[S$20 Budget Meal] Baked Tom Yum Chicken, Lime and Mango Salad, Sweet Corn and Tofu Soup

For this set of Budget Meal I took about roughly an hour from the preparation to cooking whereby I multi-task two different dishes at one time. It is pretty quick and easy after you pop-in the prepared mid-joints into the oven, you will have more time to prepare the Tofu soup which takes you less than 15 minutes. And overall for this set of Thai Fusion Budget Meal I spent about S$7.80 to feed a family of 4.

This is similar to cream of corn soup but in Asian style with clear soup broth and whole corn kernels instead of the blending the corn kernel. The adding of tofu give it an extra texture for this soup as well as boost up protein intake for kid. (this recipe is specially dedicated to my best friend, Joyce who loves tofu and sweetcorn combination)

Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
1 Box of Silken Tofu, cut into 1" cubes
1 Fresh Sweetcorn, remove the corn kernels
2 Medium Tomato
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1 Litre of Water
1/2 Knorr Chicken Stock Cubes

Thickening:
50ml Water
1.5 Tablespoon Cornflour/Potato Flour

For this recipe I took extra steps in preparing the tomatoes by boiling it in water to remove the outer skin to have a smooth texture for the kid. But you can always omit this step if you are in a rush by using just the cut tomato wedges with skin on.

Method:-

1. Bring a small pot of water to boil, drop in tomatoes and let it boil for 1 minute(you will see the skin starting to peel off from the tomato) before you remove and soaked them in ice water.

2. Slowly peel off the outer skin of the tomato, cut into halves and scoop out the seeds. Chop them into big chunks and set aside.

3. Bring 1 litre of water to boil, add in sweetcorn kernels and stock cube then let it simmer for about 5 minutes before adding in the tofu cubes.

4. When the mixture comes to boil, let it simmer for another 2 minutes, lower the heat and stir-in the cornflour mixture(mix water and cornflour together)till the soup thickened.

5. Turn off the heat, swirl in the beaten egg till cooked through. Add in tomato chunks.

6. To serve, ladle soup into serving bowls, garnish with chopped spring onion and dash of pepper.

Total cost for this dish is about S$2.70 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Sweetcorn = S$0.60
~ Silken Tofu = S$1.50
~ Egg and Tomatoes = S$0.60

Other than Tofu and Sweetcorn, spicy food is also one of Joyce favourite selection of dish. For this recipe I marinated the mid-joints with 2 tablespoons of store bought Tom Yum paste together with some fresh lemongrass and lime juice for extra refreshing taste and fragrant. If you prefer higher level of spiciness, add in 1 – 2 bird eyes chili (sliced) into the marinade ingredients.

Ingredients: (make 8 mid-joints)
8 Chicken Mid-Joints
2 Stalks of Lemongrass, lightly pound and sliced into sections
2 Tablespoons of Tom Yum Chili Paste
Juice of 1/4 Green Lime

Seasonings:
1 Teaspoon Light Soy Sauce/Fish Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Cooking Wine
1/2 Tablespoon of Cornflour
1 Teaspoon of Sesame/Olive Oil

Method:-

1. Trim and rise the mid-joints, pat dry with kitchen paper towel then marinate it with all the above ingredients and seasonings for at least an hour in the fridge.

2. Arranged the marinated mid-joint together with the marinade on prepared baking tray line with baking paper or aluminium foil.

3. Bake the mid-joints in oven toaster for about 30 minutes turning at least twice or more for more even colour. OR

*4. Bake in preheated 180 degree oven for about 25 or till cooked through(turn at least twice for even coating of colour).

