Pumpkin & Pork Rice Vermicelli

INGREDIENTS:
 150g pumpkin flesh cut to uniform small chunks
 150g dry rice vermicelli noodles (bee hoon/米粉)
 1 tbsp cooking oil
 6 shallots sliced thinly
 4 garlic cloves minced
 150g minced pork (or chicken)
 2 tbsp Taiwanese shallot sauce (紅蔥醬)
 100g round cabbage sliced to long strips
 150ml water
 3 stalks choy sum (cai xin) sliced to short sections
 chopped spring onions &/or coriander to garnish
(A) Seasonings
 1 tsp dark soy sauce
 1 tbsp Taiwanese shallot sauce
 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
 3 dashes white pepper powder
DIRECTIONS:
1. Pre-cook pumpkin. Place cut pumpkin in a microwaveable bowl with 1 tbsp water added.
Microwave on HIGH (850W) for 3 minutes for buttersquash, and up to 5 minutes for other harder
variety of pumpkin, until softened. Alternatively, steam the pumpkin for 3-5 minutes. Set aside.
2. Soak rice vermicelli in water until softened – about 30 minutes for regular vermicelli or 10 minutes
for instant ones. Drain and set aside.
3. Cook aromatics, mince meat & cabbage. Heat oil in a wokpan, then add shallots & garlic. Stir fry
the aromatics briefly until sizzling. Then add the mince pork, spreading them out one layer on a pan.
Spread the shallot sauce over the meat and stir fry until the meat is evenly coated & cooked on the
surface. Add cabbage and previously cooked pumpkin. Cook until cabbage starts to turn translucent.
4. Cook the pot of noodles. Add softened rice vermicelli, water and seasonings (A). Stir to make sure
the noodles are evenly coated in the seasonings and simmer until the water is almost absorbed. Add
choy sum & stir fry quickly until cooked. Transfer noodles to a serving bowl and garnish with
spring onions &/or coriander.
 Chicken in Garlic & Shallots Recipe
You may serve the stew as it is, or with cooked macaroni. After 2 hours of baking, the chicken meat
will fall off the bone easily, so you have the option to serve it as a whole drumstick, or shred the meat
before serving.
Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 2 hours

INGREDIENTS:
 1 kg chicken drumsticks or thighs rinsed and patted dry with paper towels
 1 tbsp olive oil
 20 grams butter
 1 stalk celery sliced thinly
 40 shallots peeled
 40 garlic cloves peeled
 800 ml chicken stock
 4 carrots peeled and cut to small chunks
 200 grams fresh shiitake mushrooms stalks trimmed & discarded
 2 bay leaves
 1 tbsp dried herbs (such as Italian seasoning) or assorted fresh herbs such as rosemary & thyme
 salt and black pepper to taste
You also need:
 Dutch oven or oven-safe casserole (at least 3-litre capacity)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oil in cast-iron pan/dutch oven. Brown chicken pieces on both sides by batches and set aside.
2. Using the remaining oil left in the casserole, melt butter. Add celery and fry for about 1 minute.
Then add shallots and garlic, fry briefly for another minute until fragrant.
3. Add chicken stock, carrots, mushrooms, bay leaves and dried herbs. Once everything comes to a
simmer, turn off the heat. Add the browned chicken pieces prepared in step 1 back to the casserole.
Cover with lid.
4. Transfer casserole to an oven, and bake at 200°C (392°F) for about 2 hours. If the stew becomes
dry, add hot water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve on its own or with cooked macaroni.
Easy Steamed Fish
Ingredients
(Serves 1-2)
Note: If cooking for more, just use a bigger piece of fish and add more of the other
ingredients accordingly to fill the plate.

– 1 small cut of fish (about 150g onwards)

– 1 thick stalk spring onions, cut to 2 inch lengths
– 5 slices ginger, sliced thinly
– 1 chilli padi, sliced thinly (adjust or omit to your liking)
– 1/2 to 1 tomato, cut to small wedges
– 2 shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
– 1 sour plum (aka salted plum)
– 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
– 2 tbsp water (or more if you like more “soup”)

Directions

1. Place fish (skin side down) in a deep plate. Drizzle light soy sauce and water over the fish.
Keep in fridge (covered) for at least 30 minutes if you can.
2. Scatter the rest of the ingredients evenly over the fish.
3. Steam on high heat for 10-15 minutes (note: for the small piece I had, it is cooked after 10
minutes of steaming).
 Tomato Egg Noodles Recipe
If you are in a hurry, you can use low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock as a short-cut in place of the
water and seasonings in this recipe.

