Chicken & Vegetable Soup

I came across this recipe. Looked absolutely simple and healthy. Another single dish meal which I absolutely love when I'm not so hot about cooking so many darn things. Hehehehehhehe....

Ingredients: -
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp chopped garlic
- 1 chopped onion
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 4 celery sticks, chopped
- 1.4kg skinned whole chicken
- 2 litres water
- 2 vegetable stock cubes
- 2 cups rice or pasta
- Fresh chopped parsley


1. Heat oil in a deep pan and garlic and onion. Stir-fry for 15secs and then add carrots and celery. Stir-fry for 4 mins until onion is soft.
2. Add chicken as a whole, water and the vegetable stocks. Bring to boil over high fire, then lower to simmer, covered for 1 ½ hours. Remove chicken from pan to cool.
3. Add pasta and rice. Simmer uncovered for 10-15mins or until pasta or rice is done as desired.
4. Remove meat from chicken, and shred roughly. Return shredded chicken meat to pot with some fresh parsley. Heat until boiling.
5. Serve hot.

Quick Bake Macaroni Cheese

I believe this is an all-time favourite of many families especially when it comes to feeding their children. Well, for one I am one of the very lucky mummies in the world who has a daughter who is not a picky eater. That's one of the reason she is so round. Hahahahahahhaha......

I have had this very easy recipe for a while now but never came to trying it. This is what I call a simple single dish with all basic nutrients from vege to chicken, cheese and pasta......

Ingredients: -

- 250g macaroni, cooked according to the packet instructions

- 150g broccoli florets boil or steam till tender

- 200g chicken, sliced thinly or into biteable cubes
- 6 crabsticks, cut small
- 60g butter
- 50g plain flour
- 350ml Evaporated Filled Milk
- 400ml water
- 250g pizza cheese mix
- Salt and pepper to taste (I didn't put any and it still tasted good)

1. Melt butter and add in flour. Cook stirring until mixture bubbles. Stir in Evaporated Filled Milk, water and cook until sauce boils and thickens. (Use a whisk to do this)
2. Stir in cooked macaroni, broccoli, crabsticks and half of the cheese. Spoon it onto a casserole dish (2 litres) and sprinkle the remaining cheese.
3. Put under grill in an oven until cheese melts and turns light gold in colour for about 15 mins.

As I'm updating this blog, Caitlin's attacking her lunch with relish. So, I guess it's a good recipe. So, do give it a shot. Another simple single dish. Probably the next ti,e round, I may try it with Chedar Cheese instead. Of course, you can always replace the vege, chicken and crabstick with any other ingredients that you would prefer.

Here is the macaroni mix.....

Here it is with the cheese topping.....

Hope you will like this recipe as much as I do.............

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Teriyaki Chicken with Noodles

I seem to be getting these 'single' dishes but honestly, it just so convenient if you're always in a rush or in one of those days you are not just in the mood to cook but somehow, you need to....this is also another dish!

Ingredients: -

- 2 tbsps cooking oil
- 1 sliced or diced onion
- 500g sliced chicken
- 40g halved French Beans
- 40g sliced zucchini
- 1/4 cup Teriyaki sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 or 3 packets Maggi Mee (cooked and drained without adding the flavouring)
- some sliced pring onion

1. Heat oil and stir-fry onion for 2 mins.
2. Add chicken, French Beans and zucchini and stir-fry for 3 mins
3. Mix honey into Teriyaki sauce and mix well. Then, add into the vege mixture and cook for about a min or so.
4. Take drained Maggi Mee and toss through the stir-fry until well mixed.
5. Serve, topped with spring onion.

Easy, isn't it? Cooked this last night and it was yummy!

Chicken, Carrot, Cucumber & Capsicum in Plum Sauce

This is a dish that you can always have on its own because of the varieties in one dish. All you need is some steam rice.......

Ingredients: -

- oil for frying
- 500g chicken breast, sliced thinly
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed or diced
- 1 tsp chopped ginger
- 1/2 a carrot, peeled and sliced thinly
- 1 red capsicum, seeded and sliced
- 1/2 a cucumber, sliced
- 230g water chestnuts, peeled and halved (optional; I didn't use this in this cooking)
- 2 tbsps light sauce
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 1/4 cup plum sauce
- 1 cup bean sprouts, trimmed
- Some roasted cashew nuts

1. Heat some oil over high fire and fry the chicken for about 2 to 3 mins and transfer it out of the wok onto a clean plate.
2. Heat a little oil using the same wok and stir0fry garlic and ginger for about 10 seconds.
3. Add the capsicum, carrots and cucumber and cook for 2 mins.
4. If you are using water chestnuts, add them and continue to stir-fry for another minute but if not, move to the next point.
5. Once veges are tender, turn fire to low and quickly mix the soy sauce with the cornflour and add on to the cup of plum sauce.
6. Return the chicken with bean sprouts and add the mixed sauce and stir-fry for 2 mins.
7. Add a 1/4 cup water as the sauce may be too thick and stir-fry for another 30 seconds with the roasted cashew nuts.
8. Serve with wam rice.

