Confit of Eggplant and Garlic

Confit of eggplant and garlic (serves 2 to 3)

Modified from Thomas Keller's Masterclass.

Ingredients:

2 eggplants

1 whole garlic, in cloves

2 teaspoons of thyme (optional)

2 teaspoons of parsley (optional)

Oregano leaves (optional)

Balsamic vinegar

Canola oil

Salt

Instructions:

1) Remove the ends of the eggplant (they tend to be bitter), then slice it to half length-wise.

2) Score it, then salt them liberally to help extract the water and remove the bitterness. Place them (skin-side up) on some kitchen towels, and let it rest for 20 to 25 minutes.

3) Place them (skin-side up) on a baking tray, add the garlic in and herbs in.

4) Heat up some oil (to around 120 degrees Celcius), then drizzle them over the baking tray, ensuring that you almost cover the eggplant.

5) Place the baking tray into the oven at 150 degrees Celcius for 1 hour.

6) Halve the eggplant pieces and place them on a plate. Add some of the garlic back, drizzle some balsamic vinegar, add some finishing salt, and some oregano leaves. 

Note that since the oil has not reached its flash point, it can be reused. 

Glazed Carrots

Glazed carrots (serves 2 to 3)

Taken and summarised from Thomas Keller's Masterclass. It is slightly different because he recommends using bunch carrots, which are quite difficult to find in Singapore. So I modified it using our normal carrots, which are much larger.

Ingredients:

3 carrots

1.5 teaspoon sugar

4 to 5 small cubes of butter

2 teaspoons white vinegar

Parsley

Finishing salt

Instructions:

1) Cut the carrots in an oblique shape by rolling the carrot and cutting it. It is crucial to keep every piece as similar in size as possible, so it will cook uniformly.

2) Place the carrots in a pan uniformly. Add the sugar in, add some water to barely cover the carrots, and finally the butter.

3) Turn on the fire to high and stir the carrots occasionally. After around 7 minutes, turn the heat down and monitor the carrots closely. Once there is little resistance in the carrots (use a knife), the carrots should almost be done. 

4) Now add the white vinegar in and cook it for just a short while more. You can add a bit more water if the carrots seem a bit dry.

5) Add some parsley, mix it well, then add some finishing salt. Serve.

Sautéed Salmon with Long Beans and Mushrooms

Sautéed salmon with long beans and mushrooms (serves 3)

Ingredients:

2 slabs of salmon fillets, cut into cubes

200g of long beans, cut into 2cm pieces

400g of button mushrooms

2 tsp minced ginger

3 tsp minced garlic

4 tsp sesame oil

4 tbsp light soy sauce

Cooking wine

Instructions:

1) Marinate the salmon with 2 tbsp of light soy sauce and 2 tsp of sesame oil. Leave it for half an hour or more.

2) Heat up some oil in a skillet, then fry 1 tsp of garlic and 1.5 tsp of minced ginger. Once it is fragrant, add the salmon cubes in and sauté for another 7 to 10 minutes. You can cover the skillet to let it cook faster.

3) Remove the salmon cubes. Now fry 1 tsp of garlic and 1.5 tsp of minced ginger again, then add the long beans and mushrooms, together with 2 tbsp of light soy sauce, 2 tsp of sesame oil, and a splash of cooking wine.

4) Saute for another 7 minutes or so, and similarly you can cover the skillet to let it cook faster.

5) Add the salmon cubes back, and serve.

Pan-fried Milkfish Belly

Pan-fried milkfish belly (serves 2)

I was a bit hesitant to prepare this again, because the first attempt resulted in a huge amount of oil splattering all around my kitchen. This time, I tried another method - putting zero oil. And it worked 

Ingredients:

1 milkfish belly

Salt

Instructions:

1) Clean the fish and dry it as much as possible. Salt both sides and leave it for a few minutes. Don't be too generous with the salt as the fish is quite thin.

2) Place a non-stick skillet on the stove and turn on the fire. Once it is hot, place the milkfish belly in, belly-side (with the fat) down. 

3) Leave it for 3 to 4 minutes, then flip it and leave it for another 3 to 4 minutes. 

Lu Rou Fan

Lu Rou Fan (serves 2)

I actually saw this from ieatishootispot, but it used a pressure cooker which I was unwilling to invest in (mainly due to space constraints). So I decided to modify it for a slow cooker instead.

