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.

Sutchi is much easier to handle but low quality ones tend to be soggy when cooked. I have bought different versions before, ranging from $2.30 a packet from NTUC (there are 3-4 pieces in there) to $8.95 a packet (also 3-4 pieces). The more expensive ones are larger, more firm and still have some bite, while the cheapest versions normally don’t hold together quite well after baking or airfrying – the two ways I usually cook fish. Apart from sutchi, there are also different type of white fish like halibut and pollock “cod”. I just bought two packets on promotion from Giant and can’t wait to try them. Hopefully the texture is better and more acceptable to Jason, who (justifiably) came up with a nickname for sutchi fish, calling them “the fish version of luncheon meat”, not in terms of preservatives and such but more on meat quality.  I’m going to steer clear of scarily cheap sutchi fish from now on!

This is my favourite recipe for sutchi fish, until I discovered a (super cheaterbug) sambal version with sliced onions and lime ala bbq stingray. I’ll blog about that next week. This baked version is crispy but not greasy, and the blending of parsley together with the bread crumbs gives the dish such a fragrant lift that you cannot (and will not!) believe it is parsley. I was skeptical at first too. I mean, parsley? That yucky garnish which should remain as garnish forever and ever and ever and ever…..? But you won’t regret it. I ran out of parsley once when making this and the dish fell flat. Serious. Try baking this crispy fish.. it’ll only take 15 minutes of your time. Promise.

Makes 2 servings
(recipe adapted from atkokken.com)

What I used:

2 sutchi fish (or any 2 portions of white fish fillet)
1 handful parsley
25g melted salted butter
2 slices bread, toasted

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Clean fish, pat dry and lay on aluminium baking pan.
3. Pulse bread, parsley in food processor, combine with butter.
4. Pack breadcrumb mixture on top of fish, bake at 200 degrees for 18 mins.
5. Serve with salad and a wedge of lemon.

Tip: Great with mustard!

How much I spent:

$2.95 for fish
$0.25 for butter (I buy Greensfield butter from Phoon Huat)
$0.30 for bread
Everything else from my pantry

Total cost per serving: $1.75

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I like eating this with an apple salad with hard boiled egg. This is very good with sutchi fillets.. the crispiness of the buttery crust compensates for the softness of the fish. I would imagine it being fantastic with flaky fish.. like a crumbed version of fish and chips without the grease. I have a good mind to try halving the fish and airfry it in my Philips Airfryer!

The post Crispy Herb Butter Sutchi Fish 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.

I was supposed to be on my way to meet the girls for Boon’s going-away-to-do-her-PHD party this evening. With 15 minutes to spare before I had to get out the door, I suddenly had this compelling urge to do a blog post on Char Bee Hoon! So what’s a girl to do except sit down dutifully to write a blog post at the risk of being veryyy late.. and this same girl is now now pretty miffed because the post got accidentally deleted!

In any case, I hope (re)blogging about Char Bee Hoon cheers me up. If the Char Bee Hoon you’re familiar with is a version stir fried with light soy sauce with dark sauce added for colour, change your mindset now! Your family will thank you for it. That type of Char Bee Hoon tastes fine, like uh, how something would taste when it is stir fried with light soy sauce with dark sauce added for colour. For me, Char Bee Hoon should always be braised in stock. When the correct amount of (chicken, fish, or vegetable) stock is added to the pan, the bee hoon would have soaked up all the goodness by the time it is ready to eat.

As you can tell by my cooking, I am kinda obsessed with stock. I use them everyday.. in soups and stews, in vegetables, in stir-frys, in noodle dishes like this one. And with instant stock available everywhere, it’s not like you need to put in a huge load of effort to prepare them. I would even go as far to say that discovering stock cubes changed my kitchen life.. they are a quick and easy way to add flavour, providing you with a base to experiment.. and you do just that, knowing at the back of your mind you’re covered.

Cooking with stock is like being in a safe and long term relationship which gives you the power to explore and do a little dance in the universe, knowing that you can always go home.