5. Remove and serve together with Mango Salad.

Total cost for this dish is about S$3.50 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Chicken Mid-joints = S$2.80
~ Lemongrass = S$0.20
~ Tom Yum Paste = S$0.50

LIME AND MANGO SALAD

The cold mango salads will definitely draw great attention if you can get hold of sweet and juicy mango that is full of flavour. But if you can’t try at least to find the ripe and decent type instead of those that are hard and sour.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 Honey Mango, about 200g
1 - 2 Bird Eyes Chili, sliced
1 - 2 Shallot, sliced and chopped
Grated Rind of 1 Green Lime
1 Tablespoon of Fresh Lime Juice
1/4 Teaspoon Fish Sauce
1/4 Teaspoon Sugar

Method:-

1. Peel of the skin of the mango and cut the flesh into 1cm cubes, set aside.

2. Combine all the remaining ingredients together in bowl, mix well before tossing in the mango cubes.

3. Quick and a quick stir, wrap the bowl with cling wrap and keep in the fridge until serving time.

Total cost for this dish is about S$1.60 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Mango = S$1.00
~ Green Lime = S$0.40
~ Chili and Shallot = S$0.20

[$20 Budget Meal] Winter Melon Soup, Steamed Silken Tofu with Salmon And Sweetcorn Plus Steamed Beef Steak with Onion

For this set of Budget Meal it will be slightly a bit more expensive than those I prepared previously due to the higher cost of Salmon and Beef. Here we spent a total of roughly S$18.60 for Winter Melon Soup, Steamed Tofu with Salmon and Steamed Beef Steak. And to your surprise this is also my very first time sharing a “beef” dish in this blog too.

Sometime cooking is way of art and mental planning too. For example this Soup of the Day is rather similar to my previous “Winter Melon, Woodear And Pork Ribs Soup” but I replaced the woodear with sweetcorn and carrot for a more refreshing taste.

Ingredients: (serves 4)
300g Pork Ribs
250g Winter Melon, skin removed cut into wedges
1 Sweetcorn, cut into sections
1 Medium Carrot, cut into thick slices
6 Red Dates

Method:-

1. Blanched pork ribs in boiling water for 2 - 3 minutes, remove and rinse with tap water. Set aside.

2. Bring 1.5 litres of water to boil in a soup pot.

3. Add in all the ingredients when the mixture comes to boil again, lower the heat and simmer for about 30 - 40 minutes.

4. Lastly season it with salt to taste according to own preference.

Total cost for this dish is about S$5.80 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Pork Ribs = S$3.00
~ Fresh Winter melon, Carrot and Sweetcorn= S$2.80

This is the second time I have used “salmon” fillet in preparing steamed dish. The first one was about a year ago where I steamed the salmon fillet together with Dang Gui to create a Chinese New Year dish (recipe). In this post, I combined this month Budget Meal specific ingredients – “Tofu” together with salmon to prepare this “Steamed Silken Tofu with Salmon And Sweetcorn” where you get to enjoy 3 different textures in one dish.

Ingredients: (serves 4)
1 Box of Silken Tofu
150g Salmon Fillet
1/2 Sweetcorn, remove kernels from cob
5 Slices of Ginger, julienne

Seasoning:
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Pinch of Salt

The bland tofu blends well with the sweet and fragrant taste from the corn kernels as well as with a contrast between crunchy and smooth texture that makes you crave for more scoop. The adding of salmon increase the Omega 3 and Proteins of this dish, which makes it, perfect for everyone at home especially the growing up kids.

Method:-

1. Cut the tofu into slices of equal thickness, drained well and place it onto steaming plate.

2. Cut the Salmon fillet into cubes and scatter it together with the fresh corn kernels evenly on top and around the sides of the tofu.(refer to the photo above)

3. Next top with julienne ginger and spoon the seasoning(mix all the ingredients together)over the prepared tofu.

4. Cover the tofu plate with cling wrap tightly leaving just a little ventilation hole.

5. Steam it on high heat in a steamer/wok (with boiling water in it)  for about 10 minutes. Remove and serve.

Total cost for this dish is about S$5.90 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Salmon = S$3.90
~ Silken Tofu and Sweetcorn= S$2.00

If you have being following most of my blog posts, you will notice that this seems to be my very 1st "Beef" dish recipe from those hundreds of recipes that I have. Friendly speaking using "beef" as one of the main ingredients is something that I always phobia of because to me you can either ruin or perfect it in just a few seconds of cooking time.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
200g Beef Steak, whole/slices
1 Medium Red Onion, thinly slices
2 Stalks Spring Onion, cut into sections
Red Chili, slices
3 Garlic Coves, lightly pound

Seasoning:
10g Butter
1 Teaspoon Fresh Milk
1 Teaspoon Black Peppercorns, crashed

Initially I was still quite worry about the taste and texture while preparing this dish but when it is out from the steamer I was totally surprised with the outcome. The texture of the beef slices is still quite good and tender despite of the steaming method. And the beef stock sauce was great with a hint of black pepper and onion taste too. Indeed this is a great chance on preparing steak on it's usual char-grilled or stew methods. (if you don't consumed beef, you can also replaced it with Pork Fillet(梅肉/腰肉) which is more tender in texture).