Ta da!!!!! A simple meal. .................

Chicken Noodles

A very simple recipe which I absolutely LOVED!!! Tasty and easy to cook. You can cook another vege dish to complement this dish so that you and your family can have a balanced meal.

Ingredients:-

- 100g glass noodles (soaked in water till soft)
- oil for frying
- 300g-500g of minced chicken (depending how many people you want to cook for)
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 crushed garlice cloves (you may dice it as well)
- 2 chopped red chillies
- 1/4 cupHoi Sin Sauce (you can get it from the supermarkets)
- 2 tbsps oyster sauce

1. Heat oil and cook the mince chicken together with the garlic, onion and chillies for about 3 mins or until the chicken is cooked.
2. Add the glass noodles.
3. Add the Hoi Sin sauce and the oyster sauce.
4. Toss all the ingredients for about 2 mins and serve.

**For better presentation, you may always serve it in a big lettuce leaf or smaller lettuce leaves.

Have fun with this dish! I trully say it is yummy!!!! This is what I had it with......steam broccoli with diced garlic...

By the way, I saved some for Caitlin's lunch the following day and she absolutely loved it! She even refused to have it with rice but just wanted to eat like that. So in future I will add more glass noodle.

Teriyaki Chicken & Tofu Noodles

Another easy meal to prepare. For those who would prefer a vegetarian version, just remove the chicken from the recipe.

Ingredients:-

- Oil for frying
- 400g taukwa, sliced (it's the hard white tofu which can be sliced)
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 115g baby corn, halved lengthwise (you can use those from the tins)
- 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
-  2 tbsps light soy sauce
- 2 tbsps sweet chilli sauce

- 400g packet yellow noodles

- 3 stalks spring onions, chopped

1. Heat oil in a wok over high fire. Use more cooking oil to fry the taukwa so that it will not stick to the base of the wok. Pat dry the slice taukwa and fry in 2 batches until golden. Remove and set aside.

2. Pour off the excess oil but leave about 1 tbsp in the wok, stir-fry chicken for about 1 minute. Add the broccoli and corn and stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes over medium fire until just tender. Add teriyaki sauce, light soy sauce and chilli sauce. Mix well.

3. Add noodles and spring onions. Sitr-fry for about 1-2 minutes until heated through.

4. Return taukwa to wok and toss ingredients together for another minute until well combined. Serve hot.

**Note**

- When rinsing the noodles, just running through cold water and DO NOT soak.

- Ensure you have enough cooking oil for frying the taukwa and ensure that oil is hot before deep frying the taukwa.

- For the teriyaki sauce, soy sauce and chilli sauce, I would recommend for you to pre-mix the sauces first before adding in so that it is already well mixed.

I just had this meal for lunch just now and it tasted good!!! Have fun cooking!

Stir-Fried Beef & Broccoli

Hmmm....it's really been a while since I've tried any new recipes. Well, I have been cooking but it's just that I've been cooking my regular and familiar recipes which I have already shared on this blog. So, I got hold of this easy recipe and here is the recipe...........

Ingredients: -

- 2 tbsps oil
- 500g beef rump or topside, sliced thinly (you may also buy the pre-sliced ones from supermarkets)
- 1 onion, diced or sliced thinly
- 2 tsp finely grated ginger or thinly sliced
- 1 bunch of broccoli, cut into florets
- 1/4 cup oyster sauce
- 2 tbsps light soy sauce
- 2 tbsps sherry (I used hua tiao wine)
- 2 tsps brown sugar
- hot rice to serve

1. Heat 1 tbsps oil in a wok over high fire. When hot, stir-fry beef in 2 batches for 2 to 3 minutes, until brown. Remove and set aside.
2. Heat remaining oil in the same wok over medium fire. When hot, stir-fry onion and ginger for 1 to 2 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add broccoli and stir-fry for another 1 to 2 minutes until just tender.
3. In a bowl, combine oyster sauce, soysauce, sherry (hua tiao wine) and sugar. Return beef to wok with sauce mixture. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through.
4. Serve hot with rice.

