Soups
November 24, 2020
Chinese Sliced Fish Soup is a staple dish found in every hawker centre in Singapore. It is believed to have originated from the Teochews. Today’s Chinese Fried Fish Soup is another version where chunk of fish head bones and sliced fish are battered lightly with corn flour and flash fried into golden crispy chunks.
While it is important to use fresh fish when making fish soup, the soul of this dish I believe, is in its luscious and rich broth. To achieve that signature ‘milky’ soup base, the trick is to keep boiling the broth over high heat for 10 to 15 mins to release the collagen and essence from the fish bones.
September 9, 2020
Bak Chor Mee aka Minced Pork Noodles is one of Singapore’s most iconic dish. Today’s Bak Chor Mee Soup is inspired by Bedok 85 (Fengshan Centre) bak chor mee. Dedicated foodies go there strictly for the soup-based bak chor mee. There are actually two stalls, side by side to each other. Both stalls are frequented by loyal patrons and a constant queue can always be spotted.
August 7, 2020
Clam is one of my all-time favorite bivalve molluscs. The good ones are super briny and reminds me of the ocean. Preparing and cooking fresh live clams are actually not daunting at all. I’ve actually shared a post on how to clean out bits of sand often found in the clams. The last thing I want when I’m enjoying my clams is to bite on gritty sand with my teeth.
May 14, 2020
My daughter is a huge fan of root vegetables - pumpkin, butternut squash, sweet potato, yam, etc. And my previous Best Butternut Sweet Potato Soup was made especially for her. This Easy Roasted Pumpkin Soup is a simplified version that is super easy and nutritious to prepare.
December 12, 2017
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A simple but hearty dish that can be served on all occasions, Potato Leek Soup is an indispensable recipe that spells comfort food on so many levels. Despite being very popular and associated with French cuisine, potato leek soup actually originates in Wales, a region that is now part of the United Kingdom.
March 8, 2017
This soup is absolutely delicious and is loaded with tons of vitamins and minerals. So not only is this soup tasty and easy to make, it is also healthy and nutritious. What a wonderful combination. The exciting variations that come with this soup are equally mouthwatering and tantalizing. If you are not able to get your hands on butternut squash or sweet potato, you could substitute with either pumpkin and with normal potatoes...
February 8, 2017
Besides having a rich comforting taste, Miso Soup is well known for its anticancer effects and positive beneficial enzymes which helps improve digestion. I love making my own miso soup as I could customize the taste to suit our palettes. Besides using the basic ingredients like wakame (kelp) and tofu, you could add in daikon, carrot or clams to heighten the umami-ness of the soup. The best part of making this quick and easy homemade miso soup is it’ll take you only 10 minutes from start to end. I’m using white miso paste for a delicately flavored taste. You could definitely use red miso too (or a blend of both white and red) if you prefer a darker and punchier soup...
February 1, 2017
Since saying no to shark finning years ago, we have been carefully avoiding shark fin soup at wedding banquets and celebratory occasions. Consuming shark fin is cruel and unnecessary. In fact, shark fin itself is rather tasteless. The flavor comes mainly from the broth, which is made with chicken stock. Whenever I visit Hong Kong, I’d always come across this imitation shark fin soup 碗仔翅 sold by street hawkers. At HK$15 (approx. S$3) a bowl, they are shark-friendly and taste pretty genuine. Mung bean vermicelli or glass noodles is used instead to mimic the shark fin’s chewy and gelatinous texture...
December 30, 2016
About a month ago, I’ve embarked on a 30 days-with-Huiji-Waist-Tonic Journey. Basically, I consumed a capful of the herbal tonic twice a day, for 30 days. Now, prior to this post, I’ve definitely heard of Huiji Waist Tonic and had always associated it as “something good” for the waist (as the name suggests). And I was not wrong. It helps to alleviate backache and strengthen your waist, especially vital for working adults constantly clocking in long hours at their desks...
