of platters 'n' partiies

Not my first time testing this recipe BUT the only time this has turned out right! “Right” is subjective because there are just sooo many different types of rendang out there that it is hard for me to say which kind feels right for me.

This is “right” because I taste the aromats blended in the gravy and it’s nothing close to a curry (hate it when people serve curry and call it rendang!), it is a little coconutty, sweet, spicy and tangy and most importantly, meat is tender when you use three fingers to easily tear it apart.

I cannot even bring myself to recollect the past 2 failed attempts as lamb rendang is a very very expensive experiment to undertake!

Ok moving forward, I think this recipe works well for both lamb and mutton. Even more so if you are using an instant pot/multicooker’s pressure cooking mode to cook the meat till tender. To cook it down, I transferred to a cast iron wok as it might have taken forever or never using the multicooker.

Ingredients:

500g boneless lamb/mutton, cut into large cubes 1 stick cinnamon 2 cloves 2 star anise 2 cardamom pods 3 lemongrass, green stem pounded 1 cup coconut cream 1/3 cup water 3 asam keping, deseeded and soaked in some warm water 6 kaffir lime leaves, very finely sliced 100g toasted coconut Gula Melaka to taste Olive oil as required  Himalayan Pink salt as required

Rempah:

3 medium onions 1 inch galangal 1 inch young ginger  3 lemongrass, white stem 5 cloves garlic 12 dried chilies, soaked in warm water

All ingredients are available at Tekka Market. I got lamb from N. Kanesan Mutton Dealers. 

I usually drop them a WhatsApp message to place my order and to seek their expert advice. When I head over for collection, I shop for fresh ingredients at Chia’s Vegetable Supply. I didn’t take note of the name of the stall selling freshly grated coconut and asam keping but it’s located the lane behind Kanesan’s and in between Kanesan’s and Chia’s.

Method:

Chop the rempah’s ingredients and then blend it till smooth.

Heat oil in a cast iron pot or in a multicooker under the saute mode, add the cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and cardamom and stir-fry until aromatic. Following this, add most of the kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass.

Add the lamb/mutton and brown a little. Add the rempah paste, coconut cream, water, asam, Gula Melaka, salt and simmer on medium heat, stirring frequently until the meat is almost cooked. If using a multicooker, switch to pressure cooker mode and cook for 30mins. 

Add the toasted coconut and stir to blend well with the meat. At this point the gravy will start to darken and thicken.

Lower the heat to low, cover the lid, and simmer till the meat is tender and the gravy has dried up. If using a multicooker, transfer to a cast iron pot or wok and thicken gravy over the stove - this is the most efficient method. Add more salt and Gula Melaka to taste. Throw in remaining kaffir lime leaves.

Serve with steamed rice or Nasi Lemak! Helper B had it with steamed white rice. She licked the plate clean after her first taste of my most favorite traditional Indo delight!

In most Indian households, they’ve got a family recipe for fish cutlets. My Grams used to make killer sardine cutlets and whitebait fritters that till date reminds me of my childhood days in an overcrowded HDB flat with all the adult women’s hands on deck to fry batches and batches of them to feed many hungry kiddos and adults. Mom adapted Grams’ whitebait fritters and makes them using shrimps today.

I’d think every family needs to own a fish cutlet/fritters recipe to call their own. This recipe is one that I own even if I ain’t Sri Lankan ;)

Ingredients:

Tuna mix: 2 cans Tuna chunks in water, drained and flaked 2 large potatoes, boiled 1 large red onion, chopped A thumb of fresh ginger, minced 4-5 red chilli padis, chopped ¼ tsp homemade garam masala powder ½ tsp Tikhalal chilli powder  ½ tsp coriander powder ½ tsp cumin powder Cracked black pepper as required   A pinch of turmeric Himalayan pink salt as required A handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Coating: 2 cups plain panko or regular breadcrumbs 3 tbsp unsweetened desiccated coconut 1 egg

Light olive oil as required for stir frying Tuna mix and shallow frying

Method:

Mash the boiled potatoes into a chunky mash.

Heat some light olive oil in a large frying pan on medium-low heat. Add the onions and stir fry till the onions become translucent. Add the chopped chilli & ginger and cook till it softens.

Add spices and season with salt. Then, add the flaked Tuna. Stir fry everything till all ingredients come together. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for a few mins.

Add the chunky mash potatoes and chopped coriander leaves. Mix well.

Fill two shallow bowls with panko + coconut mix and beaten egg side by side.

Using a small ice-cream/cookie scoop, shape the cooled tuna mixture into patties and line them up in a tray. 

