Pasta has a way of soothing the soul. At the end of a long and tiring day, I often find myself craving a huge bowl of noodles, ideally balanced on the knee and eaten in solitude, accompanied by a glass of wine almost filled to the brim (pardon me, as I dispense with formal wine appreciation or drinking etiquette). My children have definitely inherited this love of pasta, and they have it for dinner at least once a week. They enjoy pasta with creamy carbonara, tossed in garlicky olive oil, with pesto and also pomodoro sauces. Recently, I have been making large batches of tomato pasta sauces because they are 1) extremely tasty, 2) easy to make and 3) they keep very well in the fridge. Three winning points in a recipe for any busy mom.

The kids might have this sauce on Monday cooked with spaghetti, and all I need to do a couple of nights later, is cook a different type of pasta for variety, heat up the sauce, and dinner is served. I make a plain pomodoro sauce with onions and garlic most often and the kids are also partial to bolognese. But they have grown extremely fond of this bacon and mushroom pomodoro sauce. I mean, it’s a no-brainer right? Bacon paired with mushrooms? It’s a match made in heaven. The smokey flavour of the bacon gives this sauce a serious umami kick. The nights I serve this up, I can be assured of a complaint-free dinner. I hear nothing but the quiet slurping of spaghetti. And that, my friends, is music to my ears.

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It was one of those perfect moments in time, when I was completely relaxed, basking in the warm glow of the setting sun, sitting reclined and reading a beautiful Bill Granger cookbook. This one, Sydney Food, boasts absolutely stunning pictures, which enticed me so much that I wanted to jump up and try my hand at all the dishes asap. But what I enjoy most about Granger’s recipes, is that they are not complicated or intimidating in the least, and every one that I’ve tried so far has yielded the most satisfying and rewarding results. This coconut bread is a prime example.

This recipe is every busy mom’s dream. All you need one bowl and a whisk, the batter takes minutes to prepare, and the house smells deliciously of toasted coconut as the loaves bake. Moist, wholesome and hearty, a slice is ideal for breakfast with a steaming mug of tea and some fruit, or as an afternoon treat with an espresso. The cinnamon and coconut combination makes the bread incredibly aromatic and fragrant, and the tangles of shredded coconut lends great texture. I didn’t veer far from the original recipe, but I did substitute half the amount of flour with wholemeal pastry flour, added a quarter teaspoon of salt and reduced the amount of sugar slightly. The cake remained tender even with the wholemeal flour, and the touch of salt intensified the coconut flavour.

For me, cooking is about feeding the people I love with good food, and I never tire of it. Moreover, watching my son tuck into a thick slice of this coconut bread after school, and hearing him say how ‘this snack is yummy’, is immensely gratifying.

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From its powder-blue exterior walls to its monochromatic pillars and floor, its fragrantly-charred fluffy buns to its strong black coffee, I love everything about Chin Mee Chin Confectionery (aka C.M.C.). It’s the stop I must make whenever I find myself in the east, and last week was no exception.

C.M.C. makes everything in-house. They roast their coffee, bake their buns and pastries, and cook up large batches of kaya (coconut jam). My order at C.M.C. has remained unchanged over the years. Black coffee with no sugar, and a couple of those wonderful, warm fluffy buns, slathered with creamy kaya (best in Singapore, in my opinion), with a healthy serving of butter on top of each. I could not resist studying the pastry cabinets full of egg tarts, cream horns, luncheon meat rolls, and cupcakes on my way in. I gave into temptation and had a butter cupcake, which I must say was the best one I’ve bought recently. It was moist with a tender crumb, was intensely buttery and not too sweet. Just the perfect snack with my coffee.

As much as I thoroughly enjoy the food there, the thing that draws me back again and again is the atmosphere of the place and the nostalgia it evokes. I can’t stress how much I adore the tiled walls, the marble table-tops, the slightly rickety wooden chairs, and most of all, the beautiful mosaic floor. The cracks in the tiles add character and identity to the place, as do the old-fashioned shutters and cake display shelves and the same smiley lady who always takes my order. C.M.C. looks, feels and smells exactly the same as I remember it from more than 10 years ago. And in times where painfully hip and new cafes and coffee joints seem to be all the rage, all I often need is something old, something familiar, and something that’s still unmistakably good.

