[Recipe] Roasted Lemon And Herbs Chicken with Wine

I always love comfort food like this during "cold" weather; especially winter. It is so easy to prepare by just assembling all the ingredients together on baking dish, pop them into the oven and by an hour or so everything will be ready. So all you need to do, is prepare some salad, couscous or coleslaw to go with it for a hearty weekday meal.

Culinary Master Class At Waterfall Cafe, Shangri-La Hotel

A few week ago, I was invited to attend a Culinary Master Class by Chef de Cuisine Stephane Cocu at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore’s new Waterfall Café. This homely and relaxing cafe was officially opened on 19 July 2012 serving savour healthy yet creative dishes inspired by Mediterranean flavours.

Over the years, Chef Stephane's talents have been recognised by many Michelin-starred establishments, such as Le Crayeres in Reims, Restaurant Comme Chez Soi in Brussels and Restaurant Daniel in New York.

Being inspired by Mediterranean culinary philosophy, Chef Stephane crafted a simple menu that embraces the quality of eating well. Immensely passionate about the use of herbs, smoked salts, vinegars and exotic spices, Chef Stephane’s dishes are refreshing and light on the palate.

Above shows the 3 course menu which Chef Stephane had prepared for the Master Class workshop and these dishes are also available at Waterfall Cafe together with other dishes on their menu.

This is their cosy private dining room at Waterfall Cafe, featuring a fully functional show kitchen which is ideal for cooking workshops, small gatherings or corporate retreats.

Being a true advocate of healthy dining, Chef Stephane ensures that all products are sourced from sustainable origins and are free from hormones, pesticides and antibiotics. Here I am sharing 3 recipes of the dishes that we had during the Culinary Master Class workshop which I sure you could also try it out at home using similar ingredients.

WATERMELON AND TOMATO SALAD

A very refreshing starter with using Watermelon, mint leaves and some spices and seasoning that is prepared by Chef Stephane. 

(Serves: 1  | Preparation: 10 minutes )

Ingredients:

• 100g Fresh Tomato
• 100g Fresh Watermelon
• 20g Aragula Salad
• 15g Black Olive(pitted)
• 10g While Grain Mustard
• 40g Parmesan Cheese
• 25g Olive Oil
• 30g Red Onion(sliced) 5g Fresh Mint
• 2g Fresh Basil
• 15g Honey Vinegar

Method:-
1. Cut watermelon into cubes of 1 cm each. Slice sherry vine tomatoes into quarters. Chop fresh mint. Sliced pitted black olives and red onions.

2. To make the crispy parmesan cheese cracker, begin by preheating oven to 150 degree Celsius. Spread parmesan cheese in a non-stick pan and place it in the oven. Bake parmesan cheese until it becomes a nice, blond colour. Remove it and let it cool so that it will get crispy.

3. In a mixing bowl, throw in watermelon cubes, tomatoes, chopped fresh mint, olives and onions. Season with 10g of honey vinegar, 15g of olive oil, whole grain mustard. Add in salt and pepper as preferred. Set aside for later use.

4. In a soup plate, season arugula salad with the remaining oil and honey vinegar. Line the plate with arugula salad before placing the mixture from step 3 on the salad.

5. Garnish salad with crispy parmesan cheese cracker.

Chef's Tip:
~ If the watermelon is not sweet, you may add hone as preferred.

~ Mint leaves can be replaced by basil according to your preference.

ALT ANTIC COD IN BARLEY RISOTTO

Fresh, succulent Atlantic cod with barley risotto, pequillo peppers, Vadoucan emulsion. This is a unique risotto where Chef Stephane replaced rice with organic barley. 

(Serves: 1   | Preparation: 30 minutes   | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 150g Fresh Cod Fish
• 50g Organic Barley
• 30g Pequillo Pepper
• 30cl White Wine
• 30g White Onion
• 100g Heavy Cream
• 100g Milk
• 5g "Vadouvan" spice blend
• 5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1/2 Lime
• A Zest Orange
• A Zest Lemon
• Salt and Pepper

Method:-
1. Dice white onion into 3mm thick.