Method:-

1. Using paper kitchen towel lightly pat dry the beef steak. Set aside.

2. As I want the sauce and seasoning to infuse the steak in a faster way, I have cut the steak into slices before arranging them on steaming plate. (you can leave it as whole and serve as individual main course too)

3. Next arrange all the ingredients and seasonings on top of the beef steak.

4. Wrap the plate with cling wrap steam it over high heat for about 8 - 10 minutes depend on your preference.

5. Remove and serve with steamed rice or as individual main course with mashed/baked potato.

Total cost for this dish is about S$6.90 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Beef Steak = S$5.40
~ Spring onion, garlic, chili and onion = S$1.50

CLOSING DATE For [May $20 Budget Meal] Event:

~ Wednesday, 25 May 2011, 2359 hours and all entries will be compiled and posted on 31st May 2011.

If you loves to whipped some quick and budget healthy dishes for your family. I would like to invite you to join us in our May Budget Meal event to share your homecook dishes with us(more detail HERE).

[May $20 Budget Meal] Specific Key Ingredient - "Tofu/Beancurd"

Here is the polling result voted by some of the readers over at Cuisine Paradise facebook page (HERE). From the photo you can see that Tofu has "14 votes" which is the highest among the rest of the mentioned ingredients. In the case, for May [$20 Budget Meal], we will use "Tofu" as the specific ingredient for one of the dish in the budget menu (eg: steam tofu, fried tofu, braised tofu and etc).

HOW TO JOIN:

~ Prepare either "2 Dishes plus 1 Soup" or "1 Pot Dish" using a budget which is not more than $20.00 for 2 - 4 servings. If you are from overseas, you can also participate by converting to the appropriate currency value, (ie. US$15.00, RM$50.00, Rp $138,000 and etc)

~ If you do not have a blog, just send in the photos and at least one recipe from your dishes and I will publish on your behalf in my blog, credited to you. (photos can be taken in any form using digital camera or hand phone)

~ All submission entries must be published in your blog or prepared during the month of May from 01 May  - 25th May 2011.

~ Please do mention in your blog that you are sharing this post to “May $20 Budget Meal - Specific Ingredient is "Tofu/Beancurd"” and link it to this page HERE (use this link: http://ellenaguan.blogspot.com/2011/05/may-20-budget-meal-specific-key.html) to encourage more readers to contribute into the event.

Since this month theme is on "Tofu/Beancurd" you can use your own imaginations or recipe(s) from cookbook to come up with all kind of related recipes using any type of tofu such as Egg, Silken, Traditional, Firm or etc that you prefer.

SUBMISSION:

~ E-mail your "blog link plus Photos of the dishes" or "photos with recipe" to ellenaguan@hotmail.com with a subject "May $20 Budget Meal" in the following format:

Your Name:
URL of your post:
Name of your dishes + soup:
Estimate amount spent for each dish:
Attachment of your photos in your email (each photo, preferably 500kb or less).

To enlighten you with a better ideas on the Tofu dish, here are four different types of preparation methods that you can take into reference. And if you are not sure about the post requirements or how to breakdown the price-list of each dishes/soup, you can refer to one of the example post HERE.

Lastly I would like to thanks everyone who has participated in the last two [$20 Budget Meal] events., all your dishes and ideas are Awesome!!! And till date we have in total, 35 sets of "$20 Budget Meal' which are quick and easy to prepare. If you are interested you can take a look at March Round-up(Here) and April Round-up(Here).

CLOSING DATE:

~ Wednesday, 25 May 2011, 2359 hours  and all entries will be compiled and posted on 31st May 2011.