When ready to fry, heat a wok with sufficient light olive oil for deep frying, dip each Tuna ball into the egg and then roll in panko-coconut mix to coat evenly. Shake off excess and place into heated oil. If shallow frying, work in batches of 6, depending on the size of your wok. 

Cook cutlets till golden brown and crisp on both sides. Do not worry about the insides not being cooked as the Tuna mix and potatoes have been pre-cooked. Remove gold brown crisp cutlets from the wok with a slotted spoon and drain on a colander to keep them crispy - do NOT use kitchen towel as the cutlet will turn soggy.

Serve warm as a side for a delicious rice meal.

Roti Johnny

There are many food options that we can have for supper AND breakfast. For example prata, fishball noodles, nasi lemak and roti john! Yes, Roti John is one such food item where we can have it for breakfast, tea, dinner or supper. This recipe brings to you my version of Roti John called Roti Johnny! 

Roti Johnny is a hybrid of Roti John and Eggs Benny - where Asia meets America!

Ingredients:

4 fresh eggs 1 can Tuna flakes in water or olive oil 1 small baguette, sliced half lengthwise 2 mushrooms, diced into small chunks 1 small onion, diced into small chunks ¼ red bell pepper/red chilli, diced into small chunks 2 tsp curry powder 2 tbsp mayonnaise A few squirts of sriracha or any other hot sauce Sprouts for garnishing Coriander for garnishing Pink himalayan salt as required White vinegar as required Light olive oil as required

Method:

In a skillet, heat some oil. Add the chopped up onions, bell pepper/chilli and mushrooms. Stir with a sprinkle of salt and sauté till the veggies become soft.

Turn the heat to low and add the tuna followed by the curry powder. Cook on low till the mixture turns fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool.

Once the veggie mixture is cooled, add 2 eggs in it and beat well to bring all ingredients together.

In a non-stick/Happycall pan, heat some oil on medium low. Pour the egg mixture in a linear direction. Once the mixture starts cooking, place the baguette facing down on the mixture.

Press the baguette lightly on the mixture so that the bread sticks to the egg. Cook for a minute till the egg is no longer runny and then flip the baguette and cook for a few seconds. If you feel that the egg is not cooked through – just flip the baguette back and cook till it's done.Remove from the pan.

Mix the mayo and sriracha and smear it generously on the baguette.

To top with poached eggs, using Gordon Ramsay’s method fill a medium-size saucepan with water and bring to a gentle boil. Season boiling water with salt and add white vinegar. Stir the water with a whisk until swirling. Crack eggs into individual small bowls. Lower each bowl and gently drop eggs into water. Depending on the size of your pot, you may need to poach eggs in separate batches. Turn heat down to a gentle simmer. Cook eggs for 2 minutes, then check them. If they are firm to touch, remove from water with a slotted spoon; if they wobble, return to water for another 10 seconds. Remove eggs to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess moisture. Turn eggs presentation side up and season with salt.

Transfer onto warm Roti Johnny slices, top with sprouts and/ coriander. Serve immediately.

Korean Sticky Spicy Sweet Chicken Bao Buns

Everyone has a weakness when it comes to food. For some it could be chocolate but for me it’s definitely fried chicken. My love for fried chicken is certainly the reason why I go to gym at least twice a week - I need to look after my heart!

There are so many types of fried chicken out there but for this recipe, we are going to be working on a sticky spicy sweet korean-style fried chicken stuffed in a steamed soft & fluffy bao - every bite-ful is going to be phenomenal with varying textures and flavors! 

This certainly brings back very fond memories of my Korea work trip where I savoured sinful fried chicken with very good company on a cold cold day.

Ingredients:

Chicken: 500g chicken fillets ¼ cup potato starch + ¼ cup plain flour Coarse ground black pepper as required Pink himalayan salt as required Light olive oil as required

Korean Sauce: 2 tbsp Gochujang paste 2 tbsp honey 4 tbsp brown sugar 4 tbsp soy sauce 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp minced ginger 1 tbsp sesame oil

10pcs bao/lotus leaf bun, steamed Cucumber, thinly sliced for garnishing Chilli threads (thinly sliced red pepper) for garnishing Scallions/spring onions, finely chopped for garnishing White & black sesame seeds for garnishing

Method:

Marinate the chicken fillets with salt, pepper & olive oil. Coat them in flour mixture and spray oil and airfry at 140 deg for 7mins then turnover and airfry at 180 deg for 5mins/deep fry immediately till crispy golden brown.

