My Favourite Recipes & Supermarket Food Products : Instead of eating out, why not try these recipes / food products at home

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Baby asparagus is my favourite vegetable.

I usually buy the Thai baby asparagus from Sheng Siong for under $2 a tray. NTUC do carry organic baby asparagus for above $4 per tray. Both are equally good.

Sheng Siong asparagus is the cheapest and of good quality. However, they don't carry lot of stock or rather there's more demand than supply.

If you feel rich, you can buy from Cold Storage. I am not a rich person, so I just stick to Sheng Siong and NTUC.

The best way to eat asparagus is to steam it for 3 to 4mins. I usually eat it plain or if I need some sensation on my taste buds, I will sprinkle freshly ground pepper and a little bit of freshly ground rock salt.

Some of you may ask why not the bigger and thicker asparagus varieties.

I am fine with the bigger asparagus if I can't get my hands on the baby ones. However, the big ones can be fibrous after you steam or cook them. The 口感 isn't as nice as baby asparagus.

 

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Guava with 陈皮梅 is one of my favourite after dinner snack.

I am a cheapo, so I will buy big and cheap Malaysian guavas from neighborhood fruit sellers instead of NTUC or supermarkets. You can get it for $1 for a big guava.

Below is the internet recipe, but to be honest, there's no need for a recipe. I usually like my guava sloced thinner (unlike the below recipe). And I prefer thjs brand of 陈皮梅. Chop the 陈皮梅 finely too. Best served chilled.

I usually make a huge batch and put them in a fridge and snack on them after dinner.

Guava with Orange Peel​

http://icookibakeishoot.blogspot.com/2016/12/guava-with-orange-peel.html



This is super easy to make and they are so yummy. Try it !

Ingredients (serves 1-2 )
1 guava
2-3 pieces of orange peel/lime peel
1 chilli (optional)




Method
1. Wash the guava. Peel the skin. Cut into half and remove the seeds or you risk chipping your molar.

2. Cut into small pieces. I like mine to be have a bit a crunch about 5mm thick. Some like it thin about 2mm thick. It is absolutely your preference.

3. Use a scissor to cut the orange peel into thin strips.

4. Add both guava and orange peel and chilli (if you are adding) to a container.

5. Mix well and cover it. Let it sit in the fridge for couple of hours (minimum 2 hours) to chill.

6. Serve chilled as appetizer or snack.

 

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NTUC BRAND 汤圆

This is my favourite glutinous rice ball with black sesame. Cheap and good. Always on offer too, like buy 2 for lesser price.

You need to stand by Pandan leaves and ginger powder to make the dessert soup. Sugar of course if you loke your soup sweet. For me, I just add a little raw brown sugar.

 

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When I am extremely lazy to cook a proper meal, my favourite option is Penang White Curry Vermicelli with EB Fish Yuba. The Fish Yuba blends in so well with the curry vermicelli.

By the way, I hate the pictures on every type of instant noodle packaging. It's a misrepresentation. There are no ingredients other than noodles plus condiments.

So EB Fish Yuba is my must have in my freezer.

Of course if you are feeling rich, you can always open a can of abalone, sliced them and eat with the Penang White Curry vermicelli.

 

[edmwrefugee]

This is another favourite recipe of mine. I would make this usually on weekends and have this for breakfast in the course of the working week.

Turnip Cake/Radish Cake (Chinese New Year) | Christine's Recipes: Easy Chinese Recipes
en.christinesrecipes.com

Turnip Cake (aka radish cake) is a must-eat snack during Chinese New Year traditionally. You also easily find it at many dim sum restaurants through out the year though.

​

Normally we don’t have any holidays during Chinese New Year season in Australia. As for this year, Chinese New Year coincidentally falls on the same day as Australia Day – 26 January. Fantastic ! We’ll get one day off for celebration. In the meantime, I start to make some Chinese cakes for this special season. The first one is my most favorite, Turnip Cake (aka radish cake).