[April $20 Budget Meal] Seaweed and Minced Pork Soup, Fried Bitter Gourd Omelette and Ma Po Tofu

I have being craving for those Cze Char style Seaweed Soup recently and after asking around for a quick and easy recipe. I managed to settle on Alice's version where she is very patience to guide me through  the steps during one of our chat on MSN. Her method was pretty good with boiling of  fresh ikan bilis stock and she also share on how to "clean" the seaweed by frying it dry in a non-stick pan which will enhance it's fragrance and at the same time removes any dirt that is trapped in between the seaweed.

This set of Budget Meal cost about S$6.60 which is good enough for 2 - 3 servings.

SEAWEED SOUP

Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
1/4 Portion of Dried Seaweed, cut from a 20cm round
60g Minced Pork
2 Garlic Cloves, lightly pound
1 - 2 Slices of Ginger
1 Stalk of Spring Onion, cut into sections
1 Medium Tomato, cut into wedges
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1 Litre Hot Water
1/2 Cube or Knorr Ikan Bilis Stock

Method:-

1. Marinate minced pork with light soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper and corn starch for about 5 minutes.

2. Heat up 1/2 Tablespoon of oil in a soup pot, saute ginger, garlic and spring onion till fragrant then add in minced pork and continue to stir-fry for a few minutes till cooked through.

3. Pour in hot water and bring to boil, add stock cube, let it simmer for 2 - 3 minutes. Remove the garlic, ginger and spring onion before adding in the tomato and seaweed.

4. Turn off the heat, slowly swirl in the beaten egg and serve.


Total cost for this dish is about S$1.80 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Seaweed = S$0.40
~ Egg = S$0.20
~ Tomato = $0.20
~ Minced Pork = S$1.00

Whenever we visit any Cze Char(煮炒) stalls, we will always order either their "Bitter Gourd Omelette" or "Egg Foo Yong(芙蓉蛋)". Here we can also prepare a simple version of this delicious omelette dish at home according to personal preference. If you are not sure on how to choose the bitter gourd, you can always ask the stall owner for help. But if you are getting it from supermarket, just try to get those with bright jade green colour and wider pattern lines so that they are not on the extreme bitter taste.

BITTER GOURD OMELETTE

Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
2 Large Eggs
100g (1/3 Portion of a Medium) Bitter Gourd, thinly sliced
2 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
1 Teaspoon of Light Soy Sauce
Dash of Pepper and Sesame Oil
1.5 Tablespoon Oil for frying Omelette

Method:-

1. Before cooking the bitter gourd, add 1 teaspoon of salt and marinate for 5 minutes, wash and squeeze dry to reduce the bitter taste.

2. Heat up oil in frying pan, saute garlic until fragrant. Add in bitter gourd and mix well.

3. Stir-fry the bitter gourd until soft, slowly swirl in the beaten egg (beat egg, light soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper together till combined) .

4. Pan-fry at medium heat until set, turn it over and continue to fry until golden brown.

5. Dish up and serve.


Total cost for this dish is about S$0.90 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Bitter Gourd = S$0.50
~ 2 Eggs = S$0.40

It has being long since I last set my wok with this popular Chinese dish which is known as Mo Po Tofu(麻婆豆腐). It has a combination of tofu (beancurd) and minced meat that cooks in a spicy chili and bean based sauce. For this home version of Mo Po Tofu, I used the instant Lee Kum Kee Mo Po Tofu sauce which is slightly mild compare to the original "spicy" taste that we ate from Chinese Restaurants.

MA PO TOFU

Ingredients: (Serves 2 - 4)
90g Minced Pork
250g Soft Tofu, dice in 1" cubes
2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar, optional
1 Packet of Lee Kum Kee's Ma Po Tofu Sauce

Method:-

1. Preheat frying pan with 1.5 tablespoon of oil and saute minced garlic till fragrance before adding in the minced pork.

2. Stir-fry minced pork till cook through, pour in Lee Kum Kee Sauce For Ma Po Tofu and simmer for 10 seconds.

3. Slowly add in the drained tofu and give it a quick stir to absorb the flavour from the Ma Po sauce and slightly thickened. (You can add in some sugar to balance the spicy and salty taste from the sauce)

4. Dish up on serving plate, sprinkle with some chopped spring onion and serve immediately with warm steamed rice.


Total cost for this dish is about S$3.90 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Silken Tofu = S$1.50
~ Lee Kum Kee Sauce = S$1.40
~ Minced Pork = S$1.00

Using simple ingredients like EGG and TOFU you can also whipped up something delicious like what we had for dinner. And I am sure most of you can also come out with some other delicious dishes using these simple ingredients too. Most important you know what is good for your family and  I am sure you will try to incorporate as many healthy ingredients as you can in your daily cooking.

