Penne with chicken sausage and bacon

This is another children’s favourite dish. It is very easy and quick to fix and wonderful for parties and picnics. It makes a nice change if you are tired of eating rice during confinement.











Boil the penne according to the instructions on the packet. When the pasta is almost cooked, add some salt so that it will not be so bland.





Boil and cut the chicken sausage into bite size pieces







Heat a frying pan and put in the bacon pieces. When the bacon is slightly brown, add in some chopped garlic. Stir until the garlic is brownish and fragrant. Add the chicken sausage and mix thoroughly.





Once the pasta is cooked, strain and quickly rinse with warm water to remove the starchiness of the pasta. Add the sausage, bacon, mixed herbs, olive oil, salt and pepper. mix thoroughly and leave to stand for about half an hour before serving.

Macaroni cauliflower cheese

Cut the cauliflower into florets and lightly blanched in salted boiling water. Strain and leave aside. Keep 2 mugs of the water to use in the sauce.
Add more hot water and 1 tsp oil to cook the macaroni.







To make the sauce

Melt a knob of butter with a little cooking oil in the saucepan over a very low fire.






When the butter has melted add in 3 dessert spoonful of plain flour and mix thoroughly with the butter, stirring constantly










Slowly add in 2 mugs of milk a little at a time whilst stirring constantly to dissolve the lumps






Alternate pouring in the milk with the water used for blanching the cauliflower.
I use the water to reduce the creaminess of the milk so that it is not so fattening plus the water contains Vitamin C from the cauliflower







Keep on stirring until the sauce is smooth and not too thick. Add salt, black and white pepper, mixed herbs and 3-4 bay leaves








Grate a block of cheddar cheese









Add the cheese to the sauce, stirring until the cheese has completely melted. Add sliced ham or bacon if you like to give it a nicer taste.







Most recipes say to pour the sauce over the macaroni but I prefer to put the cauliflower and macaroni into the sauce so that they are thoroughly coated with the sauce.







Spoon the mixture into baking dishes










Sprinkle some grated cheese on top. I like to use a different flavoured cheese like mozzarella to give it a varied cheese taste and flavour






Sprinkle some red chilli powder on the top to give it a nice colour










Bake in an oven for 10 minutes or place under a grill to brown the cheese topping.




Eat on its own or with a light salad.

Nasi Ulam

Ulam is the equivalent of the western green salad, often served with sambal belacan but is quite delicious on its own. Traditionally, a Malay dish, it was adopted by the nyonas and is now appreciated by almost everybody. It is a very healthy dish because of all the herbs and fresh leaves. Try it once and you will be hooked for life.
















4 bowls cooked rice
1 tbsp ground pepper
100 gm salted fish (do not use if breast feeding)
100 gm dried prawns (do not use if breast feeding)

Cut finely
5 pieces limau perut leaves
3 pieces kaduk leaves
1 piece kunyit leaf
3 pieces cekur leaves
1 thumb sized young ginger
1 thumb sized galangal
1 thumb sized tumeric
10-12 shallots











Lightly fry salted fish till fragrant
Allow to cool and pound the salted fish finely
Deep-fry the dried prawns until crispy. Drain and set aside
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well





Cekur leaves are difficult to find in the market therefore I grow my own from the root which looks like ginger but is smaller.








Cekur root, commonly known in English as odary roots, can be ground into a paste and applied as a poultice on the abdomen to aid the uterus in shrinking and to tone the abdominal muscles. The root is a common ingredient for nonya rice dumplings.

Cooking with rice

Rice is the most important food crop in Asia and is particularly associated with Asian cuisine. Rice is a complex carbohydrate, which means that it contains starch and fiber, which digested slowly, allows the body to utilize the energy released over a longer period.

Rice is an extremely healthy food for a number of reasons. It has low sodium content and contains useful quantities of potassium, the B vitamins, thiamin and niacin, only a trace of fat and no cholesterol. Rice is also gluten free, so is suitable for coeliacs. It is a wonderful food for the very young and elderly as it is easy to digest.

Rice is a crucial cereal grass in the genus Oryza. There are three parts to a grain of rice, starting with the outer layer, known as the bran, which is higher in fiber and has a high concentration of nutrients as well. Inside the bran, the germ and the endosperm make up the body of the grain. The germ packed with nutrients, is a small nubbin on the grain, since it feeds the grain as it develops. The endosperm makes up the bulk of the volume of the grain.

Brown rice











Description: warm, sweet and pungent; affects the stomach and large intestines.

Brown rice is milled rice that only has the outer grain husks removed. In its natural state, compared to unfortified white rice, brown rice is a better source of several nutrients such as riboflavin, folate, manganese, zinc, iron and magnesium. It has three times the fiber of white rice. Brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice, since water must penetrate the bran, which is to protect the grain inside. Soaking brown rice for several hours can reduce the cooking time. Brown rice is also more prone to going rancid since it is high in natural fats and oils, therefore it should be refrigerated and used within six months of purchase.

The latest trend is to eat brown rice during the first 14 days of confinement as it is more nutritious and apparently will help with milk production.

White rice











Description: neutral, sweet; affects the stomach and spleen

White rice is milled rice, which has had its husk, bran, and germ removed. This is largely to prevent spoilage and to extend the storage life of the grain. After milling, the rice is polished usually using glucose or talc, resulting in a seed with a bright, white, shiny appearance. However, during the process of manufacturing white rice some important nutrients were removed therefore many companies choose to put back what they took out by adding synthetic vitamins and iron - this is called fortified white rice. Grown primarily in Thailand, Jasmine white rice has a subtle, nutty flavor and rich aroma that is very pleasing to the palate. It must used within six months of purchase for optimal flavor and freshness. Old rice tends to get dusty and woody in flavor.

Glutinous rice











Description: warm, sweet; affects the spleen, stomach and lungs.

Glutinous rice is a rice cultivar that is particularly sticky and dense. It is cultivated in Thailand, Laos, and China. Although the name implies that the rice contains gluten, it is actually gluten free, with “glutinous” referring to the sense of “sticky” in this instance. Several styles of glutinous rice are available. All are generally short to medium grain.

Black glutinous rice is one of the varieties of unhulled glutinous rice that ranges in color from rusty brown to a deep purple-black. Black glutinous rice is very popular for desserts.

White glutinous rice is hulled and may be polished to remove the germ or left plain. Many Asian desserts use glutinous rice as a base for cakes, sushi, and rice balls. It is also the ingredient for making rice wine and vinegar.

Rice is suitable for vegetarians and vegans, with brown rice in particular complementing vegetarian and vegan dishes. It can be cooked whole and served with stir-fries, sauces, and curries, or made into flour, wine, cakes, vinegar, milk, flakes, noodles, paper and tea.


Varieties of rice noodles





Mee Hoon must be soaked until soft before cooking. Used for frying or in soup.








Mee Suah often called ‘long life noodles’ is a must during birthdays and Chinese New year. It is very popular for confinement or convalescing.







Tung Hoon must be soaked until soft before cooking. Used for frying or in soup and fried mixed vegetables.









Kueh teow comes in two types. One is for frying and the other is for soup dishes so it is important to ask for the right variety.