You can easily find this delicious savory cake served in Chinese restaurants throughout the year. But there’s also a custom to eat this cake on New Year's Day as a symbol of prosperity and rising fortunes. That’s a popular way of thinking in Chinese community anyway.

On top of the traditional ingredients, I added one more secret ingredient to make this radish cake even more delicious. Yes, it's salted radish. It will add more texture too.

Left bottom: salted radish

Update: If you have an electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot, you may take a look at this radish cake Instant Pot recipe with video tutorial.
(Printable recipe)
By Christine’s Recipes

Course: Steamed, Snack
Cuisine: Chinese
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 80 mins
Yield: 2 to 3 serves

Ingredients:

• 1 kg Chinese white turnip (radish/daikon)
• 170 gm rice flour
• 4 Tbsp wheat starch (澄麵)
• 40 gm Chinese sausage (臘腸)
• 45 gm Chinese bacon (臘肉)
• 55 gm Chinese dried shrimps
• 60 gm salted radish
• 2 shallots, minced
• 3/4 cup unsalted chicken broth
• pinch of white pepper

Method:

1. Blanch Chinese sausage and Chinese bacon in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes for cleaning and easy chopping. Drain well and finely diced. Peel the turnip and grate into thick strips. Soak and rinse dried shrimps. Coarsely chop them (if you buy smaller ones, you don’t need to chop them then.) Soak salted radish, rinse well and finely chop.
2. In a big bow, mix the rice flour with wheat flour well.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of oil in a non-stick wok, sauté Chinese sausage and Chinese bacon dices over medium heat. Toss in dried shrimps and salted radish, continue to sauté until aromatic (see picture 1). Set aside.
4. Add another 2 tablespoons of oil, sauté minced shallots. Add grated turnips. Sprinkle white pepper to taste. Pour in chicken broth, bring to a boil, cover and cook until tender and translucent (see picture 2). Remove from heat. Add rice flour and wheat starch, quickly combine all ingredients into a thick batter (see picture 3). Toss in sausages, bacons and shrimps and mix well (see picture 4).
5. Pour the mixture into a greased pan, 8-inch round. Steam over high heat with cover, about 45 to 60 minutes. Check the water level and replenish, if necessary, with boiling water. Insert a chopstick into the middle part. If it comes out clean, the cake is cooked through. Let cool and refrigerate with cover for 4 hours.
6. Cut into pieces, fry both sides until golden brown. Serve hot, accompanying with chili sauce or with soy sauce. Yummy!

Notes：

• As for preparing Chinese bacon, I used to remove the layer of fat under the rind.
• The Chinese bacon and sausage would be much easier to chop when they are hot.
• When cooking turnip, some water would come out. This recipe calls for 3/4 cup of chicken broth. But if you find the turnip is too dry while cooking, you need to add some water into it. The principle is to make the batter thick but not too dry. If you can stir the batter without using any force, the cake would be just right after steaming. Practice makes things perfect anyway.

Tips on buying turnips:

• Choose the heavy one. That means the turnip consists more water inside.
• The skin of turnip should be thin and translucent. It’s a young one.
• If you don’t cook the turnip on the day you buy, trim off the green stem on top. It can be kept for a few days more without growing old and sturdy.

 

[edmwrefugee]

Of all the RTE Oaths in the Singapore market, WK Must Chunky Fish Otah is the best in my humble opinion. I have tried countless brands and nothing beats this in terms of price, quality and ease to prepare.

Do note that WK produces 2 SKUs. One is the Chunky one, the other is the Minced SKU.

The Chunky one is way better.

You can easily find this in NTUC, ShengSiong or most supermarkets. Very often, there's special offer.