Steamed Firm Beancurd with Egg And Preserved Turnip

A few weeks back I have done a similar beancurd dish using Firm Tofu with Leek (read more HERE) and now here is another version that I have adapted and modify from one of the "3 Plus 1 Sr 3( 三 菜一汤)" cooking show. For my recipe I used preserve turnip (菜脯) instead of the dried shrimps because I prefer the fragrant and taste of preserve turnip with the bland tofu.



Estimate Cost On Ingredients: S$2.00

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 Piece of Firm Tofu(豆干)
1 Medium Size Egg
1/4 Cup (50ml) of Water/Stock
1/4 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
Dash of Salt and Pepper

For Garnish:
3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon of Preserved Turnips(菜脯)
1 Small Red Chili, thinly sliced
Spring Onion and Coriander

Method:-

1. Lightly fry the firm beancurd with 1/2 Tablespoon of oil then golden-brown on both side. Remove and drain well, cut into 9 equal parts and place it in a steaming bowl/dish.

2. Saute garlic and preserved turnip till fragrant and lightly brown with the remaining oil from frying the beancurd. Dish up and set aside.

3. Lightly whisk the egg in a bowl(do not over beat it), add in water, sesame oil, salt and pepper and mix till combined.

4. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to get rid of lumpy egg cluster before pouring it the strained mixture into the prepared tofu dish.

5. When the water boils, steam the tofu and egg over medium low heat for about 10 minutes.

6. Top with the prepared garlic mixture and continue to steam for another 3 – 5 minutes till egg custard is firm and toothpick inside and comes out clean.

7. Garnish with spring onion, coriander and chili then serve with steamed rice.

Note:-

~ Omit seasonings such as sesame oil, salt and pepper if using stock instead of water for the egg custard.

~ Rinse Preserved Turnips in water, squeeze dry before use.

If you cannot get hold of any traditional Asian "Firm Tofu(豆干)" in your area, you can replace it with with either one of those pan-fry / deep-fried tofu. I am sure this dish will lift up your appetite with more than 1 serving bowl of rice due to it's combination some fragrant spicy and salty toppings.

[Blog Event] 2 Dishes plus 1 Soup

Recently we have come out a blog event on $20.00 Budget Meal with aim to encourage those who loves to prepare simple homecooked meal to share with us their meal planning and budget tips. We hope to take this opportunity to learn from each other on how to plan and prepare some quick and easy nutritious dishes even with minimum sum of budget given.

So far I have a few responds and enquires from readers but I do hope to see more supporter(s) for this event if you/your helper do prepared a budget meal smilar to this post. For example below shows the 2  Dishes plus 1 Soup menu which I spent a total of S$19.20 to prepare and serves 4.



STIR-FRY BITTER GOURD WITH EGG

Ingredients: (serves 4)

1 Small Bitter Gourd(苦瓜), about 150g
1/2 Tablespoon Dried Shrimps, soaked till soften
2 Eggs
3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced
50ml Hot Water

Seasonings
1 Teaspoon Chicken Stock Powder
Dash of Light Soy Sauce

Methods:-

1. Remove seeds from the bitter gourd and slice it thinly before rubbing it with with 1 teaspoon of salt. Rinse well with water and set side to drain.

2. Preheat a frying pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, saute dried shrimp(pound lightly before use) until fragrant, add in garlic and continue to fry for another 10 seconds before adding in the drained bitter gourd.

