From The Kitchen: Fishfully Yours

Dish: Pan fried pink salmon

Cost: < £10

It's like fast food... with more nutrition.

Ingredients: 

• 2 pieces of fresh salmon belly
• Ready to bake frozen fries/wedges
• Fresh lettuce and round tomatoes

Pan fried salmon:

1. Season lightly with salt and coarse black pepper on both sides.

2. Heat pan up with oil. When pipping hot, gently place salmon into pan and fry for 4-5 minutes on each side. (Trick for a crispy salmon skin - do not turn and re-fry same side).

3. Place onto plate and serve with baked fries/wedges (baked according to instructions on packet).

4. Place fresh lettuce and tomatoes on the side.

Enjoy this romantic meal for two with a glass of white wine.

Photographed by Timothy Ho and written by Vivian Kuan.
Image-edited by Carissa Gan.

From The Kitchen: Chicken & Mash

Dish: Pan-fried seasoned chicken fillet mounted on sauteed asparagus and mashed potatoes.
Preparation Cost: £10-ish

This entree serves two people. Feel free to tweak the recipe according to your preference.

Ingredients:

• 2 whole pieces of chicken breast
• 2 large potatoes
• 1 packet of asparagus
• 3 white closed-cup mushrooms
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons butter
• Garlic
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• Salt
• Coarse black pepper
• Fine white pepper

Potatoes:

1. Remove the potato skins and dice them up.

2. Place in boiling pot of water and boil on high heat until soft for mashing.

3. Drain water and mash the potatoes while adding half a cup of milk. Fold in 3 tablespoons of butter.

4. Add salt and pepper to season.

5. Place neatly in center of plate.

Sauteed Asparagus and Mushroom: 

1. Chop up garlic and dice mushrooms.

2. Heat pan with olive oil. Fry chopped garlic until fragrant and golden brown.

3. Throw in diced mushrooms. Fry with a a tablespoon of oyster sauce, a pinch of salt and coarse black pepper.

4. Fry for about a minute and throw in asparagus.

5. Pan fry for 2 minutes. 

6. Place them gently on mash evenly as base for the chicken.

Chicken:

1. Slice both chicken breasts in half. Season the 4 pieces of breast evenly with salt, fine white pepper, coarse black pepper, BBQ grind, garlic granules.

2. Heat pan up with oil. When pipping hot, gently place the fillet into pan and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side. (Total of 6-8 minutes per fillet)

3. Remove from pan and place on top of sauteed asparagus and mushrooms.

The preparation of this meal for two is really not rocket science. It's easy and towering with goodness, especially when shared with a loved one.


Photographed by Timothy Ho and written by Vivian Kuan.
Image edited by Carissa Gan.






digitally enhanced by Carissa Gan.

From The Kitchen: Spaghetti Bolognese with a Twist

Dish: Spaghetti bolognese with a twist

Cost of preparation: £3 - £4

No, it's not your conventional spaghetti bolognese because this spaghetti is twisted in sausages! Kids will be sure to enjoy it. And we're all kids at heart, aren't we? :)

Ingredients:

• 200g minced beef
• 1 bottle bolognese sauce
• 1 packet spaghetti pasta
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• 4 long sausages
• Oregano
• Cheddar/parmesan cheese
• BBQ grind 
• Salt 
• Pepper
• Garlic granules

Pasta preparation:

1. Slice the sausages diagonally so the surface of the sliced sausage is larger.

1. Twist about five sticks of spaghetti into a slice.

3. When complete, place them all in a pot of boiling water. Boil according to the instructions on your pasta package.

4. Remove from pot and place on plates.

Bolognese sauce:

1. Season minced beef with salt, pepper, garlic granules and some BBQ grind.

1. Chop some garlic and onions.

2. Heat pan up with oil and fry chopped garlic and onions until fragrant. 

3. Throw in the seasoned beef and fry until beef turns pale brown.

4. Empty the bottle of bolognese sauce into pan and stir well. Add salt and pepper according to preference.

5. Throw in the cherry tomatoes and fry for another two minutes.

6. Remove from pan and place on the cooked spaghetti.

Finishing touch: 
Sprinkle some oregano and garnish with cheese while still hot. (You can use shredded cheddar or parmesan or both!)

It's easy, it's fun, and it's delicious! Do try it and leave a comment below if you liked it.

Photographed by Timothy Ho and written by Vivian Kuan.

Images edited by Carissa Gan.

From The Kitchen: Chilli Pan Mee

Dish: Chili pan mee

When you live abroad, you long for the comfort of home. Chili pan mee provides that sense of comfort for me and my other Malaysian housemates. If you're a Malaysian studying abroad and you're craving for a bowl of chili pan mee, you're at the right page. 

This recipe is meant to feed 10 people, but you're free to tweak it for yourself. :) Oh, and if you're not fond of chili, you can omit the chili in this.

