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The Secret to Perfect Homecooked Fried Rice + My Husband's Childhood Recipes

If there is one ultimate comfort food that instantly feels like home, it has to be a steaming plate of fried rice. But if you ask three different people how they cook it, you’ll probably get three completely different answers! In our household, fried rice isn't just a quick way to clear out the fridge, it's a trip down memory lane. Recently, my husband took over the wok to recreate two nostalgic fried rice recipes he grew up eating as a youngster, alongside our go-to classic version. Watching him cook reminded me that the best meals don’t require fancy ingredients; they just require a few time-tested techniques. Whether you're craving a rich, glossy Kicap Manis version or a classic shrimp stir-fry, here are the absolute must-do steps and golden rules from our kitchen to yours to ensure your fried rice turns out perfectly separate, fluffy, and packed with flavor every single time! 3 Different Recipes, 3 Different Colours of Fried Rice Master Tip #1: The Fried Rice Foundation...
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Culinary | Homecooked Stewed Fragrant Pot 卤味

Instead of the boring dishes like stir-fried vegetables and stir-fried lean pork for our weekend dinner, decided to make a pot of Stewed Fragrant pot 卤味 for our dinner. It is easy when u got yourself a reliable spice pack by Seah's Spices. I previously used their spice pack for Bak Kut Teh as recommended by my colleague and it turns out very well. Hope it turns out as well for my pot of 卤味 as my Bak Kut Teh. I follow their brief recipe behind the pack with my additional ingredients/seasoning to enhance the taste further. Feel free to use this recipe as reference. Definitely a sweet pot of Stewed Fragrant pot 卤味.





Seasoning:

1 pack of Seah's Stewed Fragrant Spices
1500 ml water
15 pieces of skin intact garlic (about 1 1/2 whole small garlic)
5 tbsp of dark soya sauce
2 tsp of oyster sauce
2 tsp of black sugar water
1/2 tsp of vinegar (optional)
1 tsp of Sing Long minced onion (optional)

Ingredients (Serving for 2):

2 eggs, pre-boiled for 15 mins
2 cups of Chinese mushrooms, soaked till soft and stem removed
8 pieces of Fried Beancurd, blanch for 5 mins
2 pieces of Tau Kwa (about 400g), put in the whole piece, slice after for consuming
250g Spare Ribs, blanch for 5 mins
80-120gm of Teochew Fishcake (about 2-3 pcs)

My husband got me to boil the fried beancurd/tau pok before hand to eliminate the smell from it. And as for the fishcake, only put to cook with the pot of stewed ingredients to prevent it from overcooked or harden. And the use of this fishcake is inspired by my favorite Kway Chup side dishes. I used spare ribs instead of pork belly because I still have a balance of them and didn't want to waste it. My husband said it doesn't matter anyway.


Method:
  1. Put water to boil with spices pack, garlic, dark soya sauce and put to simmer in low heat.
  2. Add in all the ingredients except fishcake gradually into the boiling gravy and simmer further in low heat for 2.5 hours plus minus to let the ingredients absorb the taste.
  3. When you wanted more flavourful taste, add a little vinegar and minced onion.
Because I used my Happy Call pot to make this and it wasn't a big pot. So along the way, I scoop up some of the water in a bowl to put aside to prevent from overflowing. As it boils further, you can put in gradually back into the pot. As and when, just let it boil and add water to prevent for drying. 

Rather than having it with rice, I cook for myself noodles using Poh Chai Mee. You can use any types of noodles too. The gravy absorbs very fast and so the bowl of noodles look dry but I like it this way. It tastes savoury already. The continuous boiling did the trick.


So it is easy as 123 and for noob cooks like me, the spice pack and this recipe are my saviour because I won't starve my husband. Enjoy.
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