Foodarrific

Every other weekend, we’ve been walking past this new food court at The Curve where they’re serving a rather plain-looking porridge with yau char kwai (Chinese crullers). It looks appetizing and I couldn’t wait to cook my own porridge at home. I prefer my porridge a little more fancy and nutritious.

Boiling the porridge is really simple. Just wash the rice and then add about double the amount of water (or chicken stock for a more flavorful result) in a pot over medium heat. When the water comes to a boil, I add in my sliced chicken, carrot chunks and baby abalone we bought from Japan. Keep it on the boil until the rice softens and opens up.

The thing about making porridge is it requires patience and endless peeking into the pot to ensure you achieve your preferred consistency. I prefer a thicker porridge. Some people prefer a more watery porridge in which case you simply add more water. See, no need to go to Porridge School and wait for the graduation announcements to see if you passed the course .

Lastly cut up the yau char kwai, or Chinese crullers, into 1-2″ lengths. I typically serve them on a common plate so each person can take however much they want and top it over their own bowl of porridge. With just a few ingredients, the porridge turns out really flavorful. Try it!

Filed under: AsianKid-friendlyOne-dish MealsPoultryQuick & Easy CookingRecipesRice & NoodlesSeafoodSnacks & Desserts by chili queen - 2 Comments →

I had some uncooked beef balls left over from our spaghetti lunch which I refrigerated overnight. The next day, I decided to try something different with them.

For these beef balls, I used very simple ingredients. Again I don’t really see the need to measure the ingredients.

• ground beef
• cornflour
• breadcrumbs
• paprika
• salt and pepper

Simply mix the ground beef with corn flour, breadcrumbs and seasoning of salt and pepper. Stir well till everything comes together. Then heap a spoonful onto my palm and roll them into balls. One of the easiest jobs in the world .

I keep the seasoning pretty basic because I want the beef balls to complement (not overpower) the spaghetti sauce, or whatever I pair them with.

In a pan with a fair amount of oil on high heat, I drop in the beef balls and let them fry for about 10 minutes before removing to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.

To my surprise, the fried beef balls turned out to be even more of a hit than the spaghetti ones . Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. I served them with fried egg over instant noodles for a quick, lazy lunch.

Filed under: FusionKid-friendlyMeatQuick & Easy CookingRecipes by chili queen - 1 Comment →

Vegetarian day is frequently a headache for me. The kids are not huge fans of veggie stir-fries which is standard fare for me on vegetarian days. These days, it’s been raining elephants and llamas, so going out to grab a veggie pizza or burger is out of the question.

If we stay home, I have to get creative and this recipe is one I concocted recently. Ta-da! Loaded potato slices.

These are very easy to make. Of course, it’s not as easy as swiping a bag of frozen french fries through a Honeywell Barcode Scanner, but these taste so good that my picky eaters called for an encore and I ended up making a second batch.

Here’s what you need:

• 4 large potatoes, skinned and sliced 1″ thick lengthwise
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 stalk cilantro, finely chopped
• 2-3 teaspoons lime juice
• pinch of salt
• grated mozzarella cheese

Yes, there’s quite a bit of cutting involved. Combine the tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice and salt in a bowl. Leave aside for a while, then drain off excess juices. You don’t want that.

First I microwave the potato slices on high for about 2 minutes. Transfer them to a tray and space them out nicely. Spoon the tomato mixture onto each slice and top with grated mozzarella cheese.

Then I just pop the tray into my toaster oven for about 15 minutes or until the cheese and potato edges brown slightly, and they’re ready to serve.

These loaded potato slices make a very yummy, very healthy meal as there’s no oil added and all the ingredients are fresh. With its vibrant colors, it’s also very presentable and you can serve it as an hor d’oeuvre. Try it, I’m sure you’re going to love it as much as we do .

Filed under: Appetizers & Hor d'oeuvresHealthy EatingKid-friendlyQuick & Easy CookingRecipesSnacks & DessertsVegetarianWestern by chili queen - 1 Comment →

There are days when our school lunches almost resemble a small emergency evacuation and I’m not kidding. We have to be in and out of the house in a half hour or something crazy like that.

This then is my latest quickie lunch of sliced baguette dipped in herbed olive oil served with a bowl of mushroom and potato soup. Mm, simply delish. The idea came from a pizza dinner we had at Italiannies (our second visit in like ten years!) where they served us focaccia with herbed olive oil dip as a starter.

My kids loved it so much I had to replicate it at home. I used baguette instead of focaccia but I reckon any kind of bread would do. I infused some Italian herbs into a plate of olive oil. And I cheated with an instant soup mix .

Filed under: Breads & PastriesHealthy EatingKid-friendlySoupsWestern by chili queen - No Comments →

You know why I love the baguette? There are countless ways you can eat them and they taste good no matter how you make them. If you’re rushed for time, like I often am, even the simplest baguette toast toppings – with garlic butter spread, kaya (coconut jam) spread, or any kind of canned tuna or salmon spread – will make a great meal.

Or if I happen to have bacon sitting around in the fridge, then bacon and cheese baguette it is! I like to make these when the kids have their friends over because let’s face it, nobody can say no to crispy, sizzling bacon!

If I have time for something a little fancier, I will make pizza baguette, another hot favorite with the kids and their friends.

Or if I have leftover chicken curry or Thai green curry, I will simply heat it up and turn it into a quick curry dip for my baguette. Warms the stomach instantly !

Whenever I’m just plain tired or lazy to figure out what to cook, the baguette is my savior. It’s not like I have to cram my day into some stuffy classroom furniture to learn these recipes, I just make them up as I go along and surprise myself and my kids with the wierdest, tastiest baguette ideas.

Filed under: Breads & PastriesHealthy EatingKid-friendlyLunchbox IdeasQuick & Easy CookingTips & Ideas by chili queen - 1 Comment →