Ingredients:

350g pork belly, sliced into strips

200g radish, sliced into small cubes

80ml cooking wine

50ml thick dark soy sauce

20ml light soy sauce

0.5 tbsp rock sugar

70g of shallot sauce, or 0.3 cup of fried shallots

2.5 tsps cornflour

2 bowls of cooked rice

Spring onion

Instructions:

1) Heat up some oil in a skillet, then add the pork belly. 

2) Saute it for a few minutes until it starts to brown, then add the cooking wine. 

3) Saute it again for a while, then add 70ml water in together with the dark soy sauce, rock sugar, light soy sauce, shallots and radish.

4) Mix it well, then add to a slow cooker. Turn it on low for 6 to 8 hours.

5) Remove some of the excess oil, then add the cornflour in bit by bit while stirring. Turn the slow cooker on high for just a few more minutes.

6) Pour it on your rice, garnish with spring onion, and serve.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cream of mushroom soup (serves 2 to 3)

Ingredients:

1.5 tbsp of butter

300g of button mushrooms, chopped roughly

200g shiitake mushrooms, chopped roughly

1 tsp minced garlic

400ml chicken stock or vegetable stock

50ml heavy cream

Salt

Black pepper

Olive oil

Instructions:

1) Heat up some olive oil in a skillet and fry the garlic for a short while. 

2) Add the butter. Once it has melted, add the mushrooms in and stir it evenly for around 7 to 10 minutes.

3) Add around 0.5 tsp of salt and the vegetable/chicken stock, then let it simmer (uncovered) for around 7 to 10 minutes.

4) Let the mixture cool, then blend it until it is smooth.

5) Add it back into the pot, whisk the cream in, and add some salt and black pepper to taste.

Spicy Carrot Salad

Spicy carrot salad (serves 2 to 3)

Ingredients:

2 large carrots, chopped to thin slices

2 tsps of minced garlic

1 tsp of paprika

0.5 tsp of cayenne pepper

Parsley

0.5 tsp of salt

Black pepper

Olive oil

Instructions:

1) Heat up some olive oil in a skillet, then add the garlic in. Fry it until it is fragrant, then add the carrots, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper in.

2) After a while, add some water such that most of the carrots are immersed. Let it simmer at low heat for 20 minutes. If the water dries up halfway, just add more.

3) Remove the carrots (there should be very little water left), garnish with parsley, and serve.

Oven-roasted Lamb Rack #1

Oven-roasted lamb rack (serves 2 to 3)

Quite an easy dish to prepare, especially since it can be marinated beforehand, and the rest is handled entirely by the oven. Taken from Simply Recipes. 

Ingredients:

1 lamb rack (typically around 7 to 8 ribs)

2 tsps of rosemary

2 tsps of thyme

3 tsps of minced garlic

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Instructions:

1) Mix the rosemary, thyme, garlic and 0.5 tsp of salt. Rub the rack all over with it, and add some black pepper. 

2) Place the rack into a ziploc bag, and pour some olive oil into the bag. Leave it in the refrigerator overnight or for around 4 hours.

3) Leave the lamb rack at room temperature for around 20 minutes. Score the fat with criss-cross cuts, then add a bit more salt. 

4) Switch the oven to fan/grill mode, then preheat it to 230 degrees Celsius.

5) Place the lamb rack into the oven for 10 minutes. This first stage helps to char and sear the fat, making it crisp and delicious. 

6) Turn the temperature down to 150 degrees Celsius for around 18 to 20 more minutes.

7) Remove the rack from the oven, cover with aluminum foil and let it rest for 15 minutes, then serve.

Slow-cooked Lamb Shanks

Slow-cooked lamb shanks (serves 3 to 4)

Modified slightly from recipetineats. It used celery too, but being a big hater of celery I didn't use it. Also, remember to get the cheapest red wine you can for this. Mine was some obscure brand purchased from NTUC Fairprice for around $15 or so.

Ingredients:

2 lamb shanks

1 whole white onion, finely chopped

3 tsps of minced garlic

2 whole carrots, chopped into small pieces

0.5 bottle of red wine

1 can of crushed tomatoes

3 sprigs of thyme

2 dried bay leaves

250ml of chicken stock

Olive oil

Sea salt

Black pepper

Instructions:

1) Dry the lamb shanks as much as possible, then sprinkle it with salt and pepper.