In the meantime, steam the boas according to the instructions on the packet. I am using frozen boas. You can opt to make your own by finding recipes online.

While the chicken and bao are frying and steaming, make the sauce. Place the Gochujang, honey, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vegetable oil and sesame oil in a saucepan and stir together.

Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.

Place all of the cooked chicken in a bowl and pour the sauce over the chicken a little at the time. Toss together to coat. You want your chicken to maintain its crispiness so don’t drench in too much sauce or it will turn soggy.

Mum’s lamb rasam and mysore lamb is like yin to the yang. The stock from pressure cooking the lamb is used to make the rasam and meat is then transferred to a couple of decade old cast iron wok for it to be roasted in spicy chilli paste for an hour or so then finished with roasted cashew. 

While the mysore lamb is roasting nice and slow, mum would make a huge pot of this lamb rasam. The sourness from the rasam paired with the very spicy mysore lamb is  a match made in indianfoodmatrimony.com . Even though the rasam is an action towards zero waste, I assure you it tastes so luxe no one will ever know what goes on in the kitchen.

Use your family favorite rasam recipe and make the following tweaks...

Method:

Pound black peppercorns, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, garlic cloves and coriander roots using a mortar and pestle.

Heat up a large saucepan. Add oil followed by mustard seeds and dried chillies to temper.

Add the pounded ingredients and fry till garlic turns light brown. Next, add roughly chopped tomatoes and cook till soft.

Pour in lamb stock, some chopped coriander leaves and desired amount of tamarind, mix well and bring to boil.

Lamb Shank Bhee Hoon Briyani

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri ! 

Briyani is not just food, it's an emotion. Briyani is one of the most loved dishes not just amongst us, Indians but also amongst our friends from other ethnic groups.

There are soooo many types of briyanis out there but my personal favourite has got to be a traditional Indian Muslim briyani served with a generous chunk of mutton and a dark gravy. To let you in a secret, I just had it for dinner 2 days ago!

My dish today is a form of briyani for our Indian Muslim friends celebrating Hari Raya - it’s lamb shank bhee hoon briyani! I often see friends on social media anticipating this during Hari Raya as it’s not commonly available but people in my family get to enjoy this at any time of the year because my grandma used to cook this for us during celebrations or just whenever we were craving for it.

So I am bringing to you a family recipe handed down for 3 generations now but I have added my own twist according to my liking!

Ingredients:

3 (400g each) lamb shanks 1 packet (300g) brown rice bhee hoon, pre-soaked in room temperature water

Lamb Shank soak: 1 tbsp vinegar Pink himalayan salt as required

Lamb Shank marinate: 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 2 tsp turmeric powder as required Pink himalayan salt as required

Briyani masala: Ghee as required Light olive oil as required Indian aromats as required - cardamom, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and star anise 3 red chillies, sliced lengthwise 5 large onions, 3 sliced and 2 sliced & fried to golden brown 2 tbsp can tomato paste 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 2 tbsp cashew + almond paste Fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped + for garnishing Fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped + for garnishing 2 tbsp briyani masala (if preferred, extra chilli powder for spicy version) 1 tbsp yoghurt ½ lemon, juiced and mixed with water 1 tsp saffron threads soaked in rose water Cashew nuts, fried for garnishing Raisin, fried for garnishing Pink himalayan salt as required

Method:

Wash the lamb shanks and transfer them to a large bowl. Add 1 tbsp of vinegar and salt as required to soak lamb shank for about 1-2 hours.

After 1-2 hours of soaking, drain the liquid away. Use a small sharp knife to remove the tendon from the lamb shanks.

Marinate lamb shanks in 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 2 tsp of turmeric powder and salt as required for about 30 mins.

Cook lamb shank in a pressure cooker till 3-5 whistles, depending on the size of the lamb shanks and your preferred doneness.This can be done up to 24 hours before cooking the dish.

In a large cooking pot, add ghee followed by olive oil. Once ghee + oil has been heated up, add all the Indian aromats and fry well.

Add sliced onion and fry till soft and light brown followed by sliced red chillies.

Add 2 tbsp of tomato paste followed by 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste and saute well.

Add 2 tbsp of cashew + almond paste. Stir well.

Add roughly chopped fresh coriander and mint leaves.

Add 2 tbsp of briyani masala and salt as required. Stir everything well till it forms a masala. 

Add the pre-cooked lamb shanks to the pot followed by 1 tbsp of yoghurt. 

Add ½ juiced lemon with water. Stir well. 

Close the pot with a clear lid and let meat absorb the gravy. Allow gravy to simmer in low heat.