For best results, use ripened sweet tomatoes to bring out the naturally rich umami flavour from the
tomatoes.
Serves: 2

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

INGREDIENTS:
 1/2 tsp + 1 tbsp cooking oil divided
 2 small eggs whisked
 3 stalks spring onion use only the bottom white part; cut to 2.5 cm lengths
 1/4 yellow onion sliced thinly
 3 ripe tomatoes (225g) cut to 6-8 wedges
 1 tbsp tomato paste
 750 ml water top up with more water whenever needed
 a handful sharp/round spinach leaves optional
 sea salt to taste
 2 servings noodles such as instant noodles, mee sua or glass noodles
 1 tsp sesame oil per bowl of noodles
 chopped spring onions to garnish
(A) Soup Seasonings
 1 tsp sugar to taste
 1 tbsp mushroom seasoning powder if not using this ingredient, use more soy sauce and/or salt to
taste
 1 tsp light soy sauce to taste
 3 dashes white pepper powder to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook noodles. In a separate pot, bring some water to boil and cook noodles. Drain and rinse under
cold water. Portion noodles to 2 serving bowls, coating them with sesame oil. This will give the
noodles a nice aroma and prevent them from drying out.
2. Cook the egg. Grease wok with 1/2 tsp oil. Pour the egg mixture to cover the wok. When the egg is
semi-cooked, scramble them using a spatula and cook them into large chunks. Take care not to over
cook the egg; they should still be moist after cooking. Set aside cooked egg on a plate and clean out
the pan with kitchen towel.
3. Fry aromatics and tomato. Heat another 1 tbsp oil to the cleaned pan. Add spring onion (white
portion) and onion. Stir-fry briefly until onion is translucent. Then add tomatoes and tomato paste,
stirring occasionally on medium low heat. Cook tomatoes until they are blistered and start to
exude juices, about 5 minutes.
4. Make tomato broth. Add water and soup seasonings at (A). Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Top
up with more water if needed. Add spinach and cooked egg to the soup pot. Cook for another 30
seconds. Season the soup to taste with salt and white pepper.
5. To serve, ladle tomato, egg and soup to each bowl of noodles. Garnish with spring onions.
Pepper Steak Stir-Fry
Chicken appears in a number of Chinese dishes, but steak also has its place on a
Chinese menu (and can easily be substituted for chicken in many recipes). For a
dedicated steak recipe that is super easy, look no further than pepper steak.

For this recipe, you will simmer the meat for about 30 minutes in a soy broth before
adding bell peppers and tomatoes. Add a little cornstarch, some garlic, and baby corn,
and let this cook down to a gravy-like consistency. It's fantastic and impressive, but no
one will realize what little effort you put into it.

Oyster Sauce Chicken

As you explore Chinese recipes, you will notice that oyster sauce is a common
ingredient. It brings the flavor of umami (earthy and rich) to a dish while adding a bit of
sweet and salty. You can find it at almost any market that specializes in Asian foods
and a bottle will last a very long time.

Oyster sauce chicken is a fantastic introduction to this essential ingredient. It's a quick
recipe that cooks chicken thighs and basic vegetables in a frying pan which are
simmered in a sauce of oyster and soy sauces, wine, and broth; everything is then
served over rice. It takes just around 30 minutes and a single pan, so it's perfect for a
busy night.

Orange Pork Chop Stir-Fry

Pork is a common ingredient in Chinese cuisine; you will find it in dumplings,
egg rolls, and main dishes. You can also swap out the meat in almost any
Chinese stir-fry recipe for pork and it will work beautifully. This orange chicken
stir-fry uses pork chops which are easily cut into bite-sized cubes, and taste
great in an orange sauce. For this stir-fry recipe, you will first marinate the pork
and then stir-fry with vegetables in a soy and orange juice sauce.

Vegetable Chow Mein

It is extremely easy to transform Chinese dishes into a vegetarian's delight. Quite often,
you can simply skip the meat, add more vegetables, or even toss in some tofu (stir-
fry's one of the best ways to prepare the soybean curd).

When you're ready to try a veggie noodle dish using your new stir-fry knowledge, this
vegetable chow mein is a delight. It uses bell pepper, onion, zucchini, shiitake
mushrooms, ginger, and garlic, along with a sauce of oyster and soy sauces, rice
vinegar, and sesame oil. It fries up quickly and the taste will impress everyone at the
dinner table.
 Cheater's Sliced Fish Noodle Soup Recipe
This recipe uses packet instant bee hoon (vermicelli) as a short cut.

Omit the evaporated milk if you prefer a clear soup base.

