It makes quite a well-balanced dish for children as well as there is chicken, potato and carrot, an all-in-one solution if mummy feels lazy!

Ingredients (Serves 4 adults):

• 200 g boneless chicken fillet, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 small carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
• Half a cup of water
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• Cooking oil
• Dash of ground pepper

For chicken marinade, you will need:

• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• Dash of ground pepper

Instructions:

Step 1:   Mix ingredients for chicken marinade in a mixing bowl.  Put in the diced chicken fillet and mix well.  Allow it to marinate for 1 – 2 hours.  This is how it should look.

You can leave it to marinate overnight too.  Remember to cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in the chiller.

Step 2:  Heat up a wok or pan with cooking oil.  Fry the potato and carrot cubes till they are cooked.  Remove and set aside.

Step 3:  Remove the excess cooking oil, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the wok for the next step.

Step 4:  Put in chopped garlic and when it starts to brown, add in the marinated chicken fillet cubes.  Stir-fry till cooked.

Step 5:  Transfer back the potato and carrot cubes, add in water and light soy sauce and stir-fry for another minute.

Step 6:  Turn down the heat a little and let the stew simmer for 1-2 minutes.  Add in a dash of pepper, mix the combo well for the last time and serve.

Just a few steps and you are done, isn’t it easy?

Of course, not forgetting to set aside some for my lunch box too.

Besides prawn fritters, prawn omelette, you can also make a prawn stir-fry for your lunchbox!  This is cooked in a blend of Asian sauces, and it has a slightly sweet taste which goes really well with the onions.

Ingredients (Serves 3 adults):

• 10 medium prawns
• 1 red onion, sliced
• Cooking oil

Ingredients for Asian dark sauce:

• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons water

Instructions:

Step 1:  Wash the prawns, trim off the feelers and legs, but keep the shell intact.  Pat dry with a paper towel and set aside.

Step 2:  Put all the ingredients for the Asian dark sauce in a separate bowl.  Blend well.  It is easier to prepare this in advance.

Step 3:  Heat up a wok or pan with oil to fry the prawns.  When cooked, remove them and set aside on another paper towel to drain the oil.

Step 4:  Leave about 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok or pan for the stir-fry.  Add in onion slices.  Saute them till they are soft.

Step 5:  Transfer the prawns back in the wok or pan and add in the blended Asian dark sauce.  Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes till the sauces are absorbed and coated evenly on each prawn.  If you think the sauce is too thick, add in 1-2 tablespoons of water.  It’s now ready to serve.

I kept a portion for Hubby’s lunchbox.  How does it look?  Try it if you have the time!

It’s exterior looks like a large kiwi, with the fine hairs, but the interior comes as a cross between winter melons and zucchini.  To me, at least.  LOL.

It must be peeled before cooking and has a mild taste.  We usually cook it as a stir-fry dish or soup.  This recipe below is quite simple to follow and is a good variation to the usual broccoli, bok choy and cabbage stir-fry.

Ingredients (Serves 3 adults):

• Half a medium-sized hairy melon (or a small one)
• Half a small carrot
• 6-8 medium prawns, deshelled and deveined
• 1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Dash of ground pepper
• 1 egg, beaten

Instructions:

Step 1:  Slice prawns into halves sideways.  Peel hairy melon and carrot.  Cut into strips about 2-inch long and set aside.  There are seeds inside which can be eaten, but if you do not like it, you can remove the seeds when cutting.

Step 2:  Heat up a wok or pan with cooking oil.  Add in the chopped garlic.

Step 3:  When garlic starts to brown, add in carrot strips (because carrots take longer to cook).  Stir fry for 1 minute.  Add in the prawns and hairy melon strips.  Stir-fry till carrot and hairy melon strips are soft.

Step 4:  Add sugar and salt for seasoning.  Stir-fry for another 1 minute.

Step 5:  Pour the beaten egg evenly on the vegetables and stir-fry to blend well.  Add a dash of ground pepper.  Stir-fry a few more times.  It’s ready to serve!