Open the lid, stir well. Transfer lamb shanks to a large plate.

Add pre-soaked in tap water brown rice bhee hoon to gravy and fry well till semi-dry. Do not overcook bhee hoon so watch for gravy amount. If too much of gravy, scoop some out with lamb shanks. 

Drizzle saffron threads soaked in rose water followed by fried sliced onions on the surface of the bhee hoon.

Close the lid, switch off the flame and allow bhee hoon to absorb flavours for about 5 mins.

After 5 mins, give all ingredients a good stir and then top with garnishes.

Malay-style Seafood Mee 'Hong Kong'

My mum and aunties are great cooks just like Aatha (Grams). Today’s breakfast recipe has been a childhood staple in our household. I have eaten the version made by my Periyamma, mum and youngest aunty. I trust Malay-style Seafood Mee ‘Hong Kong’ is no stranger to you too. It’s commonly sold in our Makcik stalls and it’s best enjoyed piping hot on a rainy day.

What I have today is my youngest aunty’s wallet-friendly recipe.

Ingredients:

250g prawns, with tail and shell on 250g sotong, sliced 10 quail eggs 2 fish cakes, sliced 5-7 red chilli, sliced 5 garlic cloves, crushed 500g yellow mee/flat yellow noodles 200g sawi (mustard greens) A bottle of oyster sauce as required Light olive oil as required

Method:

Wash the yellow noodles under cold water, drain and keep aside.

Heat a wok and add oil. Add crushed garlic cloves and brown a little.

Add water and oyster sauce to the wok to create the soup base. Add enough to cook about 500g of noodles or you can use more water if you prefer it to be more soupy.

Once it starts to simmer, add red chilli, seafood and fish cake slices to create flavour.

Once it starts to boil, add noodles and sawi. Do not overcook noodles so watch for doneness carefully else it becomes very mushy and unpleasant.

Give all ingredients a good stir and then top with quail eggs before removing from heat.

Serve warm.

Alternative recipe for soup base contributed by:

My Periyamma

Replace crushed garlic cloves with blended shallots and garlic paste. Add mutton pieces or sliced chicken breast meat in addition to the rest of the ingredients.

My mum

Add prawn head to the soup and let it boil for additional flavour.

Claypot Chicken Rice

Being a Singaporean or not, we all love our Chicken Rice. Many of us who are non-Chinese love to cook Chicken Rice for our families. Today we are going to cook another popular variation of this dish which is Claypot Chicken Rice. We commonly eat this warm at the hawker stalls then to attempt making it at home as claypot Chicken Rice tastes best when cooked over a charcoal stove. We won’t be using a charcoal stove today because we will need an entire episode to show you how it’s done but I will share the method with you so that you have an option of making this over your gas or charcoal stove.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked Basmati rice ½  fresh chicken, cut into bite size 2 medium Chinese preserved sausage ¼ portion of salted fish cutlet 2 cup water 2 slices of fresh ginger, shredded 1 small red onion, sliced A few sections of spring onion A fistful of coriander Light olive oil as required

Marinade for Chicken: ½ tsp sesame oil ½ tsp of light soy sauce ½ tsp dark soy sauce A few dashes of white pepper

Method:

Wash and rinse the rice then pre-soak it in 2 cups of water in the claypot for at least one hour.

Trim the fats and skin of the chicken, cut into bite-size pieces and marinate it with the above marinade for at least 20 minutes.

Blanch preserved sausages in boiling water for 10 seconds, drain and remove the outer skin of the sausages then cut it into slices.

Preheat frying pan, saute sliced preserved sausage with 1 teaspoon of oil till fragrant, remove and set aside. Add in salted fish and pan-fry till golden colour on both sides. Set aside.

In the same pan, saute onion and ginger with the remaining oil till fragrance. Add in marinated chicken pieces and stir-fry till browned all over. Set aside in the pan while cooking the rice OR you can skip this step if you are in a hurry, just arrange marinated chicken on the rice mentioned in step 6 but let it cook for 15 minutes or more instead of 10 minutes till chicken is cooked.

Meanwhile, bring the rice to a boil, lower the heat and let it cook until the water level is almost the same as the rice, arrange preserved sausage, chicken and salted fish on top of the rice.

Drizzle some sesame oil around the sides of the claypot (prevent rice from burning), put the lid on and let the mixture continue to cook on low heat for another 8 - 10 minutes.

When done, turn off the heat and let the rice continue to cook (dry up) from the heat of the claypot for another 5 - 10 minutes.