2) Heat up some olive oil on a skillet, then sear the lamb shanks all over. It should take 5 minutes or so.

3) Remove the lamb shanks from the skillet, add a bit more olive oil, and fry the garlic and onion for around 2 minutes.

4) Add the carrots and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how large your carrot pieces are.

5) Add the red wine, crushed tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Mix well and let it simmer for a while.

6) Now place the lamb shanks in the slow cooker and add the mixture from step 5). Put it on low mode for 8 hours.

7) Now remove the shanks and carrots, and place them on a large tray. Transfer the sauce to a pot and reduce it over the stove until your desired thickness preference. 

8) Pour the sauce over the tray, and serve.

Oven-baked whole sea bass

Oven-baked whole sea bass (serves 2)

Sea bass is a great fish - cheap, and yet it tastes wonderful. 

Ingredients:

Whole sea bass

4 to 6 sprigs of thyme

0.25 lemon

Olive oil

1 tbsp of parsley

Salt

Black pepper

Instructions:

1) After the fish is cleaned, make two to three diagonal cuts across it. Rub the fish with some olive oil, and season with salt. 

2) Separate the thyme leaves from the stalks. Stuff the stalks into the fish's cavity, and the leaves into the cuts made on the body. Squeeze some lemon over the fish. You can leave the remaining lemon pieces inside the fish cavity.

3) Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celcius, and bake the fish for 25 to 30 minutes. 

4) Sprinkle some parsley on the fish, and serve.

Gyudon

 Gyudon (serves 2)

A simple recipe, modified slightly from here.

Ingredients:

1 whole white onion, sliced

250g of beef shabu shabu

1 tsp of sugar

1 tbsp of mirin

1 tbsp of soy sauce

150ml chicken stock

2 bowls of cooked white rice

Spring onion (for garnishing)

Instructions:

1) Heat some oil in a skillet, then cook the sliced onions until they are soft. It should take around 5 minutes.

2) Add the beef and sugar, and cook until the beef is slightly browned. The beef shabu shabu may be clumped together - so try to separate it a bit. 

3) Now add the soy sauce, mirin and chicken stock in, and let it simmer for around 10 to 15 minutes.

4) Pour the mixture onto each bowl of white rice, and serve.

Loco Moco

Loco Moco (serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 whole white onions, diced

450g minced beef

225g minced pork

6 eggs

4 tsps of Worchestershire sauce

200g of white mushrooms, sliced

600ml of beef stock

4 tbsp of milk

3 tbsps of corn flour

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp of light soy sauce

Cooked Japanese white rice, 4 servings

Olive oil

Sea salt

Black pepper

Instructions:

Preparing the patties

1) In a large bowl, add the minced pork, minced beef, half the diced onion, 2 eggs, oregano, milk, 2 tsp of salt, 2 tsps of Worchestershire sauce, and black pepper. Mix it well.

2) From the patty mixture, make 4 patties. To release the air inside each patty, toss it from hand to hand several times. Leave the patties in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.

3) Heat some olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, then place the patties inside. Make a slight dent on the centre of each patty, as it will expand later. 

4) Cover the pan and cook the patties for 5 to 6 minutes, then flip them and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes while covered.

Preparing the gravy

1) Heat some olive oil in a large pan, then saute the rest of the diced onion.

2) When the onions are soft, add the mushrooms in and saute again.

3) Add the beef stock, 2 tsps of Worchestershire sauce, and 2 tsps of soy sauce in. Season with some salt and black pepper.

4) In a small bowl, mix the corn flour with around 3 tbsps of water. Whisk the mixture, add it into the beef stock, and mix well again. Let it simmer until the gravy is a bit thicker, then turn off the heat and set aside.

Final steps

1) Heat up the gravy, cook the rice, fry 4 eggs.

2) Serve the Japanese white rice on each plate, place the patties at the side of the rice, pour the gravy over the patty and rice, and top with a fried egg.

Simmered Radish

 Simmered Radish

One radish can easily make several portions, so you can estimate how much you want. Typically, one to two discs should be enough for one person, depending on the thickness of the radish.

Ingredients:

1 medium radish

Vegetable broth or dashi

Soy sauce

Mirin

Salt

Wasabi

Instructions:

1) Slice the radish into discs, each around 2cm to 3cm thick. Trim the sides of each disc, such that there are no 'sharp' edges. This prevents the sides of the radish from breaking apart after it has been cooked for a long time.

