Main Meals
1. Tomato Soup with Zingy Chicken Strips
2. Creamy Chickpea Pasta with Rosemary & Spinach
3. Skillet Seared Salmon with Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce
4. Egg Shakshouka
Ooh, shakshouka. I do a little hip wiggle whenever I say the name because it's fun. Go on and give it a try ? On a more serious note, this is a brunch go-to whenever I have tomato soup/puree and eggs in my kitchen. Shakshouka is a Middle Eastern meal in which eggs are poached in a mixture of tomatoes and spices. The first time I made it was completely accidental; I saw a picture of eggs in red sauce sitting so beautifully in a cast-iron skillet. One morning, I found a can of bolognese sauce and eggs and had the idea to marry these ingredients together. It only occurred to me to Google what was it when a coworker asked me for the name after I've fed them my accidental discovery. Lo and behold, it was the magnificent Shakshouka. This recipe by Downshiftology incorporates spices and herbs but let me tell you something: you're just as fine without them. If you do add in the cumin, paprika, parsley etc, that's good too. You will get that fragrant pan of simmering tomato and poached egg. Many cooking sites suggest adding feta cheese, but as I say it, do as you do ? #HHWT Tip: It is recommended to use non-stick and/or stainless steel pan, not cast-iron when you're making Shakshouka. Tomato is an acidic fruit (yes it's not a type of veggie!!) and will erode the seasoning off the iron, giving your dish a metallic taste ? P.S. If you're planning to head out to the supermarkets during this period, check out these halal online supermarkets in Singapore or these online supermarkets in KL!Desserts
5. Banana Bread
When life gives you bananas (don't tell me you didn't see that coming!), make banana bread! Or cake, whichever you call it! I've always been following Chrissy Teigen and her kitchen journey via Cravings by Chrissy Teigen, and they all never fail to make me go hungry. Several dishes in her cookbook just look grand so we all know how the preparation is gonna go. This personalised recipe of hers incorporates Irish butter and coconut shreds that give texture to the otherwise plain soft banana loaf. However, there's no room for headaches when you're stuck at home hungry. You want something simple, so simple is what you're gonna get (ie. if you don't have coconut, you don't have put coconut!) Chrissy's recipe is available on the IG post above, and to make things fun, here's an alternative: Ultra-Moist Chocolate Chip Banana Bread by The Kitchn ?? A wise foodie once said, you can never go wrong with chocolate chips, folks. Never. Alternatively, you can try this easy banana cake recipe at home.6. Tropical Papaya Boat
We don't want to speculate why God shapes papayas like a boat, but it's probably so that we could make dessert boats out of it. Frankly, papaya boats are as straightforward as how it looks. There need not be any recipes for this. Take a chilled papaya, scoop out the core, and fill it to your heart's content. You can go crazy with any complementary fruit and ingredient imaginable. But for the sake of reference, I present to you: Tropical Papaya Boat by Minimalist Baker. Living in Southeast Asia, we are blessed with a wide selection of tropical fruits, and they are just ?? for this boat. Any yoghurt goes really well with papaya, but if you're feeling extra, you can also take 10 minutes to whip up custard and fill it in the papaya core to replace yoghurt. For a 10/10 dessert experience, get a variety of texture by sprinkling chia seeds or toasted, slivered nuts on the whole thing. Do you know what's the best part? The only thing you have to wash post-Papaya Boat-binge is your spoon! No bowl is needed here. Lazy desserts cannot get better than this ? P.S. If you're not a fan of papaya, honeydew or cantaloupe make good substitutes ?7. Berry Pancake
Let's get one thing straight. If you have ever paid more than MYR10/SGD10 for pancakes at your local brunch cafe, I need you to sit tight and follow through this bit of the article. About a year ago, a friend of mine came back from Canada with the most practical birthday gift anyone has ever given me: Aunt Jemima's Original Syrup. It is the best excuse for me to head to the kitchen and make myself pancakes from scratch. After a few failed attempts, I found the secret to make my pancakes fluffier, which is letting my batter sit for 10 - 15 mins before plopping them on the hot pan ? Once you've done all this and taste the fruit of your labour (no hard work here guys?), you'll never want to spend excessively on it ever again. Now which recipe will give you a foolproof pancake guide, you ask? There's no one-true-recipe because every baker and cook has their version, but I've tried Pinch of Yum's Fluffiest Blueberry Pancake recipe and true enough, it lived up to its name. If you have your own tried-and-tested recipe, feel free to share it with other readers in the comments section!8. Dalgona Coffee
You've seen it. You've heard of it. You probably have made glasses and glasses of it. So, of course, we're featuring it! Gone are the days (at least for now) where you can pick up a frappe from Starbucks and the likes on your way to work. This beverage idea came at the right time when many people have 10 minutes at their disposal to whisk the froth that makes Dalgona coffee what it is. The 3 essentials are ground coffee, sugar, and milk; all of which are super easy to find and you probably already have them in your pantry. This recipe by Whisk Affair entails very simply how you can get the no-brainer dose of caffeine, so do give it a try and snap some pics while you're at it! Alright, that's enough recipes to keep you occupied for days! Remember, there's always something to be salvaged in your kitchen, so get creative and whip up something ???? Stay home and stay healthy everyone ?Tags:cooking-tipseasy-recipesinstagram-worthyquick-recipesrecipes