3. Fry for a another 10 seconds, add in powder chicken stock, water and let it simmer for 2 minutes.

4. Lastly crack in eggs, give it a quick stir and simmer till the mixture became thicken.

5. Add in dash of light soy sauce, stir, dish up and serve.


Bitter Gourd (苦瓜) being rich in all the essential vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin A, B1, B2, C and Iron. It can also be use to treat complications such as hypertension, eye complications if consume regularly. For this quick and nutritious dish it cost around S$2.10 with breakdown shown below:-

Cost of Ingredients:
~ Bitter Gourd = S$1.00
~ Egg = S$0.40
~ Dried Shrimp and Garlic  = S$0.70




STEAM KURAU FISH WITH SALTED VEGETABLES

Ingredients: (serves 4)

400g of Kurau Fish(马友鱼), tail portion
150g of Preserved Salted Vegetable, cut into slices
2 Fresh Shittake Mushroom, thinly slice
1 - 2 Stalks of Spring Onion, cut into sections
3 Slices of Ginger, cut into thin strips
1 Chili, seed removed and cut into slices

Seasonings:
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon Cooking Wine

Method:-

1. Clean and remove any scales from the fish, rinse and pat dry using kitchen paper towel. Set aside.

2. Rinse salted vegetables under tap water, drain well and cut into slices. Put 1/3 portion of it on steaming plate together with some ginger and spring onion before placing the fish on top.

3. Top fish with the rest of the ingredients and drizzle with seasonings.

4. When the pot of water comes to boil, steamed fish over medium high heat for about 12 - 15 minute till the fish is cooked through.(you can test using a fork to flake the fish meat after 12 minutes to check)

5. To serve, drizzle some extra sesame oil and dash of pepper on it and spoon some sauce at the bottom of the fish to moist the fillet and enhance the taste.


  Out of the 3 dishes, this steamed fish is consider to be the most expensive as the Kurau Fish cost around S$3.00per 100g. Total cost for this dish is about S$14.40 with breakdown shown below:-

Cost of Ingredients:
~ Kurau Fish Tail = S$12.90
~ Salted Vegetable = S$0.60
~ Mushroom = S$0.40
~ Chili and Spring onion = S$0.50



BLACK MOSS TOFU SOUP

Ingredients: (serves 4)

1 Box of Silken Tofu, cut into small cubes
50g Minced Pork
1 Tablespoon of Black Moss, soaked in water till soft
1 Shallot, finely chopped
2 Slices of Ginger, optional
1.2 Litres Hot Water
1/2 Chicken Stock Cube
1 Tablespoon Cornflour Solution
Some chopped Spring Onion

Method:-

1. Rinse the beancurd and cut into small cubes. Rinse the soften black moss and cut into shorter lengths.

2. Marinate mince pork with 1.5 teaspoon light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1.5 teaspoon cornflour and dash of pepper. Stir well and set aside.

3. Heat up 1/2 tablespoon of oil in soup pot, add in chopped shallot, ginger and saute it till fragrant.

4. Add in minced pork, press and stir with a spatula to break the pork into bits.

5. Pour in water and let it simmer for about 5 minutes before adding the stock cube, beancurd and black moss.

6. When the mixture comes to boil again, stir in some cornflour solution(mix 1 tablespoon cornflour with 1/2 tablespoon water) to thicken the soup.

7. To serve, top with ground pepper and chopping spring onion or coriander.


This quick and easy soup is done in less than 15 minutes of cooking time which you can prepared while steaming the fish so that you do not need to reheat it before serving. Total cost for this dish is about S$2.70 with breakdown shown below:-

Cost of Ingredients:
~ Silken Tofu = S$0.90
~ Minced Meat = S$1.00
~ Black Moss = S$0.50
~ Shallot and Spring onion = S$0.30



For more read up or ideas on how to submit your homecooked dish for this event, you can also refer to these 2 submission below:- or follow the link HERE. Hope to see your entry soon, closing date EXTEND to next Sunday, 27 March 2011, 2359 Hours.


SINGAPORE: with total costs of S$19.50


2 Dishes, 1 Soup (两菜一汤 ) by WaiFong of Fong's Kitchen Journal

BANGKOK: with total cost of THB 340 or S$14.30

2 Dishes plus 1 Soup by Amy of  Mothering Corner

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

Salted Egg Tofu (咸蛋豆腐)

My inspiration for making this dish comes from my craving on Salted Egg Prawns which I have not eaten for quite sometime. And since recently I am trying to cook quick and simple homecooked dish within a S$20.00 budget for "2 Dishes and 1 Soup". I decided to try out this “Salted Egg Tofu” which surprisingly turns out well received.