2) Make two incisions (cross) on one side of the disc (the part that will be facing downwards in the pot). This will allow the radish to soak up more flavour. Each incision should be deep enough to cover around a third to half of the thickness of the radish.

3) Boil the radish in water for around 15 to 20 minutes. 

4) Now boil some vegetable broth or dashi, and add some soy sauce, salt and a bit of mirin. The amount can be determined by how strong the vegetable broth is, and how flavourful you want the radish to be. The amount of broth should be enough to just cover all the radish discs.

5) When it has boiled, place the radish in and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

6) Put a dab of wasabi on each radish disc, and serve.

Claypot Yee Mee

Claypot Yee Mee (one serving)

I don't have a claypot at home, so I used a small pot instead that was just nice for one portion.

Ingredients:

300ml of chicken stock

50g minced pork

2 meat balls, can be substituted with fish balls, sotong balls etc

1 serving of yee mee

3 stalks of bok choy

1 egg

Spring onion

Light soy sauce

Sesame oil

White pepper

Instructions:

1) Marinate the minced pork with some light soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper. Leave it for around 30 minutes, or even overnight in the fridge.

2) Heat up the chicken stock in a claypot or small pot. Once it boils, add the yee mee, minced pork and meat balls in. Remember to scatter and mix the minced pork once it goes in so that it doesn't clump together. 

3) Add the bok choy around a minute later. Once everything is cooked, crack an egg in and turn off the fire.

4) Serve with some spring onion on top.

Pan-fried Salmon

Pan-fried salmon fillet

Ingredients:

Salmon fillet

Salt

Pepper

Butter

Instructions:

1) After cleaning the salmon, dry it as much as possible.

2) Cut some slits, length-wise, across the salmon skin. This will prevent the salmon from curling up during cooking. Don't slice too deep though, or the salmon may get overcooked.

3) Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper. You can add some other spices here if you wish, like paprika.

4) Ensure that the salmon is near room temperature, then heat up a frying pan over medium heat. When it's hot, add some oil in.

5) Add the salmon to the pan, skin-side down. Use a spatula and press the salmon down gently to ensure that the skin is flat.

6) After a minute or so, add some butter in and turn the fire down. Let the salmon continue to cook for around 6 to 7 minutes. Scoop some of the butter and oil and drizzle it on top of the salmon just to cook the flesh a bit more.

7) Flip the salmon over to cook the flesh side for a short while, then serve.

Pasta with Scallops and Creamy Bacon Sauce

Pasta with Scallops and Creamy Bacon Sauce (for 2 pax)

Ingredients:

160g of pasta

6 to 8 scallops

3 slices of bacon, chopped into small pieces

0.5 white onion, chopped into small pieces

1 teaspoon of minced garlic

40ml of white wine or stock

90g cream

0.5 tablespoon of butter

Parsley

Salt

Black pepper

Instructions:

1) Pat dry the scallops as much as possible, and set aside on some kitchen towels to absorb more moisture.

2) Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet, then set aside. Keep around 1 cup of the pasta water.

3) Heat some oil on a skillet, then cook the bacon until crispy and brown. Remove the bacon, leaving the grease in the skillet.

4) Cook the onion until it softens, then add the garlic and fry for another 30 seconds or so. 

5) Add in the white wine or stock and cook until the liquid has reduced to around half.

6) Turn down the heat and add in the cream and bacon. Cook for around 5 minutes or when the cream starts to thicken. 

7) Add the cooked pasta into the mixture, together with around 30ml of the pasta water. 

8) Season the scallops lightly with salt.

9) Heat up another skillet and add some oil. Make sure the oil is hot, then add the scallops. 

10) Fry the scallops for around 90 seconds on each side, then turn off the heat and add the butter. Make sure each side of the scallop is in contact with some of the butter.

11) Add some parsley and black pepper to the pasta, then serve with the scallops on top.

Scrambled Eggs

Scrambled Eggs (for 2 pax)

The humble scrambled egg - something that is so common and yet has so many variations in the way you can cook it. This recipe is documented down from Gordon Ramsey's Masterclass. 

Ingredients:

5 eggs

Butter
Chives or spring onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of creme fraiche

Salt

Pepper

Instructions:

1) Crack the eggs into a nonstick pot. Do not beat or stir the eggs first. 

