Simple Vegetable Soup
Serves: 4
Total cost: $3.75
Total cost per serving: $0.95

What I used:
Base Ingredients:

1 carrot, peeled and chopped into chunks
1 corn, chopped into 5-6 pieces
1 medium tomato, wedged
1 red onion, wedged
A handful of cabbage stems (the white part of WaWa Cabbage-‘Napa Cabbage’, Chinese Cabbage, or Beijing Cabbage)
2 celery stalks (optional. I only remembered about them later on so that explains the late addition below!)
Enough water to cover all vegetables

Assorted Ingredients (up to you, really):

Crabsticks
Fishballs
Meatballs
Cheese tofu
Napa cabbage leaves
Xiao Bai Cai

Seasonings:
1 tablespoon Woh Hup Concentrated Chicken Stock
Pepper
Half tablespoon Mushroom seasoning:

Steps:
1. Place “Base Ingredients” in a large pot or pan and cover with enough water.
2. Let it boil, then lower the flame and add “Assorted Ingredients” except the vegetables and crabsticks. Simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Add in vegetables and crabsticks, cook for 30 seconds, stir in seasonings, do a taste test and off the flame. Enjoy!

How much I spent:
$0.30 for carrot
$0.45 for corn
$0.30 for tomato
$0.20 for onion
Approx $2.50 for assorted ingredients
Everything else from my pantry

Shredded Chicken Noodle with Mushrooms
Makes 4 servings. Total cost per serving: $1.65

What I used:
320g egg noodles (4 x 80g per serving. you can buy wanton noodles or dried packet egg noodles)
12 dried chinese mushrooms, soaked in room temperature water overnight (reserve liquid)
5 strips chicken fillet (you can use one chicken breast)
A handful of green leafy vegetables
500ml chicken stock (dissolve 3 tsp Woh Hup Concentrated Chicken stock in 500ml boiling water)
150ml reserved mushroom liquid
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp chinese cooking wine
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp cornflour solution (1.5 tbsp cornflour dissolved in 3 tbsp tap water)
Half tsp dark soy sauce (for colour)

Steps:
1. Cut an “X” with a knife on the surface of each mushroom, remove stems and set aside.
2. Bring the chicken stock to a boil, then add chicken and cook for 10 minutes. Remove chicken, cool and set aside.
3. In the same pot, add the mushrooms, reserved mushroom liquid, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, cooking wine, sugar, dark soy sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cornflour solution and continue to simmer. The chicken should be cool enough to handle by now. Shred and set aside. Let the mushrooms continue to cook in the sauce which should now be thickened.
4. Prepare the noodles. Place one portion in a sieve and dunk in boiling water for 20 seconds. Quickly remove and run under tap water. Return to pot and cook for another 30 seconds. Be sure to keep twirling the noodles with chopsticks to keep things going. At the same time, cook the vegetables in the same pot.
5. Drain the noodles on a plate and arrange the vegetables, shredded chicken and mushrooms neatly before ladling the sauce over. Serve immediately.

How much I spent:
$2.10 for noodles (I used 2 packets of dried egg noodles- 200g and $1.05 per packet)
$1.50 for chicken fillet
$3 for mushrooms
Everything else from my pantry

ABC Soup with Chicken
Makes 4 servings
Total cost per serving: $0.53

What I used:
1 honey date
1 medium potato, cut into 1-inch chucks
Half a carrot* (see foot note), cut into chucks too
Half a corn* (see foot note), I HATE CHOPPING CORN
1 large onion, cut into chucks
2 teaspoon Who Hup concentrated chicken stock
1.5 litres water
Chicken fillet (cut into bite sized) or minced meatballs, whatever tickles your fancy
A dash of white pepper
Some vegetables if you’d like

Steps:
1. Place honey date, potato, carrot, corn and onion into a large pot with 1.5 litres of water.
2. When it boils, reduce heat and simmer for 30 mins. Add concentrated chicken stock.
3. Add chicken fillet/minced meatballs, cook for 2 mins, add vegetables, then it is ready. Add a dash of white pepper before serving.

How much I spent:
$0.30 for potato
$0.20 for carrots
$0.30 for corn
$1.20 for chicken fillet

Everything else from my pantry