Pumpkin and Yam Rice

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

300g (2 cups) long grain rice, washed and drained

150g yam, diced

200g pumpkin, cubed

Enough oil for deep-frying

1 tbsp chopped ginger

30g mock vegetarian chicken, coarsely chopped

40g dried prawns, soaked and drained

3 dried mushrooms, soaked and diced

1 tbsp oil

1 tbsp sesame oil

600ml fresh chicken stock

Seasoning

½ tsp salt

½ tsp sugar

¼ tsp pepper

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp oyster sauce

Garnishing

Some coriander leaves

Some chopped spring onions

Deep-fry yam and pumpkin separately for 6-7 minutes. Dish out and set aside.

Heat oil and sesame oil in a wok, stir-fry ginger, dried prawns, vegetarian chicken and diced mushrooms. Add rice and toss briefly for 1-2 minutes. Stir in seasoning to mix.

Transfer rice mixture into an electric rice cooker. Pour in chicken stock and cook. Once rice comes to the boil, add yam and pumpkin and continue to cook until rice is done.

Stand for 10-15 minutes. Dish up and serve with garnishing.

(Note: Net weight of pumpkin paste is 200g after steaming.)

Kai choy claypot rice

Ingredients
3 cups rice, washed
1 ½ tbsps oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
½ tsp salt
Water to cook rice with

400g kai choy, the local variety, cut finely
1 piece ginger (4cm), smashed

400g minced chicken or pork
1 Tbsp light soya sauce
1 tsp dark soya sauce
1 ½ tsps cornflour
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp oil

2 Tbsps dried prawns, peeled and washed
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsps oil

Method
1. Heat oil in wok, brown the garlic in it. Add the washed rice, fry and add salt. Add enough water to cover the rice. Transfer the rice to a claypot or rice cooker.

2. Marinate the meat with the two sauces, cornflour, pepper and salt.

3. Fry dried prawns in hot oil till crispy and fragrant. Dish out.

4. Add 1 Tbsp oil to the remaining oil, add the ginger and fry till fragrant. Add the meat and stir-fry for two minutes before putting in the kai choy. Give it a quick fry and dish out.

5. Set the rice to cook, simmering over a low fire as in a claypot. When the rice is about cooked, add the kai choy, meat and dried prawns. Stir the rice up with the meat and vegetable mixture, cover for a few minutes and taste before serving.

Garlic fried rice

Ingredients
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups steamed rice
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp soy bean sauce
vegetable oil
1 tsp spring onions, chopped
1 pinch black pepper
1 tsp unsalted butter

Method
1. Fry chopped garlic in a little butter until crispy. Add vegetable oil, steamed rice and stir to mix well.

2. Season with black and white pepper, salt and soy bean sauce. To serve, sprinkle chopped spring onions on top.

Garlic and herb rice

Ingredients
2 tbsps chopped garlic
4 rice bowls of cooked rice
½ tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsps chopped bunga kantan
1 tsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp chopped parsley
2 tbsps oil

Method
1. Brown garlic in oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the cooked rice, stirring quickly to avoid it sticking to the wok. Add salt and pepper and fry for one minute.

2. Sprinkle with two tablespoons of water and soy sauce. Fry for two minutes.

3. Dish out, then sprinkle chopped bunga kantan, basil and parsley over it, mixing them all up. Serve with the fish.

Fried rice with sausages and Japanese eggplant relish

Ingredients
Rice:
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
6 sausages, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
3 cups cold cooked rice
1 tbsp chicken granules
8 French beans, sliced
1 small carrot, cut into 4cm matchsticks
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp vinegar
salt and black pepper to taste
1 chilli seeded, julienned

Relish:
5 tbsp peanut oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 red chillies, seeded and pounded finely
2 medium Japanese eggplants, cut into 4cm matchsticks
¼ cup vinegar
salt to taste
1 tbsp sugar
sliced spring onions for garnishing

Method
Rice:

1. Heat butter and oil in a non-stick pan and fry sausages for about two minutes.

2. Remove from the pan and keep aside.

3. Fry garlic in the same pan for about one minute and add rice, chicken granules, French beans, carrots, soy sauce, vinegar and give it a good stir.

