Kimchi Fried Rice – Delishar

Fried rice is my best friend when I’m fighting for time, and have plently of leftover rice laying around in my fridge. It is such a great meal on it’s own to use up whatever leftovers there are in the fridge! Add some chicken cubes to this recipe for some protein, and it’s good to go as a complete meal on it’s own. 

I served this super simple 15 minutes dish with Korean Fire Chicken with Cheese that I shared last week. I love the slight tangy-ness from the pickled kimchi, and the lovely spices definitely helped kick this fried rice up a notch, or even two notches! Even the husband who is not a big fan of Korean food helped himself to his second serving that evening. If you are one who love your food with some kick to it, you will definitely enjoy this one. 🙂

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Kimchi Fried Rice

Delishar

  • 1 cup kimchi chopped
  • 1/2 cup kimchi juice
  • 1/2 yellow onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tsp grated ginger
  • 2 tbsp gochujang Korean hot pepper paste
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 4 cups cooked rice
  • 2 tbsp chopped green onions
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Toppings

  • 4 sunny side up eggs
  • Chopped spring onions
  • Toasted sesame seeds
  • Finely chop up kimchi and squeeze to get juice.

  • Reserve juice for later.

  • In a bowl, mix gochujang, kimchi juice, grated ginger, soy sauce, and sugar.

  • Heat pan on medium high, add sesame and vegetable oil.

  • Saute onion until soft, and add garlic to stir fry for another 30 seconds.

  • Add Kimchi into pan, and stir fry for a minute.

  • Then add rice to the pan breaking it up with your spatula.

  • Pour in kimchi juice mixture, and toss to coat evenly.

  • Season with salt and pepper if needed, and remove from heat.

  • Sprinkle chopped green onions, and toss to combine.

  • Serve with sunny side up egg, chopped spring onions, and sesame seeds.

Kim Chi Fried Rice 1

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Lemongrass Turmeric Chicken – Delishar

Very recently, I had a change in helper. So that meant that it is a start over for us. I have to re-orientate the new helper with our tasks and routines. However, she has very limited knowledge when it comes to the kitchen and cooking. So I’ve been showing her the ropes around the kitchen. With her earnest and eager to learn personality, I’m sure she will be comfortable in the kitchen soon. 

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With her in mind, I have been creating recipes that requires little monitoring so she can multi-task, or speedy recipes where she only needs to spend limited amount of time in the kitchen. I often find paste very helpful. They save you time and energy to have to make it from scratch. It’s especially helpful when it’s Organic, preservative-free, and colours & flavours-free, that way I know I’m not consuming a bottle of chemicals. 

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I used Mekhala Living’s Lemongrass Turmeric paste to help me with this dish. Here’s where you can find their products. I love the flavour it imparts to the chicken! If you don’t mind deep-frying, by all means, do so. It’ll taste even better. It’s just my family preference to opt for baking as a healthier alternative. However, the chicken does not lack in flavour, and it turned out succulent as well! Paired with spiced coconut rice, and simple stir-fried French beans that took me no time at all to cook, our completed dinner was served, stress-free to growling tummies. 

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Lemongrass Turmeric Chicken with Fragrant Rice

Delishar

Lemongrass Turmeric Chicken

  • 4 chicken legs
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp lemongrass turmeric paste I used ready paste from Mekhala
  • Fish sauce to taste
  • 1/4 tsp brown sugar
  • 2 sprigs curry leaves
  • Black pepper to taste

Turmeric Ginger Coconut Rice

  • 2 tbsp of Mekhala’s Lemongrass Turmeric paste
  • 2 cups of rice rinsed
  • 200 ml coconut milk
  • 2-3 tsp grated ginger I used 3 coz I like it stronger
  • 1 knotted pandan leaf
  • water to fill up to your rice cooker mark for 2 cups rice

Lemongrass Turmeric Chicken

  • Mix all ingredients except chicken and curry leaves together.

  • Rub marinade all over chicken and place in container.

  • Crush curry leaves and scatter over chicken legs.