2. In a large pot, suet diced onions with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and fresh butter until the onions are tender and colourless.

3. Add barley to pot and suet for 2 minutes. While stirring the mixture, pour in white wine and let it boil until the wine has evaporated completely. Next, cover the mixture with water.

4.Season barley with salt and pepper as preferred. Add a zest of orange and lemon and continue to stir the risotto as it cooks. When the liquid has almost evaporated and risotto is still too "al dente". you can add a bit of water and let it cook again until the barley becomes tender.

5. Boil milk and heavy cream. Add "Vadouvan" spice blend (consists of fenugreek, cumin, onion and garlic), salt and pepper and let it infuse for 30 minutes. The sauce should turn to a strong yellow colour. Add lime juice.

6. Split pequillo pepper into half and remove the seeds. Cut them into triangles and set aside for later use.

7. In a non-stick pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Using low heat, sear cod fish on one side until it turns dark blond with a crispy exterior. Flip fish over an turn off the flame. Leave fish to cook in the pan for 2 to 3 minutes before removing it.

8. In a pasta bowl, put barley risotto and place fish on top. Spread warm triangular pequillo peppers on fish. Drizzle sauce over the dish ad serve.

Chef's Tip:
~ For a big piece of cod fish, you may slice it into 1cm thick so it cooks better.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

As a chocolate lover, I dote this cake flourless cake a lot. I love it's semi-moist texture with a rich chocolate after taste which I would definitely try making some with this recipe soon.

(Serves: 4  | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 15 minutes)

Ingredients:
90g Dark Chocolate
33g Water
50t Sugar
60g Butter
2 Egg

Method:-
1. Prepare a pot to boil water and sugar.

2. Add chocolate to a mixing bowl and set aside for later use. Dice butter to soften it.

3. When the water and sugar has boiled, pour them into the mixing bowl with chocolate. Stir well until chocolate melts completely. Next, add in butter, bit by bit.

4.Crack an egg into the mixture and stir well. Repeat this step for the other egg.

5. Set the mixture aside so that it gets thick. Meanwhile, pre-heat oven at 160 degree Celsius. Using a brush, oil your pastry ring (or a ramequin, if preferred).

6. Pour the mixture into the pastry ring until it is 2/3 filled and bake it for 15 minutes.

7. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes before you serve it warm with a scoop of bourbon vanilla ice-cream.

Some of the snacks, bread and beverages that are available in the cafe. Love their organic juice and soda too!

A cosy corner which is good choice for an afternoon tea gathering

With a seating capacity of 92, including 24 seats in the al fresco area, Waterfall cafe is open from 6:30 am to 10:30pm daily, except dinner on Sundays. It also serve as an all-day dining cafe starting from breakfast, light snacks, lunch and dinner.

WATERFALL CAFE
Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore
22 Orange Grove Road
Singapore 258350
Reservation: (65) 6213 4138
Website: http://www.shangri-la.com/singapore/shangrila/dining/restaurants/waterfall-cafe/

Opening Hours: Daily (except Sundays)

~ Breakfast; 6.30am - 11am

~ Light Snacks; 11am - 12pm, 3pm - 6pm

~ Lunch; 12pm - 3pm

~ Dinner; 6pm - 10.30pm

Grilled Salmon with Spicy Sweetcorn Salsa

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Corn also known as maize is one of the world's most popular and nutritious cereal crops. Corn is also used to make corn syrup, breakfast cereal, cornflour, corn chips, polenta, popcorn and etc. Also corn has similar benefits to wholegrains which is rich in carbohydrates, fibre and antioxidants.

Here we are cooking a grilled salmon dish with spicy sweetcorn salsa which is full of vibrant colours that would perk up your day.

