The joy of claypot rice lies in the use of Chinese sausages and duck livers and the fat that is infused into basmati rice.
The bread notes of basmati combined with cured meat fat, finished with a soya drizzle is just too good, and surprisingly so easy to do at home.
Soak 1 cup basmati rice for 1 hour, you can use short grain rice too but basmati is best for this. Then thoroughly oil your claypot to reduce sticking later.
Uncle has been making this delicious plate of mee siam since the 80s, and continues to diligently churn out this comforting and appetising breakfast classic daily.
A seemingly modest looking mee siam plate, but one spoonful is enough to convince. A perfect balance of sweet and savoury and spicy, it’s that delectable Assam broth that will have you coming back for more.
Good to see him finally getting a proper shiny signboard instead of handwritten signs. And despite a slight increase in pricing to $3.50, it’s worth forking out for this full of depth mee siam.
This is the brother of the well known Maxwell market curry rice, and he is currently operating at Redhill market.
While the Maxwell version has modernise it’s curry, this one still adheres to an old school taste. The curry is lighter and is not mixed with a soya gravy. Yet, it is still flavourful with an alluring curry fragrance.
His kong ba and pork chops are what we enjoy the most. The former is braised until tender and meat that can be easily pulled. The pork chops are dusted with soda crackers crumbs for that almost buttery tasting crust, and crispy too.
Our next lunchbox recipe is a simple and very healthy one. This recipe for 2 persons.
Start by steaming 300g of chopped salmon for 15 minutes. Boil 1 chopped potato in water for around 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Strain the potatoes.
Add the potatoes into your lunchbox. Add the steamed salmon. Squeeze half a lime for each portion into the salmon and potatoes. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper.
One of the very best when it comes to wanton noodles. Despite the long queues, aunty here cooks each plate swiftly and plates it beautifully too, with uncle diligently taking orders.
Everything is excellently done here, from the well caramelised char siew, to the plump wantons with well seasoned and tasty fillings.
Though they use the more regular alkaline noodles, the dark soya sauce is well balanced with a nice savoury profile that goes well with the alkaline noodles and removes most of the “kee” taste.
Tenderloin is our favorite cut of steak these days due to its thickness and tender texture. But you need to get a good quality beef to be able to enjoy to it’s fullest.
We are using a superb tenderloin from Five Founders that is grain fed and has a superb flavour and texture. Also we are using a special soy salt from Nanyang Soy Salt to season the beef.
Make sure your tenderloin steak is at room temperature before you cook it, and pat dry on both sides so that there is no excess moisture. Then, season liberally with sea salt or course salt, or in our case, the excellent soy salt. Do likewise with black pepper.
This combines our love for pao fan with one of our local classic dishes. We figured since we always have rice to go with a bowl of Bak Kut Teh soup, to mix the two in a pao fan format.
First, toast 1 tsp of Sarawak white peppercorn seeds in a claypot for a few minutes. Until the seeds start to dance and jump about, and they will smell aromatic.
Add 3 to 4 prime ribs and sear them for a few minutes on all sides. Once they have been properly seared, add enough water to fully cover the ribs.
Marinate 300g of chopped salmon with 1 tbsp light soya from Nanyang Sauce, 1 tsp dark soya sauce and 1 tsp sweet caramel sauce Golden Swan Brand. Add 3 cloves of minced garlic. Mix well and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Make the rice water by adding 1 tsp light soya sauce and 1 tsp mirin to 220ml water. Stir well to dissolve everything.
In a rice cooker filled with 1 cup of rinsed rice, add 1 sliced onion and 5 chopped and thinly cut okra. Add the rice water. Set the rice cooker to normal mode and let it cook.