  • Marinate for at least 4 – 24 hours. (I marinated overnight)

  • When ready, take chicken out of chiller.

  • Preheat oven to 200C.

  • Place chicken on lightly greased wire rack and spray on some oil on chicken skin.

  • Roast for 35-40 minutes.

Turmeric Ginger Coconut Rice

  • In your rice cooker, add rice, ginger, and coconut milk.

  • Top up enough water till your rice cooker marked 2 cups.

  • Stir in lemongrass turmeric paste.

  • Add pandan leaf.

  • Press cook.

  • Remove pandan leaf and fluff rice before serving.

To make substitute paste:
2 stalks lemongrass, cut into pieces
1 thumb size turmeric
1 thumb size galangal
1 shallot
1 tsp lime juice
salt to taste
1 tsp oil
Splash of water
Blend in food processor until you get a thick paste.

Lemongrass Turmeric Chicken 1

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Dry Beef Hor Fun (干炒牛河) – Delishar

I’m so excited to be sharing with you this recipe!! This dish is also widely known as Beef Chow Fun. At first, I wanted to make my usual Hor Fun with Gravy, but then I decided to change my mind and made this dry version of hor fun instead! The husband who said he wasn’t hungry took a bite, and could not stop eating after his first mouthful. In no time at all, his plate was wiped out clean! LOL!

My helper who has very limited cooking experience was able to pull this off by following the recipe. I have to say that I am really impressed! I cannot stress enough on the importance of getting all the ingredients ready and within reach before you start cooking. Especially for this dish. When the ingredients hits the hot hot wok, you have to move along pretty quickly. So there’s no time for you to prep other ingredients while you let the ones in the wok sit in the smoking heat. 

Many readers have asked how to get the wok hei, the only way to get it is to have extremely high heat or a screaming hot wok. My wok was starting to smoke, and a drop of water will dance and glide on the surface of the wok instead of evaporating immediately. That’s when the work is screaming hot, and that’s when I added oil to coat. However, it’s impossible to get the deep wok hei we all love when you order from hawker stalls. Because our home burner has a lower output as compared to the commercial/professional high output burners. 

Do remember to turn on your cooking hood to the highest and open some windows, because it’s going to get smoky in the kitchen.  It was really tough for me to take pictures because of the smoke, I had to blow and snap. Haha! The smoke travelled all the way out to my dining area! Oh, one important thing, when stir-frying on high heat, always use a wok not a non-stick cookware. A carbon steel, cast iron, or stainless steel wok. Do not use one that has a non-stick Teflon surface as high heat can damage that non-stick surface, and release unhealthy, potentially toxic vapours. Now, let’s get cooking!!

Update: Do not skip the step of marinating the beef if you want to get tender, velvety beef. Also a quick stir-fry is enough to cook the meat. Remember that you will return it to the wok later to heat it up. Over cooking will lead to tough pieces of meat. 

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Dry Beef Hor Fun

Delishar

  • 300 g flat rice noodles hor fun / kway teow
  • 250 g Flank steak thinly sliced against the grain
  • 2 handful of bean sprouts
  • 5-6 slices of ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 yellow onion thinly sliced
  • 2 stalks spring onion cut into 2 inch pieces
  • Cooking oil

Marinade for beef

  • 1 tsp corn starch
  • splash of water
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp dark soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
  • Dash of white pepper

Seasoning for noodles

  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
  • splash of water
  • White pepper to taste
  • In a bowl mix marinade for beef together, then marinate beef for at least 20-30 minutes.

  • In a small bowl, add all the ingredients listed for seasoning for noodles, stir to combine.

  • Using your fingers, toss loosen/separate hor fun/kway teow making sure the rice noodles are not sticking together.

  • Heat wok on high heat until smoking point.

  • Add 2 tbsp of cooking oil, and swirl to coat.

  • Then add beef to sear, toss to sear the other side. About a minute or so, do not over-cook.

  • Remove beef slices and set aside.

  • Add another 2 tbsp oil, toss in onion, garlic, and ginger.

