Mee Goreng (Fried Noodles)

Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Level of difficulty: 2.5/5

Ingredients

a) 500g fresh yellow noodles
b) 250g sliced beef/chicken/prawn
c) 2 red onion, sliced
d) 3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
e) 1 ripe tomato, diced
f) 4 tablespoons chilli paste
g) 3 tablespoons tomato ketchup
h) 2 tablespoons chilli sauce
i) 1 tablespoon soya sauce
j) Adequate chye sim, cut
k) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
l) 1/2 cup water

Garnishings:
m) Fried shallots
n) 1 stalk spring onion and coriander, sliced
o) 1 red chilli, sliced

Place the noodles in a colander and rinse under running water. Drain and set aside. Heat oil in wok and fry onion and garlic till browned. Add in chilli paste and fry till fragrant. Add water and add in meat. Cook till tender before adding in chilli, tomato and soya sauces. Add in chye sim and then noodles. Stir till all the sauce coats the noodle. Serve on a large dish and sprinkle garnishings on top. Suitable to be eaten with omelette or sunny-side-up.

Bee Hoon Soup

Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Level of difficulty: 2.5/5

Ingredients

a) 4 cloves garlic - finely chopped
b) 2cm ginger - finely chopped
c) 500g beef - sliced. Can substitute with prawns, fresh fishballs
d) 2 teaspoons white pepper
e) 1 tablespoon sesame oil
f) 2 teaspoons salt
g) 1 cube beef stock (optional)
h) Some cut cai xin
i) Adequate bee hoon, soften in hot water and drained
j) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
k) Adequate water
l) Garnishings: some fried shallots, chopped chinese parsley, spring onion, cut red chillies in light soya sauce

Heat oil in saucepan. Fry garlic and ginger till fragrant. Add beef (or prawns/fishballs) till browned and add water to cover 3/4 of the saucepan. Once the beef is tender, add sesame oil, white pepper, salt and beef stock. Add cut cai xin into the boiling soup till scalded. Place bee hoon in a bowl, add cai xin and soup. Serve with garnishings.

Chilli Fried Rice

Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Level of difficulty: 2/5

Ingredients

To blend together:
a) 3 red onions
b) 2 tablespoons ikan bilis (dried split fish/anchovies)
c) 6 red chillies
d) 6 cili padi (bird's eye chillies)
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e) Some cut vegetables like cai xin or cabbage
f) Some prawns or sliced chicken fillet or sliced beef
g) 4 portions of cooked rice (best to use leftover rice, which has been refrigerated)
h) 2 teaspoons salt
i) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For garnishing:
j) Fried shallots
k) Fried ikan bilis
l) 1 cucumber, sliced thinly
m) 4 eggs, sunny-side up / 1 omelette, sliced thinly

Heat up oil in wok and fry the blended items till fragrant. Add in prawns/meat till cooked. Then add in vegetables, salt and cooked rice. Stir till even (add a little bit of water, if necessary) and serve hot with garnishing items.

Fried Chicken in Black Sweet Sauce

Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Level of difficulty: 2/5

Ingredients

a) 500g chicken parts (chicken wings, drumsticks, etc) - to be fried till crispy in adequate hot oil, toss and set aside
b) 4 cloves garlic - sliced
c) 2-3 red onions - sliced
d) 2 red chillies - sliced
e) 2 green chillies - sliced (optional)
f) 5 tablespoons sweet black sauce (I like to use the brand Habhal's with the red fan logo)
g) 1 teaspoon grounded white pepper
h) 1 teaspoon salt
i) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Heat up oil in wok/frying pan and fry sliced garlic, onions and chillies till fragrant. Add in sweet black sauce, pepper and salt and stir for a minute. Then add the fried chicken parts. Serve hot with rice. (Note: The dish should not be watery. There should be just enough sauce to cover the chicken.)

