Nothing beats a home-cooked meal, but it can be difficult getting one during your busy workweek. With these simple recipes created by NUSS Executive Chef James Aw, you can now whip yourself up a wholesome lunch from home in just under an hour. These meals reheat well, so you can prepare them in the morning or a day ahead to take to work.
Braised Belly Pork and Mustard Leaf Rice
Serves 10
Ingredients
500g jasmine rice
100g belly pork cut into strips*
350g mustard leaves, diced 100g dried oysters, soaked and drained
20g dried shrimps, soaked and drained
100g Chinese mushrooms, diced
50g dried shallots
50g minced garlic Seasonings
30ml concentrated chicken bouillon
30ml concentrated scallop bouillon
20g chicken seasoning powder
15g dark soy sauce
10g light soy sauce
2g five-spice powder
15g oil
10g sugar
Method
- Blanch the diced mustard leaves briefly to remove bitterness
- In a pan, add oil and stir fry dried shrimps, dried shallots and minced garlic till fragrant
- Add belly pork, dried oysters, Chinese mushrooms and blanched diced mustard leaves to the pan and fry until well combined
- Transfer the stir-fried mixture, jasmine rice, seasonings and 600ml of water into a rice cooker and cook for 30 minutes or until the water reduces. When the rice is cooked, stir the mixture gently before serving
*Use lean pork for a healthier option
Fish Head and Yam Soup
Serves 4
Ingredients
400g grouper head
200g yam chopped into bite-sized pieces
10g shrimp, soaked and chopped into small pieces
1 clove garlic, sliced
3 pieces ginger
1.2l ready-made fish stock
100ml Chinese wine
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
Method
- Deep fry yam pieces until golden brown
- In a wok, heat up some oil, then sauté the ginger and shrimp until fragrant
- Add the fish head to the wok, then pour in the wine and fish stock
- Bring to a boil, then add the deep-fried yam and sliced garlic Lower the heat to medium and cook for about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper before serving
Chef James Aw has received several international awards, including the Gold Award and Best Appetizer title at the 2012 Gourmet Master Chef competition held in Hong Kong and the Honorary Medal in the World Pork Knuckle Festival held in Taiwan.