GRILLED SALMON WITH SPICY SWEETCORN SALSA

For this dish you could choose either salmon fillet or salmon belly which would be better in texture and taste. And if you could get hold of some white firm fish fillet such as snapper or Barramundi they could also be used for this dish too.

(serves: 4 | Preparation: 15 minutes | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients for Salsa:
2 Fresh Sweetcorn Cobs, trimmed and halved
400g Can Chickpeas(garbanzo bean), drained and rinsed
1 Ripe Avocado, peeled and diced
1/2 Small Red Onion, finely chopped
1 Small Red Capsicum, diced
1 Long Green Chilli, thinly sliced
1 - 2 stalks of Fresh Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
50ml of Lime Juice
50ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4(150g each) Salmon/Snapper Fish Fillets, halved
Fresh Coriander Leaves, to serve

Method:-

1. Place corn in a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes, remove and set aside to cool before using a sharp knife to remove the kernels.

2. Combine chickpeas, avocado, onion, capsicum, chilli and chopped coriander in a large bowl.

3. Mix 2 tablespoons lime juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a bowl, season with salt and pepper before pouring it into the chickpea and corn kernels mixture. Toss to combine.

4. Heat remaining oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.

5. Season fish with salt and pepper. Cook in batches for 2 minutes each side or until cooked through.

6. Transfer to plate and drizzle with remaining lime juice.

7. Arrange fish between plates and top with salsa and coriander. Serve plain or with some crusty bread at side.

Apart from having this dish plain on it's own you could also serve it together with some crusty bread for a fuller meal which would be great with it different layer of textures and flavour. And for a more spicy taste, you could also replace the green chilli with the red with or without the seeds on.

Crisp Duck with Apple & Orange Sauce serve with Rosemary & Garlic Flatbread

I have hardly use DUCK meat as one of my ingredient while planning for our daily meals. I guess the only dish that I known how to cook by using whole/portion duck is to make "Braised Duck with Dark Soya Sauce" which is a well-like dish in most Asia families. Not long ago, I have read up a recipe and post from Jacob over at Cook.Snap.Eat.Love where he takes the effort and time to prepare Duck Confit as a main course to host a few food bloggers on a tasting session(read more HERE).

After going through Jacob's recipe plus some others similar recipes online, I find making Duck Confit was rather complicated and time consuming for my standard as a home cook. So after much consideration, I think I better settle for something easier which I could managed and keep that big project aside for the time being.

CRISP DUCK WITH APPLE AND ORANGE SAUCE

This is a pretty easy dish with minimum preparation but comes with delicious combination of savory crisp duck, crunchy fresh apple plus salad greens swam in pool of aromatic spiced orange sauce. Personally I love the sweet and tangy taste of the orange sauce which really goes well with the whole combination and especially on the crisp duck.

Here I used half portion of the duck(which included the duck breast fillet and drumstick) instead of two duck fillets because I have left over from the previous dish on braised soya duck. If you are getting the duck from the wet market poultry stalls, you could also ask them to help you de-bone the fillet which would be easier for you.

(serves: 2 | Preparation: 30 minutes | Cooking: 25 minutes)

Ingredients:
2 Duck Fillets, skin on
1/2 Tablespoon Sea Salt
Dash of Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Red Delicious Apple, sliced thinly
2 Servings of Salad Greens

Method:-

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Place a wire rack over a foil-lined baking tray.

2. Make shallow incisions diagonally across skin of duck apart 1cm apart, rub sea salt into skin.

3. Place a non-stick frying pan on medium heat, add duck, skin-side down and cook for 8 minutes until skin is crispy.

4. Transfer to wire rack, skin-side up and bake for 12 - 15 minutes until tender. Remove from oven and stand on wire rack for 10 minutes before slicing it.

