Quick to prepare, these crowd favourites are the perfect go-to recipes for the likes of F1 viewing parties, potlucks, picnics and more.
Photography Winston Chuang Art Direction & Styling Clare Chan
Lau Wei Hwa, executive chef of Diamond Kitchen
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
2 squid
1 cup cooking oil
For the marinade:
1 egg white
1/3 tsp salt
1/3 tsp chicken seasoning powder
For the flour mixture:
½ tsp chicken seasoning powder
½ tsp sugar
8 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp rice flour
For the salted egg sauce:
4 tbsp butter
10 curry leaves
2 chilli padi, sliced
2 cooked salted
egg yolks, mashed
DIRECTIONS
1 Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut the squid so it opens flat. Remove and set aside the head, innards, cartilage and tentacles.
2 Peel off the purple membrane from the body.
3 Make diagonal slits on the squid so that it absorbs the marinade well.
4 Halve the squid and slice it diagonally into strips.
5 Cut the head and innards from the tentacles and discard them. Separate the tentacles into strips.
6 In a bowl, combine the marinade ingredients and mix in the squid. Set aside for 30min.
7 In another bowl, mix the ingredients for the flour mixture, then coat the squid in it. Heat the cooking oil and deep-fry the squid over high heat until golden brown, about 3min. Set aside.
8 Clean the wok and set it over high heat for 2min. Combine the ingredients for the salted egg sauce in the wok. Add the fried squid and cook for 2min.
Recipe by Sarah Benjamin, cook and host at Asian Food Channel
Makes 1 mug
INGREDIENTS
4-5 strawberries, stems removed and chopped into 1cm cubes
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 1/2 tbsp castor sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp plain flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
1 Mix the strawberries with the lemon juice and 1 tbsp castor sugar. Set aside.
2 In a large mug, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and the remaining 2 1/2 tbsp castor sugar. Stir well with a fork.
3 Create a small well in the middle and add the oil, milk and vanilla extract. Mix well.
4 Microwave the mug cake on high for 2min 10sec. When done, let it cool for 1min. Top with the strawberries and serve.
Fabrice Mergalet, executive head chef of Bochinche
Serves 3-4
INGREDIENTS
250g Iberico chorizo, diced*
50g unsalted butter
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
7 tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1.5kg fresh mussels, thoroughly cleaned
180ml Riesling
120ml cooking cream*
A pinch of saffron
50g parsley, chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme
*Iberico chorizo is available at Meat the Butcher, 615 Bukit Timah Road, tel: 6465-1651. Cooking cream can be found at the dairy section of supermarkets.
DIRECTIONS
1 In a large pan, cook the chorizo over medium-high heat for 4min until brown. Drain on a paper towel.
2 Discard the chorizo oil and melt the butter in the pan. Add the onions, shallots, salt and pepper. Keep stirring until the onions and shallots are tender.
3 Add the tomatoes and garlic, and cook for a few more minutes.
4 Add the mussels, wine, 60ml of cooking cream, saffron and parsley, then stir and cover. Cook for 5-7min until the shells open.
5 Remove the mussels from the pan and put them in a serving bowl. Discard any mussels that did not open – these are not fresh and should not be eaten.
6 Bring the sauce to the boil, add the chorizo and the rest of the cream. Boil for 1min, then pour the sauce over the mussels.
7 Garnish with thyme and serve.
Vinod Kumar, executive sous chef of Table by Rang Mahal
Makes 4 popsicles
INGREDIENTS
650ml coconut cream
250ml coconut milk
100ml water
20g chia seeds
4 fresn raspberries
DIRECTIONS
1 Place 650ml coconut cream, 250ml coconut milk, 100ml water, 20g chia seeds and 4 fresh raspberries into a pot.
2 Simmer over a low flame, stirring continuously until the ingredients are evenly mixed.
3 Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool, then pour into 4 popsicle moulds and freeze overnight.
Photography Darren Chang Art Direction & Styling Nikki Ho
Makes 12 cups
INGREDIENTS
6 eggs, beaten
4 strips streaky bacon, diced
1⁄2 red capsicum, diced
1⁄2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1⁄4 red onion, sliced
1 cup frozen broccoli florets, thawed and drained
1⁄4 tsp salt
Pepper, to taste
4 pieces frozen Sakura Roti Paratha, each cut into three parts
1 cup cheddar cheese
DIRECTIONS
1 Preheat the oven to 180 deg C.
2 In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except the prata and cheddar cheese. Mix until well-combined.
3 Take 1 piece of prata and stretch it a little so it fits into the muffin cup well. Repeat for the remaining 11 pieces.
4 Pour the mixture into the prata-lined muffin-tin, filling each cup to about 3⁄4 full, making sure the ingredients are distributed evenly.
