Chicken Rice Using Happy Call Pan

My inspiration of this dish came from my boy who loves to eat chicken rice but he hates those bits and pieces of crashed garlic or ginger that are hidden in between the rice which some of the chicken rice stalls added. So in order to let him enjoy his favourite food and at the same time prepared it in a more healthier way by reducing the oil and salt used, I decided to incorporate my HCP Claypot Rice method into this cooking this dish.

And to cut short the cooking process and get everything ready for meal in a quicker time, Happy Call Pan (HCP) method definitely comes in handy for those who owns one. But don't worry if you don't because you still can apply this recipe using your rice cooker(use broth according to rice cooker method) as well as normal claypot which would produce similar result too.

STEAMED CHICKEN RICE

(using Happy Call Pan)

My Happy Call Pan version of Steamed Chicken Rice which is done in less than 30 minutes.

(Serves: 2- 3 |       Preparation: 5 minutes |        Cooking: 25 minutes)

Ingredients:
1/2 Portion of Chicken, around 500 - 550g
3/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt
3/4 - 1 Tablespoon of Ginger Juice
1.5 Cup Cooked Uncooked Long Grain Rice
3 Cups Chicken Broth(refer to the broth recipe below)
1 Stall of Lemon Grass, cut into 2 sections and lightly pound
4 Garlic Cloves, lightly pound
3 Slices of Ginger
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
2 Knots of Pandan Leaves

Method:-

1. Clean and rinse the chicken, pat dry with kitchen paper towel and rub the sea salt all over the chicken together with the ginger juice(the marinade helps to tenderise the meat of the chicken during cooking).

2. At the meantime, rinse the rice thrice and drained well. Add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil in the Happy Call Pan (HCP), saute the garlic, ginger and lemon grass till fragrant, stir in the drained rice together with the pandan leaves, 1/4 teaspoon salt and continue to pan-fry for another 1 to 2 minutes till the rice is fragrant and dry(grains can be seen separated individually).

3. Slowly pour in the chicken broth and give the mixture a quick stir. Cover the pan(don't lock) and let the mixture simmer on the lowest heat for about 3 - 5 minutes till the soup broth reduce by half.

4. Next open the HCP, place the marinated chicken on top of the rice. Cover(lock) and continue to simmer for another 15 - 20minutes depend on the size of the chicken. (try pushing a skewer or chopstick into the flesh of the drumstick if the juices run clear out of the hole its cooked)

5. Off the heat and the chicken rest in the HCP for another 5 minutes before serving.

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Tips:-

~ Use the same measuring cup(from the rice cooker) to measure both the rice and broth for this recipe.

~ 4 Chicken Drumsticks or 6 wings can be used to replace 1/2 portion of the chicken according to your preferences.

CHICKEN CABBAGE SOUP

This is one of my favourite childhood soup which my great-grandmother used to cook together with her signature Hainanese Chicken Rice. Often she would choose between using Napa Cabbage or just normal Cabbage together with some minced meatballs or fish balls to enhance the flavour of the soup. And since then, this is one of my favourite soup which I would cooked to go with my chicken rice.

(Makes: 1.5 Litres      | Preparation: 5 minutes         | Cooking: 20 - 25 minutes)

Ingredients:
1 Medium Size Napa Cabbage (Chinese Cabbage)
2 Chicken Drumstick or 3 Sets Chicken Bones
2 Slices of Ginger
4 Garlic Cloves
2 Stall of Spring Onion, cut into sections
1 Teaspoon of Cooking Oil
1.8 Litre of Water
Some Fish balls, optional

Method:-

1. Remove the leaves of the Napa Cabbage, rinse with water and cut it into thick slices. Set aside.

2. Using a medium stock pot, saute garlic, ginger and spring onion with 1 teaspoon of cooking oil until fragrant. Add in half portion of the Napa Cabbage and fry till almost wilted.

3. Add in water and bring the mixture to boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes and you can use some of the stock for cooking the chicken rice above and reserve the rest for later use.

