Chicken wings are a favourite in my household, but I’ve not cooked them in quite a long time because of health concerns. I usually buy chicken fillet or breast as they are lower in fat. So when I decided to give my family a chicken-wing treat last week, I knew exactly what I was going to do with it: Make GINGER WINGS!

This marinade is great for BBQ-ing, baking or roasting too, so if you don’t have a Philips Airfryer, don’t fret! But being the Airfryer advocate, no other cooking method beats the convenience of cooking these in one. Just 15 minutes and no extra or splattering oil.. frying chicken wings doesn’t get easier than this.

These remind me of the grilled bbq wings we have in local hawker centers, only better! Using the airfryer means that the meat remains juicy while the skin turn out super crispy. I can’t imagine cooking crispy wings any other way. These ginger wings were finger-licking good and were cleaned out in minutes!

The post Airfried Ginger Wings 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.

I made these Airfried Zucchini Patties sometime back, and decided to do a similar version with spinach. After all, my trusty Philips Airfryer makes frying so easy- I don’t even need to pan fry them in shallow oil but you can do that and achieve the same results.

Spinach is the choice vegetable for my family because they’re so nutritious and readily available. Whether you’re using round or sharp spinach, you won’t have a hard time finding them, unlike the very elusive YELLOW CHIVES which the veggie auntie told me she’s only seen twice in the two years she has been working there. It’s almost like they are wanted by the FBI.

I usually cook spinach by quickly blanching them in boiling water, adding to soups at the last minute, or stir frying them with anchovies. They’re a rich source of Vitamin K which protects your bones and helps to normalise blood clotting, Vitamin A (especially lutein, a carotenoid vitamin which many think of as the “Eye Vitamin”) and Iron (which is good for people like me who are sometimes anemic, sometimes not). More information on the nutritional components of spinach can be found here. I really loved making these spinach balls as they fun to eat. Anything fun to eat usually end up delicious!

Makes 20 Spinach Balls

What I used:

1 package fresh spinach, blanched, cooled, drained and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and grated
Half a yellow onion, chopped
1 egg
2 slices bread, toasted and processed into bread crumbs
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Half teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
Half teaspoon black pepper
2 slices Kraft singles, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon cornflour

1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except breadcrumbs. Mix well.
2. Add the breadcrumbs last and shape into balls.
3. 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 spinach
$0.30 for carrot
$0.20 for onion
$0.80 for cheese
Everything else from my pantry!

Total cost per serving: $0.60 (6-7 spinach balls per person)

——————————————————————-

I used to add parmesan cheese to my zucchini/ spinach patties but decided I prefer less potent cheese. I used kraft singles for these and the cheese melted beautifully within. This is a great way to start your picky eater on vegetables (I don’t mean your husband). I just hope Aegon will eat these!

The post Airfried Spinach Cheese Balls appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

When I feel like “splurging” on some Japanese bento when I eat out, I almost always opt for stir-fried ginger pork. Sometimes I go for pork katsu in curry over rice, but most of the time, ginger pork. Most places use Kurobuta pork for its intense flavour (and fat), and I like it, just that in regular home-cooking, not many of us would have the luxury or wouldn’t choose to use Kurobuta. What if amateurs like us destroy the meat? And so, I used thinly sliced pork loin fillet. I’ve not seen this version anywhere except Sheng Siong, so if you’re looking to cook this dish, pop by Sheng Siong and grab some. This is a good alternative to shabu-shabu pork for steamboat, too. It is sliced thicker but still juicy and tender. All the better for the dancing chef chilli dip to cling on to.

Look at the subtle amount of fat, and how the meat remains pink and soft, almost ethereal, after a very light pan-braising. I shudder at the thought of cooking and eating dry and lean pork loin, and after last night’s pork loin dinner, I probably will never buy pork loin again. I just can’t develop a relationship with pork loin chops. “You need fat in a piece of pork”, is all I can say. If you can’t find thinly sliced pork loin, you can make this with shabu-shabu pork.

Most recipes also call for sake and/or mirin. If you don’t have either, you could use white wine and sugar instead.

This is one of the easiest and seriously yummy pork dish I’ve cooked. The entire preparation + cooking time took me less than 20 minutes, including blanching the vegetables. The amount of time you spend in front of the stove is like, what, 10 minutes? This is something that I will cook over and over again because it is so good, and simple to make. Tuck in!

The post Japanese Ginger Pork (Shogayaki) appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

I originally bought these flat yellow noodles because I wanted to cook KL-Style Hokkien Mee. I decided instead to cook a much simpler dish of Teochew dry noodles. These noodles were easy to prepare but so very full of flavour, with fragrant dried shrimps, crunchy bean sprouts, spring onions and must-have fish sauce bringing simplicity to the next level.

*Tip: You can also add fishballs ala fishball noodles! And if you wish, add just a bit of sambal and mix well for a more spicy kick. I don’t know about you, but I always feel a higher sense of accomplishment when I can replicate a hawker dish, and adding fishballs makes it somewhat like the dry fishball noodles we eat outside. :) At least, that’s what I’d like to think!

Makes 3 servings

What I used:

300g flat yellow noodles
100g bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
A handful of chinese chives or spring onions
1 tablespoon dried shrimp, soaked and drained
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pc fishcake, sliced
50g pork strips or prawns (or both!)
1 tomato, sliced, optional
Chilli padi and fried shallots, for garnish

1. Scald noodles in boiling water til 80% cooked.
2. Heat up oil and stir fry chopped garlic, dried shrimps, fish cake and shrimps/ pork til fragrant. Add in noodles and bean sprouts, dark soy sauce and fish sauce. Stir evenly and cook on high heat for 10 minutes.
3. Add in tomatoes if using, chinese chives/ spring onions and mix well. Portion into individual bowls and garnish with chilli padi and fried shallots.

How much I spent:

$0.60 for noodles
$0.20 for tomato
$0.40 for fish cake
$0.20 for bean sprouts
$1 for pork/ prawns
Everything else from my pantry!

Total cost per serving: $0.80

——————————————————————-

I saw this recipe in a teochew cookbook a long time ago and didnt think much of it. And even when I was cooking, I was thinking: “Just how delicious can this be? The seasoning is so simple with just dark soy sauce and fish sauce!” What I can say is, don’t under-estimate simple flavours. Very comforting, and being noodles, they’re relatively carb-heavy.

This is my go-to noodles on my treat and cheat days, which are right now, everyday!

The post Teochew Noodles 潮州面条 appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.