You can choose to steam or airfry the barramundi. I airfried it at 180C for 8 minutes and the flesh was so tender and moist. Steaming takes about 7 minutes on high heat as you’re not steaming a whole fish (I used local barramundi fillets from Sasha’s Fine Foods). Top it with chai poh (preserved radish – scroll down to see the brand I use) and a separate soy sauce mixture and dinner or a quick lunch is ready!

About the Barramundi

The local barramundi fillets I used were from Sasha’s Fine Foods. The flesh is firm with large, white moist flakes with a sweet and buttery flavour which I really love. The best part is they are caught locally at a sustainable hormone and antibiotic-free aquafarm, Singapore Aquaculture Technologies (SAT) – where water quality is monitored and water is naturally filtered, treated and oxygenated, ensuring well-defined conditions for stress-free growth.

National Day Promo! + use code ‘Budgetpantry10’ for 10% off

In line with National Day, Sasha’s Fine Foods is having a 10% off on local products from 5-12 August 2019! See here for the list. You can still use my code ‘Budgetpantry10’ for additional purchases on their website. Get your orders in!

Read about Sasha’s Fine Foods in my earlier blog post. I really love their no antibiotics, no hormones, sustainable produce!

About the preserved radish (chai poh)

Use sweet chai poh, not the salty type. This is the brand I got from Sheng Siong and I see that it is also available on Redmart:

And now for the recipe…

The post Quick 15-minute Chai Poh Barramundi (Asian Sea Bass with Preserved Radish) appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

I get asked many times if I use a wok when cooking Chinese dishes. Truth be told, I don’t! And there are a few reasons for that:

1. “The sink is too small.”
What? That is a fact! Ah-mm’s huge-ass wok is too small to fit in the kitchen sink. I already hate washing up. Trying to manoeuvre the wok around the sink just to get it cleaned frustrates me even more.

2. “Out of sight, out of mind.”
This is again true. The best place to leave your wok is out in the open. Because the stove space is so small, the wok is always kept in the cabinet, underneath all the other smaller pots and pans. And what do most normal people do when they need a frying pan? Go for the easiest to reach ones!

3. “This thing weighs a ton!”
Ok, it doesn’t, but it is still much heavier and cumbersome than a frying pan.

That said, my Mom swears by her wok. Lazy as I am, I can’t deny the fact that when it comes to stir-frying, everything tastes better when it is tossed over high heat in a wok. A frying pan gets your food cooked. A wok gets your food amazing. I know because everything my Mom cooks is amazing, and she cooks everything in her wok.

Today’s recipe was prepared in a frying pan (see reasons 1-3 above). Still delicious but not the best, and it’s ok, we won’t know what we’re missing.

I used chicken inner fillet for this dish. Chicken inner fillet (鸡柳) is the underside of the chicken breast and is moist and tender. It is about 10cm long and has almost zero fat. I love it! My favourite brand is LEBON from Giant because each fillet is frozen individually before being packed. Other brands I’ve bought are frozen together in a large chunk and you just can’t pick a few pieces to defrost. With LEBON, I simply open up the packet, take whatever number of fillets I need and defrost them for an easy lunch or dinner. Here’s what inner fillets look like:

Whether you choose to cook this in a wok or pan, you’re sure to enjoy this comforting dish. Serve with rice. You won’t stop at one bowl!

The post Chinese Stir-fry: Chicken and Bell Peppers with Cashew Nuts appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

It’s gonna be a busy, busy November for me. Indeed, with the wedding date inching nearer, I am busy going on a diet! I am a last minute bride, I swear. I had months to lose weight but was busy eating potato chips during our home movie sessions! But those potato chips tasted so good. #YOLO is all I can say. And I’ve been using it wayy too many times this year :)

Looks like lunch and dinner this few weeks have gotta be quickfixes without much prep work (no braised pork belly, me thinks), but this doesn’t mean that they can’t be delicious! Take this recipe for example. It is so simple but so presentable (I suggest adding red and green peppers!), you could serve a portion with rice and make it a one-dish meal like how they do it at zi-char stalls.

As you might know by now, I do a lot of Chinese stir-fry because it is quick and easy, and most importantly, it is what my two aunts are used to eating. I don’t know if this has anything to do with us being Teochew, but they sure love anything cooked in black bean sauce. I made slow cooker bittergourd for them a few days back and they even compared it to my grandmother’s version.

I’ve never met my grandmother, and no.. as much as I love to cook, I don’t believe that anything that I cook can even come close to my grandma’s cooking. I’m sure she made everything “from scratch” though (chuckles), and I take what some would say the “easy way out” by not fermenting my own black beans. Good for you la, if you do that or grow your own bean sprouts. I know of a lady who did.. and she’s none other than Lily Ng from Lily’s Wai Sek Hong. She probably doesn’t even know that I exist but she’s kitchen God in my eyes and I truly admire and respect her! Hop on over to her blog. You might never come back! LOL.

Makes 2 servings

What I used:

1 piece good quality sutchi fish (or you can use any chunky white fish)
3 slices ginger
1 yellow onion, chopped into small wedges (quartered, then half each piece. I don’t know how you call it, eighth-ed? haha)
1 red chilli or chilli padi, sliced
2 tablespoon cornstarch solution (half tablespoon cornstartch mixed with 2 tablespoons water)
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon olive oil

Seasonings:
1 tablespoon Lee Kum Kee black bean garlic sauce
1 sachet sugar
1 tablespoon chinese cooking wine (hua diao jiu)
A dash of white pepper
A dash of fish sauce

1. Clean and pat dry the sutchi fish, then chop into chunks (about 2 inches across).
2. Heat up the oil in a frying pan, fry the onions and ginger til fragrant. Add the fish and seasonings and fry for 3-4 minutes, then add water. Stir gently to combine as you don’t want to break up the fish.
3. Cook til water is bubbling. Add cornstarch solution and cook til thickened. Garnish with sliced chilli and serve with warm rice or noodles.