Because hairy melon is mild flavoured, it takes on the sweetness of the prawns and aroma of the egg very well.  I think children will enjoy it too.

As usual, I will keep a portion in my thermos food jar right after cooking to keep it warm as long as possible.  Hmm.  Does it look appetizing to you?

When I cook the soup version (which is quite similar) on another day, I will also post the recipe here to share.  Do stay around!

This is a very simple tofu dish you can try.

Ingredients (Serves 4 adults):

• 100 – 120 g of minced pork
• 250 -300 g soft/ silken tofu, cut into cubes
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 small carrot, diced into small cubes
• 1 stalk scallion (spring onion), washed and chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup corn starch mixture (2 tablespoons corn starch mixed with 1/3 cup water)
• 3 teaspoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• Ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon hua tiao chiew (chinese cooking wine)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1:  Marinate minced meat with 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce and a dash of pepper.  Mix well and leave it aside for about 30 minutes.

Step 2:  Heat up the cooking oil in the fry pan or wok.  Add minced garlic when oil is hot.

Step 3:  When garlic starts to brown, add in the minced meat.  Stir fry till it is cooked.  Add in the diced carrots and scallions.  Stir fry for another 30 seconds.

Step 4:  Add oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons of light soy sauce, hua tiao chiew and a dash of pepper.  Stir fry again to mix well.

Step 5:  Add in water and cover the fry pan with a lid.  Allow the stew to cook for 1-2 minutes.

Step 6:  Remove the lid and add in the silken tofu cubes.  Ladle some sauce mixture over the tofu cubes and cover the fry pan again for another minute to cook the tofu.

Step 7:  Finally, add the corn starch mixture slowly into the stew, stirring it carefully to keep the soft tofu cubes intact.

Does this look really easy?

I only took about 10 minutes to prepare the ingredients and 10 minutes to cook this dish.  In fact, if you are rushing for time in the morning before going to work, you can prepare the ingredients in advance.  Marinate the minced meat, chop the scallions and carrots the night before.  The next day, just take them out and cook!

Aren’t the colors beautiful?

For an even easier variation of this recipe, you can replace the carrots and scallions with half a cup of frozen peas/carrot/corn mix.

This dish is best served piping hot, so if you are bringing it to work, ladle them into a thermos food jar immediately to keep it warm.

For me, this tofu combo makes a simple all-in-one meal as well as it has meat, vegetables and tofu.  All I need is just a bowl of steamed rice to go along with it.  YUM…

Enjoy!

It is what comes to my mum’s mind when she is feeling really lazy.  LOL.

There are times when she does not feel like using a wok at all, so she makes very simple dishes with just the microwave.

The recipe I am sharing below is thus based on microwave cooking.  If you have a microwave, all you need is to cook it with the “Steam Fish” function.  If you don’t, you can also steam the fish the normal way for about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the fish.  The results should be the same, although the great thing about microwave cooking is I do not need to time how long it takes for the fish to cook.  My trusty Panasonic microwave never fail to cook it to perfection and always keeps it moist and juicy.

So how lazy can you get with this dish?  Well, all you need is to get the sauce ready and you are good to go!  Sounds easy?

This sauce recipe was created by my mum, after much trial and error.  Feel free to adjust the proportions according to your cod fish steak.  The recipe below is enough for a total of 500 g of cod fish steak, which can serve 4 to 5 adults.

Ingredients for cod fish:

• 500 g of cod fish steak (could be made up of a few pieces)
• A small piece of ginger, peeled and cut into fine strips
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Ingredients for Asian sauce:

• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce (vegetarian oyster sauce is fine too)
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon hua tiao chiew (chinese cooking wine)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1:  If you can’t get fresh cod fish, frozen ones will do as well.  Remember to thaw and wash them before cooking.

Step 2:  Place the ginger strips in a microwave-safe cooking bowl, and drizzle olive oil on them.  Make sure they coat evenly.