Rawon (Indonesian Beef Soup)

Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 40 mins
Level of difficulty: 4/5

Ingredients

a) Beef (fatty parts are great) - cut into squares, 3cm x 3cm
b) 1.5 litres water
c) 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
d) 8 kaffir lime leaves, shredded into small pieces
e) 2 beef cubes
f) 2 teaspoons grounded white pepper
g) Long beans, cut into 3cm length
h) Adequate vegetable oil

To blend:

i) 5 red onions
j) 5 cloves garlic
k) 1 tablespoon grounded coriander
l) 6 blacknuts (buah keluak) - just the kernels (the kernels can be bought at wet markets)
m) 6 red chillies
n) 5 candlenuts
o) 3cm galangal, sliced
p) 3 teaspoons sugar
q) 5 teaspoons salt

Heat up oil in a pot. Fry the blended ingredients and the shredded kaffir lime leaves till fragrant. Add in beef and fry till browned. Pour in water, add grounded white pepper, beef cubes, and cook till beef is tender. Add long beans and let soup boil till long beans, soften. Serve with hot rice, salted eggs, sambal belacan and fried tempeh.

Fried Macaroni with Minced Meat

Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Level of difficulty: 2/5

Ingredients

a) Some minced meat - I like minced beef
b) 1 yellow onion, sliced
c) 3 garlic, chopped
d) 2 tablespoons olive oil/vegetable oil
e) 3 tablespoons chilli paste - either buy those ready ones from the markets or make your own by boiling some dried chillies in water to soften them. After that, blend them with a little bit of water and blend till it forms a paste.
f) 3 tablespoons tomato sauce
g) 2 tablespoons chilli sauce
h) 2 whole tomatoes, quartered
i) 1 teaspoon salt
j) 250g macaroni - prepare it by boiling in water that has 1 tablespoon of oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt added in. Once macaroni has soften, drain it in a colander and run it under running water so it doesn't stick together.
k) Some celery, chopped
l) Some coriander/chinese parsley leaves, chopped

Heat up oil in wok. Fry onion and garlic for about 2 mins. Add chilli paste and fry till frangrant. Add minced meat and fry till browned. Add in a bit of water, if needed. Add in tomato sauce, chilli sauce, quartered tomatoes and celery and fry for another 1-2 mins. Lastly, add in salt and macaroni. Make sure the macaroni is coated with the sauce before serving it with the chopped leaves.

Tanty's Keema & Cucumber + Onion Raita

I havent gone to the market for about a week or more so I didnt have much left in the refrigerator to cook lunch today. What I had in the fridge was 2 pieces of fish, minced beef, some cucumber, tomatoes and lots of onion and garlic. I also had instant pratas (Indian flat bread). I wasnt about to go out and get ingredients so I just had to make something out of what I had. A flash of brilliance and about 5mins later, I was whipping out my own keema, and cucumber and onion raita.

Tanty's Keema

Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Level of difficulty: 2/5

Ingredients

a) 500gm minced beef/mutton
b) 2 tomatoes, chopped
c) 3 yellow/red onions, chopped
d) 4 garlic, chopped
e) 5 cm ginger, chopped
f) 1/2 cup fresh chilled milk + juice from 1/2 big lime, mixed to become yogurt
g) 1 cinnamon stick
h) 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
i) 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
j) 1 teaspoon chilli powder
k) 2 tablespoons meat curry powder
l) 2 teaspoon salt
m) 1 stalk coriander leaves, chopped
n) 2 tablespoons ghee/vegetable oil

Heat up ghee/vegetable oil in a saucepan. Fry chopped onion, garlic, ginger till fragrant. Add in minced meat and fry till it turns a slight brown before adding, chopped tomatoes, cinnamon stick, coriander seeds, black pepper, chilli and curry powder. Fry for 1 min and add "yogurt". Stir for about 2mins before adding salt and chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with pratas, naan and cucumber and onion raita.

Tanty's Cucumber & Onion Raita

Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: -
Level of difficulty: 1.5/5

Ingredients

a) 1 cucumber, skin peeled, seeded and chopped
b) 1 red onion, chopped
c) 1 yakult/vitagen (natural flavour) or natural flavoured yogurt
d) 1/2 big lime, juice squeezed
e) 1/2 teaspoon mint sauce/jelly or chopped mint leaves
f) A sprinkle of ground black pepper
g) 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, mix all the items and chill before serving.