Ingredients:

• 13 eggs
• 1 pack self-raising flour
• Minced pork for 10 people (depending on how much you want to serve per quantity)
• Fried onions
• Spinach
• Ikan bilis (anchovies)
• Chopped onion and garlic
• Maggi sauce (or other bottled chili sauce), Singlong sambal ikan bilis, chili flakes (or you could make your own chili - blend garlic, onion and chili with salt and pepper and a little bit of water)

Pan mee (noodles): 

1. Mix some flour and a little bit of water together with three eggs. 

2. Fold the mixture over and over again until it becomes dough. 

3. Make sure it's not too sticky so you can pinch/cut it into thin slices. 

4.Roll the dough to a very thin, flat shape (like a very flat pancake) 

5. Slice the dough to make noodles. Or just tear it with your fingers if you want to save time!
6. Throw your noodles into a pot of boiling water. You'll know it's cooked when it floats up.

7. Take your noodles out and drain the water away. Apportion them into bowls.

Eggs: 

1. Fill a pot with water. 

2. Immerse the eggs into the pot of boiling water and start to boil for 2 minutes. 

3. Drain the water out and take the eggs out. Crack the eggs and place them on top of the noodles.

Minced pork: 

1. Marinate with sugar, salt, pepper. 

2. Heat the pan with oil. 

3. Throw in some chopped up onions and garlic. Fry till fragrant. 

4. Throw in the pork and fry with some oyster sauce, sesame sauce. 

5. When fully cooked, apportion the pork into the bowls.

Ikan bilis (anchovies): 

1. Deep fry until golden brown and serve them in bowls.

Fried onions: 

There are two ways to do this:

A) Buy the pre-fried onions. They are usually sold in packs.

B) Do it the manual way. Chop onions into smaller pieces, coat them with corn flour and deep fry. Serve in bowls.

Soup: 

1. Boil water and add some soup flavour (eg: Adabi/Knorr Ikan bilis). 

2. Wash spinach and throw them into the soup. 

3. Leave to boil and serve in small bowls.

Chili: 

1. Throw in some chopped onion and garlic into boiling hot oil.

2. Fry until fragrant and add some maggi chili sauce, SingLong sambal ikan bilis and chili flakes (or the blended chili).

3. Add a little bit of water (so it doesnt dry up and burn).

4. Fry the chili till dark red and serve into bowls. (if you put too much water, it'll make your chilli wet. so it depends if you like yr chili wet or dry.

 Although the preparation takes a while, the result is always satisfying!


Photographed by Timothy Ho and written by Vivian Kuan. 
Images edited by Carissa Gan. 

From The Kitchen: Dinner for Two

Dish: Steak with sauteed baby asparagus, mushrooms and mashed potatoes on the side.

Cost of preparation: £10-ish

The perfect dates are those that involve plenty of passion and enthusiasm. Now, if you could channel passion and enthusiasm into cooking a fancy meal for your loved one, you don't have to worry about burning a hole in your pocket for a dinner-for-two at that ostentatious steakhouse downtown.

Steak doesn't have to be expensive, if you follow these simple steps!

Ingredients:

• 2 sirloin steak
• 200g baby asparagus
• 4 medium-sized white mushrooms
• 2 large potatoes
• milk
• salt
• fine white pepper
• coarse black pepper
• BBQ seasoning
• garlic granules
• paprika powder
• fresh parsley
• fresh garlic

*Remember, cooking is fun when you're spontaneous, so adjust the ingredients according to your taste. 

Seasoned sirloin steak

Medium rare Sirlion Steak

1. Season the steak with half a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of fine white papper, coarse black pepper, garlic granules, BBQ seasoning, and paprika.

2. Repeat the same on the other side.

3. Heat the pan with oil. When piping hot, gently place the steak into the pan.

4. Reduce the heat. Maintain low heat (number 3 or 4).

5. Pan fry the steak for 2-3 minutes (for medium rare) - adjust duration according to preference of how you want your steak.

6. Flip the steak over and pan fry for another 2-3 minutes.

7. Serve on plates.

8. Top off your dish with fresh parsley leaves.

Washed parsley

Mashed potatoes

1. Skin and dice the potatoes. Toss them into boiling water.

2. Allow them to cook and soften. (You can carry on preparing the beef and asparagus while waiting)

3. When soft, drain the water and mash the potatoes with a fork/spoon until soft.

5 A teaspoon of fine white pepper.

6. 3-4 table spoons of milk. (Be careful not to exceed as it will make your mash potatoes too mushy)

7. Add a teaspoon of paprika (optional).

8. Serve on two plates.

Baby asparagus and mushrooms

1. Wash the asparagus and mushrooms.

2. Cut the asparagus into three parts.

3. Dice the mushrooms into cubes.

4. Chop 2 cloves of garlic.

5. Heat the pan with oil and stir fry the garlic until fragrant and golden. 

6. Add in the asparagus and mushrooms.

7. Throw in a teaspoon of coarse black pepper, garlic granules and paprika.

8. Add a tablespoon of vegetable stir fry sauce (I used Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce)

9. Stir fry for 7-8 minutes and serve on two plates.

Cooking the perfect steak can be tough. Practice makes perfect! 

Good luck!

Photographed by Timothy Ho and written by Vivian Kuan.