I adapted this fabulous Potato Salad recipe from Just One Cookbook and am just so glad I made it for lunch today. This was the first recipe I’ve tried from Nami, and going by how quickly my family devoured this, it certainly won’t be the last!

Jason has a thing for potato salad, specifically the potato salad from Pacific Coffee from HONG KONG from the outlet at The Peak 山顶. Yes, he is a bit 坚持 like that, when it comes to potato salad. Haha.

I used regular mayonnaise instead of Japanese mayonnaise, reduced the mayo from 12 tablespoons to 5 (I really think we don’t need that much!), increased the amount of carrot and cucumber, added one extra potato and egg, plus added some sugar. I loved the result, and am positive you will, too!

I don’t know if being on detox has anything to do with this, but this is the most delicious potato salad I’ve ever had. Yes, I cheated a bit on this round of detox because when you cook, you gotta taste. It’s not an excuse.. it’s a fact of life! I had a small bite of this potato salad and they’re so good, I am quite positive I can finish the entire bowl on my own! If you’re feeling fancy, add some freshly fried bacon for an even better version of the best potato salad you’ll ever have, promise!

The post Japanese Potato Salad appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

If you insist on cooking erm, “authentically”, I suggest you get peeled chestnuts from the chiller department of Sheng Siong. They’re $2 a packet, uncooked, untreated, but already naked for convenience. I was gonna get them but they ran out. See what I mean about NO ONE wanting to get those nuts outta their shells manually? So I got the next best thing: ready-to-eat vacuum-packed chestnuts. The dish turned out great anyway.

I marinated the chicken fillet overnight because I don’t like to spend a long time in the kitchen at any one time, prepping and prepping. It makes me feel like cooking is a chore, which it isn’t, and I love cooking! If you don’t usually cook and want to devote more time in the kitchen, simple marinate the chicken for 20-30 minutes on the day itself just before cooking. This dish is also great with chicken wings.. but I don’t normally feed my family chicken wings for health reasons even if they do taste so good. Chickens are often injected with steroids at the neck or the wing.. so I believe that the level of steroids is higher at these areas. I’m not a doctor or healthcare professional, but this is the way I choose to eat! And chicken fillet has less fat and they still taste so good.

Makes 4 servings

What I used:

600g chicken fillet, cut into bite sized pieces, marinated with:
a) 1 tablespoons soy sauce
b) 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (not the runny, very salty kind)
c) 1 satchet sugar
d) 1 tablespoon chinese cooking wine
e) 1 tablespoons corn flour
f) a dash of white pepper
g) 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger

1 carrot, chopped to bite sized pieces
2 packets of vacuum-packed chestnuts
a few cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed lightly (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
2 slices ginger
1 teaspoon olive oil
700ml chicken stock (dissolve one chicken stock cube in hot water, then add 1 tablespoon oyster sauce + a dash of sesame oil)

1. Heat up your saucepan. Add oil and fry ginger and shallots til fragrant.
2. Add in the garlic pieces and chicken. Discard leftover marinate juices. Fry for 4-5 minutes then add carrots and chestnuts.
3. Add the chicken stock, sesame oil and oyster sauce. Bring to boil then lower flame to simmer for 20 minutes til chicken is tender.

How much I spent:

$4 for chicken fillet
$3 for chestnuts
$0.30 for carrot
Everything else from my pantry

Total cost per serving: $1.83

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When I tasted this during cooking, I thought to myself.. “wow.. this is just like homecooked food!” Then I realise how silly that sounds cos this is homecooked food! If you’re thinking of cooking something for your family today, why not try this simple dish? All the ingredients are combined together to cook slowly.. the chicken pieces become so tender and the chestnuts break down and lend a sweet, nutty flavour to the dish. Plus, if you choose to add garlic (I love them!), you’ll get little surprises when you bite into one.

Because everything cooks together in one saucepan, there is minimal clean up and because this is a braised dish,you don’t have to worry about temperature, whether the meat is overcooked or not. Nothing gets easier than this (erm ok except some of my idiot-proof recipes), and I promise, you’ll get a sense of satisfaction dishing this up!

The post Braised Chestnut Chicken Casserole appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

Here’s a picture of zucchinis. Can you blame me for getting confused?