5. Using a vegetable slicer or knife, sliced the apple thinly and place it on the duck slices on prepared plates.

6. Drizzle some orange sauce on the apple and duck mixture, top with some salad greens and homemade rosemary and garlic flatbread on the side and serve warm with extra orange sauce.

Orange Sauce:

2 Tablespoons Orange Marmalade
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
Zest of 1 Orange
125ml of Orange Juice
60ml Cup Water
2 Star Anise

Method:-

1. Place orange marmalade, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, star anise and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved.

2. Simmer for 8 - 10 minutes, until sauce reduced and sightly thickened. Strain and serve warm.

ROSEMARY AND GARLIC FLATBREAD

A flatbread is a simple bread made with flour, water, salt and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are unleavened which is made without using yeast or sourdough culture similar to the recipe shown below. And in order to make the above crisp duck salad more filling, I decided to pair it with some homemade Rosemary and Garlic Flatbread which could be used to wrap up the crisp duck salad.

Recipe adapted and modify from Australia Masterchef website HERE.

(serves: 2 | Preparation: 30 minutes | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:
125g Plain Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
65ml(1/4 cup) Lukewarm Water
1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Fresh Rosemary
Extra Flour, dusting
2 Tablespoons Melted Butter

Method:-

1. Combine olive oil and lukewarm water in a jug.

2. Process flour, salt and rosemary in a food processor or alternatively place them in a large mixing bowl.

3. Slowly add olive oil and water mixture to the flour to form a dough.

4. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead until smooth. Rest dough for at least 30 minutes

5. Divide dough into 6 dough balls, roll out flat and fry(without oil) for 2 minutes each side or until golden.

6. Brush with melted butter. Keep warm and serve together with the Crisp Duck salad above.

Other than making your own flatbread from scratch you could also purchase those ready-made "Wraps/Tortilla " which are available in most leading supermarkets. I am sure you would like this dish as much as I do, and if duck fillets are not available in your area or liking you could always replace it with chicken fillets. And furthermore if you could get hold of kumquat marmalade I am it would add extra and unique flavour to this dish too. Enjoy!

Avocado Chicken Parmigiana

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Parmigiana (a short form of Parmigiana di melanzane) is a Southern Italian dish made with a shallow-fried sliced filling, layered with cheese, tomato sauce and baked before serving. But here we are making a quick version of this "Avocado Chicken Parmigiana" where tender chicken breast schnitzel is topped with bottled tomato pasta sauce and fresh avocado together with generous amount of grated Mozzarella cheese.

{Halloween Special} Jack O' Lantern, Black Cat Pumpkin Soup, Eyeballs Fettuccine And Death By Chocolate

Halloween is the celebration typically held on 31st October each year where this date marked the end of the summer and beginning of the cold winter which was often a time of death. As usually this year you could also join in some Halloween event at some of the tourist attraction such as Universality Studios Singapore, Halloween Horror Nights(here), Sentosa Spooktacular (here), FrightFest@Singapore Flyer (here) and etc.

This is the second year (read last year post, here) I cooked Halloween theme dishes despite that we don't actually celebrate this festival. Same as last year I have cooked a creamy pumpkin soup but with fusion of Asian and Western ingredients. And for this year we have a set Dinner Menu that comes with salad, soup, pasta and dessert with Halloween theme decorated.

Pork Schnitzel And Apple Salad

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Salad isn't just some mixture of vegetables, mixed fruits, pasta and etc with dressings. Sometime it can be consider as a Main Meal with additions of meat and seafood to make it more nutritious and family meal. Here we have Pork Schnitzel to go with some salad green and crunchy apples for combination of textures and flavour. And for me I find this is also a good way to get kids to eat vegetables and fruits with that extra slices of yummy pork schnitzel that goes with it.

