How To Turn Instant Noodles Into A Gourmet Meal

By Gilbert | Published: November 30, 2010


I have a confession to make. Despite my cooking-from-scratch-is-best mantra and occasional preaching about healthy eating, I’ve recently resumed a bad food addiction.

You’ve guessed it- Instant Noodles, aka instant ramen. Probably Japan’s most famous invention, along with MSG.

I had been so good. In fact, I hadn’t touched the stuff in years, until a recent holiday to China on a Silk Road tour (which I will blog about shortly). It was about five or six days into the tour, I had barely eaten the entire time thanks to a bout of diarrhoea and not liking the food served on the tour. And I was starving. A fellow tour member saw this and kindly gave me some cup noodles she had brought with her.

And in my semi-emancipated state, that steaming cup of instant noodles tasted divine. Soft, yet springy noodles in a MSG-laden broth — I got hooked, once again.

Since my return from the trip I’ve been stocking my pantry with instant noodles. I just can’t help myself. Unfortunately, while convenient and rather tasty, instant noodles are highly processed and hence not very good nutritionally. That said, there’s no reason why we can’t make a purse out of a sow’s ear. So, I’d like to show you how easy it is to take a simple bowl of instant ramen and turn it into a gourmet meal.
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Malay-style Okra in Rempah

By Gilbert | Published: November 7, 2010

As stated earlier, I’m a big fan of home-made rempah (spice paste) made in a mortar and pestle.

While it takes some effort to prepare, rempah is incredibly versatile, and is a staple in many Malay and Nyonya dishes found to South-East Asia. One of my favourite dishes is okra stir-fried in rempah, which is also easily found in Singapore’s many nasi padang (assorted meat & vegetable dishes) food stalls.

Also known as lady’s fingers, okra is a versatile vegetable that can either be stewed in a soup or curry, or stir-fried. When fried in rempah, the natural stickiness of the okra is absorbed by the rempah, allowing the diner to savour the texture and flavour of okra more easily.
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The Bonsai

By Gilbert | Published: August 25, 2010

Japanese cuisine available in Australia tends to fall into two distinct categories: the expensive fine-dining restaurants and the smaller, moderately-priced chain/franchised outlets that serve average sushi/ramen/bento/donburi.

So it was incredibly refreshing to come across The Bonsai, which deftly brings together gourmet Japanese fusion cuisine and an informal dining environment, at a reasonable price.

In fact, two words come to mind when dining at The Bonsai: Iron Chef.

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Perth

By Gilbert | Published: August 22, 2010

Perth Skyline

I was in Perth last week to attend Dr Wayne Dyer’s lecture at the I Can Do It! conference. I’ve been exploring his books and CDs for a while, which have been incredibly helpful in my personal self-development. So when I learnt this would be his last public appearance in Australia, I knew this opportunity to hear him live was not to be missed.

The lecture itself was an incredible learning experience and I’ll definitely be working on the principles he covered, which dealt with living your life’s purpose.

During my trip, I took the opportunity to meet up with local food and wine writer Jason Boudville and his partner Bec. We’d been corresponding for some time and it was great to finally meet in person. They’re such beautiful, fun-loving people and an absolute joy to be around.

As it was my first visit to Perth, I also did my share of touristy sightseeing. Perth is an incredibly beautiful city, with its friendly residents, wide avenues, clean streets and efficient public transport. (Did I mention the amazing trains and buses that are safe, on time and incredibly clean? Can we get this in Melbourne? Please?)

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Nasu-Miso (Fried Eggplant with Miso Sauce)

By Gilbert | Published: March 2, 2010

Like many people, I’m a big fan of Japanese food. I consider Japanese cuisine to be in a class of its own, with its emphasis on unique, fresh flavours and aesthetic presentation.

That said, I also find Japanese cooking to be very challenging. What looks to be a simple dish often involves plenty of preparatory work, skill and zen-like focus throughout. If you take shortcuts or cut corners, chances are you won’t get a fully authentic result.

Hence, for a long time I was too intimidated to attempt cooking Japanese food at home. Then I came across Emi Kazuko’s excellent cookbook Japanese Cooking. This book is well written, with detailed descriptions of various Japanese ingredients. The recipes vary in difficulty, but overall they’re easy enough for most cooks to follow.