5 Bake for 14min, then remove from the oven. Sprinkle some cheese over each cup and bake for 1min. Serve hot.
Coordination Mia Chenyze Photography Jasper Yu Art Direction & Styling Nikki Ho
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the soup base:
5 dried anchovies*
3 pieces dried kelp*
1 litre water
For the seasoning paste:
1 tsp gochujang* (Korean fermented soya bean paste)
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp Korean chilli powder*
A pinch of black pepper
A pinch of salt
1 tsp Korean plum extract*
3 tsp light soya sauce
1 can luncheon meat (340g), sliced and quartered
1 packet chicken franks (340g), sliced
150g kimchi*
150g tofu, sliced and quartered
2 stalks spring onions, cut into 5cm pieces
2 tbsp baked beans (optional)
2 packets Korean ramen noodles
*Available at Korean grocery stores like Lotte (including 67 Tanjong Pagar Road, tel: 6222-1646). Visit www.koryo.com.sg for a list of outlets.
DIRECTIONS
1 In a large pot, bring the dried anchovies, kelp and water to the boil over medium heat. Let it cook for 8min, until the liquid turns pale yellow. Strain the liquid and set aside.
2 In a small bowl, mix the seasoning ingredients together to form a paste. Set aside.
3 In a wide pot, arrange the remaining ingredients, except the ramen, evenly around the pot.
4 Pour the soup into the pot, and stir in the seasoning paste. Bring the soup to the boil over medium heat for about 5min.
5 Add the ramen. When the noodles are cooked, the stew is ready to be served.
Photography Darren Chang Art Direction & Styling Nikki Ho
Serves 3-4.
INGREDIENTS
1 pack Heng’s Carrot Cake*, cut into 2cm cubes
5 tbsp Woh Hup XO Sauce
4 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp chopped spring onions
*Available at the chiller section of Fairprice supermarkets.
DIRECTIONS
1 Spread out the carrot cake pieces in a hot frying pan and cook for 3min. Add the XO Sauce and stir-fry for 1min.
2 Pour the eggs evenly over the carrot cake and cook for 1min. Flip the carrot cake pieces over and cook for another minute.
3 Top with spring onions and cook for 30 seconds. Serve hot.
Recipe by Sarah Benjamin, cook and host at Asian Food Channel
Makes 24-30 pieces
INGREDIENTS
1 litre vegetable oil
1 cup Seah’s Spices Singapore Chicken Curry Spices*
2 tsp salt
1 cup cornfl our
3 eggs
2 cups panko
3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
* Available at the condiments section of supermarkets.
DIRECTIONS
1 In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the oil to 180 deg C.
2 Set aside two bowls and a plate. In one bowl, combine the curry powder, salt and cornfl our. In the other bowl, crack the eggs in and beat them. Add the panko to the plate.
3 Dust the chicken pieces with the seasoned cornfl our, dip them in the egg wash, and fi nally coat well with the breadcrumbs.
4 Deep-fry the chicken pops until golden brown. Serve with chilli mayonnaise.
Recipe by Polo Seah, executive chef of Humpback
Makes 8 pieces
INGREDIENTS
50g streaky bacon, sliced
1 packham pear, cut into small wedges
10ml maple syrup
1 tbsp olive oil
A pinch of flaked salt
DIRECTION
1 Wrap a strip of bacon over each wedge of pear and brush with maple syrup.
2 Poke a toothpick through each bacon-pear bomb to secure it.
3 Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, and fry the bacon-pear bombs on medium heat for 2min each side. Sprinkle salt over and serve.
Corodination Amanda Jayne Lee Photography Jasper Yu Art Direction & Styling Nikki Ho
INGREDIENTS
2 rolls Oreos
1/2 cup Nutella
1 cup Hershey’s Cocoa Powder
1/4 cup icing sugar
DIRECTIONS
1 Crush 2 rolls of Oreos in a large mixing bowl until you get a soil-like consistency.
2 Add 1/2 cup of Nutella and mix with your hands to form a sticky mixture.
3 Spoon out a portion and roll it into a small ball. Repeat until you’ve used up all the mixture. Place on a tray and freeze for 10min.
4 Mix cup Hershey’s Cocoa Powder with 1/4 cup icing sugar.
5 Lightly coat each ball in it and serve.