4. Before serving the soup with the chicken rice above, bring it to boil and add in the remaining cabbage and fish balls if using and let it simmer for about 5 minutes, season with salt and it's ready to be served.

In about 30 minutes of time, you can enjoy a pan of quick and easy homemade chicken rice which is healthy, less greasy and plus points are you don't need to do a lot of washing for this. For more short-cuts method, you can even replace the chicken broth with water or ready bought stock broth(eg: Swanson Chicken Broth) from the supermarkets.

Hope you would enjoy my version of Steamed Chicken Rice which is prepared using Happy Call Pan. For more recipe on using Happy Call Pan you can refer to the link HERE.

Bibimbap ( 비빔밥)

Bibimbap(비빔밥) which means "mixed rice" is a healthy and hearty everyday dish that consists of steamed rice, vegetables and meat. And before the rice is placed in the bowl, the bottom of the bowl is coated with sesame oil making the layer of the rice forms a crispy crust at the bottom(a bit similar to our Asian Claypot Rice) while the dish is often serve with a dollop of gochujang.

BIBIMBAP

(비빔밥)

There are a few common of vegetables used in Bibimbap such as julienne cucumber or zucchini, mushrooms, soy bean sprouts, carrots, spinach and etc. And if for health reason or personal preference, beef can often be substituted with chicken or seafood too.

(Serves: 2          | Preparation: 15 minutes          | Cooking: 15 - 20 minutes)

Ingredients:
2 Serving Portions of Cooked White Rice
4 Medium Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms, cut into thin slices
60g Bean Sprout
1 Small Carrot, julienne
1 Small Zucchini, julienne
100g Spinach, blanched
Some Cabbage Kimchi, optional
2 Eggs
3 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped

Drizzling Sauce:
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
1/2 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds
Pinch of Salt

To Serve:
Gochujang/Bibimbap Paste
1 Teaspoon Toasted Sesame Seeds
Extra Sesame Oil

Method:-

1. Fill a medium saucepan or pot with water and bring to boil. Blanch the spinach for about 1 minute, drain, rinse with cold water and squeeze out any excess liquid.

2. Roughly cut spinach into section and add in half of the drizzling sauce and mix well. Set aside.

3. Repeat the same produce as above with the bean sprouts.

4. Add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil in a small frying pan/saucepan, saute the zucchini with some chopped garlic till zucchini soften. Remove and set aside.

5. Repeat the step with carrot and mushrooms, keeping them separate.

6. Using individual heatproof casserole dish, grease inside lightly with some sesame oil, add 1 portion of the rice and place over high heat for 3 minutes to sear the rice.

7. At the meantime, prepare the pan and fry the sunny-side up egg.

8. To serve, remove casserole from heat, place egg in the center and arrange the prepared vegetables alternatively around the egg. Sprinkle with extra sesame seeds and sesame oil, serve immediately with some gochujang paste on the side.

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NOTE:-

~ If you have time, prepared all the side vegetables ahead in the morning and keep them in the fridge so that you would be able to get the dish ready in 10 minutes during lunch or dinner.

Often a raw/fried egg together with sliced meat (usually beef) are the two commonly additions to Bibimbap but for my version, I have adapted most of the common ingredients except meat which I have left out for this recipe. To start the meal, just give the mixture a few stirs to combine the ingredients and enjoy.

Happy Call Pan Recipes - Baked Sweet Potato, Sizzling Tofu and Claypot Rice

It's Happy Call Pan(HCP) recipes again! As I have mentioned before this is an "IN" kitchen gadget which is it one of the hot discussion topic in forum and Facebook. With it's quick and easy pressure cooking method, this pan has won the hearts of many people especially homemakers who aim to cook healthier dishes for the family.

In this post I would be sharing another 3 recipes using this HCP to Bake Sweet Potato, cook Sizzling Tofu and our favourite Claypot Rice (without using claypot).

