Peanut Butter Cookies

End of Circuit Breaker - the season of giving & sharing.

Today was my very first time baking peanut butter cookies. This recipe only requires 4 ingredients: sugar, peanut butter, baking soda and egg. No need flour. Fail-safe recipe.

Very happy with today's bake! Tastes good and it looks presentable. So I shared this peanut butter goodness with my neighbours and the condo guards. 😊

Peanut butter cookies

Ingredients (makes 20 cookies)

• 1 cup of brown sugar (note: I'd cut down the sugar)
• 1 cup of peanut butter 
• 1 large egg 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (improvised with peanuts)

Preparation 

1. Whisk it all together. 
2. Scoop and place it on a baking sheet. 
3. Make criss cross lines using skewer.  
4. Bake it at 180 degrees Celcius for 10 minutes. 
5. Take it out from the oven. Leave it for 5 minutes to let it cool down and hardened. 

The foodgasm verdict: 6/10

Singapore Laksa

Celebrated my 10 years run in Singapore making Singapore Laksa. 

I'm so glad I made the move. I met many beautiful people. Hui Hui, Julie, Cynthia, Glendon, and many more. Genuine with no hidden agenda. Thank you Singapore for everything.

Coming back to Singapore laksa, I made the gravy from scratch with slight adjustments here and there. It is not difficult to make at all, just that there's plenty of washing to do. 😂

Use fresh coconut milk. Don't settle for anything less. 

Ingredients

Laksa mix

• Shallots, finely chopped 
• Bird's eye chilli 
• Dried red chilli 
• Garlic, finely sliced 
• Lemongrass, finely sliced 
• Galangal, finely chopped 
• Tumeric powder 
• Coriander powder 
• Belacan, roasted 

Others

• 1 hard boiled egg 
• Prawns  
• Coconut milk 
• Puffy tofu 
• Cuttlefish (Penang style)
• Fish cake (Penang style)
• Mint (Penang style)
• Laksa noodle

Preparation 

1. Boil the laksa noodle and leave it aside.  
2. Boil the egg, remove the egg shell and cut into half. 
3. Blend the laksa mix. I used pestle and mortar. 
4. Fry the laksa mix until fragrant. 
5. Prepare the soup stock with prawn head. I used Japanese anchovies instead. 
6. Add the laksa mix to the soup stock. 
7. Add fresh coconut milk. When cooking with coconut milk, do not use high heat. Medium heat will do. If not, the gravy will separate into 2 layers (gravy and milk) when it cools down. 
8. Add tofu, prawns, cuttlefish, and etc. 
9. Add laksa leaf herbs or dried mint herbs. 
10. Let it boil. 
11. Place the laksa noodle in a shallow bowl. 
12. Scoop the gravy onto the noodle. 
13. Lastly, add hard boiled egg and garnish with fresh mint. 

The foodgasm verdict: 8/10

Ban Chien Kueh

Day 55 Circuit Breaker: Ban Chien Kueh (Chinese pancake)

I don't remember how my BFF Melly and I got about talking about Ban Chien Kueh, but I soon learned that it's actually very easy to make. Challenge accepted? Consider it done!

It actually took me a few weeks to get down to business. Finally bought the flour and eggs yesterday and I managed to squeeze some time today to make 'em. 

I am so happy with the results! Tastes so good! Thank you Melly for the inspiration! And for the first time ever, mom asked me for the recipe. Hehe, yes. Our roles have reversed. 😆

My choice of filling: corn cream, peanut, banana.

Yum! Just like the ones they sell in Penang.

Ingredients 

Batter:

• 150g self raising flour
• 40g sugar
• 5g baking powder
• 1 egg
• 160ml water

Filling: (each)

• 3 tbsp crushed peanuts
• 3 tbsp cream corn
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tsp sugar
• Other options: tuna, cheese, banana (be creative!) 

Preparation 

1. In a bowl, whisk and combine all ingredients for batter. Wrap bowl with cling wrap and leave to rest for 1 hour.
2. On non-stick pan over a medium heat (no oil needed), evenly coat the pan with 2-4 tbsp of batter and cook for about 1 min or until the batter set and form with small bubbles.
3. Sprinkle sugar evenly on top of pancake and keep cooking for another 4-6 mins or until pancake is light golden brown.
4. Top with crushed peanuts, butter and cream corn. Lift pancake from the pan, fold into half and serve immediately.

The foodgasm verdict: 8/10 

Penang Asam Laksa

Day 53 Circuit Breaker: I've eaten enough bowls of Penang Laksa, to be able to cook without a recipe! 😂

Penang Asam Laksa ("laksa"). This is my ultimate favourite food and I've been very blessed to have enjoyed this throughout my life. Mom knows I love laksa and she'd cook for me whenever possible. It is her expression of love for me 😍, from Penang, Johor, Singapore, and even London! Disclaimer: laksa in London wasn't my request, but Alex's. 😇

When in Singapore, I usually satisfy my laksa cravings at Jason's Penang Cuisine (stall #01-12 at ABC Food Center). Jason's is my absolute favourite and trust me, they are the BEST in Singapore! In fact, whenever my date asks me where I'd like to eat, I won't hesitate dragging him here. Yup, the dating litmus test. To see if we're two peas in a pod when it comes to food.😁

I have been craving for laksa of late. But due to circuit breaker, it didn't make sense for me cab all the way to ABC Food Center (that would have cost me $50 to and fro). So I woke up today and decided to cook laksa. I realized I've not cooked laksa before. 😬 I was a little nervous, but that didn't stop me from trying.