Makes 6 servings

What I used:

Half packet bee hoon, soaked til just soft and drained (do not oversoak!)
1 egg, beaten, omelette it and slice. Set aside
12 prawns
1/3 beijing cabbage, chopped
4 dried chinese mushrooms, cut into strips
1 carrot, chopped into strips
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp chopped shallots
Red chillies, fried shallots, spring onions and parsley for garnish
1 tbsp oilve oil
For the flavour stock (mix everything together):
Half a stock cube (chicken or fish) dissolved in 800ml hot water
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
White pepper

1. Heat oil in pan til hot, then fry shallots and garlic til fragrant.
2. Add in the mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes, then add cabbage, carrots and prawns.
3. Add the bee hoon, then slowly pour in the flavour stock til it comes up to about half the level of bee hoon.
4. Lower the heat, allow bee hoon to absorb the stock (about 4-5 minutes) til dry. Toss with chopsticks to mix.
5. Top with omelette strips and garnish with red chillies, fried shallots, spring onions and parsley.

How much I spent:

$0.60 for bee hoon
$4 for prawns
$0.30 for egg
$0.30 for carrot
$0.40 for cabbage
Everything else from my pantry

Total cost per serving: $0.94 (or $0.27 without prawns for a basic but still delish version!)

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Every household has its recipe for Char Bee Hoon, and this is how I cook mine!

The post Char Bee Hoon 炒米粉 appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

I’ve never been a great baker but I love pastries, savoury especially. Chicken pies, beef pies, creamy mushroom pies.. I love them all. But I have a problem making them because I never seem to figure out how I would have a clean “lightly floured surface” to roll out those pastries. Where do you do it? On the tabletop?

So I buy pastry sheets. I had some shortcrust left over from when I made the mushroom quiche, and thought to put them to good use. The thing about buying frozen sheets is that they are never as buttery as you would like. Something’s amiss, but I cannot alter the texture or taste, and this is the frustrating thing about buying pre-packaged items.

Ah-mm and 88 liked this. It is something different from the regular “western” food we usually have, and crispy to eat and fun to look at. They had kinda the same reaction when I made risotto the other time.. at first 88 approached it warily (as she does with any unfamiliar food), then tucked into it happily. Ah-mm’s approach to new foods is different.. she dives straight in to enjoy different tastes presented to her. She’s easier to cook for in a way, but 88′s easy to cook for also because she’s predictable. Do I understand what I’m saying?

Along with the pastry pockets, I also made caramelised onions with shitake mushrooms. These are not yet caramelised enough, but I wanted some bite to the onions. To make these, I sauteed onions with some oil in a skillet, then added sliced mushrooms. Cook til the onions are soft then deglaze the pan with white wine. Add some sprinkling of salt at the end.

I decided to make chicken mayo with cream-cheese spinach as the filling. This would be nice with a potato, carrot, celery and chicken filling ala chicken pie! You can also fill it with sardines and tuna, and even make smaller portions of it as a snack.

Makes 3 servings

What I used:

3 frozen shortcrust pastry sheets (from cold storage, about $8 for 7 sheets)
6 pcs boneless chicken fillets (or you can use one chicken breast)
1 package spinach
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp oil or butter
Garlic powder
1/2 tsp chicken seasoning
4 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp cream cheese
Salt and pepper

1. Take the pastry sheets out from the freezer before preparing the ingredients.
2. Boil the chicken til cooked. Reserve 3 tbsp of water. When chicken has cooled, shred and add the mayo, garlic power, chicken seasoning, reserved water, and salt and pepper.
3. Boil spinach, squeeze dry and roughly chop.
4. Heat up a pan and fry onions in oil or butter. After 3 minutes, add cream cheese and cooked spinach. Set aside to cool.
5. Cut pastry sheet into two when it is soft enough to handle. Then lay the spinach in the middle of one-half of pastry sheet and top with mayo chicken.
6. Lay the other one-half of pastry sheet on top, seal the edges and trim away any excess. (don’t waste! can make mini pies!)
7. Spray with cooking spray then airfry for 15 minutes at 180 degrees. Alternatively, bake at 200 degrees in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden.

How much I spent:

$3.40 for pastry sheets
$2.50 for chicken fillets
$0.50 for spinach
Everything else from my pantry

Total cost per serving: $2.13

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This is quite easy to make since we’re not making the pastry from scratch. Try it, I think you’ll like it! I’m keeping the rest of the pastry sheets for a classic chicken pot pie and hopefully will make it sometime next week.

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