The Hungry Bunny

This is a dish that'll probably resonate with a lot of local kids. It's quick and easy, taking up less than half an hour to prep and cook. It's not the most wholesome dish, but I like to believe that the central ingredient of cabbage makes up for the canned stewed pork. Ingredients (feeds 4): 1 whole beijing cabbage, cut into 2" squares 1 383gm can of stewed pork (it's that yellow coloured can widely available in NTUC) 1 can champignon mushrooms, sliced 5 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp canola oil 1/2 cup chicken stock Light soy sauce for seasoning Directions: 1) Fry garlic in canola oil till fragrant, less than 1 minute on medium-high heat. 2) Add stewed pork, breaking it up into smaller pieces. 3) Add mushrooms and chicken stock. 4) Add cabbage and toss to wilt, then cover for 5 minutes to let cabbage braise.  5) Season with soy as necessary for taste.

This was a quick weekday night pasta dish that I modified from the shashouka recipe . It's hearty, robust, and packs a spicy punch. For those staying away from carbs, up the zucchini noodles, and leave out the pasta.  Ingredients (feeds 4): 1 tbsp olive oil 5 cloves garlic, minced 2 411gm cans diced tomatoes 4 tbsp harissa paste (you can get this from Culina) 2 tsp cumin powder 10 saffron threads 2 medium-sized zucchini, sliced into thick noodles (I used both green and yellow for colour) 4 eggs Tagliatelle, use however much you like, or don't (pre-cooked in salted boiling water for only 1-minute) Directions: 1) Fry garlic in olive oil until fragrant, less than 1 minute. 2) Add tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes, breaking it up into smaller pieces as you go along. 3) Add harissa paste, stirring it through. 4) Add saffron and cumin, stirring through. 5) Add zucchini, tossing through to cook, about 2 minutes. 6) Add pasta and poach eggs in the ...

Beef noodles are a staple of most Southeast Asian countries, each with their own spin. It's called kuai tiao nuea nam in Thailand, whereby flat rice noodles are served in a steaming hot bowl of heady, watery broth seasoned with fish sauce, sugar, and black pepper. Vietnamese pho bo uses similar rice noodles, but its broth is comparatively muted, spiced with black cardamom, fennel seeds, cloves and enlivened by refreshing mint or purple basil. Laos 'foe' is a fusion of the Thai and Vietnamese styles, where classically Thai ingredients such as lemongrass, fish sauce, and galangal flavour the broth, while toppings such as mint and purple basil are a deference to Vietnamese influence. In Malaysia and Singapore, laksa noodles are slathered in a thick and rich gravy redolent of thick soy sauce and star anise. In Taiwan, beef noodles are so beloved as a national dish, it has its own festival. I love love LOVE Taiwanese beef noodles, it's subtle like pho bo but grounded in th...

We were devastated when Siang Hee moved up north to Serangoon Gardens. It was our cze char go-to; consistently reliable and quite importantly, conveniently located. So for a while, we resorted to driving out to No Signboard whenever a cze char craving hit, which main outlet in Geylang meant we had to navigate narrow lanes lined with shitty parallel parkers, and foolhardy pedestrians who'd make excellent human bowling pins. Then we discovered Tian Tian Seafood Restaurant , a casual roadside joint located a little down the block where Siang Hee used to stand. While many flock to Tian Tian for its fish head steamboat, we're partial to their cze char offerings. The menu is extensive, cooking is deft, and ingredients are fresh, making food that's wonderfully comforting and homestyled. A bonus: prices here are very wallet-friendly. Parking is incredibly scarce, so a tip is to dine for supper, as the restaurant is open till 3am. Or make like a geriatric, and eat dinner earl...

I love savoy cabbage; it's sweet and leafy and retains a bit of crunch unlike its beijing cabbage counterparts. Here, I've paired it with bacon lardons to add a salty element to the sweet vegetable, and freshened it up with some thyme leaves. Ingredients (feeds 4): 2 heads savoy cabbage, cut into 1" wide strips 1 cup bacon lardons (get this from Huber's Butchery, you'll have to go to the counter and ask them to slice the bacon up into lardons) 1 medium yellow onion, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only 4 tbsp water 2 tbsp olive oil Salt to taste Directions: 1) Fry bacon in olive oil until cooked through. 2) Add onions, and then garlic, to cook through. 3) Add cabbage and water, covering to let the steam wilt the cabbage. 4) Add thyme leaves and toss through. 5) Salt to taste before serving.

Brunswick Stew is traditionally a hunter's stew of game meats, loaded with beans and corn, and flavoured with a base of sweet and smoky barbecue sauce and tomatoes. For my version, I've opted to use only chicken thighs, and omitted the brisket and pork, both pulled to thicken the stew. Ingredients (feeds 4-6): 10 chicken thighs, skin-on and bone-in 1 large onion, minced 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 400gm-cans diced tomatoes 2 large carrots, diced to 1" cubes 4 potatoes, diced to 1" cubes 1 400gm-can corn kernels 1 400-gm can baby lima beans (also called butter beans or sieva beans or broad beans. You can get this from cold storage or marketplace under the Waitrose brand. Note that people with G6PD deficiencies are allergic to this) 2 cups barbecue sauce 4 tbsp Worchestershire sauce 4 cups chicken stock 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp cayenne pepper 2 tbsp olive oil Directions: 1) Brown chicken in olive oil, salting liberally, taking care not to overcrowd ...

Instead of cooking a green bean casserole, a quintessential Christmas side dish, I thought I'd mix it  up by sauteing green beans, and topping it with oodles of mushrooms and lashings of fried shallots. Similar flavours, but with a much more delightful crunch. Ingredients (feeds 4): 1 kg fine green beans (also called fine French beans), ends trimmed 500 gm white button mushrooms, sliced 1 medium yellow onion, minced 4 cloves garlic, minced 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 cup fried shallots 4 tbsp olive oil Directions: 1) Fry mushrooms in 2 tbsp olive oil, salting to taste, until water released is completely evaporated. Set aside. 2) Blanch green beans in heavily salted water for 5 minutes. Drain into ice-bath and set aside. 3) Fry onions in 2 tbsp olive oil until translucent, about 3 minutes on medium-high heat. 4) Add thyme and garlic, and fry till fragrant, about 1 minute. 5) Add mushrooms, and toss. 6) Add green beans a...