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Donburi: Buta Don (Pork Bowl)

Chris-budgetpantry — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 08:14:10 +0000

What’s savoury, delicious, comforting, and ready in 10 minutes?

TADAH! This amazing pork donburi! Donburi essentially means a ‘rice bowl dish’. Popular dons include Katsu Don (fried chicken/pork bowl), Gyu Don (beef bowl), Ten Don (tempura bowl), Soboro Don (minced chicken bowl) and the list goes on. My favourite is this Buta Don, served with sliced onions, egg and spring onions. It’s super easy to cook and warms my tummy any day!

One important thing to note is that you need to add the pork belly slice by slice into the pan so they don’t clump together. This also keeps them soft and not overcooked! And if you don’t have mirin and/or sake at home, replace with hua diao wine. I mean, it’s not traditionally Japanese of course, but it’s still quite damn delicious.

I hope you try this easy and yummy recipe!

Oh, and many of you ask me what soy sauce I use. I only use Hand Flower Brand! You can do a search online. I think you can get it from Kee Song online and also at fairs and wet market provision shops. Look for ‘Heng Yoon Trading’ on Facebook for the stockist list!

Donburi: Buta Don (Pork Bowl) (budgetpantry.com)
Serves 2

What you need:

200g pork belly shabu shabu, cut each strip into half
2 eggs, beaten (I use egg story pasteurised egg esp when serving them runny)
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 tablespoon chopped spring onions
2 tablespoons oil
2 portions cooked rice

Mix together:
1 tablespoon soy sauce (I use hand flower brand)
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon sake
2 flat teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
(note: if you dont have mirin or sake, replace with 1.5 tablespoon hua diao wine)

Steps:

Heat up the oil and fry onions till fragrant and slightly soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the pork belly slices one by one and spread them out in the pan as you don’t want them to clump together. Fry for a few minutes till about 80% cooked.

Add the seasoning, mix well and simmer for a minute.

Add the beaten eggs and spring onions and cook for 30 seconds. Turn off the fire. Spoon on top of rice and serve immediately.

The post Donburi: Buta Don (Pork Bowl) appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

Wholesome salmon miso soup with mushrooms and vegetables

Chris-budgetpantry — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 15:38:48 +0000

I was craving salmon soup so bad on Sunday morning that I told myself I must MUST cook it that night. I blame the chilly weather.

Now at 20 months, cbb often eats the same thing as us at meal times. A plus point for us is that we end up eating less salty and less processed. When I cook dishes like these (miso helloooo so salty), I just don’t serve her the soup and ‘wash’ her portion in hot water before giving it to her. She laps it up all the same.

You can slice the salmon before cooking if you prefer, but I like to keep my salmon fillet whole and cook it till about 80% done. Without being overcooked, the flesh is so creamy soft, it’s incredible! Here’s the recipe, I hope you enjoy it!

Tip: Click here to see my other baby food recipes. Will be adding more soon :) Like my Facebook page or follow @budgetpantry or @chuabeebee on Instagram to be updated on new recipes!

Wholesome salmon miso soup with mushrooms and vegetables (budgetpantry.com)
Serves 2-3

What you need:
300g fresh salmon fillet
100g cabbage, chopped into small pieces (I used Beijing cabbage as I had some in the fridge, but do use Napa cabbage as it’s sweeter)
1 stalk leek, sliced into small circles
1 knob ginger, about thumb sized
2 pieces lime leaves
100g daikon, peeled and sliced into bite-sized
Half small carrot, peeled and sliced into bite-sized
1.5 tablespoons miso paste (use white or yellow miso)
Handful of shimeiji or shitake mushrooms
1.5 litres water
Half tablespoon salt, to prep salmon
Fried ginger shreds, as topping
Spring onions, for garnish

Steps:

Clean salmon and feel for bones. Remove them and pat the fillet dry. Salt both sides and leave aside for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes are up, boil water in a pot and immerse the salmon fillet for a minute. Remove and pour away the water. This is to get rid of the gunk and fishy smell. Run the salmon gently under tap water, then pat dry with kitchen paper.

In a fresh pot of water, add the leek, ginger, lime leaves, daikon and carrot. Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the miso and mushroomss.

Finally, add the salmon fillet and cook till just turning pink, about 80% done. I did not slice the fillet because it’s easy to overcook the salmon this way – but if you prefer, you could slice them before cooking. Garnish with spring onions and fried ginger shreds before serving.

