Jamie's 30 minute meals. MADE.

How to whip up a meal that impresses.

All the time.

Every Time.

In 30 minutes.

These were some of Jamie's 30 minute meal recipes that we've tried and tested this long weekend.

Adapted from the recipes on 

www.jamieoliver.com/

Perfect roast potatoes

Tips & tweaks:

Use Yukon Gold potatoes.

They are my gold standard for baked carbs that are worth every single calorie.

Salt generously.

And those cloves of garlic would be so sweet, you wish you put more in the first place.

Mustard chicken with leek

Tips & tweaks:

Even a non mustard lover would eat this all up.

The taste of wholegrain mustard is not the same as mustard from a squeeze bottle on hotdogs.

Just so there was gravy,

some chicken broth was added.

And because bacon ANYTHING tastes like heaven,

some roughly chopped pieces of bacon were thrown in. 

Leek.

More leek definitely.

It was a lot more watery that planned but the unmistakable sweetness from the mustard and savoury tinge from the bacon was unmistakable.

And perhaps the added taste dimensions of some pan fried crisp bacon as toppings in the next attempt.

The best pork chops sans the crackling

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pork-recipes/the-best-pork-chops-with-fresh-bay-salt-crackling-and-squashed-purple-potatoes

Cubed carrots and beetroot.

Sage.

Rosemary.

And a generous drizzle of olive oil.

As always.

Roast them for half an hour at 220 degrees celcius.

Tips & tweaks:

The meats were marinated for about 3 hours.

The honey was omitted.

The apple cider did wonders to lock in the juice in the pork chops.

Side salad of lettuce, chopped sundried tomatoes, pitted olives and cubed feta cheese.

Generously drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Top with roughly torn pieces of turkey breast.

Now that's what I call a HAPPY MEAL :)

and a healthy one at that.

Yum.

Homecooked to perfection

Understated beauty.

All my life we've been on the lower ground floors.

 Dinner was a massive affair for a one man show starting from 3pm and only ending at about 630pm.

Starting off with a simple cherry tomato and lettuce salad 

drizzled with basalmic vinaigrette dressing.

A perfectly al dente aglio olio. 

The pasta was boiled and simply stir fried with chopped garlic sauteed and tossed in olive oil and chopped parsley.

Diced red onions and chopped parsley.

These mussles sat simmering in a vin blanc broth cooked till dry.

And they all opened up so beautifully.

Deliciously satisfying tender pork ribs.

What's that addictive sauce?

The secret of V8 veggie juice and Worcester sauce.

Ohyum.

Saving the best for last.

Moussaka fresh out of the oven.

It's everything you could imagine in a moussaka.

Slices of aubergine lightly glazed with oil and baked.

A rich minced beef sauce simmered in tomato puree.

Layer by layer they alternated.

Topped with a rich and creamy bechamel sauce and could we ever forget,

a generous topping of cheese.

A beaten egg added to the bechamel sauce before topping would have made for a more authentic custard-like finish that would have been more filling.

Not that it would stop me from going for seconds, really.

And dinner was served.

No, this was not the Masterchef.

But this was his very adorable nephew who was unfortunately feeling under the weather and was crying his lungs out most of the time we were there.

Thanks for opening up your home.

Cooking your day away for a bunch of girlfriends getting together and catching up.

The food was awesome.

The company was great.

Monday blues...

Say what?

 :)

What's one to do with an insatiable sashimi craving?

The bright and cheery colours of the morning came in the form of these plastic utensils.

A fire-engine red bowl filled with a deliciously smooth fish congee.

Not overly dense.

Just enough liquids to keep the taste of the porridge light.

Skip the soy sauce, it's tasty enough on its own.

The pale yellow green plate held sides of a raw fish salad topped generously with fragrant sesame oil. The heady aroma so deliciously addictive.

The man's hand works like clockwork.

Expertly assembling plates of these raw fish salads.

I could hardly keep up.

Finished with a generous peppering of white sesame seeds, spring onions, a dash of white pepper, ringlets of chopped red chilli for just that little spice.

Topped finally with a mound of chopped raw lettuce.

Don't forget to squeeze those bits of lime on the side.

The chinese version of a sashimi salad does not pale in comparison to its better known japanese counterpart.

What completes the experience is a lovely husband and wife team.

While getting on in age,

they look to be fit and healthy.

Working fast to fill orders yet never missing an opportunity to offer a smile.

The uncle also practices service excellence. 

He even brought over the soy sauce and pepper for me after I had left with my orders.

Because he says, "Just in case you needed it."

:)

This stall has a light green store front, called ___ Ru Yi Porridge is an understated gem.

It is directly opposite Wow Wow West at ABC Brickworks Market.

If anyone knows what their stall name is, please do leave a comment.

Thanks!

Shinkansen- Life on the fast track

When fast food doesn't have to be supersize-me food.

A choice of transit, station and terminal.

Let's go straight for the Terminal.

A base, 5 toppings, sauce, 2 add-ons and a choice of meat.

This goes for $12 for a hefty serving.

This was my choice for today.

A base of soba noodles.

Almonds, mushrooms, carrots, tamago, pickled seaweed.

Apricots and Quinoa.

Tuna Tataki.

With sesame plum dressing. :)

Other than the fact that the tuna was sliced too thin,

everything else was a joy to eat.

A mix of sweet, salty, savoury yum.

Healthy never tasted better.

Ask the staff for their sauce pairing recommendations.

And if you still aren't too sure about your choice of sauce,

make a request for it to be packed separately.

They'll gladly oblige.

And you wouldn't have to worry that the sauce isn't enough.

They always make sure their customers are well fed.

And their takeaway bowls well dressed!

They have an opening promotion now for their branch at 100AM in the Tanjong Pagar area.

Get your bowls here with their one-for-one deal till the 25th of July.

Time to hop on the Shinkansen! :)

A taste of summer :)

There's really nothing more to be said about the versatility of the humble potato.

I grabbed a bag of these Golden Russet Potatoes in a pre-packed 2.27 bag 

which gives you about 15 potatoes at $3.20.

And decided to encapsulate the remains of the summer holidays 

and all its happiness into today's salad.

What you'll need:

Potatoes, peeled and diced

Chicken thigh, roughly shredded

Mayonnaise, Kraft to taste

Corn, Del Monte Fresh Cut

Sea salt

Cracked black pepper

The how-to:

Boil diced potatoes in water with a teaspoon of salt.

Bring to a fierce boil for 3-5 minutes depending on size of the diced potatoes and drain the water immediately to prevent overcooking.

Set that aside to cool.

Drizzle olive oil over chicken thigh pieces and lightly roast till done.

Roughly shred chicken and set that aside too.

Prepare a big mixing bowl and place potato pieces, shredded chicken meat and a dollop of mayonnaise.

Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.

Toss all the ingredients together.

Once ready, top the salad with a generous helping of corn kernels for that fresh burst of summer colors.

And finish with a sprinkling of black pepper.

I added dried cranberries as an afterthought.

Try cherry tomatoes, walnuts, cashews, ham, bacon bits.

Best eaten chilled to beat the summer heat hey! 

Enjoy. :)