The results? I was blown away! My laksa was close to mom's. I'm so pleased with myself. I realized it ain't rocket science and I could easily cook this again. I'm also starting to believe I can bedazzle any red-blooded man with my culinary skills. Game on! 😉

Tastes so good. This photo does not do justice at all. 

Ingredients 

Laksa mix

• Galangal (a few slices)
• Asam jawa 
• Asam keping (a few slices)
• Laksa leaves 
• Chilli paste 
• Belacan (pounded) 
• 10 shallots (pounded) 
• 3 lemon grass (pounded)
• 4 fresh mackerel  
• Salt  

Others 

• Laksa noodle 
• Lettuce 
• Cucumber 
• Mint leaves 
• Pineapple 
• Onion 
• Prawn paste 
• Torch ginger  
• Bird's eye chilli

Preparation 

1. Clean the fish with salt and running water. 
2. Boil the fish and remove the bones. Keep as soup stock.
3. Boil fresh pot of soup. Add soup stock and remaining soup ingredients. 
4. Boil the laksa noodle. 
5. Place the laksa noodle in a bowl and stack it up with vegetables, pineapple and onion. 
6. Once the soup is boiling hot, scoop the soup into the bowl of noodle. 
7. Add prawn paste, torch ginger, and bird's eye chilli. 

The foodgasm verdict: 9/10

Spicy Thai Basil Chicken

Day 44 Circuit Breaker: Thai Basil Chicken with vermicelli 

The Thai basil paste my mom gave me came in handy. Made this simple chicken dish for lunch within 10 minutes. It is best served with steam rice. I like mine with vermicelli though. 😄

A simple balance meal

Ingredients: 

• A packet of Thai basil paste
• Fresh Thai basil leaves 
• Chicken breast 
• Wood ear mushrooms
• Bittergourd
• Garlic

Preparation: 

1. Heat up the pan with oil.
2. Stir fry the garlic.
3. Add chicken breast and stir fry until it is no longer raw.
4. Add the Thai basil paste. 
5. Add mushroom and bittergourd.
6. Serve with steam rice of vermicelli. 

My foodgasm verdict: 7/10 

Penang Char Koay Kak

Day 41-43 Circuit Breaker: Making it from scratch! 

One by one of my friends talked about Char Koay Kak (fried steam rice cake). It started with Shu-Yin, then Eleen and Hooi Ling, the hits and misses, and apparently it is not easy to make the rice cakes at all. I took it as a synchronicity sign from the universe inspiring me to master this Penang hawkers dish. Challenge accepted!

I knew I wanted to make the rice cakes from scratch. That's the fun part of it. But oh my, I had no idea what I signed up for. The technique and effort required was enormous and it stretched my culinary skills.

• Day 1: Steam rice cake 
• Day 2: Fry the rice cake 

Thankfully, I had my mom to guide me over the phone. I admire my mom. She is a walking recipe book.

Steaming the rice cake

Making crispy pork lard

Frying in process

It was so yummy! I had 3 plates.

I am very satisfied with my Char Koay Kak. I have also learned to enjoy eating this. 😅😋 If not for my mom, I would not have made it successfully on my very first attempt. Thank you mom for the voice-only cooking masterclass. 😍😘

Ingredients:  

• 1 cup of rice flour 
• 3 cups of water 
• 1-2 tablespoon of tapioca flour or corn flour 
• 100% pork fat  
• Olive oil 
• Garlic
• Chai Poh, both sweet and salted (picked radish)
• Salty dark soy sauce 
• Fish sauce 
• Ku Chai (Chinese chives) 
• Beansprout 
• Egg 
• Banana leaf 

Preparation: 

Day 1: Steam plain rice cake

1. Coat a stainless steel bowl with a layer of oil. 
2. Combine rice flour, water and tapioca flour in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Stir it until the paste thickens. 
3. Transfer the paste to a greased stainless steel bowl.
4. Steam it for 1.5 hours - 2 hours. 
5. Use a satay stick to see if it's cooked. Top up water in the steamer if needed. 
6. Once cooked, let it cool down. 
7. Once cooled down, refrigerate it overnight. 
8. The next morning, take it out from the fridge and check the texture. It's supposed to bounce up when you gently press with your finger.
9. If texture looks good, cut the rice cake into small cubes. 

Day 2: Fry the rice cakes

1. Fry pork lard with oil and put aside. 
2. Add oil onto your pan.
3. Saute garlic, chai poh and pork lard.
4. Add rice cakes.
5. Add dark soy sauce and fish sauce. 
6. Add chilli paste (optional).
7. Add beansprout and kuchai. 
8. Finally, add egg. 
9. Serve on banana leaf. 

Tips:

• The pork lard will make or break the dish. This is a must have.  
• The pork lard shrink into tiny bits once fried. 
• Smash the rice cake into smaller pieces so that more surfaces are coated with sauce. 

The foodgasm verdict: 9/10 

MLXG Beef

Day 40 Circuit Breaker: Ma La Xiang Guo Beef 

After 1 month staying away from beef, I finally surrendered to my cravings for beef. Also added rainbow diet of vegetables for my chakra health. 🌈🌈🌈 Added bittergourd, brinjal, potatoes, bell peppers, carrot and garnished with coriander and additional garlic. Yes I love garlic. Apparently garlic (yellow) is good for solar plexus chakra. This chakra is closely related to personal power, self-worth and self-esteem; the ability to master thoughts and emotions. Dress sharp, stand tall and speak up. I am enough!