TIP: Add more vegetables like spinach or other leafy greens to make it an even more nutritious meal!

The post Wholesome salmon miso soup with mushrooms and vegetables appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

Cheaterbug chicken katsu don

Chris-budgetpantry — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 08:22:58 +0000

Ok I confess! I made these with ready-cooked frozen chicken katsu/cutlet:) I got mine from Song Fish. They have this brand called Tasty Farm (it’s their exclusive) and I think it tastes better than the Bibik brand. You can of course make your own with chicken thigh or breast, flour, egg and panko. Recipe below! This is how the frozen chicken katsu looks like:

Always wondered what goes into the subtly sweet and moist egg mixture of chicken katsu don? It’s a combination of onions, dashi (Japanese broth usually made of dried seaweed and bonito fish flakes – plus other dried ingredients sometimes), mirin, sake (I omitted), soy sauce and sugar. Of course I didn’t cook it from scratch. I used this brand of dashi powder which you can get from Japanese supermarkets or the Japanese section of supermarkets such as Fairprice Finest or Extra:

Just mix the powder with water for instant dashi stock which can be used as a base for many types of Japanese cooking. I add dashi powder to my one-pot mushroom rice too.

The chicken can be made from scratch with either chicken thigh or breast. I don’t do deep frying at home so the steps below are for the airfried version. Of course, if you buy ready-made katsu don like I have, simply airfry for 15-18 minutes at 180C, or deepfry according to package instructions. Have a bowl of soft fluffy rice ready and dinner is on the table!

Cheaterbug chicken katsu don (budgetpantry.com)
Serves 2 What you need:

For the chicken:
2 pieces chicken thigh or breast (about palm sized)
Plain flour
1 egg
Panko
Salt and pepper
Oil for frying

For the egg/gravy:
200ml dashi (mix powder + water according to package instructions)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon sake (I omitted)
2 eggs, beaten
1 onion, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil

Steps:

Flatten the chicken by pounding with the back of your knife. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge in plain flour, shake off excess, dip in egg, then coat with panko. Set aside for a few minutes. Spray on some oil and airfry for 15 minutes at 180C in a preheated airfryer. Otherwise, deep fry till golden. Slice and set aside.

In a pan big enough to fit the chicken, heat the olive oil and fry sliced onions for 1 minute. Add the dashi, mirin, soy sauce, sugar and sake (if using). Bring to boil then lower flame and cook until onions are soft.

Place the cooked chicken pieces in the broth. Pour beaten egg and distribute evenly. Switch off the flame when eggs have slightly set.

Scoop on top of Japanese rice and serve immediately.

The post Cheaterbug chicken katsu don appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

Pork Chop Onigirazu (Japanese Rice Sandwiches)

Chris-budgetpantry — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 14:05:58 +0000

Onigirazu (Japanese Rice Sandwiches) is derived from Onigiri (Japanese rice balls). According to Eating With Your Hands, Onigirazu means “no shaping”. When making Onigiri, the rice needs to be shaped into a triangle, but no squeezing/shaping is needed when making Onigirazu. This explains the “razu”, which means “none”, or “without”.

For the longest time, the husband has been hoping that I would make Onigirazu. And why not, I thought, since these fit right into my “Approved” list of fuss-free food to cook. These Japanese rice sandwiches can be filled with allll sorts of ingredients!

This time round, I made two variations – the pork chop version and one with Japanese potato salad and ham. I’m going to give you the recipe for the pork chop since I’ve blogged about the potato salad recipe before.

Some useful tips:

Use short-grain Japanese rice instead of cooking Jasmine rice into a mushier state

Add a sauce in between the layers (some suggestions: mayo, teriyaki, bulldog sauce)

Wrap tightly and slice with a sharp knife!

Here are the basic wrapping steps:

Have fun with these.. the combinations are endless. I have made these with crispy fried chicken cutlet, grilled portobello mushrooms, Japanese hamburger steaks, luncheon meat and lots more. Can’t wait for cbb to grow up so I can prepare make bento boxes for her to take to school. Hehe. These are perfect for kids’ school excursions or even as a weekend project with your kiddos! Very minimal mess (for you) to clean up and they’ll love making it too, I promise!