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 10 mins (excluding marinating time)

Cook Time: 5 mins

INGREDIENTS:
 150g batang fish slices (Spanish mackerel/马鲛鱼)
 1 level tsp fine sea salt for marinating fish
 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
 1 tsp sesame oil
 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
 3/4 tbsp Chinese wine (Hua Tiao/Shaoxing)
 1000 ml water
 2 packets instant bee hoon (chicken flavour)
 6 ginger slices
 a small section of bittergourd spongy bits removed, sliced thinly
 1 small tomato cut to 6 wedges
 a handful of quick-cooking greens such as chye sim (菜心) or Chinese spinach leaves (sharp/round or
baby spinach)
 40 ml evaporated milk optional
Suggested Garnishes (A)
 1 tbsp crispy garlic oil optional
 chopped spring onions and/or coriander
 white pepper powder to taste
 a saucer of cut chilli padi in soy sauce (at the side)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Prep & marinade the fish. Add fish slices in a small bowl with enough water to cover the fish.
Add salt and massage onto the flesh for one minute. Add cornstarch (stir to dissolve) and soak the
fish for 4 minutes. Rinse the fish to wash off the salt and cornstarch, then drain. Marinade fish with
sesame oil, soy sauce and Chinese wine for at least 15 minutes in the fridge. Check out the step-by-
step photos in this tutorial.
2. Cook the fish noodles. Bring water to a boil. From the instant bee hoon packets, add the dried
noodles (bee hoon) bundles. When the noodles are cooked, take them out and transfer to two
serving bowls. Add instant noodles seasonings, ginger, bittergourd and tomato to the pot. Cook for
1 minute. Add marinated fish, green veg and evaporated milk. When the fish is cooked (turns
opaque; less than a minute), turn off the heat. Ladle the hot soup over the bee hoon. Garnish with
(A) and serve immediately.
 Red Grouper Fish Soup Recipe
Besides red grouper, you can use other favourite fish such as batang, pomfret, threadfin and toman.

Serve this bowl of fish soup with rice, or add noodles (glass noodles, rice vermicelli or ee-fu noodles)
to enjoy as a one-dish meal.

Check out the step-by-step photos and more tips on the previous page.
Serves: 2-3

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

INGREDIENTS:
 150-200 grams red grouper fish fillet (红斑/石斑)
 3-5 tang-oh (garland chrysanthemum) leaves per bowl optional
(A) Vegetables
 3-4 napa cabbage leaves sliced to 1-cm strips horizontally
 50 grams tofu cubed
 1 tomato cut into 6 wedges
 small section of bitter gourd halved lengthwise, spoon out the white spongy bits, then slice the
bittergourd flesh diagonally & as paper-thinly as possible
(A) Soup Base
 30 grams dried fish sole# rinsed
 1 fish bouillon soup cube to taste
 1 litre water add more later if needed
 4 slices ginger

# Optional: Using dried fish sole improves the taste of the fish soup stock but you can skip it if you’re
busy.

(C) Garnishing Suggestions

 small pieces of dried seaweed
 white pepper powder
 finely chopped coriander and/or spring onions
 fried lard, fried shallot or garlic oil
DIRECTIONS:
1. Make the soup base. Break dried fish sole into smaller pieces and place them in a disposable soup
pouch. Add soup pouch, ginger and water in a large pot. Bring to boil for 15 minutes. Discard the
pouch and add fish cube. Season to taste. If you need more soup, add more water and seasonings
accordingly. If you did not place the dried fish sole in a disposable pouch, filter the soup through a
fine sieve before cooking the fish soup. Note: As a short-cut, skip the dried fish sole & simply use
fish stock cube + water.
2. Prepare fish and vegetables. Meanwhile, check and remove bones & fish scales, if any, from the
fish fillet. Slice the fillet diagonally to uniform thickness. Prepare the vegetables at (B). Add a few
(about 3-5) tang-oh leaves to each serving bowl.
3. Make the fish soup. To the pot of fish soup stock, add napa cabbage and simmer for 3 minutes, or
until softened to liking. Add fish and the rest of the ingredients at (B). Bring to a boil until the fish is
just cooked, about 1 minute.
4. Serve the fish soup. Ladle the hot soup to serving bowls and garnish with (C). Serve immediately.
 5-ingredient Pork Porridge Recipe
As an alternative to cooking the porridge on the stove top in step 2, you can cook it in a rice
cooker with porridge cooking feature. Transfer the cooked porridge from the rice cooker to the
stove in step 3.