Chin Mee Chin Confectionery
204 East Coast Road
Tel: 63450419
Open: Tues-Sun 8.30am-4pm
Closed on Mon

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My family absolutely adores all Japanese food. At age five, my son’s all-time favourite meal is cold soba noodles with a side of sashimi. He could eat this just about any day, in rather startling quantities. I really enjoy soba too, but have recently begun an affair with udon. Even my son would shift his allegiance once in a while. All thanks to Tamoya Udon.

Tamoya Udon hails from the Sanuki perfecture in Japan, where they run a ragingly-successful udon chain. Since they opened here in Singapore, I have eaten at the Liang Court branch several times. On my first visit, I was apprehensive. The dish looked so plain- just noodles in broth. Could it really be delicious?! But I gamely took a bite, and I was instantly hooked. The udon was extremely smooth and silky and perfectly al dente. The noodles on their own were so flavourful, there was hardly any need for toppings. The “golden broth” was clear and invigorating. I slurped at turbo-speed and and cleaned out my bowl in no time. My baby girl, who was going through a fussy eating phase, ate every last strand. It’s been a long time since I didn’t have to threaten to confiscate her toys in order to get her to eat.

Apart from udon, they are also famous for their tempura, which you select from the counter. The few times we were there, I saw okra, prawns, fish cake, sweet potato, shredded vegetable, pumpkin, mackerel and eggplant tempura. We ordered a variety, and they were all fresh and crispy. Another draw at the place is that you can help yourself to the condiments and create your favourite bowl of noodles just the way you like it. I always order a bowl of kake udon (plain noodles in their signature golden broth), add a few sheets of inari age (sweetened beancurd), and load up on wakame and spring onions. You can also plop in an ume, sprinkle over some tempura crisps, or spice it up with chili padi. It’s all good.

Tamoya Udon
#01-32, Liang Court
177 River Valley Road, Singapore 179030
Tel: +65 63370301
Opening hours: 11am-9.30pm

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One of the things I’m most fussy about as a mother, is that my kids start their day right every morning, with a healthy and nutritious breakfast. I try to instill the good habit in my children to gear up for the day ahead by fueling their brain and body. Together with their cup of milk and fruit, the breakfast menu at our house rotates between whole-grain toast, waffles, pancakes, granola, yogurt, oatmeal, muffins, scones, crepes, and my son’s most recent favourite – this French toast.

Although French toast is featured on most breakfast and brunch menus in cafes, it is very easy to make them at home. A great way to use up stale bread, this is a weekend treat that I’m sure everyone will love. I say weekend, because it is important to cook the toasts slowly over a medium-low flame. This way, the toasts get golden and crispy, and the insides are cooked through while retaining a lovely custardy texture. You can’t really rush this, otherwise they might burn on the outside and stay under-done within.

A sturdy, thickly-sliced sandwich loaf is necessary here, so that the bread will not disintegrate after soaking in their eggy bath. I added maple syrup and vanilla directly to the egg mixture, so the toasts are tasty enough to eat on their own. But they are also fabulous with more maple syrup, caramel, stewed fruit or conserves. Keep leftovers in the fridge, and simply reheat them briskly in the toaster oven the next morning. I hope this delicious family recipe will feature soon at your breakfast table, and that you enjoy it as much as we do.

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It was my son A’s sixth birthday a month ago, and as a treat, the family took a trip down to Margaret River, Perth to celebrate the occasion. He requested to take an excursion to the famous Busselton Jetty on his birthday itself, so the 2km tram ride out to sea was extra special for him. It was a windy and damp day, and after the jetty trip, we were all hungry and in need of some serious warming up.  So we hit More Café, a quaint spot in the heart of Busselton town, and was drawn in by the inviting smell of fresh coffee and the wide variety rustic and colourful bakes on their counter.

I ordered the roast vegetable fritata for myself (pictured above) and was pleasantly surprised when it arrived accompanied by a curried pumpkin puree. The humble dish was elevated by the delicious sauce, and I could not have been happier with my lunch. The egg was velvety and creamy, and the roasted vegetables encased within were prepped to perfection (tender but not over-cooked). The spicy curried pumpkin sauce really gave the dish a good kick.