Salted duck eggs are normally boiled or steamed before being peeled and eaten as a condiment to porridge or cooked with other foods as flavouring. The orange red yolk is rich, fragrant and less salty compare to the whites portion.

For a while our sense of taste seems to play a trick on us by making us thought that this tofu dish is actually the "salted egg prawn" due to the familiar taste that they both shared.

Ingredients: (serves 2)

1 Tube of Egg Tofu
10 - 15 Curry Leaves

Egg Yolk Coating:
1 Cooked Salted Egg Yolk, mashed
1 Small Red Onion, cut into wedges
10g of Unsalted Butter
1 Teaspoon of Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Of Cornflour
1 - 2 Sprig Extra Curry Leave

Tip:

~ Remove the outer soil from the salted egg, carefully scrub and rinse well. Cooked it in a small saucespan half filled with water on medium low heat for about 10 minutes. Remove, shelled and take out the salted egg yolk. OR

~ Alternatively, break the uncooked salted egg and remove the yolk and steamed it for 8 minutes before mashing.

Although this dish might be quite fattening due to the ingredients used but I guess having it once in a while should be a good enough to satisfy those craving from the fried salted egg with butter taste. What's more to consider when you only need roughly S$3.00 to prepare this.

Method:

1. Slice tofu equally into 8 pieces of the same thickness.

2. Gently coat it with some cornflour and shake off the excess.

3. Pan-fry the tofu with 1 tablespoon of oil till golden brown and crisp on both side, remove and drain well.

4. Use the remaining oil from the pan, saute the 10 - 15 curry leaves using low heat till crispy and drain well. (you have to do this fast as the leaves tends to get burnt very quickly)

5. With the same frying pan, add in butter and olive oil and simmer on low heat till butter melt before adding in the onion and sprigs of curry leaves. (if you prefer something spicy, you could add in a few slices of cut chili at this stage)

6. Continue to saute the mixture on low heat till the onion begin to soften, stir in the mashed salted egg yolk and give it a quick stir till the well combined.

7. Slowly toss in the tofu, swirl the pan to coat tofu evenly with the salted egg sauce.

8. Discard the sprigs of curry leaves and serve the golden tofu with crispy curry leaves as garnish.

Stir-Fry Leek with Firm Beancurd

Time flies fast as February is coming to an end in about less than 10 days time. And the last day of the 15 Days of Lunar Chinese New Year (CNY) has just past on the 17th February where everyone grab the last opportunity to enjoy the CNY feast and atmosphere. For our family I just prepared two simple home cooked dishes that my dad used to cook during CNY.

First I cook this “Stir-Fry Leek with Firm Beancurd” which is one of our family dishes that my dad often prepared during CNY where he will stock up a lot LEEKS either to stir-fry with white spotted rabbitfish(recipe HERE) or beancurd. Below is the recipe of our quick and easy way of eating Leek during Chinese New Year.

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

3 Stalks of Leeks
1 - 2 Pieces of Firm Beancurd
3 Cloves of Garlic
1 Red Chili, optional, cut into thin slices
1/2 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
50ml Hot Water

Method:

1. Rinse and remove any soil that trapped in between the green leaves of the leek, pat dry and sliced the leek diagonally into sections and set aside. (refer to the photo above)
2. Heat up frying pan with 1/2 tablespoon of oil to pan-fry the beancurd till slightly golden brown on each side. Remove, cool and cut into bite-sized portions.
3. Using the same frying pan, saute garlic till fragrant before adding in leek, chili slices. Continue to fry for another 1 minute until leek leaves are cooked, stir in oyster sauce and give it a quick stir.
4. Add in beancurd and hot water, mix well and simmer the mixture on low heat for about 3 - 4 minutes till the leek turn soft and beancurd absorb the flavour from the sauce.
5. Dish up and serve with steamed rice.


If prefer something more meaty for this dish perhaps you could add in some minced meat, roasted pork belly, preserved pork(腊肉) or even firm fish slices instead of beancurd. This leek can also be used for making soup broth together with potato and carrot which will produce a great stock for cooking noodles or etc.

Will share more about the 2nd dish of "Steamed Chicken with Pandan Leaves and Garlic" on the next post. Stay tune and have a great weekend.

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.