Step 3:  Without covering the bowl, microwave at “High” setting for two minutes.  The ginger strips should turn golden brown.  Remove the ginger strips from the bowl and set them aside.

Step 4:  Blend all the ingredients for the Asian sauce in a separate mixing bowl.

Step 5:  Before cooking the fish, sprinkle some ginger strips in the cooking bowl.  Place one of the cod steak on the cooking bowl.  With a small spoon, coat the surface of the cod steak with some Asian sauce.  Flip the cod steak over and coat the other side.  Sprinkle some ginger strips on top.  Tip:  Putting ginger in this dish removes any fishy smells.

Step 6:  Cover the cooking bowl and microwave the cod fish with the default “Steam Fish” setting.

Step 7:  When the microwave beeps, don’t take the fish out immediately.  Leave it to stand for another 5 minutes in the microwave.  Remember not to open the door at all.

Step 8:  After 5 minutes, take it out and serve while hot.  Repeat Step 5 to Step 9 for the next cod steak.

This cod fish in Asian sauce is best eaten with white rice.  There is a buttery taste to the fish that I like and I love to have the gravy on my rice.  Yum…

I also set aside a cod steak for Hubby’s thermos lunch box.  He gets one smaller cod steak all to himself.

Cod fish is very good for kids and adults alike as it is a good source of protein and is high in omega-3 fatty acids.  Although it may be more expensive than most types of fish, I highly recommend cod fish for the health benefits.

If you have always wondered how to cook cod fish in another way, perhaps you can try the recipe above.  It’s really easy to prepare as you can see and is a healthy dish you can whip up in 15 minutes, even if you do not have a stove!

Although wasabi is green and looks nothing like a chilli pepper, but don’t underestimate it.  It is fiery enough to clear a blocked nose and I am not exaggerating.  Haha.

This dish, which I learnt from a local chef, will surprise you with a pleasant tinge of spicy wasabi.  There are two parts to this recipe, one for the wasabi mayonnaise and the other for the prawns.

Ingredients (to make a small tub of about 200 g of wasabi mayonnaise):

• 200 g mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons evaporated milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 teaspoons wasabi

To make wasabi mayonnaise:

Step 1:  Scoop about 200 g of mayonnaise into a mixing bowl.  Add in the evaporated milk.  Blend with a whisk.

Step 2:  Add in the lemon juice and wasabi.  Mix well.  If you like it spicier, you can add in more wasabi.  Cover and store in the fridge.

I used tubed wasabi and my wasabi mayonnaise turned out not looking very green, but it tasted quite spicy already.  I will try powdered wasabi next time and see if it looks greener.

And also, I used only a few tablespoons from this tub of wasabi mayonnaise to coat the prawns in the recipe below.  So if you are the type who just like to make enough for this meal, you can modify the recipe above to make a smaller portion.

As for me, I kept the excess wasabi mayonnaise in the fridge for another week where I also used them as a dip for finger food like nuggets and also as dressing for my salad or coleslaw.

Ingredients (Serves 4 adults):

• 15-20 tiger prawns (medium to large size)
• Cornflour (100 to 200 g or enough to coat the prawns)
• Cooking oil (enough for deep-frying)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1:  De-shell and de-vein all the prawns.  If they are frozen, allow them to thaw before processing.

Step 2:  Wash and pat dry the prawns with a kitchen paper towel.

Step 3:  Pour some cornflour onto a flat plate.  Place prawns, one at a time, on the cornflour and coat them evenly.

Step 4:  Heat up the cooking oil.  Deep-fry all the prawns.

Step 5:  After they are cooked, set them aside on a plate with a kitchen paper towel to absorb excess oil.  These were how they looked just before I coated them.

Step 6:  Add a few tablespoons of wasabi mayonnaise to a bowl.  Coat each prawn on both sides evenly.  Serve.

Hubby had this for his dinner, together with sambal ladies’ finger and rice.

