minutes and drain) 
    • 2-3 sprigs chinese parsley (cut into sections) 
    • 50 grams pork belly (sliced into stripes) 
    • 200 ml homemade prawn broth

    Sauce Mixture: 
    • 2 tbsp Oyster sauce 
    • 1 tbsp fish sauce 
    • 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine 
    • 1.5 tbsp sugar 
    • 3 tsp thick dark sauce (I used Guangxiang tai brand) 
    • 1 tsp light soya sauce 

    Directions: 
    1. In an claypot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat.
    2. When oil is hot, add pork belly. Saute for 1-2 minutes or until slightly browned.
    3. Add garlic, ginger and coriander roots. Increase heat to medium high and stir fry until fragrant.
    4. Top with vermicelli and the sauce mixture. Pour in prawn broth and cover for 1-2 minutes.
    5. Remove cover of pot and stir the ingredients to ensure vermicelli is evenly coated with mixture. Add a little more stock if you find it dry. 
    6. Then lay the prawns on top of vermicelli. Top with chinese celery and coriander.
    7. Drizzle some sesame oil and cover. Cook at medium heat until prawn and vermicelli are cooked. Serve hot. 

    Note: You can add more stock/hot water if it dries up too fast before the ingredients are cooked. Check that the noodle is not overcooked or too soft that it breaks up, but absorbs all the sauce mixture when done.  

    Thursday, February 27, 2020

    Ginger Scallions Chicken


    Ingredients: 
    • 2 boneless chicken legs (sliced into smaller pieces) 
    • 8-10 slices of ginger 
    • A tbsp of minced garlic 
    • A handful of spring onion (sliced into sections of 2 inches long, separate white and green parts) 

    Method: 
    1. Marinate chicken with 1 tbsp light soya sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1/2 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp ginger juice and a dash of pepper. Set aside for at least 15 minutes. 
    2. Heat wok with a tbsp of oil. Sauté ginger till fragrant. Add minced garlic and sauté till garlic starts to brown. 
    3. Add marinated chicken and Stir fry chicken till it’s no longer pink. Add a cup of hot water and bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat to a simmer for 5 mins. 
    4. Add the white portion of spring onion. 
    5. Increase heat to medium hot. 
    6. Add 1/2 tbsp of dark soya sauce. Adjust taste accordingly. Drizzle a tbsp of cooking wine at the sides of wok. 
    7. Add the green part of the spring onion. Thicken sauce with corn flour slurry. Serve hot. 

    Note: Adjust water and seasonings accordingly to your taste. Add more water if you need more gravy to go with rice. 

    Sunday, February 23, 2020

    Stew Chicken with potatoes and carrots 🥔 🥕


    Ingredients:
    15 pieces of chicken mid-wings
    3 to 4 potatoes (slice into small chunks) 
    1 big carrot (slice into small chunks) 
    1 onion cut into wedges
    4 slices ginger 

    Marinate for chicken: 
    1 tbsp light soy sauce
    1.5 teaspoon dark soy sauce
    1 tablespoon oyster sauce
    1 teaspoon sugar 
    2 teaspoon chinese wine 
    2 teaspoon cornflour

    Method

    1. Marinate chicken wings with the seasoning for at least half an hour. 
    2. Heat a tsp of oil over medium heat. Sauté ginger and onion until fragrant. 
    3. Add marinated chicken wing and pan-fry until lightly brown. Deglazed with some chinese wine (this step optional). 
    4. Add in carrot and potato* and cook for two minutes. 
    5. Add in the remaining marinate for chicken. 
    6. Add in 150-200ml of hot water (amount of water adjusted according to your preferences for how much gravy you want). Taste will be better if you replace by chicken broth. If you use store-bought chicken stock, do adjust the other seasoning for taste. 
    7. When it comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked. (Try not to overcook it. I didn’t cook too long as I prepared this earlier in the afternoon for dinner and heat up again before serving and also to thicken gravy). 
    8. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. 
    9. Lastly, drizzle in cornflour mixture slowly to thicken gravy till it reaches the consistency you like. Drizzle some sesame oil for fragrance. 
    *Note: You can either fry the potato first or just add during the cooking. As I was using Happycall pot, I lightly pan-fried the potatoes first and set aside to add it later. 

    Sunday, January 5, 2020

    Osmanthus Scrambled Eggs (桂花炒蛋)



    Ingredients

    • ½ red onion (thinly sliced)
    • ½ red chilli (deseeded and cut into thin long strips)
    • 1 small carrot (finely julienned) 
    • 1 handful of wood ears fungus, soaked, washed and thinly sliced)
    • ½ cup of fresh crab meat OR replaced by 6 pcs imitation crabsticks (tear into stripes) 
    • Mung bean vermicelli (soaked, about 1/3 cup, cut into about 2 inches
    • 2 sprigs of spring onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
    • 2 beaten eggs
    • 1 cup homemade chicken stock 
    • About ½ tsp salt 
    • 1 tsp chicken powder 
    • A dash of pepper to taste 
    Method

    1. Heat wok on high heat and put in 3 Tbsp oil. 
    2. Put in onions, stir for 10 seconds
    3. Then add sliced chilli and fry for another 5 seconds.
    4. Then add carrots, wood ear fungus and crab meat/crabsticks. Stir fry for 15 seconds. 
    5. Add in chicken stock and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Taste it and adjust.
    6. Add in vermicelli and let it absorb the chicken stock until 1/3 of original liquid is still visible.
    7. Add in eggs and spring onions and toss everything until it dries up. 
    Note
    • The timing of when you put in the eggs is crucial. The end product should taste moist, but look dry.
    • You can replace homemade chicken stock with store-bought chicken stock or water but need to adjust seasonings to taste.