If using brown rice instead of white rice, increase simmering time by 10-15 minutes.
Serves: 3 Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 35 mins

INGREDIENTS:
 3/4 cup (160g) long grain rice
 4 cups water add more whenever needed
 250g minced pork (or chicken)
 1 tbsp light soy sauce to taste
(A) Marinade for Pork
 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
 1 tsp sesame oil
 1 tsp corn flour
 4 dashes white pepper powder
Suggested Garnishing
 chopped spring onions
 fried shallot oil
DIRECTIONS:
1. Marinade the pork with (A) for at least half hour in the fridge.
2. Cook porridge. Wash rice grains 2-3 times, each time using your hand to give the water a few
swirls and then discard the rice water. Drain and add washed rice in a large pot with 4 cups water.
Simmer for 20-30 minutes until the desired consistency is reached. Check out this tutorial for more
detailed instructions.
3. Make pork porridge. Keep the pot of porridge simmering. Using two spoons, flatten one spoonful
of marinated pork before adding them to the porridge. Do so until all the pork is used up. Simmer
until the pork is cooked, about 2 minutes. Season the porridge to taste with soy sauce. To serve,
garnish with spring onions and fried shallot oil.
 Thai Pineapple Rice Recipe
To serve this dish in a cutout “pineapple bowl”, half a pineapple lengthwise and hollow out the
flesh without cutting through the skin. Set aside the flesh of half pineapple to cook this dish.
More cooking tips at the end of the recipe.

Check out the step-by-step pictures on the previous page.

Serves: 2-3 as a main dish

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

INGREDIENTS:
 2 tbsp cooking oil
 30 grams butter
 3 shallots peeled and minced
 3 garlic cloves peeled and minced
 1 heaped tsp shrimp paste
 100 grams boneless chicken breast cut to bite-sized pieces; marinate with 1/2 tsp sesame oil and 1/4
tsp light soy sauce
 6 prawns peeled diced
 350 grams cooked long grain rice refrigerated overnight
 100 grams diced pineapple flesh may use fresh or canned pineapples
 2 tbsp roasted cashew nuts
 2 tbsp dried raisins
 pork or chicken floss
 coriander for garnishing
Sauce (A)

(Mix well in a small, stain-proof bowl)

 1 tsp tumeric powder

 1 tbsp pineapple juice
 1 tbsp fish sauce
 1 tbsp ikan bilis or chicken seasoning powder
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oil and butter in wok, stir fry shallot and garlic for about 30 seconds or until the shallots start
to soften.
2. Add shrimp paste, stir fry for about 1 minute until you smell the pungent aroma.
3. Add chicken and stir fry until they just turn opaque. Add prawns, stir fry until semi-cooked.
4. Add rice and pour the sauce (A) over. Stir fry until the rice grains are dry and evenly-coated in the
sauce.
5. Add pineapple, cashew nuts, raisins and stir fry for another minute or two. Ladle pineapple rice to
serving bowl and garnish with meat floss and coriander.
Noob Cook Tips:
1. For best results when cooking fried rice, use cooked rice that has been refrigerated overnight. If you do not like the
idea of overnight rice , you can also use freshly cooked rice which has been refrigerated for at least 2 hours in the
 fridge. Refrigerating the rice keeps the grains dry so that they won’t stick to each other during stir frying.
Alternatively, ‘tabao’ (takeaway) extra rice the day before, for making fried rice the next day.
2. Tumeric is permanently staining on clothes, certain materials (such as plastic bowls) and surfaces. Use non-staining
crockery and cookware. I use an old wok and spatula specifically for cooking anything with tumeric in it.
3. Step-by-Step Photos

4.
5. Get Recipe
6.
Combine tumeric powder, pineapple juice, fish sauce and seasoning powder in a stain-
proof bowl. Mix well and set aside. Note: You can omit the tumeric if you don’t the
dish to be bright yellow after cooking.
7.
8. Get Recipe
9.
Dice the following to bite-sized pieces: prawns (shells & veins removed), boneless
chicken and pineapple. Marinade chicken with sesame oil, light soy sauce and white
pepper.
10.
11. Get Recipe
12.
Heat oil and butter in wok, stir fry shallots and garlic until the shallots start to soften.
Add shrimp paste, stir fry for about 1 minute until you smell the pungent aroma.
13.
14. Get Recipe
15.
Add chicken and stir fry until they just turn opaque. Add prawns, stir fry until semi-
cooked.
16.
17. Get Recipe
18.
Add rice and pour the sauce over. Stir fry until the rice grains are dry and evenly-
coated in the sauce. Add pineapple, cashew nuts and raisins; stir fry for another
minute or two. Season to taste.
19.
20. Get Recipe
21.
Ladle pineapple rice to serving bowl and garnish with meat floss, chilli and coriander.