WK MUAR CHUNKY FISH OTAH

KEY INFORMATION

• • Chunky fish meats are used to ensure a more robust taste
• • Can be eaten as snack, with bread or rice as part of the meal
• • Contains no preservatives

COUNTRY/PLACE OF ORIGIN​

Malaysia

DIETARY​

Halal

PREPARATION​

• • Steam:
• For 12 to 15 minutes
• • Microwavee:
• 1. Wrap otak with cling film
• 2. Microwave over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes
• • Oven toaster:
• 1. Wrap otak with banana leaf or foil
• 2. Bake for 15 minutes at 240°C

STORAGE​

Keep frozen below -18°C

INGREDIENTS​

Fish Meat (Mackerel), Coconut Milk, Chilli Paste (Dried Chilli, Lemongrass, Galangal, Candlenut, Cooking Oil), Onion, Garlic, Curry Powder (Cumin, Coriander, Nutmeg), Tapioca Starch, Sugar, Monosodium Glutamate (E621), Salt, Cooking Oil (Blend of Palm Olein, Peanut Oil and Sesame Oil), Fish Sauce (Anchovies, Salt, Sugar)

NUTRITION INFO​

• Attributes
  Per Serving (180g)
• Energy
  1787kJ
• Trans Fat
  0g
• Protein
  23.2g
• Total Fat
  26.6g
• Saturated Fat
  20.9g
• Cholesterol
  50mg
• Carbohyrate
  23.2g
• Dietary Fibre
  1.4g
• Sodium
  702mg

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION​

A Peranakan specialty snack made by mixing mackerel fish with mixture of chilli paste, spices and coconut milk.

 

[edmwrefugee]

This is another of my fave instant RTE food. Just throw into the Air Fryer and you get good quality fingers. It beats McDonald's, KFC or whatever fast food you eat outside.

NTUC and Cold Storage have ready stock. Once in in while, you will get a special offer too.

BIRDS EYE COD FISH FINGERS

 

[edmwrefugee]

Don't waste you money on KFC coleslaw. This is the recipe I use to make my own coleslaw and it tastes even fresher and better than KFC.

My variation to the below receipe to make it more delicious is to use lime instead of lemon and also Japanese mayonnaise. It will make your coleslaw taste even better.


Coleslaw KFC Copycat (凉拌卷心菜) - Guai Shu Shu
www.guaishushu1.com

Coleslaw KFC Copycat (凉拌卷心菜)
December 1, 2015 Kenneth Goh

INTRODUCTION

I hoped my coleslaw does appeal to you.. If it is not appealing, I knew my mistake because I have shredded too fine and by the time of taking picture, it shrunk and hence looked like very tiny pieces. There is nothing wrong with the recipe and the family loves the taste of the salad .

My boy liked coleslaw and I presumed most will be able to guess that he got to know coleslaw from the Kentucky Fried Chicken. In fact, most of us in Asian countries only know coleslaw from this fast food outlet. It is not that common as compared with other western salad and apparently, pardon me if I am wrong, only Kentucky Fried Chicken sold this salad..

Every time when we dined in Kentucky Fried Chicken, he will definitely order this and at times want to have an extra serving of this cabbage salad. I promised him that I will try to prepare it at home. I searched for the recipe in the internet and I finally select one and tried out. Yes, the taste is very close and I do not think there is anything to complain for home consumption.. The recipe is simple and the only challenge is how small should the shredded cabbage be! In my next attempt, I will definitely used shredders that have bigger holes such that at time when the salad is served, it will not shrink too much.. Is it not experience counts?

“Coleslaw (also known as Cole slaw) is a salad consisting primarily of finely-shredded raw cabbage[1] and dressed most commonly with a vinaigrette salad dressing. Prepared in this manner, coleslaw can be pickled for up to four weeks if it is stored in an airtight container.[2] Another way to make coleslaw is to use foods that already contain vinaigrette: mayonnaise, for example, is commonly used. “ (Source””: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleslaw)

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WHAT IS REQUIRED
Servings: 6-8 adults
Recipe adapted from :Top Secret Recipes | KFC Cole Copycat Slaw

​

• 800 grams of shredded cabbage​
• 20 grams of shredded carrot​
• 80 grams of mayonnaise​
• 50 grams of milk​
• 50 grams of butter milk​
• 40 grams of castor sugar​
• 2.5 teaspoons of lemon juice​
• 1.5 tablespoons of white vinegar​
• 2 tablespoons of minced onion​
• 0.5 teaspoon of salt​
• 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper​

