Simple Cooking Ideas

Tomato rice is tasty and appetising. It turns out perfect too in a rice cooker. Cooking in the electric rice cooker is just perfect to the taste. My grandchildren love to eat the rice without adding any vegetables or meat.

Ingredients: (serves 4 to 5 persons)

2 cups rice, washed and drained
1 tin chopped tomatoes with their juice
1/2 can of tomato puree
2 cups water
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon salt
4 cloves
2 inch cinnamom stick
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Method:

Put the washed rice with 2 cups water into the rice cooker. Add in the rest of the ingredients and stir well to combine. Cover with the lid and cook. When the on/off setting of the rice pops up,leave the rice in the pot for at least 30 minutes before serving. Stir well to mix and serve hot.

Crispy rice with chicken meat in gravy is the dish to try. You have to use a pot to cook the rice on the gas stove. Cook your rice enough for six persons. Wash rice and bring rice to boil in a pot
and simmer in low fire until rice is dry and has an aromatic smell of crispy rice at the bottom of the pot. Scoop out the freshly cook rice and leave the hard crust in the pot and put aside till you are ready to use.

Ingredients:

200 gm crispy rice
100 gm chicken meat, cut to thin slices
100 gm lean pork, cut to thin slices
100 gm prawns
100 gm cabbage, shredded
1 small size carrot shreded
1/2 can of botton mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon cornflour
2 tablespoon oyster sauce
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoon cooking oil
300 ml chicken stock with 300 ml water
with 1 cube of chicken essence “Knorr Swiss”
1 tablespoon mixed chopped garlic and onion

Method:

Break crispy rice into bite-sized pieces. Heat a wok and deep fry the rice for 5 minutes. drain and put on a big serving bowl. Pour out excess oil leave 2 tablespoon in the wok, when hot, fry
the mixed garlic and onion till fragrant and add in chicken, and pork slices, and stir fry for a minute. Add in prawns, mushroom, cabbage and carrots. Stir in the chicken stock and water and also the oyster sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and thicken the gravy with
cornflour mixed with a little water. Mix well and simmer through. Then pour the meat mixture and gravy to the crisp rice and mix well before serving. Garnish with chopped spring onion and parsley.

My elderst daughter, her husband and two kids are planning a vacation in December. I suggested to her to rent a vacation home Orlando which is the best choice. My daughter is excited about it and make her booking. Encantada’s town vacation homes attracted her, a brand new Mediterranean style two-storey with three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms and fully equipped kitchen with major appliances are just ideal to stay with six in a family including my husband and I. Encantada is a gated community situated in the center of Orlando and is very close to all the attractions and excitement. I can go to nearby grocery stalls to buy ingredients to cook simple dishes when we stay home to relax and one of the dishes I wish to cook is Stewed Rice with Chicken and Mushrooms.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients: Serve 6 persons

1 big plate of cooked rice
300 gm chicken breast meat
1 tin mushroom cut to pieces
500 ml chicken stock cooked with 1 cube chicken essence (Knorr Swiss)
1 tablespoon chopped onion or garlic
1 tablespoon wine or brandy
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon cornflour mix with 2 tablespoon water

Method:

Cut chicken meat, and mushrooms into strips. Season them with salt, pepper, wine or brandy.
Fry chopped onions or garlic for 3 minutes and add chicken meat, mushrooms and stir-fry for 3
minutes and add chicken stock. Bring to boil and thicken with cornflour mixture Simmer further 5 to 10
minutes. Spread this mixture over rice and serve while is hot.

Rice is washed and drain as usual. Spices such as cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamons and saffron powder are used to flavour the rice. Long grain rice is used to cook for this method.

Ingredients:

300 gm rice, washed and drained
1 inch cinnamon stick
4 cloves
6 cardamons
2 tablespoon cooking oil
1 onion, sliced to 4
1/4 teaspoon saffron powder
Garnish:
1/2 cup fried almond halves
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup fried onion
1 egg; sliced

Method:

In a sauce pan. heat 2 tablespoon oil and lightly fry brown onions, cinnamon stick, cloves, and cardamons. Add rice and saffron powder, stirring well to mix. Transfer rice to the electric rice cooker and add water to cover about 3/4 above rice level. Cover and cook the usual way.
Dish up rice on to plate and garnish with almonds, raisins, egg slices and fried onions.

Try this all-in-one dish if you don’t feel like cooking a meal.

Ingredients :

1 egg beaten
1 bowl white rice
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 slices ginger
3 sea prawns – do remove the head and shelled
30g fish fillet, sliced
30g fresh cuttlefish, sliced
1 red capsicum ( small) and cut into pieces

Seasoning :

200 ml water
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon light soya sauce
¼ tablespoon salt
Dash of sesame oil and pepper
1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
1 stalk spring onion, cut into short strips
2 tablespoon water, mixed with 2 tablespoon of corn flour for thickening

Method :

Heat up 1 tablespoon of oil, add in beaten egg and stir-fry for a short while.
Add in white rice and stir well. Then dish it up.
Heat up a little oil and fry chopped garlic and ginger until fragrant.
Add in the remaining of ingredients, seasoning and bring to boil.
Add in spring onion and thicken with corn flour water.
Pour over fried rice and is ready to serve.

Here is another delicacy of glutinous rice. It can be found in popular stalls selling kueh , cakes and pancakes. Do try this dish if got a little spare time.

Ingredients: Serve 5- 6

500 gm glutinous rice
100 gm chicken- diced
1 cup dried shrimps
4 pieces dried mushroom
4 shallots - sliced
3 pip garlics - crushed
3 cups water
salt, pepper and light soya sauce
chopped spring onions and parsley
5 tablespoon oil

Method:

Soak glutinous rice for half an hour. Wash and drain in colander. Soak mushroom till soft and diced.Washed prawns and discard any grits or shell. Season chicken with a little soya sauce and a pinch of salt.

In a wok , add 2 tablespoon oil and lightly brown garlic and onion. add chicken, mushrooms and shrimps. Stir and fry until they are well mix and chicken is cooked. Dish out and put aside Add the remaining 3 tablespoon oil on the wok. When hot, add in the rice. Stir and fry until the oil is mixed and well adsorbed into the rice. Add all the fried ingredients and mix well using a “lifting movement” with a pair of chopsticks, with moderate heat as the grains are mixed and lifted. Add water alittle at a time in between, cover the wok and stir occasionally and wherever water is added.This is to prevent grains from sticking to the wok and getting burnt. After all the water has been used, cover the wok and turn to low heat, and the grains will be well cook on its own steam. Then lift the cover and loosen the rice in a lifting movement. Season to taste and garnish with spring onions and parsley.

Oatmeal is easily available so is very convenient for the busy mothers to prepare a quick nourishing breakfast for their children.

Ingredients: Serve 4

250 prunes, chopped
100 gm quicking cooking oats
50 gm chopped walnuts
sugar or condensed milk to taste

Method:

Soak prunes in boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain then remove stones and chop the fruits. Make porridge with oatmeal and water according to the diection on the packet. Add prunes and walnuts. Serve with sugar, condensed milk or cream.