The Captain asked, "Why is it all your beef dishes look so good?" 😁

Rainbow MLXG for my healthy Chakras 😍

The foodgasm verdict: 8/10

Pad Thai

Day 39 Circuit Breaker: Making Pad Thai 

It's the weekend and I decided to make Pad Thai (yes, my very first time). 😇 The idea came about when my friend sent me a YouTube video of Bangkok street food. I watched the video and thought it was doable. I had no idea what sauces they used, but I decided to use fish sauce coupled with light soy sauce.

Carb loading for tomorrow's cycling 

I was happy with the end product. It was very flavourful and appetizing, just lacked the "wok hei" effect. 😬

Ingredients 

The sauce

• Fish sauce 
• Tamarind paste (I improvised with light soy sauce)
• Sugar (I didn't add)
• Water 

Main ingredients 

• Olive oil
• Garlic 
• Shallot 
• Prawns (improvised with pork)
• Tofu 
• Rice noodle 
• Beansprout 
• Chives or spring onions, and often both.
• Egg 

Garnishing 

• Roasted peanuts  
• Chilli flakes 
• Lime

Preparation 

1. Heat up oil on a pan on medium heat.
2. Fry the tofu and put it aside on a plate. 
3. Saute the garlic and shallot.
4. Add the prawns. 
5. Add rice noodle.
6. Add a dash of fish sauce and light soy sauce. 
7. Add beansprout. 
8. Add egg. 
9. Add chives or spring onion
10. Serve with roasted peanuts and chilli flakes.

The foodgasm verdict: 7/10 

Enjoying CB project thus far!

Day 36-38 Circuit Breaker: My kitchen project checkpoint... 

After staying home for 4+ weeks, I discovered new dishes and flavours. First time making sushi and pizzas. First time using avocados and truffles. This lockdown truly brought out the chef in me! 😄

CB: Circuit breaker (in case you dirty fellas have something else in mind, hahaha)

My top 3 kitchen fun:

1. Rolling sushi! 
2. Making avocado toast or milkshakes
3. Baking pizza with wraps

My top 3 most repeated meals (mostly carbs 😂):

1. Miso udon  
2. Tomyam noodles
3. Koay teow soup 

My top 3 snacks:

1. Baked almond (from Melbourne OMG tastes so good!), figs, raisins 
2. Edamame 
3. Milk & good ol' Marie biscuits 

Coming up next:

1. Pad Thai noodles
2. Carrot cake
3. Shakshuka 

Cooking is so fun. Gonna keep cooking till I'm old. It's my expression of love.😍 

Sauerkraut

Day 35 Circuit Breaker: Sauerkraut, my lifesaver this lockdown

I bought a bottle of sauerkraut late last year. Scoop a generous portion of sauerkraut from the bottle, toss coriander sprinkle black pepper, and it's ready to be served as a vegetable side. I love how appetizing it is!

Soy sauce roasted chicken from Cold Storage

The foodgasm verdict: 6/10

The Pizza Craze continues.

Day 34 Circuit Breaker: A friend calls me "pizza" and I'm living up to my nickname!

It looks like pizza has become my staple diet during this circuit breaker period. I had pizza for 3 consecutive days and I'm not bored of it just yet. 😜

Here are the toppings I made:

• Pizza with bell peppers and truffles 
• Pizza with minced pork (also the Captain's favourite)
• Pizza with aubergine

I like adding salad leaves on top of the pizza. It adds texture. 

The foodgasm verdict: 7/10

Salad with Hard Boiled Egg

Day 33 Circuit Breaker: Delicious Salad with Hard Boiled Egg

If you have noticed, I've recently reduced my meat intake. Replaced my protein dietary needs with eggs and tofu. It's supposedly healthy but it feels like something is missing in my diet. Oh well, will let my body guide me what nutrients I need. Might go back to meat and seafood next week!

Meanwhile, here's my salad ingredients for today:

• Bell peppers - green, yellow, red
• Cucumber
• Lettuce 
• Spinach
• Sauerkraut 
• Kimchi 
• Garlic
• Feta cheese 

The salad was delicious, but I got hungry a few hours later.

The foodgasm verdict: 7/10

MAMA Tom Yam Noodle

Day 32 Circuit Breaker: Yes I'm official instant noodle queen! 

Besides Indomie, I also enjoy Thai MAMA Tom Yam instant noodle and I have no shame to admit it. 😆 Yes I know it is unhealthy and it's a cardinal sin to some people. But then again, it's just so convenient and satisfying. As long as I don't take it all too often, it should be fine. What's life if we cannot indulge occasionally?

My toppings today:

• Mint leaves 
• Ginger flower 
• Mushroom
• Coriander 
• Egg 
• Chinese wolfberries (for sweetness and eye health)

Toppings overloaded 

The foodgasm verdict: 8/10 

Thin Crust Pizza with Rocket

Day 31 Circuit Breaker: Making pizza using wrap. It works! 

Happy Vesak Day! Today is a holy day for Buddhists to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautama Buddha. I decided to go vegetarian.

Since I was not happy with the pizza crust I previously made, I decided to try again. Apparently, I heard that Mission pizza crust will do the job. I searched high and low, typically at the fresh bread section, but it's out of stock. Looks like everyone else is also making pizza. I didn't want to wait until it comes back in stock, so I decided to use Gardenia wrap instead. I am pleased with my pizza. Please allow the Italian chef in me present you with "thin crust pizza topped with rocket." 😊

Superbly satisfying thin crust pizza! 