[S$20 Budget Meal] Steamed Glutinous Rice Parcel, Stir-fry Spinach and Apple with Dual Fungus Soup

Remember our S$20 Budget Meal event (read more HERE). Here is another set of our quick and budget meal for the week with Steam Glutinous Rice Parcel, Stir-fry Spinach and Apple with Dual Fungus Soup. Even though sometime with a controlled budget, I am sure we still could make something simple into a presentable dish that makes cooking and dining a fun way to live with.

My family simply adores soup irregardless of those quick and easy canned soup, double-boiled herbal soup or any combination of ingredients that I could thought of. But usually my boy will request for his favourite ABC soup because he loves the natural sweet and sour taste of the soup with lot of sweetcorn and potatoes.

APPLE WITH DUAL FUNGUS SOUP

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

5 Medium Size Apple
8 - 10 Big Red Dates
2 - 3 Cluster of Black Fungus
1/2 Cluster of White Fungus
1 Piece of Dried Tangerine Peel, soaked till soften
* 1/2 Piece of Candied Tangerine
350g Lean Pork
1500ml Hot Water

Method:-

1. Soaked apples in warm water for 2 - 3 minutes, give it a good rub, rinse and cut into 6 - 8 wedges per apple depending on it's size.

2. Soak the dried tangerine peel in water till soften, use a small spoon scrapped out the white pith from the peel to prevent bitterness.

3. Blanched the lean pork in boiling water, rinse well and get ready a soup pot with 1.5 litres of water.

4. When the water boils, add in all the ingredients and let it simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes before low the heat and let it simmer for about an hour or so till the fungus are soften and soup is flavourful. OR

5. Add in all ingredients except apples and let the mixture simmer for about 30 - 40 minutes before adding the apples and continue to simmer for another 15 - 20 minutes till the soup is flavour and fragrance.


Note:-
~ As I am using those whole piece, round type of white fungus, I used only half portion for this recipe.

~ For this recipe I add in extra 1/2 pieces of candied tangerine to enhance the taste of the soup.


As most of the readers know, I love to cook soup using different kinds of ingredient and my biggest challenge was the "Double-Boiled Durian Chicken Soup - 榴莲炖鸡汤" which I have made last year. Since I saw some really good and cheap apples in the market, I decided to make this "Apple with Dual Fungus Soup" which cost about S$6.50 with breakdown shown below:-

Cost of Ingredients:
~ 5 Apples = S$2.00
~ Red Dates = S$0.50
~ White and Black Fungus + Dried Tangerine Peel = S$1.00
~ Lean Pork = S$3.00

* I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #5 : Fruity March (March 2011) hosted by Jess @ Bakericious.


There are a few types of Asian Spinach available in the supermarkets such as Round Leaves, Long Leaves, Purple Leaves and etc. According to the vegetable seller(s) in the wet market usually different type of spinach is used for different purpose like stir-fry or soup. But despite of all the different varieties, our favourite is still the Round Leaves Spinach.

STIR-FRY SPINACH

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

1 Packet of Round Leave Spinach(苋菜)
15g Dried Whitebaits(银鱼), rinse and drain
1 Tablespoon Oil
3 Cloves of Garlic, skin removed
1 Small Chili, sliced
1/2 Teaspoon Chicken Stock Powder/Dash of salt

Method:-

1. Trim the spinach into leaves and stems, soak it in water for 5 - 10 minutes, rinse twice to get ride of the sand and dirt.

2. Heat up oil in a flying pan, add in whitebaits and fry over low heat till golden brown, remove and set a side.

3. Using the same frying pan, add in garlic cloves, chili and saute till fragrance before adding in the drained vegetables.

4. Give the vegetables a quick stir together with chicken stock powder and stir-fry till leave wilted and cooked. Remove

5. Sprinkle fried whitebaits on top and serve.

This can also be a changeable dish where you can either do a stir-fry or soup version according to your preference.  Total cost for this dish is about S$1.40 with breakdown shown below:-

Cost of Ingredients:
~ 1 Packets of Round Leaves Spinach = S$0.70
~ 15g Dried Whitebaits = S$0.70


Using of dried lotus leaves to wrap and steam this glutinous rice adds-on an extra traditional taste and fragrance to this dish.