June 24, 2016
Although we are non-shark's fin soup eaters, we are definitely fans of braised crab meat soup. The taste and texture of both soups are pretty similar although the price point is not.
Putting together this hearty soup is not difficult at all, as like the Hot & Sour Soup I shared some time ago...
April 29, 2016
Confession 101 - I used to think making Chinese Hot & Sour Soup required major effort, boy was I so wrong. I also thought the heat from the soup came from some kind of chili sauce or chili oil. I swore some of the ones I had in Chinese restaurants had streaks of red chili oil floating on them. Double mistakes...
December 9, 2015
If you are corn-lover like me, then you MUST make this Japanese Corn Potage. Corn Potage is a creamy corn soup made popular by Japanese. In fact, it is so popular in Japan, they are sold in vending machines. Making this sweet, velvety comfort soup takes only 20 mins and I love to freeze the leftover (if any) and enjoy it on a rainy day...
May 8, 2015
This soup has all the ingredients (well, except sour cream which, I’m not really a fan of) of a loaded baked potato – baked potato topped with cheese, bacon and spring onions. When I was making this soup, the kitchen was filled with a wonderful aroma, it felt like I was in an American diner!...
January 21, 2015
This is one of Taiwan’s most iconic dish. Every year, there would be an annual Taiwanese Beef Noodles Festival where chefs and restaurants compete for the title “Best Beef Noodles” in Taipei. There are many different versions – braised, clear soup base, dark soup base, etc. I personally prefer dark soup base laced with a subtle hint of spiced aroma...
December 15, 2014
Thai food week has begun here at BNF! If you have read my earlier post on Thai Grilled Pork, then you must know I’m absolutely hooked on Thai food. The ironic part is hubby and I can’t hold our chili heat too well but that doesn’t deter us from staying away. In fact, we are getting better now and I’m confident enough to say I can finish a bowl of Tom Yum Soup without downing a whole jug of iced water! (Maybe just a glass, hee )...
December 5, 2014
The usual way of making classic french onion soup is by sautéing the onions, adding red wine, stock and simmer until ready. I was doing that for the last 10 years until recently, I’ve discovered a “classic restaurant” method, thanks to YouTube. I’ve been following this channel 'CookinginRussia' for a while and this guy (I still don’t know his name though) apparently have many years of experience cooking in restaurants all over the world and now has settled in Russia cooking for private guests. This soup was even served at one of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant...
November 10, 2014
I used to think making Tom Yum soup from scratch requires many man hours. Boy, was I wrong! Not only it is easy-peasy but I can also control the amount of heat / chilli level that goes inside. You see, we (hubby and I) are sissies when it comes to eating spicy food but yet we love them. How contradicting, eh?
November 3, 2014
I love shopping. Some of the brands I totally adore are Ghirardelli, Valrhona, Barilla, etc. Oh, right…I forgot to mention grocery shopping, that is :-P. Cold Storage, NTUC and Giant are my favourite haunts. You can find me there at least 4 times a week. There’s just a minor problem – I end up getting more items than I should. What started out as an innocent trip to get a couple of items always ended up with a trolley of ten other things...
October 10, 2014
Gumbo originated from Louisiana (southern region of United States). It usually consists of okra (lady's finger), meat or shellfish and the stock is thickened. They are traditionally served over a bed of rice. To be honest, my gumbo tasting experience only began a couple of years ago but the last few I had inspired me so much. The broth was so tasty and addictive, filled with seafoody-goodness (BNF vocabulary ;-P) and packed with tons of seafood. It is really a meal on its own! I was so tempted to rush home and make some gumbo! The last straw came when I was watching one of the episodes from the latest season of Masterchef US. One of the contestants made a pot of gumbo in less than an hour for the judges (according to them, was quite impossible) and all 3 were blown away by it. So hubby immediately said: "I want some gumbo this weekend!". That was how I began my gumbo-making journey. Although this is not the traditional recipe (I did not include okra and also added some extra ingredients), the flavor compensates for everything else. This is also one of my father-in-law's favorite BNF request.