Ingredients 

• Wrap 
• Tomato ketchup (lazy me!)  
• Toppings: Tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, onions 
• Mixed Italian herbs, dried chilli flakes.
• Cheese: Mozzarella + Cheddar + Parmesan  
• Rocket leaves 

Preparation 

1. Preheat oven at 250 degrees Celsius. 
2. Chop the vegetables.
3. Lay a fresh wrap on a baking sheet. 
4. Then, spread tomato ketchup, toppings, cheese and herbs.  
5. Bake the pizza for 10-15 minutes. 

The foodgasm verdict: 8/10

Truffle on fromage bread

Day 30 Circuit Breaker: Finally using the truffle spread 

If you've been to my kitchen, you won't find any jam, peanut butter or kaya. Why? Firstly, too much sugar. Secondly, I don't usually eat bread (again the sugar) unless it's a baguette (cos no sugar). And since I cannot finish a baguette all myself, I've stopped buying.

When circuit breaker began, I started buying bread again. Bread is versatile when hunger strikes. Simply spread a thin layer of truffle and I was in heaven. It's funny how our taste buds can change. I didn't like it previously, but now I've learned to enjoy it so much! Thank you Alex for the bottle of truffles from Italy.

Truffle, fromage bread and Kiwi fruit.

The foodgasm verdict: 8/10

Udon with garlic

Day 29 Circuit Breaker: Garlic to spice up my udon!

I made miso udon again for lunch. It's quick and easy. This time round, I added wolfberry, black sesame, and topped it with garlic. I love the garlic so much!!! Thank you Sheryl for the recommendation. Next time you go to Don Don Donki, don't forget to grab this bottle of garlic. I bought 3 bottles and I'm glad I did. 😁

The foodgasm verdict: 8/10 

Sandwich: Avocado + Banana

Day 28 Circuit Breaker: I'm falling in love with avocado.    

What do you do with leftover avocado? Cut it up, spread it over bread and add sliced bananas. I swear the combo is heavenly! For someone who did not like avocado, I am now wondering why did I not incorporate avocado in my diet before. But then again, avocados is high in fat, thus high in calories. So maybe I'll go slow with it.

Photos don't lie. Tastes as good.

The foodgasm verdict: 8/10

Avocado milkshake

Day 27 Circuit Breaker: Thanks to leftover avocados, I learned to make milkshake

Happy Sunday folks! I wanted to cycle since 6:30am but it has been raining till now. While waiting for the rain to go away, I decided blend leftover avocado into milkshake. Topped it with honey and cinnamon powder. Decorated with strawberry and mint. Truly healthy yet I have not learned to enjoy avocado. But then again, the photo presentation impressed many people, so I'll be kind with the foodgasm scores. 😁

Looking so pretty! I do have a sense of food presentation.

The foodgasm verdict: 6/10

Sushi project. Finally!

Day 25 & 26 Circuit Breaker: Sushi project 

A year ago, I wanted to learn how to make sushi. I bought most of the ingredients but the project did not take off due to lack of inspiration.

Late Friday evening, the Captain sent me a photo of his dinner. California roll with fried shallot. Such interesting combination, I thought. Perhaps tabiko is rare in Amsterdam, so they replaced it with fried shallot.

Inspired, my sushi project resurrected! 😃

The next morning, I went to Don Don Donki to shop for the ingredients. I found most of it except rice vinegar. I contemplated using apple cider vinegar, but I was against it. The next day, I found rice vinegar at Cold Storage. So happy! My sushi project is back on track.

Rolling the sushi into rolls is very easy. The art of making the perfect sushi rice was the trickiest part. Thankfully there's YouTube, and just let judgement and creativity lead you to do the rest.

Sushi rice ingredients 

• 2 cups short grain rice 
• 1/2 cup white rice vinegar 
• 4" piece of konbu seaweed
• 2 teaspoons salt 
• 1/4 cup of white sugar
• Cold water 

How to make sushi rice? 

1. Clean the rice over cold water.
2. Soak rice for 30 minutes. 
3. Cook rice in high heat. Let it boil until there is bubbles and steam.
4. Then slow down the temperature and let it simmer for 20 minutes. 
5. Cook rice until all the water is absorbed. 
6. Let the rice sit in a flat surface (shallow wooden bucket) for 15 minutes.  
7. In a different pot, cook rice vinegar, sugar and salt until mixture dissolve.
8. Add the mixture to the rice. 

The rice turned out well cooked. So happy! Now it's time to make sushi rolls. 

Sushi ingredients

Ingredients

• Nori - sushi seaweed
• Wasabi tube 
• Garlic tube 
• Soya sauce
• Pickled ginger 
• Avocado - ripe, not too soft.
• Cucumber - as straight as possible 
• Fried shallot - Amsterdam inspired 
• Salmon 
• Tamago - egg omelette 
• Tabiko - flying fish roe 
• Crab stick 
• Inari - sweet tofu skin 
• Siracha mayo (optional)
• Black sesame (optional) 

How to make California rolls? 

1. Bring out the rolling mat and wrap it with a shrink wrap. 
2. Cut cucumber slices 
3. Cut the crab stick. 
4. Cut the avocado last.
5. Now you're ready to make California roll. Use your imagination how. 😁

California roll. Seaweed is in the inside. 

Nigiri sushi

Temaki handroll

 Maki with seaweeds on the outside.