STEAM GLUTINOUS RICE IN LOTUS LEAF

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

2 Debone Chicken Drumstick with Thigh, cut into bite sizes
250g Glutinous Rice, soaked overnight
3 Fresh Shittake Mushroom, cut into slices
1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic
1 Stalk of Spring Onion, sliced
2 Pieces of Dried Lotus Leave

Seasonings:
1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Cooking Wine
1/2 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Five Spice Powder
3 Cloves of Garlic, lightly pound
Dash of Pepper


The reason to cook and soak the dried lotus leave is to make is soft and easier for wrapping as well as cleaning purpose.

Methods:-

1. Rinse and soak the glutinous rice over night or at least 6 hours prior cooking time. (this will help to cut down the steaming time of the glutinous)

2. Marinate the chicken with seasonings for at least an hour or more in the refrigerator.

3. Pre-heat a small frying pan, saute minced garlic with 1/2 tablespoon of oil till fragrance then add in the mushroom. Cook till mushroom is soft and absorb the flavour from the garlic. Remove and set aside.

4. Drain the glutinous rice well, transfer to a big mixing bowl, add in cooked mushroom and seasoned chicken, stir till mixture is well-mixed and set aside while preparing the lotus leaves.

5.To prepare the lotus leave, bring a big pot of water to boil and immerse the leaves in the water and cook for about 1 minute or till leave is slightly soft. Remove and soak in water for another 1 minute before use.

6. Drain the leave well. Fold it into half to get a fan shape, lay a sheet of baking paper on it, spoon half portion of the rice mixture on top and fold the sides of the baking papers to form a rectangle parcel. (refer to the 3 photos on the top row)

7. Next place the rice parcel near the edge of the lotus leaves and repeat the same folding procedure to wrap up another layer for the rice parcel.

8. Place the wrapped parcel in steaming with boiling water and steam it over medium heat for about 45 minutes to an hour. (open one of the rice parcel to check after 45 minutes to test the softness of the rice)


Note:-
~ You can buy dried lotus leaves from major Chinese Medical Hall or grocery stalls from the traditional wet market.


Lovely rice parcel that serves individual with extra topping such as chopped spring onion and dried shallot to enhance the flavour. For another version and taste, perhaps I shall replace chicken with pork belly and add in an extra salted egg yolk to lift up the taste of this dish. Total cost for this dish is about S$6.10 with breakdown shown below:-

Cost of Ingredients:
~ 2 Debone Chicken Drumstick with Thigh = S$3.60
~ 250g Glutinous Rice = S$0.80
~ 3 Fresh Shittake Mushroom = S$0.60
~ Garlic and Spring Onion = S$0.30
~ 2 Pieces of Dried Lotus Leave = S$0.80

Steamed Glutinous Rice Parcel


With a total of S$14.00 we have a great dinner that consists of 1 Rice dish, 1 Vegetable and 1 Soup which can feed a family of 3 - 4. I am sure this quick and easy dishes will bring smiles and satisfaction to both you and your family members. So perhaps you can drop down the ideas of buy S$3 Chicken/Duck Rice, Laksa, Fishball Noodles etc but starts your own planning today with some quick and budget meal for the family too.




Closing Date: Sunday, 27 March 2011, 2359 Hours.

[Valentine's Day Dish] My Sweetheart ~ Orange Scented Rice

Most of us loves the nice and fragrant aroma filling up from our kitchen while cooking one of our usual staple food, "steamed rice". But other than the usual white rice that we consume daily there are still many different varieties of ways and recipes whereby you can turn this simple food into simple interesting and nutritious.

This year for our Valentine's theme dish, I have made these "Orange Scented Rice" to pair with another "Stir-fried Chicken with Mandarin Orange" where fresh orange zest and juice are used in both dishes.