2) Add around 2 to 3 chunks of butter in, roughly 1 cm thick.

3) Put the pan over the fire. Make sure you have a good spatula on hand. Now stir the mixture, turning it every time from the top of the pot to the bottom of the pot. This ensures that the mixture cooks evenly and doesn't stick.

4) Once the pot gets really hot, take it off the fire and continue to stir. This prevents the eggs from getting cooked too quickly. An estimated timing is around 60 to 90 seconds on the fire, and 20 seconds off the fire.

5) As the eggs start to get fluffy, add in a teaspoon of creme fraiche, a pinch of chives or spring onion, salt and pepper. Mix it well again, and serve.

Baked Rice with Salmon and Cheese

Ingredients:

0.67 cup of rice
300g salmon fillet, cut into 0.5 inch thick slices
150g shredded mozzarella cheese

1 can of Campbell Cream of Mushroom soup (optional)
Salt
Black pepper


Instructions:

1) Cook the rice first, then set aside.

2) On a flat baking dish, spread out the rice in one uniform layer. Lay the salmon uniformly over the rice.

3) If you are using the Campbell soup, spread it over the rice and salmon evenly. (If not using, just add some salt on the salmon.) Add black pepper as desired.

4) Top everything with a layer of the shredded mozzarella cheese.

5) Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees, then put the dish in for 16 minutes (if not using Campbell) or 20 minutes (if using Campbell). Serve.

Campbell Chicken Stew

Campbell Chicken Stew (serves 2 to 3)

Ingredients:

1 can of Campbell soup (either Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Chicken)
3 potatoes, halved
2 carrots, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
4 whole chicken thighs, cut into 8 pieces

Instructions:

1) Fry the onions in a skillet for a while. When it starts to brown, add the potatoes and carrots and continue frying for 3 to 4 minutes.

2) Add 0.8 can of water and bring it to a boil. Once it boils, add the chicken and cover the skillet. The water may not cover the chicken fully. It does not need to, but you can add a bit more water to ensure it will be more cooked.

3) Let it boil for around 30 to 35 minutes. Add the Campbell soup in and mix it till it is smooth.

4) Add some black pepper, and serve.

Pan-fried Paprika Chicken Chops

Pan-fried Chicken Chops (serves 2 to 3)

Ingredients:

2 whole chicken thighs, deboned
1 teaspoon of salt
Black pepper
1.5 teaspoon of paprika

Lemon (optional)

Instructions:

1) Marinade the chicken with the salt, pepper, and paprika, and leave it in the refrigerator for 3 hours or more.

2) On a pan under medium-high heat, heat some oil, then place the chicken thighs in, skin-side down. Leave it for 5 minutes, then flip it over and leave for another 3 minutes.

3) Serve with a little bit of lemon.

Baked Zucchini with Parmesan Cheese and Paprika

Baked Zucchini with Parmesan Cheese and Paprika (serves 2 to 3)

Ingredients:

2 whole zucchini
150g of grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon of parsley
2 teaspoons of paprika
1 teaspoon of sea salt
Olive oil

Instructions:

1) Cut the zucchini length-wise, then halve each piece.

2) Mix the salt, parsley and paprika together in a bowl.

3) Lay the zucchini (skin-side down) on a tray, then pour the seasoning over it evenly. Drizzle some olive oil over it, and sprinkle the parmesan cheese over it.

4) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius, and bake the zucchini for 18 minutes.

This is a new low (or is it high?), OCBC

So I recently made a trip to London for business, and took Uber from the airport to my hotel. I was charged GBP56.85. On that day, the average spot rate was 1 GBP = 1.7585 SGD (retrieved from poundsterlinglive.com) 

When I checked my OCBC credit card bill, the SGD equivalent was $103.98 - translating to a conversion rate of 1 GBP = 1.829 SGD.

Holy shit. A FX charge of 4%.

It's amazing how upfront commissions for wealth management products have gone down over the years - in Singapore, you can transact in unit trusts at 0% front-end load, or in stocks for 0.08%. And banks are still ripping off customers by sky-high FX charges.

I quickly checked the bill for my Uber trip back (hotel to airport) - the GBP 46.05 fare translated to SGD 84.10, effectively a 3.87% FX rate given that the average spot rate was 1 GBP = 1.7582 SGD.

That's what most banks are - institutions licensed to cheat customers in a legal and legitimate way.