PORK SCHNITZEL AND APPLE SALAD 

(serves: 4 | Preparation: 20 minutes | Cooking: 5 minutes)

Ingredients: 
4 Pork Sirloin Steaks, fat trimmed
1/2 Tablespoon Cornflour
1/2 Tablespoon Cooking Wine 
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1 Cup breadcrumbs or Panko
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
2 Green Apple, cored, halved and thinly sliced
1 Packet Ready-to-serve Salad Green with dressing

Mustard Dressing:
Some Mayonnaise
Some Wholegrain/Creamy Mustard Sauce

Method:-

1. Using a meat mallet, pound pork slices evenly to 5mm thick. Marinate it with cornflour, cooking wine and lightly beaten egg for about 3 - 5 minutes.

2. Coat marinated pork slices evenly with breadcrumbs by pressing the meat down against the crumbs.

3. Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat, cook pork schnitzel for 3 minutes on each side or until golden and cooked through. Drain well on paper towels.

4. Meanwhile, toss the pre-packed salad with accompany dressing before transferring them to a serving plate and top with apple slices. (you can soak apple slices with some lightly salted water to prevent it from oxidized and turns brown)

5. Next thickly slice pork and arrange on salad and drizzle mustard dressing over pork and serve.

Overall this can be a very flexible dish as you can use different types of salad green as well as changing the Pork Schnitzel to Chicken or Fish fillet depending on what is available in your pantry. And if you find it is a trouble to prepare Pork Schnitzel you can also purchase those ready-made(frozen type) and oven baked them according to the packet instructions.

Almond Crumbed Chicken Schnitzel with Potato Salad and Caramel Asparagus

One of my friend Alice has set up a weekly cooking theme on facebook for those who loves to cook to share their dishes base on the weekly specify ingredient. And for this week we have "Asparagus" as the key ingredient to challenge our cooking skill on how we incorporate it into our dish. Since Asparagus is one of my favourite ingredients I decided to give it a try and come out with this set of Quick and Easy Western Dish.

Asparagus is high in vitamins B6 and C plus fiber, folate and glutathione as well as with anti-carcinogen and antioxidant. Although asparagus comes in three different colours such as: white, green or purple but the the green variety is the most common to be found. You can eat asparagus with nothing more than a drizzle of good-quality olive oil or use them in different dishes like: in soups, salads, stir-fries, scrambled eggs, pasta and etc.(read more HERE)

Here we have two side dishes to go with the Almond Crumbed Chicken Schnitzel which are the quick and easy boiled potato salad plus Caramel Asparagus. The potatoes act as a source of Carbo intake the accompany Asparagus are crisp and flavoursome with the dressing.

POTATO SALAD
Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
4 Medium Size Potatoes, about 250g
1.5 Tablespoon of Mayonnaise Cream
Freshly Ground Black Pepper


CARAMEL OLIVE ASPARAGUS
Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
1 Bundle of Baby Asparagus
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

Method:-

1. Cook potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water for 15 minutes or until tender.

2. Drain. Cool. Peel and cut the cooked potatoes into chunks and place it in a large bowl.

3. Scoop mayonnaise onto potatoes, season with salt and pepper then toss using a chopsticks to combine.

4. Set aside in the fridge while preparing the chicken schnitzel.

Method:-

1. Cook asparagus in a frying pan filled with boiling water(with 1/4 Teaspoon of salt added) for about 1 - 2 minutes until tender but still bright green.

2. Drain and refresh in cold water. Set aside.

3. Using the same frying pan, pour away the water, dried it and preheat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

4. Next add in 1/2 Tablespoon of brown sugar and stir continuously till almost caramelize.

5. Remove and dress asparagus with olive oil dressing.

The crispy crumbs coating together with the nutty fragrance from the flaked almond makes it a very addicting finger food/appetiser to go with icy cold beer too.