An Indian Girl's Hack to Delicious Fishball Noodles

I live in Singapore where fishball noodles are so easily available. There is no real reason to want to try making this at home... unless you are wayyy too free... like during this Circuit Breaker period!

For friends who are living away from Home, here's my version that is so fuss-free yet good enough to remind you of home!

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Soup: 1 litre water 4-5 salted fish chunks Spring onion stem, remove the roots & roughly cut into large chunks Chee Seng's sesame oil 1 packet (450g) DoDo's fishballs

Dry noodles: 1 packet (420g) of Fortune's Hong Kong style noodles (for alternatives use fresh noodles) Thai Sing's sambal chilli (for alternatives use any shrimp based sambal) Lee Kum Kee's Premium Light Soya Sauce Chee Seng's sesame oil (for alternatives use shallot oil) Braag's apple cider vinegar (ACV) Sugar-free fish sauce White pepper powder Fishcakes, sliced thinly Lettuce, hand torn into small pieces Spring onion leaves, chopped find for garnishing

Method:

Bring the 1 lire of water to boil in a large pot.

Add salted fish chunks, spring onion stems and a few drops of sesame oil to the water to create a soup base.

Once soup starts boiling, add the fishballs and reduce the flame for a slow boil.

In the meantime, fill a small saucepan with water and bring to boil on another stove.

Place all four serving bowls on kitchen top. In each serving bowl, add 1 1/2 -2 tsp of sambal, a drop of light soya sauce, a drop of sesame oil, a drop of ACV, a drop of fish sauce, a dash of white pepper powder & 2 tsp of soup base and mix well. Repeat this step for all servings.

When water in the saucepan start to boil, place a bunch of noodles (for each serving size) in a noodle strainer and immerse in water. Let it cook for a minute and then drain noodles and bring to run it under tap water to stop it from cooking further and turning clumpy.

Add the cooked noodles to the serving bowl and immediately mix well with the sambal mixture so that every strand is coated well. Repeat this step for all servings.

Scoop out 3 fishballs from the soup and place on noodles. Then add sliced fish cakes, hand torn lettuce pieces and top with some spring onion leaves. Scoop out some soup (and more fishballs) and serve in a separate soup bowl. Repeat this step for all servings.

Serve warm to enjoy!

Alternative recipe for soup base contributed by my girlfriend, Regina Raja:

Bring the 1 lire of water to boil in a large pot.

Add 4 chicken bone, 4 chicken feet, a handful ikan bilis, spring onion stems & 1 white onion and bring to boil.

After an hour of boiling, strain the stock using a fine mesh sieve. Taste and season accordingly.

Spicy Prawn Baked Quesadilla

We are huge fans of having quesadillas for dinner. It’s so versatile that you can have it for any meal of the day. Most of the time I like to stuff them with lots of cheese, my choice of protein and veggies. I think quesadillas are a great way to sneak some extra veggies for kids.

Ingredients:

Spicy Prawns: 20 prawns, peeled and de-veined 2 large yellow onions, sliced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 cup spinach 1 ½ tbsp light olive oil ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp chilli powder/smoked paprika powder Salt as required Light olive oil as required Squeeze of lime, optional

Quesadilla: 4 Tortillas 1 cup Cheddar 1 cup Mozzarella Light olive

Method:

In a medium bowl whisk together olive oil, garlic, cumin, chili and salt. Add in shrimp and toss to coat completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes or up to 24 hours.

Heat a large heavy-duty or cast iron skillet on high heat for 2 minutes. Add some olive oil and then onions. Cook until onions are caramelised.

Add spinach and cook until soft.

Add prawns and cook until pink and cook through.

Turn off heat and finish with a squeeze of lime (optional).

Lightly brush one side of each tortilla with the olive oil and place on a baking sheet, oiled side down.

Distribute the mozzarella, cheddar and spicy prawns evenly over half of each of the tortillas, and fold the other half over top.

Bake the tortilla for about 6 minutes at 200 degree C, then flip each over and bake for another 6-7 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the outside of the tortillas is brown.

Blue Pea Flower Pooris served with Potato Masala

On every Puthandu, Tamil people greet each other by saying “புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்” and this day is observed as a family time. Not sure about your household but at ours it’s a small-scale Deepavali preps where we change curtains, bedsheets, massive wiping of our Puja altar to be ready for the very day itself. As part of this celebration, a vegetarian meal is served at home. I am a true blue meat eater so if I am expected to eat a vegetarian meal at home I will demand an answer. Till date, no convincing answers from both my Aatha and Mum but lucky for them, over the years, I have grown to like traditional vegetarian meals.