ORANGE SCENTED RICE

Preparation: 20 Minutes                                     Cooking Time: 10 - 15 Minutes

Ingredients: (serves 2)

1 Cup Uncooked Rice
4 Cloves
3 Green Cardamom Pods
2cm Long Cinnamon Stick
2 Cloves Garlic
2 Shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Rind of half Mandarin Orange, thinly shred
1 Teaspoon Chicken Stock Powder
100ml Fresh Mandarin Orange Juice
1 Cup Water

Garnish:
1.5 Tablespoon Golden Raisin
1.5 Tablespoon Almond Flakes, lightly toasted
1/2 Tablespoon Sliced Spring Onion, optional


The adding of spices such as "Cloves, Cinnamon and Cardamom" infused the rice dish with a special fragrant that blends well with the fresh orange juice and zest. And it makes this rice taste similar to those "Biryani" rice which cooks with similar spices.

Method:

1. Preheat the frying pan with oil and saute Onion, Garlic, Cloves, Cinnamon and Cardamon until the onion slices turned soft and slightly golden brown.
2. Toss in shredded Orange peel and saute it for another 10 seconds before adding in the rice and chicken stock powder, stir well until the rice is coated with oil.
3. Transfer the rice into rice cooker or thermal pot, add in orange juice and water then cook until the rice is done.
4. Open the cooker lid, stir in golden raisins, cover and let it stand for another 5 minutes.
5. To serve, remove the spices(Garlic, Cloves, Cinnamon and Cardamom) from the cooked rice then using a folk to fluff in almond flakes and spring onion till well mixed.
6. Spoon the rice mixture into "heart shape" sushi mould and shaped into "Onigiri(rice ball)".


This "Orange Scented Rice" has a sweet taste from the orange juice and golden raisin together with a nutty flavour complements from the Almonds. And this goes perfectly well with the "Stir-fried Chicken With Mandarin Orange"(recipe HERE) where you can makes good used of those left-over Mandarin Oranges from Chinese New Year.

I am also submitting this post to "Aspiring Bakers #4: Love In The Air! (Feb 2011)", hosted by Me(Cuisine Paradise) at this link HERE.

The Goodness of YIFON Bottled Mushrooms

Mushrooms have always been a popular add-on ingredients for many homecooked dishes because they are delicious and full of rich nutritional values that can be used in various way of cooking. For busy working adults and parents like myself, cooking can sometime be a hassle that we would like to avoid especially after a long day at work. So I guess what most of us looking for are those quick and easy dishes or some instant products  that helps us to whip up hearty meals within a minimum cooking time.

These Yifon mushrooms are uniquely packed in clear glass bottles that comes in 6 different exotic varieties such as:- Pickled Bailing Mushrooms, Spicy Nameko Mushroom, Spicy Bailing Mushrooms, Assorted Mushrooms, Spicy Golden Mushrooms and Teatree Mushrooms. All these are finest quality of mushrooms that contain no preservatives, artificial colourings and trans-fast which you could easily enjoy straight from the bottle or complement them with either porridge or noodles. In this post I would like to share with you 3 different recipes which I have used some of these delicious instant Yifon Bottled Mushrooms as part of the main ingredients to concoct some lovely dishes for my family.

Note:-

~ These bottled mushrooms are halal-certified and it is also suitable for Vegetarian consumers too.

Have you tried or heard about Teatree Mushroom(茶树菇)? These mushrooms are high in protein, low in fat and sugar content and it also contains plenty of minerals and anti-cancer properties that most mushrooms would claim of. Some of the Chinese physician also recommend these mushrooms which are neutral food that nourishes the Qi (energy) of our body and at the same time boost up our immunity if consumed regularly. So for the first mushroom dish I  would use this YIFON Teatree Mushroom to prepared a tofu dish which you could serve it as starter during gathering or as a main course itself.

This is a very simple dish that requires only two main ingredients such as the unique taste of these teatree mushrooms that pairs well with the bland silken tofu.