ALMOND CRUMBED CHICKEN SCHNITZEL
Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
6 - 8 Pieces of Chicken Fillets
1 Egg
1 Cup Breadcrumbs
1/4 Cup Flaked Almonds
Oil for Shallow Frying

Seasonings:
1 Teaspoon cornflour
1/4 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1/2 Tablespoon Cooking Wine
1/2 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
1/4 Teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
Dash of Pepper

Method:-

1. Marinate chicken fillets with seasonings and egg and set aside for about 5 minutes.

2. Pour cooking oil into a frying pan till about 1cm in depth and heat it up.

3. At the meantime roll the marinated chicken in breadcrumbs which combined with flaked almonds, pressing firmly.

4. Cooked chicken for 2 - 3 minutes on each side until golden brown or cooked through on medium low heat. (do not use high heat or it will burnt the breadcrumbs and almonds)

5. Drain on absorbent paper and serve with prepared side dishes.

[S$20 Budget Meal] Leek and Potato Soup, Grilled Chicken Cutlet and Green Apple Salad

Thinking of what to cook and what to buy is always one of my biggest problem while planning our weekly menu. Despite of all the tones of recipes, fresh ingredients and etc that can be easily access sometime I am still stuck with all these meal planning. And also due to the rise of food pricing it is very important to have a proper planning and try to utilise as much as possible on the specified budget to minimise wastage of food. In this post I will be sharing on how to plan a western set meal including soup of the day plus a quick and easy dessert to serve 2 - 3 with a total spending of S$14.25 (about US$11.50).

As some of you might know I seldom prepared western soup as I always have a mind set that it will be very troublesome and difficult to work with. But on the other hand I am actually a great fan of Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Pumpkin and Clam Chowder. So for this set meal I take up the courage to try making this short-cut version of Leek and Potato Soup(without cream).

Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)

2 Stalks of Baby Leeks, thinly sliced
3 Cloves of Garlics, peeled and roughly chopped
10 - 15g Unsalted Butter
400ml Instant Chicken Stock
150ml Hot Water
250g Potato, peeled and cut into small chunks
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Thank God that I tried making this or else I won't know that this  Leek and Potato Soup can be so tasty and creamy even without adding any cream in it. And moreover it is so simple and easy to prepare with just a few basic ingredients.

Method:-

1. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add leeks and garlic, cook over low heat till soft and fragrance (about 5 minutes) before stirring it the potato chunks and cook for another 1 minute.

2. Pour in stock and hot water, bring the mixture to boil, reduce heat and simmer gently until potatoes are soft and tender.

3. Turn off heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature before transferring it in the food blender. Or you can use a potato masher to mash up everything directly in the pot. (you can reserved a few potato chunks as garnish too)

4. If using food blender, pour the puree back into the same saucepan. Dilute the mixture with extra chicken stock or hot water accordingly to get the consistency that you preferred. Warm Through.

5. Ladle soup into serving bowls, season with freshly ground pepper and serve.


Total cost for this dish is about S$3.00 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Leek and Potato = S$2.00
~ Instant Chicken Stock = S$1.00

Creamy Leek and Potato Soup

Garden Salad is always one of the best choice to pair with either grilled or deep-fried dish. Here while choosing between either salad or boiled vegetables such as broccoli, carrot and etc. I finally decided to choose our favourite Garden Salad with some extra granny smith wedges to pair with the grilled chicken cutlet.

Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
1 Packet of Ready-To-Eat Garden Salad with Sauce
1 Green Apple, cored and cut into thin wedges
1/4 Cup Sultanas

Method:-

1. Wash apple with salt water, halved and cored before cutting it into thin wedges. (soak the apple wedges in salt water for about 15 seconds to retain it's colour)

2. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, toss well and divide it onto serving plates.