So today I have on my menu a very traditional Indian breakfast that I am sure it's often made in every household… but with a twist else it’s not my style - Blue Pea Flower Pooris.

The flower, which is used in food and drink as a natural food colouring and barely has any taste, is commonly seen in Thai, Malay and Peranakan cuisine.

It is said to be full of antioxidants and helps to improve skin quality, among other health benefits.

In Thai dishes, the ingredient's colour represents vibrancy. As for Peranakan food, a local Chef once shared that it is used not only to mark certain dishes - such as Nonya Kueh Chang - as Peranakan, but, on a more sombre note, also signifies mourning.

As the same type of kueh can be served at various events - be it weddings or funerals - one should note the colours used. For example, the nine-layer kueh lapis, if coloured blue and white, it is meant for funerals. And if the glutinous rice layer is stained blue throughout for kueh salat, it is meant for funerals. The glutinous rice layer for the kueh is usually white or speckled with blue.

It is a very interesting ingredient to work with so I am excited to show you how we can use it in our Indian cooking!

Ingredients:

Poori dough: A handful of fresh/dried blue pea flowers soaked in 1½ cup of boiling water 1 ½ cup plain/wheat flour ¼ cup methi leaves Salt as required Light olive oil as required

Potato Masala: 230 grams baby potatoes, parboiled and cut into halves/quarters depending on size 1 large onion, thinly sliced 1 medium tomato, chopped ½ inch ginger, finely chopped 2 green chilies, chopped 10 to 12 curry leaves ½ tsp mustard seeds ½ tsp cumin seeds (jeera) ½ tsp turmeric powder 1 cup water, add as required Coriander leaves, chopped Light olive oil as required Salt as required

Method for Pooris:

To make an extract of butterfly pea flower for food colouring, steep about a dozen fresh or a huge handful of dried flowers in 1 ½ cup of boiling water. After about 15 minutes, strain the liquid and discard the flowers. The deep blue water is then ready to be used as blue food colouring for the pooris.

Add the flour into a large mixing bowl.

Add salt, about 2-3 tbsp light olive oil, methi leaves and mix well.

Add blue pea extract little by little and mix well until the flour turns into a hard dough.

Apply some oil, cover and leave for 30 minutes.

After 20 mins, cut the dough into equal parts and make it into round balls.

Take each ball and press them flat.

Roll them into flat round shape. But make sure that each poori should be of at least 2-3 mm thickness. Dust some flour lightly if needed.

Heat oil for deep-frying.

When the oil is hot, let the poori in slowly carefully.

Wait until it floats to the top.

Start pressing the poori gently with a turner until it puffs up completely.

Repeat the process until all the Pooris are done and serve hot with potato masala or kurma of your choice.

Method for Potato Masala:

Boil or steam potatoes with skin till they are almost cooked. When the potatoes are still warm, peel and crumble them. You can also chop them and keep aside.

Heat oil in a wok. Add mustard seeds. Crackle them. Then add cumin seeds. Stir and saute till the seeds turn a little darker.

Add finely chopped ginger, chopped green chilies and the curry leaves.

Stir and then add thinly sliced onions.

Then add turmeric powder.

Stir well and saute the onions till they become translucent.

Add chopped tomatoes.

Then add about 1 cup of water, stir and let it simmer on low flame.

Now add the crumbled or chopped potatoes and stir very well. Cover and simmer the potato masala for 4 to 5 minutes on a low to medium flame. The potato masala should thicken and have a right consistency which is not too thick nor thin.

Season with salt as per taste, stir and switch off flame.

Pineapple Fried Rice topped with Crispy Chicken Floss

Sawadi-ka! Thai food is one of my favorite Asian cuisines. I love how they use simple ingredients to churn out great flavours. Today I am sharing with you a Thai dish that is very popular in most Thai eateries and this dish uses 2 very common Indian cooking ingredients - meat curry powder and turmeric powder! The authentic version of this dish will not give you the highlighter yellow color but it will give you a brownish-yellow hue from these 2 ingredients. I first created this recipe when I was on a Paleo diet. So this dish was first made using quinoa instead of rice. If you are carbs conscious then you can use this recipe and replace regular rice for quinoa or cauli rice or even shirataki rice. You can be assured this dish is made using wholefoods and no processed products or preservatives.