  • Stir-fry for 20 seconds, and add bean sprouts to stir-fry for another 30 seconds.

  • Then add rice noodles, give it a quick toss.

  • Pour in noodle seasoning, and toss to coat.

  • Add beef, and spring onions, give it a quick toss, and remove from heat.

  • Serve immediately.

*Please get all your ingredients ready and within reach before you start.
Do not rinse the rice noodles or attempt to soak it in water to remove the coating of grease. It is there to keep the noodles separated.
While stir-frying, do it in quick consistent movements. Letting the noodles or ingredients sit in the pan might result in clumpy and burnt noodles.

Dry Beef Hor Fun 1

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Easy Chocolate Chips Muffins – Delishar

The kids could not wait for the morning to come, so that they can enjoy these muffins I baked for breakfast. They kept coming out of their room to tell me that they are too hungry to sleep, and will need to have a muffin to fill up their tummy. All puppy eyes, sweet voices, and super cutesy expressions… I caved and gave the girls 1/2 a muffin each. The husband too, sneaked 2 in his belly just before he went to bed. Naughty naughty!

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I shouldn’t be complaining much, because I had one, right after it came out of the oven. I mean, I have to taste it right?! Also had another after I took pictures, because it’s already torn apart for pictures, and who can resist those little chocolate chips in there?! Come on, don’t judge. 😛 

The recipe yield moist muffins because of the buttermilk used, and it has a slight caramel taste because of the brown sugar added instead of just castor sugar. By the 2nd day, my batch of muffins were all wiped out! The girls were all smiles in the morning and all chocolate faced! What a priceless image of them. Come to think of it, I should have taken some pictures to share with all of you. Never mind, next time. 🙂

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Chocolate Chips Muffins

Delishar

  • 2 & 1/2 cups 308g cake flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup 118ml vegetable oil / melted butter
  • 1/3 cup 67g brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup 75g castor sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup 250ml buttermilk
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 & 1/2 cup 275g chocolate chips
  • Preheat oven to 200C.

  • Line your muffin tray.

  • In a large mixing bowl, sift together baking soda, baking powder, flour, and salt.

  • Whisk in brown and castor sugar.

  • Then add your wet ingredients, eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract.

  • Mix until almost combined and still lumpy.

  • Fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips, make sure not to over-mix batter.

  • It should still appear lumpy.

  • Fill liners till almost full, and top with the other 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.

  • Bake at 200C for 18-22 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. (Mine was about 20 minutes)

  • Let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

If you have no cake flour, you can use plain flour too.
Mix 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar to 1 cup of fresh milk to make your own buttermilk. Let it sit out at room temp for 5-10 minutes until curdled.

Adapted from little sweet baker

Chocolate Chips Muffins 2

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Polish Meatloaf & Warm Beetroot Salad – Delishar

We have been living in Kovan for 5 years now, and we are a little sad that we will be moving to a new neighbourhood very soon. During our time here, we have made some great friends, so did the kids. I love it here because our estate consist of families from different parts of the world! It’s like one big melting pot, and it’s so nice to learn about different cultures and food.

So I though before I leave, I’d be thick skin and ask the mummies of my girls’ playmates if they are willing to contribute a recipe of their culture. They generously agreed! Thank you ladies! So I’ll be featuring some guest recipes in the next couple of months, and sharing with you some little bits of stories. 

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This gorgeous mummy here is Marta, believe it or not, she just had her 2nd princess about a month ago! She came from Poland and her husband Daniel came from the UK. They moved to Singapore a couple of years ago, and have been living in Kovan since they started their family. Liliana is their first born, a feisty little one that is always so full of life, and will start swaying and dancing whenever she hears music. Luna, the newborn is such a sweetheart, and a totally chilled baby. 

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Look at how contented was Luna just chilling out on her bouncer, looking at what we were up to! Once every 3 months or so, the kovan crew as we called it will get together by the pool side to have a little get together. Each family will bring a dish or two, wines, and beers to share. The kids will be running amok, keeping themselves entertained, while the parents kept a close eye, enjoy the food, booze, and company.