​

STEPS OF PREPARATION

​

• Put all the ingredients except shredded cabbage and carrot in a bowl. Stir until smooth and well mixed.​
• Add the above prepared ingredients to the shredded cabbage and carrot and stir until well mixed.​
• Chilled in the fridge with the cover on for at least 1 hour before serving.​

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CONCLUSION
Do give this recipe a try if you are a coleslaw fan. Remember that the size of the cabbage will shrink and water excreted out after chilling. Therefore, the size will have to be slightly bigger.

 

[edmwrefugee]

Another of my favourite home cooked dish. It needs no introduction.

Recipe: Braised Sea Cucumber with Pork Belly​

Last updated on April 6th, 2017,

Growing up, my grandfather has been cooking braised sea cucumber with pork belly during special occasions. Because I eat it so often, I take it for granted. It is until now when I really sit down to enjoy this dish, then I realized how much effort he puts in.
If you are wondering what is sea cucumber, here is the explanation from Wikipedia:

“Sea cucumbers are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide. There are a number of holothurian species and genera, many of which are targeted for human consumption. They are usually being sold in a dried form and already pre-soaked form in certain Asian grocery shops that carry gourmet ingredients.”

Each sea cucumber comes in different sizes and grades, a medium grade one costs about $60-$80. The preparation itself is very torturous. There is no short cut to it. You just have to buy the dried form and soak it till soft. I wouldn’t recommend buying the pre soaked ones as they have been treated with chemicals to make them bigger. And when you cook it, it may shrink.

Here I share with you my grandfather’s recipe of Braised Sea Cucumber with Pork Belly. If you decided to prepare this dish, you have to use pork belly. The fat in this cut makes this dish sing.

2 medium-sized sea cucumbers
1 lbs belly pork, cut into bite-sized pieces
5 cloves garlic, unpeeled and lightly pounded
6 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked and cut into halves
1 stick cinnamon (optional)

How to prepare the sea cucumber?
1. Soak the sea cucumber for more than 24 hours. Make sure the sea cucumbers are completely covered in the water.
2. Use a knife to scrap the inside part of the sea cucumber.
3. Boil the sea cucumber for about 1 hour in a big pot.
4. Once it is soft, throw away the boiling water and cut into desired size.


1. Blanch the pork belly in boiling water for a few minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat up oil in the wok. Saute the ginger and garlic till fragrant.

3. Add in pork belly, sea cucumber and mushroom. Add the sauces and quick fry for 1-2 minutes.

4. Add water, cinnamon and star anise. Stir occasionally to coat the ingredients evenly. Bring to a boil.

5. Transfer to a pot. Cover and simmer for 1 hour till the pork belly and sea cucumber is tender. Serve hot.

Maureen​

Born into a family of enthusiastic foodies, Maureen has always loved all things culinary, especially the local cuisine here in Singapore. With a life-long fascination with the rapidly evolving food scene in Singapore, she started this website in 2007 to explore and celebrate all types of local Singapore dishes and to share her love of travel and food with the world. With 4 years of experience as a journalist and producer, she has a wealth of experience in food writing, photography and styling.

 

[edmwrefugee]

Sometimes, I am extremely lazy to go out of home. I just want to laze around and read a book and do nothing else. And if I have a carving for 小龙包, this is the brand I go. You can't go wrong with this RTE 小笼包.

You need to prepare your own thin ginger shreds and also standby a bottle of good Chinese black vinegar.

You can get this Xin Jia Fu Kaifeng Xiao Long Bao steamed bund from NTUC. In fact, they are having an offer now. Two packs for $12. That's 40 小龙包!

 

[edmwrefugee]

I had no dinner date on a boring Friday night. So I decided to zoom by Parkway Parade NTUC Extra. Saw there's a promotion for this and bought Sotong and Otah Youtiao.

I have never tried these products before but the reviews look kind of good online.