Ingredients:

1 whole pineapple 1 small onion, diced 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped 100g prawns, peeled and deveined 1 egg, lightly whisked 1 cup basmati rice, cooked beforehand and cold ½ tsp meat curry powder ¼ tsp turmeric powder ½ tbsp light soy sauce 1 tbsp fish sauce ¼ tsp white pepper Light olive oil as required Coriander, roughly chopped Cashews, roasted Raisins Crispy chicken floss Thai Chilli flakes

Method:

To prepare the pineapple bowl, slice the pineapple lengthwise, just off centre. Set aside the smaller slice for another use. Use a knife to cut around the perimeter of the pineapple meat to form a bowl shape. Then cut the pineapple meat into slices. Use a spoon to scoop out the pineapple pieces. Cut the core out of the pineapple pieces and dice the pineapple meat (you only need about a ¼ of a cup of pineapple pieces for the fried rice.

Heat the light olive oil in wok or frying pan over high heat. Add onion and stir-fry for another minute until onion is soft and starting to char at the edges.

Then add the garlic and fry till slightly brown.

Add the prawns and stir-fry until almost cooked.

Push ingredients to the sides of the wok and add the egg into the middle. Allow to set for a minute and then stir-fry to combine.

Add the cold rice, spice powders, soy sauce, fish sauce and pepper. Stir-fry until well combined.

Add coriander and toss to combine.

Serve up in your pineapple bowl, top with roasted cashews, raisins and crispy chicken floss and thai chilli flakes on the side.

Spiced Lacha Paratha

Lacha Paratha is a layered pan fried roti that is a good alternative to your pratas and chapatis. I love adding spices and fresh herbs to this just like how we would for a stuffed paratha except for this one, you get to peel off every layer and savour it with my favourite north indian and ever delicious jeera aloo or your choice of curry or even sambal. In fact, I started making this paratha after watching a very popular video recipe site because it looked very technical on the video and I was wondering if it’s achievable in our home kitchens. Most importantly, if it was tasty enough to replace my regular recipes.

Ingredients:

Paratha dough: 1 cup plain white flour (or you can use 2 cups to sub the wholewheat flour) 1 cup wholewheat flour (or you can use 2 cups to sub the plain white flour) 1 tbsp grass fed ghee, melted for dough ⅔ cup grass fed ghee, melted for cooking 150ml water Salt to taste Fresh mint, finely chopped

Filling: 2 tsp (ground) cumin 1 tsp (ground) fennel 1 tsp salt

Method:

Sieve the flours and salt into a mixing bowl, add the chopped mint and mix through.

Add the melted ghee and enough water to bring the dough together. Mix with your hands until you have a firm dough and clean bowl.

Wrap in cling film and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile make the filling by mixing all of the dry ingredients together.

When the dough has rested, divide it into four balls. Keep the remaining balls covered while you work with one at a time.

Dust the dough ball in flour and roll it out.

Brush liberally with melted ghee, then sprinkle over 1 tsp of the filling mix.

Fold the top edge over by, then gently lift the edge and fold again like pleating, keeping the first fold on the top.

Technique 1: roll the pleat up lengthways in a tight snail shape, and squash the loose end so that it sticks to the roll OR Technique 2: use a pizza wheel to cut thin strips then collect them altogether & roll-up.

Cover the rolls as you make them and continue until you’ve used up all of the balls, then roll each one out into a thick paratha shape.

Leave the paratha in the fridge, separated with kitchen towel and covered in cling film, until you are ready to cook them.

Heat up your non-stick frying pan. Brush with melted ghee then add the first paratha.

Cook for 30 seconds then flip it over and brush it with more melted ghee.

Keep flipping and brushing with ghee until it’s evenly cooked and very crispy, pressing down with a spatula to get maximum contact on the hot pan.

When cooked, remove the paratha to a tray and squeeze with your hands to break up some of the flaky layers.

Ginger-Pear Warm Oatmeal served with Thyme infused Raw Honey & Pumpkin Seeds

A bowl of warm oatmeal is a common breakfast option at most households. It is also fast becoming a common option at most hotel breakfast buffets these days. Today I am going to show you how to upgrade your favourite warm oatmeal with very simple ingredients we have at home. It will certainly give you the hotel breakfast vibes!

Ingredients:

½ cup oats 1 cup milk ½ cup water 1 Pear 1 ½  tsp Ginger powder 1 tsp vanilla extract Salt to taste A drizzle of thyme infused raw honey Pumpkin seeds

Method:

Combine oats, a pinch of salt and milk + water (ratio of oats to liquid is 1:3 but some people opt for 1:2) and vanilla extract in a non-stick saucepan and let it cook in low heat. Remember to stir often.

In the meantime, wash your pear and cut it into half. Heat a cast iron grill pan, then grill your halves until slightly caramelized.

When the oatmeal is nice and creamy, add ginger powder and stir.