One of such event, Marta brought her warm beet root salad, and it was a hit! Sweet, slightly savoury, and healthy!! So I requested for her to share with me that recipe. She also suggested to make some Polish meatloaf to go along with it. I have never heard, least tried Polish meatloaf, but hey, it’s all about trying something new right?! And man was it good! She even shared with me her secret ingredient. 

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This is her secret ingredient, Polish Maggi sauce!! She got her parents to send it to her, and will buy some whenever she goes back to Poland. Too bad we can’t get any of those here, but fortunately, we can always substitute for our local Maggi sauce. The Maggi sauce gives the meat loafs that added umami, I suppose it’s like adding Worcestershire sauce to our meat loaf or meatballs recipes.

Marta’s meatloaf turned out absolutely delish!! Very tasty, melts in the mouth but with a nice crispy crust! Marta, if you are reading this, please make it for our next poolside get together. My tummy is already craving for this. I’m going to try to make this on my own very soon! It’s a great dish to go on top of pasta, between bread, or even just on it’s own with the beet salad and a side of mash potatoes. 🙂  

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I can rave about the food all they, but I’m too excited to be sharing with you Marta’s recipes! So before moving on to the recipes, do keep in mind that we want raw beet roots to cook. Do not buy those peeled, and cooked vacuum packed beet roots that you see from the supermarket.  

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Warm Beetroot Salad

Delishar contributed by Marta

Serves 6-8 as a side dish

  • 600 g beetroot
  • 1 red apple peeled and shredded
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1-2 tbsp brown sugar or to taste
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 4 tbsp cooking oil divided
  • A few splashes of Maggi sauce optional
  • Chopped Italian parsley to garnish
  • Heat 2 tbsp of oil in frying pan over medium heat.

  • Saute onion until soft and translucent.

  • Add flour and mix well.

  • Add apples, sugar, salt, and saute for 2 minutes.

  • Pour in the rest of the oil, and then add beetroot in 3 batches.

  • Saute until all combined, and most of the liquid has evaporated.

  • Garnish with Italian parsley, and serve warm.

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Doesn’t that look amazing! Just that popping red colour alone makes me hungry! It was so good and so comforting, even the kids loved it! Now for the meatloaf recipe.

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Polish Meatloaf

Delishar, contributed by Marta

Serves 6-8

  • 300 g minced beef
  • 300 g minced pork
  • 2 slices of bread soaked in milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 yellow onion minced or grated
  • 1 medium carrot grated
  • 3 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 2-3 tbsp Maggi sauce
  • Oil to pan fry

Breading station

  • 2-3 eggs lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • In a large mixing bowl, mix together minced pork, minced beef, onion, carrot, parsley, bread, egg, salt, black pepper, and maggi sauce.

  • Use your hand to mix until well combined and sticky.

  • Shape patties into 2 inch round and 3/4 inch in thickness.

  • Dredge in flour, dip in beaten egg allowing excess to drip off, then coat with bread crumbs.

  • Pan fry over medium heat until crumbs are golden and meat cooked through.

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Special thanks again to Marta, for sharing with me the recipes, and your culture! <3

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Chorizo Burger with Guacamole & Mango Salsa – Delishar

The husband and I are and have always been a big fan of chorizo, Spanish or Mexican. Whenever I make anything with chorizo, the husband always gives me the ooooo and the aaaahs. When the husband saw that I made him a burger, complete with Bacon & Cheese Fries, he was grinning non-stop from ear to ear. And when he found out that it was not just any burger, but chorizo burger, I scored major brownie points!

It’s easy to understand why Chorizo will easily win the hearts of many who tried it. The sausage calls for variety of  spices like garlic, ground chillies, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, oregano, paprika, vinegar, pepper, salt, etc. With that much spices added to it, no wonder it’s so darn flavourful!