See!!! A healthy meal and simple to prepare and cook. You won't even need to prepared additional dishes if you're pressed for time. This dis itself already have its meat and vege. A balanced meal if you ask me.

Durian Butter Cake

CakeI have been having these durian cravings for over 2 weeks now. And until Friday after throwing a huge tantrum did hubby go get me my durians. Hahhahahahah....I know...I know...I am been an utter bitch. I'm sorry, dear for been such an utter pain.

Anyway, back to the durians, since I had lots of durians in the fridge.....I decided to make Durian Butter Cake and came across this simple recipe which will not drive anyone insane. It's pretty idiot proof.

Here's the cake right from the oven.

Caitlin who was just too anxious to have the cake. She loves cake just like her mummy.

So, since it looks like it's the durian season and if you are into anything besides just plain durian, do give this recipe a shot! Here goes the recipe.....

Ingredients: - 

- 250g butter
- 170g caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 250g durian flesh
- 230g self raising flour
- 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1. Grease a baking mould. Preheat oven to 170C.
2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
3. Stir in durian flesh. Fold in sifted flour, baking powder and soda. Mix until well blended.
4. Spoon batter into prepared mould. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until cooked.

See???!!! It isn't that difficult, isn't it??? For those of you who has baked butter cakes before, all you need to do is use the same butter cake recipe but add an additional 250g to 300g of durian flesh into your flour mixture.

Here's a slice. Looks like any ordinary Butter Cake but it's yummilicious with durian.

Here's Caitlin telling you all that the Durian Butter Cake is AWESOME!! Kids don't lie.......

Have fun!!!!

Tomato Seafood Rice

An easy, easy recipe and yummy too! Hope you will like this recipe....Feel free to add additional seafood ingredients of your preference.

Ingredients: -

- 5 tbsps oil
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 4 tbsps tomato paste
- 500g cooked rice
- 2 tsps salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 200g-300g prawns, deveined
- 200g-300g fish fillet, cut into cubes
- 200g-300g of crabstick, cut into cubes
- 4 stalks spring onions, sliced finely

1. Heat 3 tbsps oil and scramble egg and move to the side.
2. Add another 1 tbsp of oil and fry tomato paste. Then, mix with egg. Add rice, salt and pepper. Mix well and remove from frying pan.
3. Using the same pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and stir-fry garlic, prawns, fish and crabsticks for about 1 min.
4. Add back the rice and spring onions. Serve.

Voila!!! A simple and quick dish. Pretty hassle free....

Curry Kapitan

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I made this dish once and it was a turn off because I added too much lime...hehhehehehe....My darling hubby wanted to eat curry today for dinner and you can imagine my utter panic rising from the pit of my tummy! Hubby is the expert for making curry, not me!!! Anyway, I still gave it a shot and it turned out well!

Even my beloved Caitlin had it for dinner despite its spiciness....hahahahhaha....she is one tough little cookie.

Here's the recipe. I hope you have as much fun cooking this as much as I did!

Ingredients: -
- 1.2kg chicken cut into bite-sized pieces.
- 3-4 medium sized potatoes, cut into reasonable bite-size
- 2tsps salt
- 4-5 tbsps cooking oil
- 4 stalk lemongrass, bruised
- 200ml thick coconut milk
- 400ml water
- 1/4 cup lime or lemon juice (juice and not the purely squeezed ones or else you will need to use lesser)
- salt to taste

Blended Ingredients: - (Blend all these ingredients together)
- 12 dried chillies (please empty the chilli seeds)
- 4 fresh red chillies (please empty the chilli seeds)
- 12 shallots
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3cm knob ginger
- 2cm piece shrimp paste or belacan


1. Season chicken with salt and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pot. Stir-fry the blended ingredients for 1min, add lemongrass and 2 tbsps thick coconut milk and cook for another 2 mins.
3. Add chicken and stir-fry for 4mins until chicken is coated with the blended ingredients.
4. Add water and potatoes, stirring to mix well.
5. Cover the pot and turn the fire low to simmer for about 25mins. Stir every now and then.
6. Once the potatoes are soft, add remaining coconut milk and bring to boil.
7. Once boiling, stir in lime juice and salt to taste. Turn off fire and allow to rest before serving.

Voila!!! Curry Kapitan for you!