Maki with siracha mayo

I sent the photo of California roll with fried shallots to the Captain. He said it looks like what he had the other day. 😆

I also sent the photos to once-upon-a-time sushi chef Alex. "Pretty pro! The rolls look great! And so does the nigiri! I'm impressed," says the chef.😊

The foodgasm verdict: 8/10

Juice: Celery + Cucumber

Day 23 Circuit Breaker: Juicing to boost vegetable intake 

Thanks to additional free time during this circuit breaker, I decided to use my slow juicer. Juicing takes a few seconds, but washing the juicer takes so much effort and time. 😅 But it's all worth it, I assure myself. A toast to healthy fresh juice!

Juice of the day: 

• Celery
• Cucumber 
• Ginger 
• Calamansi (optional)

Top 5 benefits of celery

1. Enhance immune system and fights bacteria 
2. Lower cholesterol  
3. Lower blood pressure 
4. Promote liver and kidney health
5. Ease digestion, especially constipation 

It's so refreshing! 

French Toast

Day 22 Circuit Breaker: Simply Bread + Egg

I don't usually eat bread, but bread is so versatile during this circuit breaker. I can take it on its own, spread with butter, or with a slice of cheese. Today, I made French toast. It's nowhere close to mom's "miku" French toast, but it fuels me energy. At this rate I'm going, I eat to live, not live to eat. 😂

French toast served with honey, grapes and kiwi fruit

Ingredients

• 8 thick slices of bread
• 4 eggs 
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional) 
• Cinnamon (optional)
• Nutmeg (optional)
• Toppings: Honey, syrup, jam, powdered sugar, fruits 

Preparation

1. Beat eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg together.
2. Dip bread in egg mixture.
3. Melt butter over medium heat.
4. Fry slices until golden brown, then flip the other side.
5. Serve with honey.

The foodgasm verdict: 6/10

Smart snacking: Ambra Pickle

Day 21 Circuit Breaker: Making ambra pickle my very first time.

It has many names. Back home in Penang, we call it "ambra." In Indonesia, it's called "kedondong" and in Singapore, the fruit juice stalls call it "balonglong."

The ambra fruit is crunchy, sour and very refreshing. I only know 2 fruit stalls in Singapore that sell this fresh juice; (i) Seah Im, and (ii) ABC Brickworks food center.

I picked up a packet of fresh ambra fruits at Fairprice. Wash the fruits, peel the skin, cut it into quarters, add sugar, dried sour plums and Voila! Ambra pickle. 😀

Mom used to make this. It brings back fond childhood memories. 

Smart snacking: Edamame

Day 20 Circuit Breaker: Edamame... my solution to guilt-free snacking. 😜

I have a confession. Since Covid-19, I have been snacking throughout the day. With easy access to the kitchen, it's so convenient to grab something and snack on autopilot mode.

I've been indulging Hershey's, Haagen Dazs, Kit Kat, Loacker wafer, figs, raisins, almond, Babybel cheese, SCS cream cheese on Carr's crackers, Japanese rice crackers and the list goes on.

Once I deplete my stocks of unhealthy snacks, I shall not be lured to the evil supermarket snacks aisle. Meanwhile, let's have some healthy edamame instead. 😉

Boil for 4-5 minutes, drain it, add ice cubes, and toss salt.

Chinese ABC Soup

Day 19 Circuit Breaker: As easy as ABC! 

If you're Malaysian/Singaporean Chinese, you probably had this during your childhood. It's easy to make, yet this is my first time making it. I don't like potatoes in general.

When I was buying the potatoes, the vegetable uncle asked me. "Only 2?" I nodded, "Yea, cooking for one person only." 😬 I admit it's inefficient to cook for 1 person.

Anyways, I usually boil ABC soup in a cast iron pot. Keeps the heat within. The soup was sweet and delicious. I had this for lunch and dinner.

Enjoying this while watching Love Never Dies live from Australia.

Ingredients 

• Potato, tomato, carrot, onions 
• Pork ribs or chicken bones
• Black pepper corns, slightly pounded  
• Salt to taste 

Preparation 

1. Cut the vegetables in big chunks. 
2. Blanch the pork ribs, rinse with cold water, remove impurities and set aside.
3. Boil water in a pot.
4. Add blanched pork, carrot, onions and pepper corns into the soup.
5. Simmer at low heat for 2-3 hours. 
6. Add potatoes and tomatoes. 
7. Simmer the soup another 30 minutes, and add salt to taste.   

Cooking tips

1. If you're not using the cut potatoes yet, soak in water to avoid from it turning black.
2. I prefer to boil soup with pots instead slow cooker. It tastes nicer. 

The foodgasm verdict: 7/10

Maggi Asam Laksa

Day 18 Circuit Breaker: Satisfying my cravings for Asam Laksa  

If you don't already know, my favourite food has always been Asam Laksa. The best version is obviously the one made by my mom. I like my Asam Laksa overloaded with vegetables and very little fish meat. Although Maggi Asam Laksa does not taste anywhere close to mom's Laksa, I was extremely satisfied. Thank you Maggi for the satisfying quick fix.

Asam laksa. The hard boiled eggs were not perfect, but yummy! 