4. Add sausages and salt and pepper.

Relish:

1. Heat three tbsp of the oil in a deep saucepan and fry garlic until brown. Drain and keep aside.

2. In the same pan, add the remaining oil and fry chillies for two to three minutes.

3. Add eggplant and vinegar and cook until the eggplant is soft.

4. Add fried garlic, salt, sugar and garnish with sliced spring onions.

5. Garnish fried rice with chillies and serve with eggplant relish.

Fried rice

Ingredients
Two rice-cup measures of rice, cooked in a rice cooker
chopped garlic
sliced onions
chillies (optional)
shredded cooked chicken, or cut tinned sausages
2 eggs, beaten
sliced carrots
shredded cabbage
towgay/cut towfoo

Method
1. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a kuali or pot. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and onions.

2. Then add the chicken, carrots and cabbage. Fry for a few minutes and add the chill, towgay/towfoo and eggs.

3. Stir-fry it and add the rice when the eggs are almost cooked. Mix well and add salt, pepper to taste and soya sauce if desired.

Fragrant yam rice

Ingredients
300g skinless, boneless chicken, cut into 2 1/2cm pieces
Oil for deep frying
350g cleaned yam, cut into 1 1/2cm pieces
6 shallots, sliced
3 tbsps cooking oil
60g dried prawns, soaked for 15 mins and drained
300g rice (2 rice measuring cups), washed and drained
2 tsps light soya sauce
3 1/2 cups fresh chicken stock or water
2 tbsps chopped spring onion
1 red chilli, sliced
Seasoning ingredients
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp light soya sauce
1/2 tsp thick soya sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp rice wine
1 tsp cornflour

Method
1. Marinate chicken with seasoning ingredients.

2. Heat oil in deep saucepan and deep-fry yam pieces for 8-10 minutes or until just cooked. Drain from oil and set aside.

3. Put in sliced shallots and fry until golden. Drain shallot crisps from oil and set aside for garnishing.

4. Reheat a clean saucepan with 3 tablespoons oil and stir-fry dried prawns until fragrant. Dish out and set aside. Put in rice and toss for 1-2 minutes. Stir in light soya sauce.

5. Remove saucepan from the heat and place the fried rice in a rice cooker. Pour in chicken stock and switch rice cooker on.

6. When the stock comes to the boil, add yam and chicken. Let the rice cook until done. Just before dishing out, sprinkle with shallot crisps, spring onion and red chilli.

Coffee Rice Bubble Cookies

Original Recipe By Amy Beh

120g butter
1 Tbsp honey
75g castor sugar
½ tsp vanilla essence
¾ tsp instant coffee granules
75g plain flour
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp salt
30g rice bubbles
25g chopped macadamia nuts

Lightly grease baking trays with corn oil and preheat oven to 180°C.

Sift together flour with bicarbonate of soda. Cream butter, honey, sugar, essence and instant coffee granules until light.

Fold in sifted dry ingredients and salt, and stir in rice bubbles and chopped macadamia nuts to mix. Make small balls of dough and arrange them on prepared trays. Press down to flatten with a fork.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden. Leave the cookies on the trays for 4-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Fish rice

Ingredients
2 tilapia (500g each)
1½ tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
1 thumb-sized ginger (sliced)
1 tsp finely chopped fresh turmeric
1 tsp chopped lemongrass
1 tsp garlic
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
1½ cups oil for deep-frying
1 cup sweet basil (or daun kesum)
1 cup spring onions (cut into 2cm lengths)
½ cup water
1 slice of lemon

Method
1. Clean the fish thoroughly, fillet it and cut into big chunks. Marinate the fish with 1 tsp salt and white pepper for 15 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a wok. Slowly put in half the fish pieces, and fry them over high heat for two minutes. Turn them over and fry for another minute, till they are brown. Repeat with the rest of the fish.