This recipe for Nasu-miso or fried eggplant in miso sauce, has become one of my favourites. It’s simple and easy to prepare, and the taste is simply extraordinary. The soft, chewy texture of the eggplant is complemented with the unique taste of miso and a rich sauce made from Japanese condiments.
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Basic Fried Noodles

By Gilbert | Published: January 24, 2010

I often find it amusing whenever I see ‘Singapore Fried Noodles’ on the menu in a Chinese restaurant. This is because you won’t find ‘Singapore Fried Noodles’ sold in my native hometown of Singapore. While many hawker stalls sell fried vermicelli or noodles as a simple breakfast dish, it’s not considered a signature dish like Laksa or Char Kway Teow. Instead they’re sold ready-wrapped in simple brown paper packets for the breakfast crowd to pick up quickly on the go.

So, how a simple home-style Asian noodle dish became known as ‘Singapore Fried Noodles’ overseas remains a mystery to me. That said, fried noodles are not only tasty, but easy enough to whip up quickly for a weeknight dinner.

My version of fried noodles are reminiscent of the type sold in hawker stalls over Singapore. However, I’ve substituted the traditional Hokkien noodles with wheat noodles which are easier to obtain here in Australia.

This dish is so simple to prepare at home, you’ll never order ‘Singapore Fried Noodles’ again.
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Honey Soy Roast Chicken

By Gilbert | Published: December 27, 2009

This Honey Soy Roast Chicken is an adaptation of my late grandmother’s recipe. Ah Mah (which means ‘grandmother’ in her native Teochew dialect) used to prepare a delicious Chinese-style roast chicken by roasting a whole chicken marinated in soy sauce. It was simple, yet delicious.

Ah Mah would sometimes roast a chicken whenever she didn’t feel like cooking a traditional three-course Chinese dinner. But the same amount of love and care would go into its preparation. She would keep a close watch over the chicken as it baked, removing it every so often from the oven to baste it with the pan juices and more soy sauce. This, she explained, would keep the chicken moist and intensify its flavour.
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Teriyaki Chicken Don

By Gilbert | Published: December 16, 2009

Teriyaki Chicken Don

Donburi, or Japanese rice bowl dishes are common menu items in many Japanese restaurants. These consist of a bowl of plain rice served with various toppings in a sweet or savoury sauce. Common toppings include meats such as beef, chicken, pork or fish.

One of my favourite donburi dishes is Teriyaki Chicken Don, which as the name suggests, is a serving of teriyaki chicken served on rice. Unfortunately, most restaurants don’t include vegetables with the dish, and the teriyaki sauce used tends to be MSG-laden.

My solution? Cook it at home!
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Vegetarian Claypot Noodles

By Gilbert | Published: November 19, 2009

Vegetarian Claypot Noodles

Claypot noodles, also known as Yee Mee (伊麵) or Poh Chai Noodles (煲仔麵) are a type of crispy noodles made from wheat flour and palm oil. While resembling spaghetti in shape and texture, they have a unique flavour and are commonly used in claypot cooking.

I love these noodles so much, I usually keep a packet on hand in my pantry. Like most noodles, they can be cooked in soup or stir-fried. Their inherent flavour also creates a fragrant broth from boiling the noodles alone. This comes in handy when I’m after a quick bowl of noodle soup, as additional stock isn’t required.

Here, I’ve cooked these noodles claypot style, sans claypot because I can’t use claypots on my electric burner. It’s a quick and easy recipe, but definitely not lacking in the flavour department, thanks to the umami properties of the shitake mushrooms.
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Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Pie

By Gilbert | Published: November 15, 2009

Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Pie

After my first attempt at making spanakópita, I packed the leftovers and brought it to my day job for lunch. I’ve got a reputation for bringing ‘nice’ lunches (even though they’re usually leftovers) so my co-workers were doubly impressed with my efforts. “Wow, there might be a Greek yiayia (grandmother) in you!” one of them exclaimed.

Hmmm. I don’t think one spinach pie makes me an expert on Greek food, but I guess people were surprised to see an Asian cooking a traditional Greek dish.

Anyway, a Greek friend told me that you can also use other vegetables in a spanakópita recipe. Since I had some butternut pumpkin on hand, I decided to use that in my next pie.
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