Singapore Rice Noodles with Bacon

 

Singapore Rice Noodles
With Bacon

The use of curry powder in these noodles is what sets it apart from other noodle dishes. Apparently, in Singapore this dish is called Hong Kong Noodles and in Hong Kong it's called Singapore Noodles. Sort of like French Fries which cannot be found anywhere in France. When it's cooked properly, these noodles are to die for. Otherwise, if the curry powder tastes raw, they are horrible. I prefer to boil the curry powder in chicken stock before soaking rice noodles in the broth.

Singapore Noodles are most commonly made with shrimp and pork, but I used ground chicken and bacon. To make my life easier, I used fresh cole slaw mix which contains cabbage, carrots and other julienned vegetables. This dish can be prepared in under 30 minutes, is filling and very satisfying. 

Chili Chicken

 

Chili Chicken

This is a popular dish on Chinese menus at restaurants in India and Kolkata in particular. When I was pregnant, I craved Chinese food and couldn't get enough of it. Pickles and other tart condiments, which are a common craving for women who are pregnant, have never appealed to me. I must have been addicted to the Ajinomoto (a.k.a. MSG) used in Chinese cooking. Anyway, Chili Chicken had a special place on our order at Chinese restaurants. The more hot chilies there are in the dish, the better, so use as many as you and your family can handle.

Simple Bhapa Shorshe Maach or Steamed Fish in Mustard Sauce

 

Bhapa Shorshe Maach

The easiest way to prepare this dish is to use Colman's mustard powder instead of grinding mustard seeds that need to be soaked for a couple of hours. Any kind of fish can be used, but hilsa (ilish) and salmon steaks taste the best. The process is very simple. Fish pieces are combined with the mustard sauce and placed in a stainless steel tiffin box and steamed for 15 minutes. This dish is ideal for getting a meal on the table in under half an hour.

Shada or Pani Khola Maach - Fish Stew

Fish Stew

As you can surmise from this photograph, my kitchen caters to Jack Spratt and his wife. As the nursery rhyme goes,

Jack Spratt could eat no fat

And his wife could eat no lean.

And so betwixt the two of them

They kept the platter clean.

The man in this house is tall and lean and his wife, the opposite. She lives to eat and he eats to live. She loves 'bone-in everything' and he likes a no-fuss meal. That's why this fish stew is made with two cuts of fish. Nice, fatty fish steaks of Swai or Mekong catfish for the wife and fillets of Tilapia for Jack.

I didn't expect too much from such a simple recipe. There are only 5 ingredients to consider but requires killer prep. The most tedious part is to mash slivered onions, salt, green chilies and mustard oil until your hands ache and all the juices from the onions release. This takes a total of at least 15-20 minutes, so I do it in batches. I add salt to the onions and let them sit until they soften and then mash them. When my hands begin aching, I take a break, a sip of coffee, flex my fingers, relax a bit and go back to mashing the onions. In the end, all this effort pays off because not only is the stew light and refreshing, it's also easily digested which suits Jack Spratt to a Tee.

From all the recipes I've perused, this is generally made with hilsa or ilish maach, which I can only dream of because it's difficult to come by in North America. So I've adapted to my environment and learned to live with the scarcity of specialty fish. 

This is best served with steamed long-grain rice.

Faux Bubble and Squeak

Faux Bubble and Squeak

The traditional Bubble and Squeak is a British dish that is composed of cabbage and potatoes. The name is derived from the sounds that emanate while cooking this dish. The components are placed over medium-high heat until it bubbles vigorously, and then when the liquid evaporates, the vegetables squeak as if to say, 'I'm done! Take me off the heat!'

I came across this recipe with green beans on a Tik Tok video and because it's so easy, requiring minimal intervention, use it on occasions when a side dish is required to complement a meal. The first time I made it, the squeaky sound at the end caught my attention, so I call it Faux Bubble and Squeak because even though it's nothing like the original, the cooking sounds are the same. It takes only 3 ingredients, canned green beans, and a tablespoon each of oil and sugar.

Silken Tofu in Spicy Garlic Sauce

 

Silken Tofu in 
Spicy Garlic Sauce

I love the soft, velvety texture of silken tofu. This quick and easy tofu dish is nutritious and low in fat, and is boosted with protein with the addition of ground chicken. Every time we bring home ground chicken, I brown the chicken and freeze smaller portions so that it's ready to cook when I need it. Silken tofu absorbs the flavour of any sauce it's cooked in, much more easily that firm tofu. This tastes good with hot, steamed long-grain rice.