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I usually cook with the cured Spanish chorizo, the dry kind. I like to use it as a base flavour like how one would cook bacon to start off a dish. I also use it a lot for breakfast hash. So when I was actually asking myself why in the world have I not made chorizo burgers before?! So my search for raw Mexican chorizo sausage started. Because I’m lazy efficient, I let google do the searching for me instead or going around Singapore searching for a grocer that carries raw chorizo. Didn’t take me long to find it! lol! 

If you are wondering the about the differences between the Spanish and Mexican chorizo, the biggest difference is that the Mexican chorizo is usually sold raw and uncooked, whereas the Spanish chorizo is cured. I have to stress again, this recipe calls for raw chorizo, so get the one that’s uncooked, as you will need to remove the meat from the casing to form into patties. You can get raw chorizo from better grocers like huber’s etc. I got mine from Go Fresh, because they deliver and I order some of my meats from them as well. Enough with the yakking, let’s get down to the cooking!

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Chorizo Burger with Guacamole & Mango Salsa

Delishar

Mango Salsa

  • 1 mango peeled and cubed
  • 2 to matoes seeded and diced
  • 2 tbsp chopped red onion
  • 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Guacamole

  • 3 avocados halved, seed removed & peeled
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
  • 1/2 small red onion diced
  • 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Burger Patties

  • 250 g minced beef
  • 200 g fresh chorizo sausage remove from casing
  • 1/2 yellow onion grated or finely diced
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Burger

  • 4 slices of cheddar cheese
  • 4 burger buns buttered & toasted

Mango Salsa

  • Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, chill in fridge, and allow the flavours to marry.

  • Do this at least 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

Burger Patties

  • In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together.

  • Shape into 4 patties, use your thumb to press a little indentation in the middle of your patty.

  • Then grill on each side for 3-4 minutes or until cooked through.

  • In your last 30 seconds, top with cheese slice and cover pan.

Try not to make your guacamole too early as your avocados will oxidise and turn brown.
If you are making ahead of time, place a seed into your guacamole mix, and cover bowl tightly with cling wrap.

Chorizo Burger 3

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Braised Pineapple Pork Ribs – Delishar

As I was browsing the internet for recipes and inspiration to cook my rack of ribs, this Filipino recipe caught my eye. Perhaps it was because it is something different, unlike the usual oven roasted ribs or soup. Or maybe because it was the pineapples used in the recipe that intrigued me. Nonetheless, I knew I had to give it a go, in order to know what the recipe is like.

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Knowing that the recipe calls for pineapples and pineapple juice, I know the sauce is going to reduce into a glaze like consistency. I can expect sweetness and tangy-ness from the pineapples, the acid in the juice and the time used to braise the meat ensures that the ribs are going to be fall off the bone tender and succulent. The starch in the potatoes helped to thicken the sauce a little more, and at the same time soak up all the goodness in the gravy. This dish itself is substantial enough on it’s own when served over steamed rice. 

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Braised Pineapple Pork Ribs

Delishar

  • 1 kg baby back ribs membrane removed and cut into individual ribs
  • 1 potato peeled and cubed
  • 1 small yellow onion cut into wedges
  • 4 cloves garlic lightly smashed
  • 1 inch thumb ginger grated
  • 1 cup pineapple juice
  • 2-3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 cup cubed pineapples
  • 2 cups low sodium chicken stock
  • 1/2 tsp brown sugar
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp cooking oil
  • Water as needed
  • Chopped spring onions to garnish
  • Heat pan over medium high heat and add oil.

  • Cook potatoes until golden, then remove from pan, and set aside.

  • In the same pan, saute onion and garlic until soft and fragrant.

  • Add ribs to pan and lightly brown ribs.

  • Pour in ginger, pineapple juice, soy sauce, pineapple cubes, brown sugar, and chicken stock.

  • Stir to combine, and bring to boil.

  • Lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender, adding some water if needed.

  • In the last 15 minutes of cooking, add in cubed potatoes.

  • Season with salt and pepper to taste.

  • When done, remove from heat and garnish with chopped spring onions.

