I know it is not Friday yet but this is too good a recipe to wait.  I made it from memory last Sunday after watching Nigella fry it up for her girlfriend and herself.  After which I checked her book and found that I completely changed the seasoning.  It went really well nonetheless and was gone in a flash.

Crispy Squid with Garlic Mayonaise (adapted from Nigella)

Ingredients

• Fresh squid (tubes and tentacles) 300g  - don’t have to be too exact, I used 2 large ones 
• All Purose Flour or Plain Flour
• Ground Pepper 1 tbsp
• Ground Salt or Table Salt 1/2 tbsp 
• Groundnut oil as needed, depending on the size of pan
• Garlic Mayonnaise, recipe follows

Heat the oil in a smallish saucepan and while it’s left to heat up cut the squid into 1/2-inch rings. 

Put the flour, pepper and salt into a plastic freezer bag. Add the squid rings and tentacles and then toss to coat.

 When the oil is hot enough, which is when it sizzles up fiercely when you drop in a small cube of bread, fry the squid in batches to get the most golden crunchiness. A couple of minutes per batch is all you should need.

Garlic Mayonnaise

• Garlic 1/4 clove
• Best quality, preferably organic, mayonnaise 4 tbsp

Mince the garlic into the mayonnaise to serve alongside the fried squid and some slices of lemons.

Homemade yoghurt.  You have too much time on your hands?  Not enough to have homemade kids?

Surprising contrary to what I used to believe, homemade yoghurt was unbelievebly easy to make.  The inspiration come from my lovely colleague and good friend, C.  She packed her delicious India lunches and they always come with a nice healthy tub of homemade yoghurt.

I got the recipe off her and finally found time to make it.  It took me less than half an hour to prepare and the rest was just waiting.  The result was a smooth soft natural yoghurt that tasted natural and fresh.  No additives, colourants or sweeteners.  The boys in my family were lukewarm but my husband and daughter absolutely loved it!  We put it on fruits, lentils curry, muesli, cereals or just eat it plain.  And it was half the price of what it would have been if I had gone out to buy it.

Here’s what you need to do.

Ingredients
1 cup full fat milk
1 teaspoon natural yoghurt.

1. Bring the milk to boil and simmer it to boil for 2 min. Let it cool down until it is lukewarm.
2. Pour into a clean container. Add a teaspoon of natural yoghurt and leave it over night.
3. If you want yoghurt to be ready in 3 hours, make sure milk is just hot enough to touch.
4. Pour it into small cups of 50 ml and put it inside in a warm covered place, for example the microwave oven. The results will be fresh and will not be sour.

Enjoy your weekend with a fresh tub of homemade yoghurt!

Wikipedia defined omelettes as,

“An omelette or omelet is a dish made from beaten eggs quickly cooked with butter or oil in a frying pan, sometimes folded around a filling such as cheese, vegetables, meat (often ham), or some combination of the above. To obtain a fluffy texture, whole eggs or sometimes egg whites only are beaten with a small amount of milk or cream, or even water, the idea being to have “bubbles” of water vapor trapped within the rapidly cooked egg. The bubbles are what make the omelette light and fluffy.  Omelettes may be only partially cooked on the top side and not flipped, even prior to folding.”

Omelettes are almost a meal on its own. They have a special place in my heart and they are the ultimate comfort food that is wholesome and satisfying. At the end of a not so good day, an omelette made with love would undoubtedly soothe away the pain.

The key to a good omelette other than the addition of milk or cream and beating well, are the fillings. Here’s a list of fillings that would make up a great omelette. I divide them into 3 categories; if you have one from each category, then this could be a full meal on its own.  If you are adventurous, fruits like pineapple or mango would also work nicely.

Dairy
Mozerella
Cheddar
Double Cream
Full Cream Milk

Vegetables
Mushrooms
Onions
Peas
Mashed Chickpeas
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Spring Onions
Chilies
Frozen Mix Vegetables

Meat
Ham
Bacon
Luncheon Meat
Spam
Shredded Roast Chicken
Roast Turkey
Sausages
Chorizo
Canned Spiced Pork Cubes

Here’s a quick recipe.