Ingredients 

• Maggi Asam Laksa 
• Raw vegetables: lettuce, mint, cucumber, onion, torch garlic 
• Bird's eye chilli
• Fishball (optional)
• Egg (optional)
• Calamansi (optional)

Preparation 

1. Boil hard boiled egg for 7 minutes. 
2. Cook the Maggi instant noodle soup in a pot for 2 minutes. 
3. Scoop only the noodles into a bowl. Leave the soup boiling in the pot. 
4. Place vegetables on top of the noodles 
5. Once the soup is boiling hot, pour the soup into the bowl. 
6. Add the hard boiled egg (optional). 
7. Squeeze calamansi on top (optional).

The foodgasm verdict: 7/10

Kimchi Jjigae

Day 17 Circuit Breaker: Spicy Kimchi Stew

Prior to circuit breaker, I decided to get a tub of Gochujang Korean chilli paste. This is one of the 2 main ingredients to make Kimchi Jjigae stew, besides the kimchi. I didn't have minced pork, so I used fishball instead. Unfortunately, the end result of my Kimchi Stew fell short. I guess meat really makes a difference in the stew stock. :D 

Improvised with fishball, carrot and broccoli 

Ingredients

• Minced pork seasoned with salt & pepper
• Kimchi
• Chinese cabbage
• Golden mushrooms
• Tofu
• Sweet potato vermicelli
• Cheese slice (optional)
• Coriander
• Spring onion 

Sauce

• Minced garlic
• Soy sauce
• Rice wine – mirin 
• Korean chili paste – Gochujang

Preparation

1. Assemble ingredients and add sauce in shallow pot of water, close the lid and boil.
2. Add sweet potato vermicelli.
3. Add cheese, simmer for the cheese to melt, and it’s ready.

The foodgasm verdict: 6/10

Grilled Prawns Salad

Day 16 Circuit Breaker: Taking baby steps towards clean eating...

This circuit breaker had made me more conscious of my diet. I'm learning to eat clean. Different people have different definition of clean eating. My definition of clean eating is mainly eating fresh food; to eat more fruits and vegetables, eat less meat, no processed or frozen food, and no salad dressing. 😄

Clean eating with no salad dressing.

I was pleasantly surprised how delicious the salad was! The prawns and vegetables were so fresh and tasty, even without any salad dressing. The trick is to add feta cheese. :)

Ingredients 

• Vegetables for grilling - broccoli, bell pepper, tomatoes, carrots
• Vegetables for raw consumption - cucumber, coriander
• Feta cheese  
• Prawns seasoned with lemon pepper 
• Black pepper 

Preparation 

1. Clean the prawns and season it with lemon pepper. 
2. Chop the vegetables into edible sizes.
3. Grill the prawns and vegetables. 
4. Take the prawn shells off. 
5. Plate the salad with cucumber, grilled vegetables and prawns. 
6. Serve with coriander, feta and black pepper. 

Cooking Tips 

1. To defrost the prawns, allow cold water run prawns sealed in a ziplock bag and run water over the bag for a few minutes until the prawns have defrosted. Do not soak the prawns in water as it might make the prawns soggy. 
2. When grilling, keep the prawn shells on. It will protect the prawns from extreme heat. 

The foodgasm verdict: 7/10

IKEA's Meatballs Secret Recipe

Day 15 Circuit Breaker: IKEA has revealed their famous meatballs recipe so that we can create it at home during Covid-19. 

Thank you Anthony for sharing IKEA's meatballs recipe with me. I'll make it one day.

Meatballs Ingredients

• 500g beef mince
• 250g pork mince
• 1x finely chopped onion
• 1x crushed garlic clove
• 100g breadcrumbs
• 1x egg
• 5x tablespoons of whole milk
• a generous dash of salt and pepper

And here’s the simple method:

1. Combine the beef and pork mince and mix together in a bowl using your fingers. Break up any lumps, before adding in the onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, egg and mixing together.
2. Add in the milk, along with salt and pepper and mix in.
3. Shape into small, round balls and place on a clean plate. When all of the mix is used up, cover the plate and store in the fridge for two hours.
4. After two hours, heat some oil on medium heat in a frying pan, and once hot, chuck in the meatballs.
5. Cook until browned.
6. Once browned, pop the meatballs in an ovenproof dish and cook through for a further 30 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees, or 160 degrees if you have a fan oven.

Here’s everything you need for the cream sauce:

• A dash of oil
• 40g of butter
• 40g of plain flour
• 150ml of vegetable stock
• 150ml of beef stock
• 150ml of thick double cream
• 2x teaspoons of soy sauce
• 1x teaspoon of Dijon mustard

And here’s the method:

1. Melt the butter in a pan.
2. Once melted, whisk in 40g of plain flour and stir for two minutes.
3. Add in the 150ml of vegetable stock, along with the 150ml of beef stock.
4. Continue to stir, before adding in the thick double cream, soy sauce, and Dijon mustard.
5. Stir all the ingredients together, then bring to a simmer and allow it to simmer.
6. Once thickened, pour over your meatballs and enjoy!

Source: https://secretldn.com/ikea-meatballs-recipe

Omelette

Day 14 Circuit Breaker: Omelette with onions & cherry tomatoes 

Omelette is easy to make and full of protein. Since I have leftover onions and cherry tomatoes in the fridge, I decided to make omelette for breakfast. Instead of typical omelette where we fold the egg into half, I decided to flip the egg so that both sides are well cooked. Hehe, my very own kitchen acrobatic inspired by the free Cirque du Soleil performance on YouTube during Covid-19 lockdown. :P

Omelette breakfast to fuel my Monday! 

Ingredients 

• 2 eggs  
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Butter
• Fillings - tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, grated cheese. 
• Dried herbs - oregano, chilli flakes. 