3. Drain the oil in the wok, leaving one tablespoon in it. Put the wok over medium heat, add chopped turmeric, lemongrass and sliced ginger, fry for one minute and add the chopped garlic. Brown these, then add the sliced button mushrooms. Stir fry for 1 minute; add a pinch of salt and pepper.

4. Add the fried fish to the wok and stir fry for one minute. Sprinkle with half the water, add spring onion and all the basil. Stir fry for one more minute and add the rest of the water, stir for another minute and dish out.

5. Serve with garlic rice. Squeeze lemon on the fish before serving. You could eat the fish with the raw herbs too.

Claypot lap mei rice

Ingredients
150gm rice
1 waxed duck drumstick
2 liver sausages
2 waxed sausages
1/2 slice waxed pork
3 black Chinese mushrooms (soaked whole)
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1/2 tbsp dark soya sauce
1 bunch Chinese mustard

Method
1. Rinse waxed meats and wash Chinese mustard leaves.

2. Rinse rice and put in claypot. Add sufficient water and cook until water is almost absorbed.

3. Put waxed meat and mushrooms on top of rice and pour both light and dark soya sauce over it. Cover and cook two minutes. When water is fully absorbed, lower flame and allow rice to cook a further 6-8 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, steam or blanch Chinese mustard leaves. Arrange in middle of plate.

5. To serve, remove waxed meats and slice. Arrange on top of mustard greens together with mushrooms. Serve with hot rice.

Beef rice in egg skin (Ngow sung chao fun)

Ingredients
24g garlic
12g dry black mushrooms
120g topside beef
120g prawns
600ml water
45g frozen peas
45g canned button mushrooms
90g palm olein
60g palm olein (cooking oil)
12 portions of boiled white rice
27g oyster sauce
19g light soya sauce
13g black soya sauce
1/4 tsp white pepper powder
18g sesame oil
2 eggs
1 egg yolk

Method
1. Mince garlic. Soak four black mushrooms in water and dice later. Dice button mushrooms. Mince the beef. Peel and slice prawns.

2. Bring water to boil. Blanch green peas and mushrooms for a few seconds. Take out and drain.

3. Heat wok, add 90g palm olein and fry minced beef for a few seconds.

4. Drain and put aside. Fry prawns.

5. Heat the second palm olein, add minced garlic and fry until golden brown. Add boiled rice and stir fry well. Add blanched mushrooms, green peas, sauteed beef and prawns.

6. Season with soya sauce, oyster sauce, black soya sauce and pepper.

7. Stir fry well until rice grains are loose and well coated by the seasoning.

8. Break eggs and beat. Heat a hot griddle and make a paper-thin skin of egg by pouring the beaten egg onto the griddle. Flatten and distribute with a spatula. Remove skin carefully from griddle and place in a bowl.

9. Pour fried rice into the egg skin. Put one egg yolk in the centre and fold skin together into a parcel. Place on a plate. Serve the parcel and cut open in front of guests.

- From the article Rice, Asia's favourite staple diet by Ruby Khoo.

Lentil Rice

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

2 cups (320g) rice, rinsed
100g lentils, soaked for 3–4 hours
600ml water
½ tsp salt
3 Tbsp oil
1 onion, halved and sliced
2 green chillies, halved and seeded
1 tomato, chopped
2 stalks curry leaves
2 screwpine leaves, knotted
600ml water
4cm ginger, sliced
7 dried chillies, soaked, and cut into 1cm sections

Spices (A)
6 cardamoms, lightly smashed
1 star anise
6 cloves
5cm cinnamon stick
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp coriander powder

Seasoning
1 Tbsp chicken stock granules
Salt to taste
Garnish
Some coriander leaves

Boil lentils in 600ml water and ½ teaspoon salt for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat oil in a wok and sauté spices (A) until fragrant.

Add onion and curry leaves and fry for a minute.

Add lentils, chillies, ginger, tomato and rice. Fry for a minute. Pour in water to mix.

Dish out and transfer the rice mixture into an electric rice cooker.

Add seasoning and screwpine leaves, and cook until rice is done.

Garnish with coriander leaves.