How much I spent:

$1.40 for sutchi fish
$0.30 for onion
Everything else from my pantry!

Total cost per serving: $0.85
——————————————————————

This is a super easy stir-fry which took all of ten minutes in the frying pan. I would have added chopped bell peppers (green and red!) but I didn’t have them on hand. Looks like I gotta cook them again next time!

The post Chinese Stir-Fry: Black Bean Fish Fillet appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

There is an interesting story behind Mapo Tofu , literally translated as “Pock Mark Lady’s Tofu”. The Mapo Tofu we have here in Singapore is usually very spicy, with Szechuan chili oil used so liberally you would have thought they were free. We’re not fans of chili oil, so when eating out, we always order “Hotplate Tofu” instead– deep fried egg tofu, vegetables and cracked egg covered with non-spicy brown sauce, served on a sizzling hotplate.

So when I came across this Mapo Tofu which didn’t look too intimidating, heat-wise, I decided to have a go at it. The ingredients are basic and low cost, and the dish looks incredibly delicious over rice. My family loved it.

Makes 3-4 servings
(Adapted from Just One Cookbook with slight changes)

What I used:

1 block tofu, cut into cubes like in the picture (I used Unicurd brand “Chinese Tofu“)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
150g minced pork (you can use chicken)
2 sprigs of spring onions, cut thinly with scissors
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the sauce (combine everything together):

2 tablespoon chili bean paste
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons white wine
1 tablespoon sugar
Half teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water (about 65ml)

1. Heat up the oil and fry ginger and garlic til fragrant. Add the minced meat and quickly break it up with your spatula or wooden spoon.
2. When the meat is no longer pink, add in the sauce. Stir to combine.
3. Add the tofu and briefly mix. Don’t break up the tofu or touch it too much. Heat through for 1-2 minutes til you see small bubbles in the pan.
4. Turn off the heat and sprinkle spring onions before serving.

How much I spent:

$0.75 for tofu
$1.50 for minced meat
Everything else from my pantry!

Total cost per serving: $0.57

——————————————————————

This dish can be served straight over rice in a large bowl, along with a simple clear soup. It is so easy to make, I’m sure I’ll see it more often during dinner, especially on days when I’m not too creative or just plain lazy!

The post Mapo Tofu with mild spicy bean paste appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

After doing a taste test of these noodles this afternoon, my only regret is that I can’t eat an entire bowl of this myself! I know, I know, I am constantly on a diet and have not had an entire bowl of carbs to myself for the longest time. But this time really cannot ok? In case I forget, I have a wedding coming up next month. Yes, mine.

I love cooking with yi mein, or ee-fu noodles, or yi mian because there’s really a whole lot of variety that you can have with them. Make crispy “Sang-Mein” by ladling boiling hot gravy over them, along with ingredients like carrots, mushrooms, chicken or pork, shrimps, squid, veggies and a beaten egg. Make claypot noodles by simmering them for a short while in a prepared sauce the above ingredients but with whole cracked egg. Or, like in this recipe, braise them for a longer time along with beansprouts, chives, mushrooms, shrimp and chicken pieces, until all the sauce is about soaked up. No matter which method you choose, they’re a definite crowd pleaser BECAUSE EE-FU NOODLES ARE ESSENTIALLY DEEP FRIED CARBS.

How do they get their crispy texture otherwise and how in the world can deep fried ANYTHING not taste good?!

So today, just pretend noodles are good for you (they’re made of wheat okayyy?!) and cook this delicious dish already.

Makes 1-2 servings (1 cake of noodle = 2 rice-bowl portions)

What I used:

1 round cake crispy ee-mein
A handful of shrimps
1 chicken fillet, sliced
2 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked til plumped up and sliced (I soak overnight, then reserve soaking water)
A handful of beansprouts, more if want!
2 stalks chives, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
Cornstarch solution (1 flat teaspoon corn starch mixed in 2 tablespoons tap water)

Seasoning sauce (mix together)
1.5 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/4 teaspoon  dark soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon mushroom powder seasoning (my Mom introduced this to me last week and I love it)
1 teaspoon chinese wine (hua diao jiu)
Dash of white pepper
Half cup water
Half cup reserved mushroom soaking water

1. Heat up the olive oil in a pan. When oil is hot, saute garlic for 30 seconds then add mushrooms, chicken and shrimps. When the chicken is no longer pink and the shrimps are about pink (identity crisis, these two), add the beansprouts and chives and stir fry on high heat for another minute.
2. Add the seasoning sauce. Bring to boil and add the noodle cake. Lower the flame to medium.
3. Ladle the sauce on top of the noodle as much as you can, add the cornstarch solution, then cover with lid for 3-4 minutes. Check to see that the braising sauce is almost all absorbed by the noodles, switch off the flame, garnish with some more chives and serve.

How much I spent:

$0.27 for noodles
$1 for shrimps and chicken
$0.10 for bean sprouts
$0.20 for chives
Everything else from my pantry!

Total cost per serving: $1.57 or $0.79 if you’re a small eater

——————————————————————-

I really wanted to describe these noodles as “creamy”, thanks to the braising gravy and corn starch, and because they’re almost really that! The savoury oyster sauce, wine, and seasonings just melted into these noodles. Don’t worry about them being too heavy, they’re honestly not as we did not overdo the corn starch. Instead of chicken or shrimp, you can go all vegetarian and use straw or button mushrooms and carrots instead, or substitute chicken for pork if that’s more your thing. A delicious and versatile dish for the new week?

The post Cantonese Braised Ee-Fu Noodles appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.