Preparation 

1. Beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat up the non-stick pan with extra virgin olive oil and butter. 
3. Use medium heat and pour the egg into the pan.
4. For first 30 seconds, you can move the cooked egg from the edge to the center, and then tilt the pan to fill the pan with egg at the edges. 
5. After that, add filling onto the egg. 
6. Use turner to fold the egg into half, and serve it on a plate.

The foodgasm: 7/10

Miso Udon

Circuit Breaker Day 13: Miso udon, the lazy way. 

Traditionally, most Japanese would make dashi fish stock 24 hours prior to using it when cooking udon. But I like to make quick-and-easy meals. Thus, I don't bother making the dashi stock, thus I simply use miso paste to cook udon soup. :) The recipe is fail safe and always so satisfying. Yes I know the carbs will wreck your keto diet but udon is just so yummy! I'd never give that up. :D And during this circuit breaker, I realized how versatile leek is. I use it so often now.

Easy to make. I made this while video chatting with my childhood friends :)

Ingredients 

• Wakame seaweed (soaked)
• Udon
• Miso paste 
• Vegetables: Leek, carrot 
• Shitake mushrooms
• Tofu
• Garnishing: Spring onions, nori, bonito flakes, ginger paste. 

Preparation

1. Soak wakame seaweed for 10 minutes. 
2. Boil water in a pot, add in miso paste and wakame seaweed.
3. Prepare the vegetables. Cut the leek diagonally. 
4. Add the vegetables, udon and tofu into the soup. 
5. Scoop udon soup into a bowl and garnish with spring onions, nori, bonito flakes and ginger paste. 

The foodgasm verdict: 8/10

Che Pizza? No way, Jose!

Circuit Breaker Day 12: "Che Pizza!" is an Italian idiom meaning "How boring!" 

Staying home during lockdown can be boring if we work, eat, sleep, WhatsApp, and Netflix aimlessly. It takes creativity to keep ourselves challenged for self expansion, and if we want to expand, why not do it with fun and joy. Thus, my beliefs, "Che Pizza? No way, Jose!" 

The best pizza I had was in Linguaglossa on the foothills of Mount Etna, Sicily. The simple pizzeria is only for takeouts. Inspired by Sicilian pizza (I've not seen pizzas with this much of onions), I put generous amount of onions on my pizza. I did not have mozzarella cheese, so I replaced with my pasta cheese, a blend of gouda and maasdam.

The end product was not too bad. The topping flavours were good, but the crust failed miserably. Time for a next challenge: perhaps I could make pizza crust from scratch. :)

Lazy Saturday. Eat pizza and watch Phantom of the Opera live from UK.

Ingredients 

• Frozen pizza crust 
• Tomato sauce: olive oil, garlic, crushed tomatoes, bay leaves 
• Toppings: cherry tomatoes, onions, bell pepper, zucchini, sweet basil 
• Mozzarella cheese
• Olive oil 
• Herbs: oregano, dried basil, chili flakes, black pepper  

Preparation 

1. Defrost the pizza crust. 
2. Preheat the oven at 250 degrees Celsius. 
3. Cook the tomato sauce with herbs.
4. Add tomato sauce on the pizza crust, followed by toppings and cheese. 
5. Sprinkle oregano and black pepper on top (not too much!) 
6. Use a baking sheet and bake the pizza for 20-30 minutes. 

The foodgasm verdict: 6/10

Dalgona Coffee

Circuit Breaker Day 11: Dalgona coffee that went viral

Thanks to Covid-19, Dalgona coffee has taken social media by storm! I've yet making one though. The amount of sugar used looks scary. I usually have black coffee cos I don't believe impurities in my coffee. Currently, I am drinking Penang instant kopi 'o' without sugar. Yes I know, though there's no sugar, I know it's roasted with butter, hahaha! *faint*

Meanwhile, till I try making Dalgona coffee, here's a video how to make one.

Ingredients 

• 2 tbps coffee powder 
• 2 tbps sugar 
• 2 tbps of very hot water 
• Milk
• Ice 

Preparation

1. Whisk the coffee powder, sugar and hot water for 5 minutes until it's thick and foamy.
2. Place ice and pour milk into a cup 
3. Add the coffee mix on top. 
4. Sprinkle with coffee powder and enjoy! 

Hot & Sour Fish Soup Beehoon

Circuit Breaker Day 10: This is my comfort food, oh so yummy! 

When I was working in Penang, my university friend Audrey and I loved going to this food stall that makes hot & sour fish soup beehoon. It was healthy and we loved the sour and gingery taste.

I couldn't find this in Singapore. So I experimented making it and perfected the recipe. Since then, I'd make this when I host friends over, and they love it! Their only complain, "not enough." :D

Over the years, I preferred minced pork instead of fish. Other than that, everything remained the same. To keep it authentic, I used red snapper today.

Ingredients 

• Lemongrass 
• Ginger 
• Chinese plum
• Bird's eye chilli 
• Vegetables - Cabbage, Tomatoes
• Meat - Fish or minced pork
• Beehoon 
• Fried garlic 
• Coriander 

Preparation 

1. Boil water in a pot to cook the beehoon, drain the water, and set it aside.
2. Boil soup stalk and put the ingredients into the soup.
3. Scoop the soup onto the beehoon. 
4. Garnish with fried garlic and coriander. 

The foodgasm verdict: 8/10

Indomie Instant Noodle

Circuit Breaker Day 9: Indomie Instant Noodle 

I'm not a big fan of instant noodles. The only kind that I used to enjoy is Thai Mama Tomyam noodles, and even so, I've not had that for many years. 