3. Drizzle salad dressing only before serving.


Total cost for this dish is about S$4.40 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ 1 Packet of Baby Honey Salad from Cold Storage = S$3.60
~ 1 Green Apple = S$0.50
~ Sultanas = S$0.30

This Grilled Chicken Cutlet was rather something very quick and easy to prepare which requires minimum seasonings and cooking time. For this dish I did not prepare any drizzling sauce or gravy as I just want to keep everything simple and with it's original taste.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
2 Chicken Drumstick with thigh, bone removed

Seasonings:
1 Teaspoon of Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon of Cooking Wine
1/2 Tablespoon of Light Soy Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon of Cornflour
Dash of Ground Pepper

Method:-

1. Trim and remove excess fat from the chicken and marinate it with seasonings for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. (remove it from the fridge at least 5 minutes before cooking time thawed)

2. Preheat grilled pan with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, fry the chicken skin side down on medium heat for about 8 minutes till golden brown before turning to another side. (you can sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper on the chicken while grilling for extra taste and fragrance)

3. Continue to grill for another 8 - 10 minutes till chicken is cooked through.


Total cost for this dish is about S$3.80 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ 2 Chicken Drumstick with Thigh = S$3.80

If you prefer Western Food over Asia Dishes, I hope this 2 Dishes 1 Soup idea on our western set meal do give you some ideas on how to prepare your own budget food at home with a good and healthy planning. For example you can have a bowl of yummy homecook Leek and Potato soup for just a dollar each bowl and you are sure that all the ingredients used are freshly bought and prepared.

With this quick and easy set meal shown above, you will be surprised that it only cost a total of S$11.20 which even allows me to whip out another dessert with the balance amount left.

BONUS!!!!!

Ginkgo Barley with Beancurd Sheet (白果薏米腐竹糖水)

Since I only spent around S$11.00 for the above set meal with soup and main course, I decide to whip up a simple dessert which I saw from "Miss Tam Chiak" blog that she published recently (click HERE). This is a very easy to prepare dessert that cost approximately about S$3.00 which is great for cooling the body during this hot weather season.

Ingredients: (serves 4)
¼ Cup or 4 Tablespoons Of Pearl Barley(洋薏米)
1 Packet Of Ginkgo Nut(白果)
½ Packet Of Dessert Bean Curd Sheet(腐竹)
Cane/Rock Sugar To Taste
1.8 Litres Of Water
Few Pieces Of Pandan Leaves, wash and tied into knot
1 Egg, lightly beaten

And for this dessert, the key factor lies on the beancurd sheet which you must get the correct type for cooking desserts so that it does not required long hours of cooking time. These dessert beancurd sheet cooked in less than 15 minutes and the texture is rather smooth and silky compared to those used for making stew and soup.

Method:-

1. Rinse barley in several changes of water until water runs clear. Set aside.

2. Bring about 1.8 litres of water to boil, low the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes together with the prepared barley and pandan leaves.

3. Meanwhile rinse the ginkgo nuts, drain well and using a toothpick to gently remove the germ out of the nuts which are bitter to taste.

4. Next marinated the ginkgo nuts with 1/2 tablespoon of castor sugar and set aside for later use.

5. Prepare some water in a big mixing bowl or pot, add in the lightly crashed beancurd sheet and soak it in water for about 10 minutes to remove the oil and discard those thick strips which does not soften  as it will affect the texture of the dessert. Drained well and set aside.

6. When the barley begins to soften and the water turns cloudy in colour, removed pandan leaves and add in the bean curd sheet and ginkgo nuts. Continue to simmer on low heat for another 15 minutes.

7. Lastly add in the sugar to taste according to your preference.

8. Turn off the heat and quickly stir-in beaten egg till well combined. Serve either warm or cold.


Total cost for this dish is about S$3.05 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ 1/2 Packet of Beancurd Sheet = S$1.10
~ 1 Packet of Gingko Nut = S$0.95
~ Barley = S$0.30
~ Pandan Leaves = S$0.20
~ Cane Sugar = S$0.30
~ Egg = S$0.20

Remember to join us on our [S$20 Budget Meal] Event, detail at HERE. Closing date, this Sunday, 27 March 2011 at 2359 Hours.