I love cooking this dish because it’s an all-in-one. Cbb can have it for dinner and so can we! The best thing: everything goes in one pan so there’s minimal washing up to do.

When preparing food for the family, I increasingly find myself looking for quick-fixes. I mean, you can’t blame me – I’m really pressed for time after work. So it’s best that whatever I cook can be eaten by the whole world, you know. Like if I cook crab or prawns, then it’s damn leh-ceh to feed cbb with so on those days I heat up the frozen food cubes I prepared for her at the start of the week.

But it’s nice to cook dishes like this cos cbb gets to eat fresh too. It’s like bolognese! I just start off everything together but hold the seasoning. Onions, meat, garlic, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, cumin, cinnamon… all these cbb can eat so I simmer the meat in these, and when it’s done, I scoop up whatever I need for her and THEN season our portion. Since the vegetables are chunky, I cut them up into smaller pieces for her with food scissors.

I like ours with lots of paprika flakes! I think this will taste good with a bit of curry powder actually so next time I will add it and let cbb try. You can use chicken, pork or beef for this so it’s a really versatile dish packed full of nutritious, yummy vegetables too.

Try it for your baby… cbb loves this over noodles and pasta! (sorry for the lousy pics. I hate them too)

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The post Baby & family menu: Moroccan-inspired minced meat over rice appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

“Tofu Canapé” is a name invented by Jason and I like it! I was going to name this erm “Steamed Tofu with Minced Pork and Shrimp” yeah so original I know. But of course, unlike a real canapé, you can’t hold this with your fingers although you can probably eat this in one bite (or two)!

I was thinking of what else to do with tofu. I’ve made claypot tofu (look out for my recipe!), Mapo Tofu, cooked them with tau cheo, used them in soups.. I love Agedashi Tofu but I don’t do deep fry. So I thought of 方太 (haha!) and remembered those tofu parcels with meat topping that I watched her make on television, and these Tofu Canapés were created! For those not in Singapore, 方太 is a popular cook in the 1980’s to early 1990’s who had her own cooking show. Every mother in Singapore knows 方太! (“这就是我为你们准备的鲜虾肉圆蒸豆腐，你也可以在家试一试。” Haha!)

For steaming, I used my Zojirushi rice cooker which came with the steaming pan:

Of course you can steam them in a wok or stacked steamer. The water chestnuts lend a nice sweet crunch to the minced pork. I get those pre-peeled ones from Sheng Siong at $2 a packet. Please use fresh ones if you can! Leftovers can be used to brew a waterchestnut drink or my Wintermelon Soup with Pork Balls. I hope you try making the Tofu Canapés.. I had fun cooking these little parcels!

The post Tofu Canapé (Steamed Tofu Parcels with Pork and Prawns) 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

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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.