In preparation of circuit breaker, I decided to buy instant noodles just in case my fridge runs out of food and I didn't feel like going out to buy food. So I bought a packet Indomie mie goreng, the original flavour. Wow. No wonder people rave about Indomie. It's cheap and good. The Indonesians know how to make instant noodles. 

Indomie instant noodles with extra toppings

Ingredients 

• Indomie instant noodles with prepacked condiments 
• Cherry tomatoes 
• Leek 
• Coriander 
• Spring onions 
• Fried shallot 

Preparation 

1. Boil water in a pot, cook the instant noodles, and place it on a plate
2. Mix the instant noodle with prepacked condiments.
3. Remove the water. Put a fresh pot of water and cook the leek and tomatoes. 
4. Serve with fried shallot, coriander and spring onions. 

The foodgasm verdict: 7/10 

Vegetable Meatball Tureen

Circuit Breaker Day 7: Vegetable Meatball Tureen 

By now, you would have noticed that I love one-pot soup. It's is a complete wholesome meal in itself and so easy to make.

My obsession for soup started since young. I grew up drinking soup. My babysitter is Cantonese. Soup is in the heart of Cantonese people. There's a popular saying, "Cantonese people would rather drink soup than eat rice." It's true. I have a confession. I don't have a rice cooker in my kitchen. 😁

The specialty of this soup is the meatballs. It's so tender and tasty. My secret ingredient: oregano, Parmesan cheese and sesame oil.

Such satisfying meal on a busy Monday

Ingredients 

• Minced pork or beef
• Marinate - Worcester sauce, pepper, flour, oregano, Parmesan cheese, sesame oil.
• Vegetables - tomatoes, carrot, corn, celery, onion 
• Herbs - rosemary, thyme, bay leaves 

Preparation 

1. Marinate the minced pork. 
2. Bring water to boil in a pot. Add vegetables. Reduce heat. Simmer 15 minutes. 
3. Bring to full boil. Add meatballs. Reduce heat. Simmer 10 minutes longer.

The foodgasm verdict: 8/10

Greek Salad

Circuit Breaker Day 8: Greek Salad, Improvised 

Singapore imports 90% of our raw vegetables from overseas. Due to lockdowns abroad, our food supply chain has disrupted. Salad leaves on supermarket shelves are either brown, wilted, some even slimy.

Although I didn't have fresh lettuce or iceberg lettuce, I decided to make Greek salad anyway. What?! No lettuce in Greek salad? That's a cardinal sin! 😮 Haha yes, but beggars can't be choosers. So I swapped with lettuce with bell peppers, and since I don't like olives, I replaced 'em with plums.

To my surprise, the improvised Greek salad was so appetizing! I could taste the freshness of every vegetable; the crunchy bell peppers and sweet tomatoes. I also liked how the feta cheese held the salad together. Yum! Exceeded my expectations.

Improvised Greek Salad during circuit breaker

Ingredients 

• Greek feta cheese 
• Greek black olives (improvised)
• Iceberg lettuce (improvised)
• Tomatoes 
• Cucumber
• Fresh herbs - oregano, coriander, mint, basil, chopped

For the dressing 

• Extra virgin olive oil 
• Balsamic vinegar (improvised)
• Fresh lemon juice 
• Garlic clove, crushed 
• Salt and pepper 

Preparation 

1. Make the dressing by whisking together the ingredients.
2. Put lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and green pepper in a salad bowl.
3. Scatter the cheese and toss around. 
4. Pour over dressing over the salad and scatter chopped fresh herbs. 

The foodgasm verdict: 8/10

Urban gardening

Circuit Breaker Day 6: Let's start with mint and basil.

Since I'm cooking more than usual, I decided to take baby steps towards self-sustainability and grow herbs in my balcony. :)

So, I went out today to hunt for mint. Lucky me, I managed to find a small bunch of mint at Kovan wet market. I also picked up basil at Cold Storage. The mint and basil cuttings had no roots, so I've washed them, snipped off some leaves, and submerged 'em in water to grow roots. Roots will appear in 2-3 weeks' time, after which I'd be potting them over in soil.

Assuming my mint and basil grows well, I plan to plant rosemary and chili next. Wish me luck!

Kiam Chai Boey

Circuit Breaker Day 5: Kiam Chai Boey (mustard greens leftover)

This is one of my favourite food. I only get to eat this once a year, during Chinese New Year, cos that's when we'd have plenty of roasted duck/chicken/pork leftovers; perfect ingredients to make kiam chai boey.

Prior to circuit breaker, I bought pickled mustard greens (figured it will last long). Since I didn't have any leftover roasted meat, I used fresh pork instead. Tastes as good. 😋

My treasure trove of kiam chai boey

Ingredients 

• Pickled mustard greens
• Dried chili
• Chinese sour plum 
• Onion
• Garlic
• Ginger 
• Meat - duck meat, pork belly, pork ribs, trotter 
• Vegetables - shiitake mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes, cabbage  
• White peppercorns
• Coriander 

Preparation 

1. Soak the pickled mustard green and dried shiitake mushrooms in water. 
2. Prepare the meat and chop the vegetables. 
3. Pour water into a pot and bring it a boil. 
4. Add all ingredients into the pot. 
5. Let it boil for 2 hours. 
6. Scoop the soup into a bowl and garnish with coriander.

The foodgasm verdict: 8/10