Ingredients
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cheese (any kind)
3 tbsp frozen peas, thawed
1/2 onion, diced
2 pcs chili padi, sliced (I like it hot)
3 bacon rashers, sliced

1. Beat eggs and milk vigorously until bubble form. Gently fold in cheese.
2. Fry at medium heat on a well oiled pan, bacon and onion. Do so until slightly brown.
3. Add in peas to heat through.
4. Pour in egg mixture and cooked until bottom is slightly set before scattering the chili slices into the omelette.
5. Fold in half and cook as per personal preference; serve it up as soon as you fold if you prefer it runny in the middle or leave it in the pan for a bit longer if you prefer your eggs set.
6. Serve with a nice cold drink in front of favourite TV program.

The slow cooker is one of the most used kitchen appliance in my home.  I loved the simplicity of use and also the resulting favour extraction from the slow low heat cooking.

This is one of the easiest recipe I have for the slow cooker that looks complicated to make but really it is a dump and leave recipe. 

I took this recipe off Real Simple so all credits to them.  Here for the original recipe.  I have done it first with way number 1, minus the chili powder, and got such rave reviews even from my kids, that I took it to the next level.  With the papadelle, you get a delicious hearty pasta dish that is great for large gathering since you can easily double the recipe.  You can also make more and reheat for lunch the next day with no loss in favour.  However, during the times I have made it, even the excess was lapped up!

Ingredients
2 cups store-bought salsa, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons chili powder (optional if you have kiddies) 
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 2 1/2-pound boneless pork butt or shoulder, trimmed of excess fat

Way Number 1 – With Tacos

Extra Ingredients
18 corn tortillas
1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 lime, cut into wedges  
salsa to serve

1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the salsa, chili powder, oregano, cocoa, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the pork and turn to coat.
2. Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
3. Twenty minutes before serving, heat oven to 350° F/180° C.
4. Stack the tortillas, wrap them in foil, and bake until warm, about 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, using 2 forks, shred the pork and stir into the cooking liquid. Serve with the tortillas, cilantro, sour cream, lime, and extra salsa.

Way Number 2 – With Papadelle Pasta

Extra Ingredients
600g papadelle pasta
shaved parmesan cheese to serve

1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the salsa, chili powder, oregano, cocoa, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the pork and turn to coat.
2. Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
3. Before serving, cook papadelle according to package instructions.
4. Meanwhile, using 2 forks, shred the pork and stir into the cooking liquid.
5. When the pasta is hot, mix in the luscious meat sauce and strewn all over with the parmesan.

Serves 6 greedy family members

 
I am starting a series of my favourite recipes, or recipes that have been given raving comments by family and friends.  Every Friday, you will be introduced to the diet of the Leong family.  Trust me, these will be recipes that are simple (alright occasionally I might do a finicky one) and quick to make.  Remember the 4 kids that I have? 

This first recipe is roti jala, paired with the family favourite of curry chicken.  You can use any curry of your choice.  It is not easy to find this dish in Singapore, although it is widely available in Malaysia.  Google “roti jala” and you will find pictures of the mould, videos of how it is made and even different versions of the recipe.  I found this 2 links very helpful and I took my recipe from Rasa Malaysia, with some of my own modifications.  Still turned out divine!  The videos and tips from The Mini Sam Tan Kitchen was great for those who need something more visual!

Rasa Malaysia – Roti Jala and Malaysian Curry Chicken Recipe
The Mini Sam Tan Kitchen - Roti Jala (Malaysian Lacy Coconut and Tumeric Crepes)

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup low fat milk
1/2 cup water
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1. Sieve the flour and set aside.
2. In a big bowl, mix all the ingredients well together (except the oil) and strain the batter.
3. Add in 1/2 tablespoon of oil and set aside.
4. Heat up a pan with medium heat and grease it with some oil.
5. Pour some batter into the mold and transfer the mold to the pan.
6. As the batter flows through the holes of the mold, make circular rounds around the pan to form the netty patterns.
7. After the top is set and done or when the bottom turns light brown, transfer the Roti Jala out and fold it into triangle shape.
8. Arrange a few Roti Jala on a serving plate and add some curry chicken on the side and serve immediately.

Some personal notes :

1. I skipped the coconut milk as I did not really like it when I used it the last time.  This recipe is healthy but the coconut one is more fragrant. 
2. I ran our of tumeric so I did not add it, but if you like, you can add 3/4 teaspoon of tumeric powder to the mix to get a nice yellow colour on your roti jala.
3. If you find the mixture too thick, you can dilute with more water.
4. I used olive oil since that was what I had in stock.

Like Nigella, I am a proponent of child labour in the kitchen so this is also a great opportunity for for a daughter and mother bonding session!