Even the simple scrambled eggs with thick multigrain toast (pictured above) for the kids was executed very well. Silky and not overly-runny, my baby girl devoured the whole serving of eggs before my son could even catch a break to stick a fork in it. He kindly settled for the beef burger with cheddar, onion jam, bacon and aioli instead (main picture), which was also fantastic with a patty that was juicy and deftly-cooked with a slightly pink center. I was hoping to fill his special day with delicious memories and was glad that he enjoyed his birthday lunch tremendously.

More Café
6/65 Kent Street, Busselton WA 6280
+ 61 8 9752 3676
Open Monday- Saturday 7.30am to 4,30pm
Closed on Sunday

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If you ever find yourself in Perth, Fremantle craving a juicy, meaty burger, I highly recommend Flipside. To tackle a Flipside burger, you need all your fingers. It is huge and extremely messy to eat. But it is also without a doubt, one of the best burgers I have ever sunk my teeth into.

To start, choose between their 100% beef patty, tender free-range chicken breast, or a vegetarian spicy chick pea and sweet potato patty, and load up with toppings freestyle, or if you prefer to be guided, choose from their vast menu. I had my beef burger with mashed avocado, a fried egg (with lovely, runny yolk) and home-made tomato relish, all sandwiched in a lightly-charred bun. Plus the requisite side of thick, hand-cut fries dusted with flaky sea salt.

The burger was a thing of beauty, and truly scrumptious. The patty was robust, had a great bite to it, seasoned to perfection and juicy as can be. My son ordered from the kids’ menu, and had a “Mini Flip” beef burger with fresh lettuce and tomato within. He loved it so much that he barely uttered a sound during the meal. He particularly enjoyed the delicious fries and ate half of the (not small) order.

While I was there, I saw many customers tucking into the “Chilli-ander chicken” burger. It was grilled chicken breast topped with chilli jam, rocket leaves, a small heap of corriander and mayo. It looked so fresh and zingy that I made a mental note to order it on my next visit. I never fail to a have good meal at Flipside. To all aficionados out there, I strongly urge you to give their burgers a go on your next trip to Perth.

Flipside
239 Queen Victoria Street
North Fremantle WA 6159
Tel:  +61 8 9433 2188
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This salad was inspired by a very simple one that I used to take away from a deli a few times a week, way back when I was still working in the CBD. If my memory doesn’t fail me (it’s been almost ten years), all the salad had in it were cannellini beans, onions, celery and a good amount of olive oil and lemon juice. Tangy, crunchy and creamy, it was delicious. I’ve added a few more ingredients to the original, so my version is more substantial and colourful. Since the bulk of the ingredients are permanent residents in my pantry, this is a really convenient and effortless meal to put together as a fresh and healthy weekday lunch.

Although I usually omit onions from salad recipes, I feel that this salad needs some to balance the rather strong flavour of tuna. Having said that, raw onions are still a no-no for me. So I lightly pickle them in salt and lemon juice first, before adding them in the salad later. This mellows the onion’s otherwise pungent sting and makes it taste so much sweeter.

Please also feel free to substitute the ingredients in this recipe with anything you have on hand.You could throw in some halved cherry tomatoes, use flat-leaf parsley instead of baby spinach, sprinkle over some finely chopped red chilli, a handful of diced cucumber for more crunch, maybe a few pitted olives, garlic croutons at the end for added texture… it’s all good. The idea is to use whatever’s your favourite veg, or whatever’s left in your fridge at the end of the week. This salad keeps well, so you can make it the night before, and bring some to work the next day. It’ll be a refreshing change from your regular order at the sandwich joint.

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My children love jello, and I have to admit that my heart breaks a little every time they eat the packaged ones made with nothing but sugar, colouring and preservatives. This recipe is not only extremely easy (only three ingredients), but it also makes jello that is much better for your body and also tastes great.

This dessert is a popular request, and I find myself making it about once a week. But I don’t complain because all I need to do is grab a carton of juice, some moulds or cups, and everything is ready for the fridge in less than ten minutes. The jello takes about four hours to set, and the little ones get a tangy after-dinner treat in their personalised dinosaur, helicopter or dolphin shapes.

To jazz this up for entertaining, you could throw in some blueberries, sliced strawberries and raspberries into a pretty mould before pouring in the jello mixture. As much as my hubby and I love our rich, decadent, creamy desserts, we also really enjoy something lighter every once in a while, and I always make sure to save us a portion. The next time your family craves good ‘ol jello, please give this a try.

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