Silken Tofu With Yifon Teatree Mushrooms
Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients: (serves 2 - 4)
1 Bottle of YIFON Teatree Mushrooms
1 Packet of Silken Tofu for Steaming, cut into 6 portions
1 Teaspoon of Minced Garlic
1/2 Tablespoon of Cooking Oil
1 Teaspoon of Sesame Oil
1 Chili, deseed and sliced
Some Chopped Spring Onion

You could easily prepare this dish by using either microwave or steam it using a pot/wok over the stove. Personally I would preferred microwave method which is hassle free and it would also minimize the water content of this dish compared to the normal steaming method.

Method:
1. Remove the tofu from the packaging and place it on the serving plate. Cut it into 6 or 8 equal portions according to your preference.
2. Top each piece of the tofu with your desire amount of YIFON teatree mushrooms together with some extra mushrooms on the surrounding of the tofu.
3. Next heat up a small pan with the mixture of cooking and sesame oil, sauté the minced garlic and chili till fragrant, stir in the chopped spring onion and give it a quick stir before removing the pan from heat.
4. Drizzle the garlic mixture evenly on top of the tofu and cook it in the microwave for about 1 - 1.5 minutes on medium heat powder.
5. Remove the dish and garnish with extra chopped spring onion and serve it warm.

Note:-

~ In order to maintain the taste and texture of the dish, microwave it for 1 minute and check whether the tofu and mushroom have being warm up before continue with the next 30 seconds as different microwaves would varies from its voltage power.

~ As for those using steaming method over the stove, place the tofu dish into the steaming rack only after the water comes to boil, steam it over medium heat for 2 - 3 minutes.

So within less than 10 minutes you could enjoy a plate of delicious steamed silken tofu with teatree mushrooms that is healthy and full of goodness as tofu is also low in calories too.


For busy mum like many others and myself we tend to look for dishes that are hearty and easy to prepare so that we could have some nutritious meals even on busy weekday nights. So for the second recipe I would like to share with you on how I normally prepared my “Braised Brown Rice with Mushrooms” by using one of this instant bottled mushrooms.

For your information Nameko Mushrooms (滑子蘑) is a small and amber brown colour mushroom with a jelly-like coating that is used as an ingredient in most miso soup. From google search this is also one of Japan’s most popular cultivated mushrooms that has a slightly nutty taste too. Here I am using some of these "YIFON Spicy Nameko Mushrooms" to cook a one pot dish together with brown rice and some simple ingredients shown below.

Braised Brown Rice with Spicy Nameko Mushrooms
Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1/2 Bottle of YIFON Spicy Nameko Mushrooms
125g (1 Cup) Brown Rice
350ml Hot Water/Chicken Stock
40g Corn Kernels
40g Green Peas
2 Rashes of Bacon, cut into strips
Cut Chili and Spring Onion for garnishing


Note:-
~ You can replace brown rice with normal white rice according to your preference.
~ Frozen mixed vegetables of similar quantity can be used to replace the corn kernel and green peas too.

Brown rice is known to have higher nutritional values as compared to white rice. And when cooked they gives off an aromatic jasmine fragrant with its chewy texture and sweet nutty flavour. But if you are not comfortable with the taste of brown rice, you could always start off with a mixture of brown and white rice and slowly increase the amount of brown rice intakes in your daily diet.

Method:
1. Rinse brown rice a few times and soak it in water for at least 30 minutes if time permits.
2. Heat up a small saucepan using 1 teaspoon of cooking oil, sauté the bacon till golden brown and slightly crispy, remove and set aside.
3. Using the same saucepan throw in corn kernels and green peas then give it a quick stir before adding in the soaked brown rice that has been drained well.
4. Continue to sauté the rice mixture for about 1 minute then pour in either Hot Water or Chicken Stock.
5. When the mixture comes to boil again, lower the heat and simmer the rice for about 20 minutes or so till the rice is soft and the water/stock has almost absorbed.
6. At this stage, toss in the Spicy Nameko Mushrooms and cooked bacon evenly and continue to simmer the rice for another 3 - 5 minutes.
7. Serve hot with extra garnish of chopped chili and spring onion.