Banana layered Puttu served with Coconut Sugar

Puttu is one of my most favoritest Indian breakfast. It’s even more so my favorite if it's made in a cylindrical form using the traditional puttu kolal. I remember going to the wet market on Sunday mornings with my grandma hoping that our fav Indian aunty doesn’t get sold out on our favourite puttu. She used to mix puttu with red sugar and fresh coconut and make them into balls and sell them at her store. It was a huge hit with our Chinese and Malays in our neighbourhood. Hoping that my unrefined sugar version is going to be a hit with you!

Ingredients:

2 cups Puttu flour, white rice & ragi 1 cup fresh coconut, grated ¾ cup water or more 2 bananas, well ripen & cubed Salt to taste Coconut sugar

Method:

Add puttu flour in a large bowl, add salt and mix well. If you are using 2 types of puttu flour, then do this in separate bowls.

Then sprinkle water to the puttu flour mixture and rub with your fingers till it forms coarse crumbs. It should be light wet sand texture.

Using a puttu kolal, first add some coconut, then add the puttu flour mixture, banana and again coconut and continue with the other type of puttu flour mixture till the top.

Place this in the vessel and cook for 10 min.

Slowly remove it by pushing the puttu kolal with a spoon from the bottom.

Nonya Dry Mee Siam

Growing up in Singapore, this is a popular dish we have all eaten before. When we talk about Mee Siam, two different types come to mind, a soup based Mee Siam which is popular among the Malay community and can be commonly found almost anywhere, and the other version is the dry, sweet and sour, Nonya style Mee Siam which isn’t very commonly sold in the shops. I prefer my mee siam to be dry even though I love savouring my hard boiled eggs with the soup and the reason for this is I am very conscious about the soup splattering all over my clothes. This recipe is for you if you too fear the same and most importantly, you can very easily serve this to your guests and also store the leftovers in your fridge.

Ingredients:

Rempah: 200g shallots 80g dried red chilli, soaked and de-seeded 5gm belachan, toasted Oil as required

Stir Fry: 100g tau cheo 60g tamarind paste 2 tbsp sugar 5L water Extra virgin olive oil Salt to taste 1 packet dry brown bee hoon 10 tau poks, cut into strips 6 eggs, boiled and sliced 300g chives - 1/3 of the chives, cut it into 2 inches long and remaining will be used as garnish 10 small limes, rinsed and cut the top tip 300g fresh prawns, blanched and remove shells

Method:

Prepare the bhee hoon by soaking it in a bowl of room temperature water for 5 mins. Remove from the bowl and set aside.

Prepare the rempah by blending soaked dried chilli, shallots, toasted belachan with ⅔ cup of oil. Blend into a fine paste and set aside.

In a heated wok with oil, fry the chilli paste on low heat till oil starts to seep out.

Add in tau cheo, sugar and salt.

Add in Bee Hoon and give it a good mix with the rempah.

Add in 2 inch long chives and tau pok

Add in enough assam water to cover the bee hoon. Give it a good mix and cover it with a lid.

Bring to high heat and let the noodle cook till the bee hoon absorbs the liquid and it is soft. Add more Assam water, if needed.

Taste and season accordingly.

Add the prawns and give it a good last stir before removing from heat.

Vegetarian Baked French Toast Casserole

Most of us grew up eating Bombay toast with chilli sauce. Bombay toast is a variation of French toast which is basically sliced bread soaked in eggs & milk and pan fried till golden. The Bombay version doesn’t contain milk and we fry it with ghee for the oomph. Today we are going to do a traditional French toast using eggs and milk but a vegan version. Vegan because we are using chia eggs instead of chicken eggs and we are using dairy-free nut milk instead of usually full cream milk. In short, this is a vegetarian breakfast for our vegetarian friends!

Ingredients:

8 slices white bread 4 eggs/ chia eggs - 4 tbsp chia seeds + 10 tbsp water 1 1/4 cups whole milk/nut milk 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract 1 cup hazelnut chocolate spread butter for greasing the baking dish 6 strawberries

Method:

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla until well combined. Set aside.

Spread 2 tablespoons of spread on each of 8 slices of bread. Roll each bread slice into a cigar shape with the filling on the inside.

Butter a 11 x 7 inch baking dish. Dip each bread roll into the egg mixture and place it in the baking dish, seam side down. Continue with the remaining bread rolls, placing them side-by-side in the baking dish, enchilada-style. Pour the remaining custard over the top of the bread.

Set aside for at least 2 hours until the custard has been absorbed by the bread.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until the top of the casserole is golden brown.