I will give my review after I have tasted it in future posts.

Edit : 2 July 2022

Tasted this today. I tried the spring version. I dump them into the air fryer for 10 mins at 180℃.

It is good.

 

[edmwrefugee]

There are many recipes on stewed beef brisket on the internet. However, I prefer this recipe below because it's simpler. Simpler in terms of sauce used, as in you just Lee Kum Kee Chu Hou paste to make thos delicious dish and do not need to worry about other sauces and so on. It's also simpler because it makes use of a Vacuum Pot instead of other recipes which requires pressure cooker or stewing on the stove for hours which means you need to watch over it for a long long time.

Stewed Beef Brisket in Chu Hou Sauce (Must-Eat Chinese Cuisine) | Christine's Recipes: Easy Chinese Recipes

en.christinesrecipes.com

Stewed Beef Brisket in Chu Hou Sauce (柱侯蘿蔔炆牛腩) is a very popular dish in Chinese family cooking. It suits to serve in whatever seasons or any occasions.

​

Sometimes I deliberately cook this dish in double size and reserve the other portion in fridge as a quick lunch the day after.

The soul ingredient of this dish is the Chu Hou paste (柱侯醬) that is mainly made of soybeans, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds and many other spices. Thus this convenient sauce can make the beef brisket taste heavenly delicious. Any Asian store will stock it because it's commonly used in Chinese cooking.

It goes perfectly with steamed rice or noodle soup. The beef brisket would absorb all flavors and taste wonderful and more delicious.

(Printable recipe)
By Christine’s Recipes
Course: Beef
Cuisine: Chinese
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 140 mins
Yield: 2 to 3 serves

Chu Hou paste (柱侯醬) is also available at Amazon.


Ingredients:

• 1 kg beef brisket, cut into chunks
• 1 daikon (白蘿蔔)
• 3 slices ginger
• 3 whole star anise
• 1 green onion
• 2 tbsp Lee Kum Kee Chu Hou paste
• a small piece of rock sugar
• 2 liters water

Seasonings:

• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp corn flour
• 2 tbsp water

Method:

1. Add beef brisket chunks into boiling water to blanch for 3 minutes. Remove and drain.
2. Peel daikon and cut into chunks. Set aside.
3. Heat wok on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil to sauté ginger and Chu Hou paste till aromatic. Put in beef brisket chunks and stir well. Add star anise and a bit of rock sugar with water that covers all ingredients. Bring to boil, pour all ingredients into a vacuum pot (thermal pot) to cook slowly until done. Remember to heat the inner pot first to get a better result.
4. If you don’t have a vacuum pot, here’s a good method to stew beautiful beef brisket:Cook for about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave it for 15 minutes. Repeat this procedure three times.
5. Whether you use a vacuum pot or not, when the beef brisket is done, turn on the heat again, whilst boiling, add daikon chunks and stir well. Turn off the heat and leave for 15 minutes. Then turn on the heat again and bring to boil. Add seasonings to thicken sauce to your preferred consistency.
6. Arrange 1 or 2 pieces of fresh lettuce on a plate. Pour beef brisket with sauce over the lettuce. Sprinkle with chopped green onion. Serve hot.

Notes:

• Adding a small piece of rock sugar will help to soften beef brisket resulting in a tenderer texture. I learned this trick from my mother-in-law who is an expert on stewing beef brisket.
• The procedures of turning on and off the heat can help to shorten the cooking time and save energy.
• If the beef brisket you buy are too fatty, it’s better to trim them beforehand. Here’s another trick that I’ve experimented for several times. Having cooked beef brisket chunks for 30 minutes, let them cool down and put in a fridge for 3 hours. The fat would become solid and can be easily removed with a spoon.

 

[edmwrefugee]

Before I tuck and snuggle myself under my warm blanket and hugging my bolster, I thought I should recommend readers of this thread a useful device which I bought while holidaying in Japan a couple of years ago.