Pork Chop Onigirazu (Japanese Rice Sandwiches) (budgetpantry.com)

Makes 2 Onigirazu (4 pieces)

What you need:

2 slices pork shoulder butt, about 1cm thick and palm size
2 square sheets Japanese seaweed
2 rice bowls of cooked Japanese short grain rice
2-4 lettuce leaves
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 eggs, beaten
Squeeze of mayonnaise
Pinch of salt
2 pieces cling wrap larger than the seaweed sheets

Steps:

Cook: Marinate the pork shoulder in soy sauce and mirin for an hour. Airfry in 180C preheated AF for 12 minutes. Alternatively, pan fry in a little oil till done. Set aside. Fry the eggs into an omelette, then cut into 4 slices. Set aside.

Assemble:

Start by placing the cling wrap on a flat surface, followed by one seaweed sheet. Angle the seaweed such that one of the corners is pointing upwards.

Divide the rice into four portions. Place a scoop in the middle of the seaweed. Use the rice paddle to arrange it into a square shape. Try to be as neat as possible but don’t worry if it’s a little out of shape.

Sprinkle a little salt on the rice. Top with pork chop, then follow with mayonnaise, omelette slice and lettuce. Finally, top it off with another scoop of rice.

Wrap:

Take two corners of the seaweed and fold them inwards. Wrap tightly and ensure that the fillings remain in the centre. Take the other two corners and repeat. Your Onigirazu should look like a neat square box. Now wrap the four corners of cling wrap one by one around the Onigirazu, then turn it face down and rest for five minutes..

Repeat the above steps for the second Onigirazu. Cut into half and enjoy!

The post Pork Chop Onigirazu (Japanese Rice Sandwiches) appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

Easy Japanese Curry

Chris-budgetpantry — Wed, 27 May 2015 05:27:41 +0000

Japanese curry for dinner tonight? I have a thing for Japanese curry and tonkatsu.. sometimes this “thing” needs to be satisfied once a month! I used to have a phobia of boxed Japanese curry because it reminds me of my ex-Japanese boyfriend’s mom (I don’t want to be reminded). And Japanese curry and Miso soup were the only thing she made. I added a bit of fresh milk to this version, plus chicken fillet, chicken karaage, potatoes and carrots. So yummy! I used Golden Curry brand.

I chose the MEDIUM HOT version but it’s not spicy at all. I have another box one-level up on the “spiciness” meter and I don’t think there’s gonna be much difference, but that’s typical for Japanese curry. I wouldn’t compare Japanese curry and the red and yellow curry in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.. they’re just not the same things. I love both!

This is the first time that I’m cooking Japanese curry at home and my only regret is that I hadn’t started earlier. It is a simply one-dish meal that can be cooked in a jiffy, although the paste is still processed, but so are our packaged laksa mixes and curry pastes. This saves me so much time as dinner can be ready in less than half an hour, plus the entire family loves it.

I used frozen inner chicken fillet from Lebon for this dish, which can be bought at Giant supermarket and Cold Storage. I just bought two 1kg packets for $9.99 over the weekend (they’re on promotion at Giant IMM), then saw ONE packet selling for $12.50 at Cold Storage Plaza Sing two days ago. How can the price difference be so huge?

I also added some chicken karaage pieces from CP which I air fried to crispy deliciousness in 12 minutes. Although I watch my diet most days, I stash frozen fried chicken because fried chicken and I have a special relationship. When I do eat chicken karaage, I limit myself to 3 pieces max (oh with mayo of course!) but no rice. In denial, I think. And fried chicken and curry? I would replace all the chicken fillet with fried chicken if I could.

I can foresee Japanese curry appearing more often on my dinner table.. I’m also going to try the white stew mixes soon!

Easy Japanese Curry (budgetpantry.com)

Serves: 3-4 heartily
Total cost per serving: $1.75

What you need:

1 package (100g) Golden Curry sauce mix
6 strips inner chicken fillet
3 medium potatoes
1 large carrot
1 medium red or yellow onion
100ml fresh milk (optional)
620ml water (use 720ml water if not using the milk)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Steps:

Chop all ingredients into bite size pieces.

Heat up the olive oil and fry the onion til translucent, about 4 minutes. Add in the chicken, potatoes, carrot and water and bring to boil.

Lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the entire package of curry mix and mix well. Add the milk if using. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes til thick, then serve with rice.

How much I spent:

$3.70 for curry mix
$$1.80 for chicken fillet
$$0.90 for potatoes
$0.30 for carrot
$0.30 for onion
Everything else from my pantry

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