Chicken stock is the secret ubiquitous ingredient that enhances our cooking. It’s the essential base for soups, sauces, stews, stir-fry etc. Homemade chicken stock is far more superior than what you can buy at the store. It is guaranteed to be 100% natural, free of preservative and is nourishing. I use chicken stock in most of my cooking and have started to make my own chicken stock after I realised...

  I love tomatoes for their vibrant colour, flavour and nutrient. I buy tomatoes almost every week from my favourite vegetable seller who sells his own produce from Bukit Tinggi, at the foothill of Genting Highland. Their tomatoes are not only fresh and cheap but also pesticide-free. As you can see from the photos, they even come with green stem attached. How lovely!   Tomatoes are so versatile that...

  I have always wanted to learn how to cook Korean food, and these Korean vegetable pancakes are my very first experience in doing so. These savoury pancakes look a little like omelette but the texture is slightly crispy outside and chewy inside. They are usually served with a dipping sauce.   These pancakes are quick and easy to make. All it takes is to prepare some vegetables of your choice, coat...

  In the past, my family and I didn’t quite like cauliflower. No matter how it was cooked, it’s always not as attractive or as tasty as broccoli. But ever since we have tasted these cauliflower tots, cauliflower is no longer a boring vegetable to us.   These cauliflower tots are made basically by mixing cauliflower with cheese, coriander leaves, onion, bread crumbs, egg white and some simple seasonings....

  Tofu has always been my favourite food ingredient for cooking. I love how it can miraculously fit into a variety of recipes ranging from salad to dressing to entrée and more. Other than its versatility, tofu is also inexpensive and rich in protein. That’s why it’s a must-have item in my fridge.   Tofu, with its ability to absorb flavour, is best braised turning its seemingly bland taste into...

  I am a great soup lover, and will always be. Nothing can be more comforting than having my stomach filled with a bowl of hearty and nutritious homemade soup during mealtime. So do my hubby and son. I think it’s already in our “Cantonese” genes.   Lately, the weather in Singapore has been hot. So drinking soup is a great way to replenish the fluid losses in our body. Speaking of...

  Homemade fish stock makes a great soup base for soups, congee, rice, braises, stews and sauces. It gives any seafood-based dish an immeasurable flavour even to the simplest recipe. Apart from flavour, it is extremely nutritious too as it’s a rich source of gelatin and minerals that our body requires. This is further mentioned by by Sally Fallon (author of Nourishing Traditions) in her article titled...

  Burdock is a biennial plant, cultivated for its root to be consumed as a vegetable. Burdock root 牛蒡 (other popular names: Arctium lappal, Greater burdock, edible burdock, Lappa burdock) is also called “gobō” in Japan and “u-eong”u-eong” in Korea. When I first saw burdock root at the wet market, I had mistaken it with a tuber called huai san 淮山 or shan yao 山药...

  Vegetables are good for health and should be an essential part of a well-balanced diet. Given the fact, parents should take the initiave to familiarize their children with different types of vegetables from young. Even if your children hate/ reject vegetable, do not stop offering it to them. As long as you continue trying, there is very good chance that they would eventually accept it. Here are some...

  Broccoli is one of the few vegetables that seem to have an universal appeal to children. Given its vibrant colour and distinctive flavour, toddlers are often happy to pick it up as part of their meal. That explains why many mums told me that they had the least headache when introducing broccoli to their children at an early stage even for those who were fussy on eating greens.   Broccoli is a member...