Pineapple Braised Ribs

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Skillet Seafood Paella – Delishar

We took the girls prawning one weekend, and the girls had so much fun that day! They were so excited to catch their first prawn, but it was mummy to the rescue when it comes removing the hooks. We caught a good amount of prawns that day, which I froze when we got home. Just before we left, the owner of the place handed me a bag of what I thought was prawns. But when I got home, and was cleaning up the shell fish, I realised that she handed me a bag of crayfish instead! 

That same week, The Alaska Guys passed me some of their Alaskan Pollock to try out. So that week, I made this seafood  skillet paella for the family. Threw in a couple of bay scallops to the mix to make it a little more wholesome. Instead of using chicken stock, I used the shells of the prawns and crayfish to make my own seafood stock.

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The family loved the paella, especially my youngest daughter who absolutely loves eating prawn. The sweet seafood stock gave the whole dish it’s lift, and the saffron and paprika gave it the rich colour and deepens the flavour of the dish. A little spritz of lime before serving gives the hearty dish a lift of freshness. I simply love the all in one skillet meal, which means less clean up for me! 🙂 

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Skillet Seafood Paella

Delishar

Serves 4-6

  • 2 cups aborio rice
  • 4 cups seafood stock
  • 2 fish fillets about 500g cut into chunks (I used Alaskan Pollock)
  • 12-16 bay scallops
  • 15-20 prawns head & shells removed for stock (I used a mix of prawns and crayfish)
  • 150 g French beans cut into 2 inch length
  • 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp paprika
  • Pinch of saffron
  • 1 can chopped tomatoes 411g
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Lime wedges to serve
  • Chopped cilantro to garnish

Seafood stock

  • 4.5 cups water
  • Head and shells of prawn/crayfish
  • Ends of onions and garlic optional
  • Salt to taste

Paella

  • Season both sides of fish fillets with salt, pepper, and 1/2 tsp paprika.

  • Set aside for use later.

  • Melt 3 tbsp butter in skillet.

  • Sauté onion and garlic until soft and translucent.

  • Add rice, paprika, and saffron, then sauté for 2 minutes.

  • Pour in diced tomatoes and French beans.

  • Add in stock, stir, and bring to boil.

  • Season with salt and pepper, then lower heat to a low simmer.

  • Cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes.

  • Uncover, spread prawns, bay scallops, and fish fillets on top of the rice, pressing it down slightly.

  • Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until seafood is cooked through.

  • Serve with lime wedges and garnish with chopped cilantro.

You can replace seafood stock with ready made chicken stock.

Skillet Seafood Paella 4

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Ratatouille – Delishar | Singapore Cooking, Recipe, and Lifestyle Blog

This gorgeous dish that originated in Nice. Ratatouille is a traditional French recipe and is also known as stewed vegetables. If you find the name familiar, it is because it’s the same of a Disney movie. And in the movie, they served up this dish as well in one of the scene! 

This dish is traditionally build on fresh vegetables sauteed separately then layered on a baking dish before sending it to the oven to stew. Here, we skip that first step, layered the vegetables, and allow it to cook all at once. It’s a great side dish, and a great vegetarian alternative as well. I particularly like this dish because it’s healthy and I don’t have to feel guilty reaching out for a 2nd serving.  

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The process of layering is pretty tedious in my opinion. But it was well worth the effort after seeing how gorgeous it turned out to be! I used the thinnest setting on my mandoline slicer to get more layers. However, you can always go a little chunkier. Use your favourite pasta sauce as the base, or you can always make your own. After pictures, I grated some parmesan cheese on top before serving, which gave the dish a little more oomph! 

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Ratatouille

Delishar

Serves 4-6

  • 1 zucchini thinly sliced
  • 1 yellow squash thinly sliced
  • 1 brinjal / eggplant thinly sliced
  • 1 red pepper thinly sliced into semi circles
  • 1 jar 400g of your favourite pasta sauce (I used a roasted red pepper sauce)
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2-3 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 springs thyme leaves removed
  • 2 tbsp chopped basil leaves
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Fresh basil to garnish
  • Preheat oven to 190C.