If you dare to eat wasabi, you should try this!

I will be posting another Japanese recipe “Tempura Don” next!  Do stay around…

This baked fish fillet recipe is suitable for any type of white fish, although I would prefer boneless ones like these sutchi fillet that I have used.  Dory fish fillet is a great choice as well.

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1:  Marinate fish fillet with salt and ground white pepper.  Set it aside for half an hour before cooking.

Step 2:  Place fish fillet in an oven-proof dish lined with aluminium foil.

Step 3:  Drizzle lemon juice and olive oil over fish fillet.

Step 4:  Spread minced garlic on the surface.  Sprinkle mixed herbs and black pepper evenly over fish fillet.

Step 5:  Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius or 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 6:  Bake the fish for about 15 minutes or until the minced garlic turns brown.  Check if the fish is cooked with a fork.  If it flakes easily, it is ready.

Note:  Do pay attention while the fish is being baked as the baking time may differ slightly for your oven.  The thickness of the fish will also determine how long it takes to be cooked.

This recipe is simple, healthy, tasty and easy to make.  Boneless fish fillets are a good choice if you are preparing for your kid’s lunch box too.

I love it so much still that every time we cook this, I can finish two portions.  LOL.

I also found out that almost every kid who tried this dish liked it very much as well.  It is not only colorful, but it’s healthy, tasty and filling.  If you have kids who are fussy eaters, try cooking this once and see if they like it.  Perhaps, they will ask you to cook it again the next day!

Ingredients (Serves 4 to 5 adults):

• 1 medium carrot, diced into 1 cm cubes
• 2 regular sized potatoes, diced into 1 cm cubes
• About 170 g luncheon meat, diced into 1 cm cubes
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional)
• Ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 5 tablespoons cooking oil
• 3 tablespoons water

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1:  Heat up 4 tablespoons cooking oil in a fry pan.  Deep fry the potato cubes, carrot cubes and luncheon meat cubes respectively.  Remove and set aside after they are cooked.

Step 2:  Heat up 1 tablespoon cooking oil.  Add the minced garlic.  When it is turning golden brown, add in the red onion slices.  Stir-fry for 1 minute till onion slices are soft and starting to brown too.

Step 3:  Put in the deep fried potato, carrot and luncheon meat cubes prepared earlier.  Add 3 tablespoons water.

Step 4:  Add the sugar, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce (optional).  Stir-fry for another minute, ensuring the ingredients are blended nicely.

Step 5:  Add a dash of ground pepper.  Stir-fry a few more times to mix well.

This is how it looks after it is completed.

It’s a well-balanced lunchbox dish as it is made up of a meat, vegetable and potato combo.  I recommend you to eat it with plain white rice.  Yummy.

It is good enough for me as a one-dish meal, but with another vegetable dish, my lunch box will be perfect.

Sometimes, home-cooked comfort food taste best, don’t you agree?

PS:  I am infatuated with luncheon meat, so there will be more luncheon meat recipes to come.  Hehe.

Ingredients (Serves 4 adults):

• One medium sized broccoli (about 300 g), cut into smaller pieces
• One small carrot, sliced
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (or similar)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• Water for blanching

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1:  Heat up some water in the saucepan.

Step 2:  When it is boiling, add the olive oil and salt.  Thereafter, put in the sliced carrots and broccoli.

Step 3:  When both vegetables are cooked, take them out with a strainer to drain away any excess water.  Set aside in a salad bowl.

Step 4:  Add the oyster sauce and toss the vegetables till it is well mixed.

Step 5:  If you are preparing it for your lunch box, place the broccoli immediately in your thermos food jar to keep it warm.  You can also choose to store them in a microwave-safe container and reheat them at your workplace.

This method of cooking does without the need for stir-frying with a wok, so cleaning up is also a breeze, especially if you are rushing to work.

There are other vegetables that can be cooked this way too, like brussel sprouts, kailan, xiao bai chye, etc.

Remember to include more vegetables in your diet always!