I made these for dinner last night and served them with wasabi mayo. These babies were cooked in my airfryer, although the “traditional” method was to panfry them in oil. I did not add a single drop of oil when cooking! Think of all the calories from fat you could be saving with Philips Airfryer. On a side note, I was at IMM Giant and saw a version of Airfryer from Toyomi selling at less than a hundred bucks. The capacity and “pattern” (I love saying “pattern”, “出 pattern”, “什么 pattern” because it is so Singaporean!) is exactly the same as Philips Airfryer but the make and finishing felt rough and clumsy. Not the kind of pattern I am looking for.

These Zucchini patties could be your answer to making your kids eat more veggies! I suggest grating the veggies into small pieces if that’s your ploy! I don’t have a grater at home so I used my peeler. You wanna make sure the zucchini is dry before throwing all the ingredients together into the mixing bowl. Zucchinis have high water content.. you want to get as much water out as possible.

Makes 8 patties

What I used:

1 zucchini, grated
1 carrot, grated
1 egg
1 packet Julie’s butter crackers (there’s three crackers in one packet), crushed (or use toasted bread crumbs- 2 slices)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoon salt (use 1 teaspoon in step 1. and remaining in step 3.)
Half teaspoon black pepper
Half teaspoon paprika powder (optional)
2 tablespoons Parmesan, Cheddar or Mozzarella cheese (you can even use kraft singles to save costs)
1 tablespoon corn flour

1. Wash zucchini, cut off both ends and grate into a bowl. No need to peel. Sprinkle salt and leave it to rest for 15 minutes.
2. After 15 minutes, you’re ready to squeeze dry the zucchini. Take a clean towel or cheesecloth and place zucchini in the middle. Bundle up and squeeze til dry. You’ll be amazed at the amount of water you’ll collect! Discard water.
3. In a large dry bowl, peel and grate carrots, add the zucchini, garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, egg and crackers and mix well. Shape into patties.
4. Airfry in preheated Airfryer at 180 degrees for 10 minutes. Alternatively, heat up some oil in a skillet and shallow fry each side til golden brown.

How much I spent:

$0.50 for zucchini
$0.30 for carrot
$0.30 for egg
Everything else including cheese from my pantry

Total cost per serving: $0.30 (two patties)

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Discovering how to make these patties is lifesaving! I don’t particularly like cooking vegetables, chinese style especially. Leafy vegetables are a challenge to me.. I don’t like to stirfry them so I usually cook them in soups. I can imagine doing up a spinach version soon! Yay to more ways of eating vegetables!

The post Zucchini Patties appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

I really should be eating more lotus root because it is high in fibre, vitamin C, and most importantly for me, it can supply me with a healthy dose of copper, zinc and iron. Comparatively though, it is higher in carbohydrates (17g carbs per 100g) than carrots (10g carbs per 100g), broccoli (3g carbs per 100g serving), and is almost close to the carb content of potatoes (21g carbs per 100g). For diabetics, you can still enjoy this dish, lotus root, carrots and all, and even potatoes and rice (balsmati, for its low GI), as long as it is eaten in moderation. The key word is always moderation.

For example, I moderate myself to eat a maximum of one slice of black forest cake, one butter scone, one peach tart, 1 apple strudel, and 3 chocolate cookies in one sitting. Just kidding. That’s my secret wish.

Makes 3 servings

What I used:

One segment lotus root, sliced, enough to fill a regular plate (about 150g to 200g)
2 chicken fillets, chopped into pieces
50ml water or chicken stock
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
Half a carrot, cut into flower pattern or not is up to you LOL
Some spring onions for garnish
1 tbsp spicy bean paste
1 tbsp light soy sauce
Half tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp hua diao jiu; chinese cooking wine
1 tsp sugar
White pepper
1tbsp olive oil

1. Marinade chicken in bean paste, soy sauce, sugar, wine and pepper.
2. Fry ginger in olive oil for a minute, then add garlic. Fry together til fragrant.
3. Add lotus root and carrot, fry for a few minutes then add the water or stock.
4. Add in chicken pieces and stir fry to coat veggies with sauce.
5. Cook til chicken is cooked and heated through. Garnish with spring onions.

How much I spent:

$1 for lotus root
$1.50 for chicken fillet
$0.30 for carrot
Everything else from my pantry

Total cost per serving: $0.93

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If there’s one thing I would change, I would cut the chicken into strips instead of pieces so that more sauce is coated on them. If you prefer more gravy, add more water or stock, then season to your liking. As with all types of dishes, taste, taste taste during the cooking process!

Serve hot with rice and a clear vegetable soup for a balanced meal.

The post Chinese Stir Fry: Lotus Root & Chicken in Spicy Bean Sauce appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.