  • Mix olive oil, thyme, basil, and garlic together.

  • Coat the bottom of your 10 inch cast iron skillet with pasta sauce.

  • Lay out thinly sliced vegetables in alternate patterns.

  • Season with salt and pepper.

  • Spread olive oil mixture on top of vegetable.

  • Cover skillet with foil.

  • Bake for 35-40 minutes until sauce is bubbly and vegetable is soft.

  • Garnish with fresh basil before serving.

Use a mandoline slicer to get even thin slices of vegetables.
Use a casserole in place of a cast iron skillet.

ratatouille

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Amazingly Easy Irish Soda Bread (Guest Series 2) – Delishar

A few weeks ago I started a guest series and featured my first guest’s Polish Meatloaf with Warm Beet Salad. Today, I’m featuring my next guest, Shauna from Ireland. She’ll be sharing with us her take on a quick bread recipe, Irish Soda Bread. And no, there’s no booze in the recipe. :p

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Shauna and her husband, Michael came to Singapore years ago. They planned their perfect wedding, and got hitched in Bali. Then they started their family with 2 handsome little boys, Shay and Jake. Shay and my girl, Melody, have a serious love-hate relationship. They love playing with each other but often get into some kind of dispute because the both of them are super competitive. They are always trying to out-do or out-run each other. Jake on the other hand is such a cheeky little sweetheart. I remember him having the cheekiest smirk when he was still a baby, giving us the “Oh, I did something, you just don’t know what it is!” look. That boy is going to be a serious heart-breaker with that gorgeous ginger head!  

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If you read my previous guest series I mentioned the Kovan Crew that’s made up of a few families living in the same estate. We all have kids around the same age and the kids grew up together, enjoying each other’s company at the playground and at play-dates. One of which will be the pool-side get together, where the kids gets to play, and the adults gets to catch up over food and drinks. On one such occasion, Shauna brought down a plate of bite sized Irish soda bread with cream cheese spread and topped with smoked salmon. It was a hit! The husband loved it so much, he couldn’t stop eating it. When we got home, he casually mentioned that perhaps I should learn how to make the bread from Shauna. But so far, Shauna have been more than generous to share with us some of her loaf when she makes it for her family. 

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Shauna mentioned to me that the recipe she uses called for all plain flour. However, for a healthier alternative, she is using 50% plain and 50% wholemeal. She also shared that the recipe calls for bread soda, but she uses baking soda. Honestly, I’ve not heard of bread soda. So I did a little research and found out that bread soda and baking soda are essentially the same thing. 

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Shauna showed me this kitchen towel, and I burst out laughing! So stereo-typically apt! I’m so glad to have friends who are so willing to share about their culture, and food. And once again, I’m going to miss living in this estate once we move. 

Update: Rachyb has posted a comment correcting my mistake of claiming this as Irish Soda Bread when it is actually Irish Wheaten Bread or Brown Soda Bread because of the wholemeal flour used. So I’ve updated the title, and corrected it to the right term. At least I learned a couple of things today. Soda bread uses all white flour and produce a white loaf. If whole wheat is used, it’s called wheaten bread or brown soda bread. 

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Irish Wheaten Bread (Brown Soda Bread)

Contributed by Shauna

  • 200 g plain / all purpose flour
  • 200 g wholemeal flour
  • 300 ml buttermilk
  • Level teaspoon of baking soda
  • 2 tbsp sugar optional
  • Pinch of salt
  • Preheat oven to 150C.

  • In a large mixing bowl, mix together plain flour, wholemeal flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

  • Pour in buttermilk and mix until combined.

  • Tip it out onto a floured work surface and knead slightly till combined.

  • Then form into a ball, and place on lightly greased baking pan.

  • Score bread using a knife.

  • Bake for 60-75 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean.

You can use all plain flour instead of mixing 50/50.
We spread some cream cheese on the sliced up bread, topped it with smoked salmon, a little spritz of lemon, and garnished with fresh dill.

Irish Soda Bread

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