I happen to make Luo Han Guo beverage just now to store in my fridge. I had to use this cube kettle.

i find this kettle extremely useful when I need to make beverages like Luo Han Guo, Chrysanthemum, or even loose leaf tea.

This kettle is extremely versatile. You can also used it to make fresh soup stock like ikan bilis, spare pork rib, prawn head broths, etc.

I can't remember how much I bought it in Kappabashi Kitchen street in Tokyo.

I hope you guys like my posts to date. It's the weekend tomorrow and I have a University's friend morning church wedding to attend.

Good night.

Sweet dreams everyone.

 

[edmwrefugee]

I have had this LeKue Microwave Bacon Cooker for years. I strongly recommend you to get one if you are the sort like me who hates a greasy kitchen after grilling bacon.

Line the bacon in the tray, cover up and pop into the microwave. Within minutes, the bacon is done. It tastes exactly the same as those I panfry on the stove. No greasy kitchen to clean after breakfast. It's really a miracle when I bought and tried this gadget years ago.

One of my top used kitchen gadget.


LeKue Microwave Bacon Cooker

Product Information

The grill-shaped base of the Bacon Microwave Cooker drains excess fat from bacon to ensure a crunchy effect. Product handles are comfortable for convenient transportation. You can pour the fat and excess liquid through the channel at the base. The product’s lid — designed to prevent splashing — also makes cooking bacon cleaner. You can cook up to 6 slices in just 3-4 minutes.

 

[edmwrefugee]

This item below often appears on my grocery checklist. Most if not all supermarkets carry this $1.95 Prima Fragrant Hainanese Chicken Rice Paste. (3pax for $4.95).

It's simple to use. Just pour the pack contents into your rice cooker and mix with the grains. Wahlah, you get a full rice pot of chicken rice.

If you want your rice to be even more fragrant, throw in a bunch of pandan leaves and whole peeled garlic cloves.

I often like my basmati rice fragrant, hence, this packet paste is an essential item for me.

I usually cooked a lot, post-divide my basmati chicken rice into a few air tight containers and stored in the refrigerator. When I feel like fried rice, I have a good flavoured rice ingredient readily available. When I feel like some rice with dishes, I microwave the cooked rice and Wahlah.

 

[edmwrefugee]

This RTE frozen Chicken Tikka is really delicious. It's imported by Ken Seafood Pre Ltd into Singapore. The above is an old packaging.

Just throw the number of pieces you want to eat into the Air Fryer or oven you can have instant Ready To Eat Chicken Tikka in minutes.

The product is manufactured in Thailand and halal.

Notwithstanding it's a frozen cooked food product, this chicken tikka is absolutely moist and tender after being inside the oven or air fryer. Personally, I like it to be a little charred. so I will do a 5 mins on 130℃ and last one minute or so on 200℃.

You can't get it in supermarkets. They don't carry it. You can get it online, but I think it's out of stock currently. I usually get them from Geylang Serai Market ground floor shop.

The new packaging from the shop looks different from the internet packaging but it's the same 1kg. It's about $12 to $12.50 per kg pack.

 

[edmwrefugee]

This is another excellent product from EB.

It can be added into instant noodles. Remember to toast in in an oven toaster or air fryer first.

I made fried beehon for dinner last night and I toasted a couple of this seafood been curd roll to go along. It's excellently good.

There's a current promo going on in NTUC.

 

[edmwrefugee]

If you have been doing your groceries at the supermarkets long enough, you will realise that the prices of branded potato chips have gone up a lot.

However, you should try these house brand chips from NTUC and Giant/Cold Storage. They are equally good if not better. It's $1 per pack.

Definitely value for money.

 

[edmwrefugee]

Imho, Samyang instant jjajangmyeon is still the best out of so many jjajangmyeon skus in supermarkets, Korean specialty shops, etc.

However, it largely depends on individual taste. To me, this is good because it comes in smaller pack and in terms of.taste, it suits me.

Usually, I will add some minced pork to go along.

 

[edmwrefugee]

Cajun Lemon Pepper Fried Corn appetizers