Tips:-

~ Soak the brown rice in water for at least 30 minutes prior cooking time to soften the rice for easy cooking but if you are running out of time you could add in extra 50ml more of water to cook the rice.

~ For those using water to cook the rice you can season it with 1/4 teaspoon of salt or chicken stock powder at step 4.

Brown Rice does take a little longer to cook than white rice but the time isn't much longer if you pre-soak the rice for a while and cook using the absorption method. If you do not have any brown rice at home you could still try out this recipe by replacing it with white rice and the end results would still taste as good as brown rice. And for those who has child whom is a picky eater that dislikes most of the vegetables, I am sure they would be delighted to see this colourful dish that is filled with wonderful aroma from the fried bacon and crunchy texture of the Nameko mushrooms.


If you prefer something more westernize with a distinguish flavour compared to those two dishes above perhaps you could try this “Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Trio Mushrooms”. Aglio e Olio or also known as garlic and oil is a traditional Italian pasta dish that is made without adding any store-bought ingredients. The dish is usually prepared using lightly sautéd minced garlic in olive oil together with some dried chili flakes and garnish with chopped parsley.

For my 3rd recipes I am using YIFON Assorted Mushrooms where you could find 3 different types of mushrooms in the bottle such as "Po-ku(整香菇)", "Golden Mushrooms(金針菇)" and "Button Mushrooms(蘑菇)" which is great for any stir-fried dishes together with either meat or noodles.

And with a bottle or two of this instant assorted mushrooms stored in my kitchen pantry, I could easily whip up our favourite spaghetti anytime without worrying about to look for decent qualities of fresh mushrooms that sometime might not be available in the supermarkets. So here is my ingredients on preparing this pasta dish:-

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio With Trio Mushrooms
Preparation Time: 5 Minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 Bottle of YIFON Assorted Mushrooms
185g Spaghetti
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
1/4 Teaspoon Dried Chili Flakes
1 Medium Tomato, deseed and chopped
Handful of Parsley, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste




Method:
1. Cook spaghetti following packet directions, until al dente. Drain well.
2. Heat a frying pan over medium heat with the olive oil. Add minced garlic and dried chili flakes and saute till the garlic is almost golden brown in colour.
3. Stir in the drained Assorted Mushrooms and give it a quick stir for about 10 seconds before tossing in the cooked spaghetti, chopped parsley and tomato cubes.
4. Toss the mixture well with a tong or long chopstick for another 5 seconds before removing it from heat so that the spaghetti would soak up the flavour from the garlic and chili oil.
5. Lastly season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper before serving.

Note:-

~ You can increase the dried chili flakes to 1/2 teaspoon if you prefer more spicier taste.

~ Increase the amount of minced garlic to 3/4 tablespoon to a richer garlic aroma and taste.

~ Carefully not to burn the garlic otherwise it will turn bitter.

When I first read about this product tasting invitation I was still hesitating on whether to give it a try because our family hardly consume those bottled or canned food products. And in Singapore it also very convenience to purchase fresh mushrooms that is easily available in the supermarkets or etc. But after trying a few types of these bottled mushrooms from Yifon it actually changed my mind set on these instant mushrooms which taste just as good as those fresh mushrooms and most importantly they are also carefully packed with rich nutritional values as well. For more information of these products you can refer to their official website at http://www.yithong.com/.

These instant mushrooms can be purchased at any leading supermarkets at a retail price of S$1.95 per bottle from the canned food department. So why not try to look out for these Yifon bottled mushrooms during your next visit to the supermarket and grab a bottle of two for your pantry and use it to cook your favourite mushroom dishes or serve it straight from the bottle as a topping for porridge or noodles.

Lastly I would like to thanks Daen Ng of Vibes Communications Pte Ltd and YIFON on the invitation to try out their delicious instant bottled mushrooms. And I would also love to hear from those who has tried these mushrooms on some of your feedback and methods on consuming them too.