Ingredients

300g black glutinous rice
3 litres of water
5 pandan leaves, washed and cleaned, tied in a knot
About 300g of gula melaka
Coconut milk to taste

Method

1 . Soak the black glutinous rice overnight or at least 5 hours.

2 . Rinse with clean water and then put into a large pot with 3 litres of water.

3 . Add in the pandan leaves and bring to a slow boil. Let it simmer on a low flame and cook for about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Give it a stir once in a while to prevent the rice from sticking on the bottom of the pot and getting burnt.

4 . Once the rice is cooked, add in the gula melaka blocks. You may adjust the quantity to your taste. Stir and make sure the gula melaka is completely dissolved and mixed well. This will cause the mixture to thicken up.

5 . When serving, add some coconut milk to taste.

What’s on my mind…

This is my number 1, favourite childhood dessert. I loved this very much but hated the ones we get in the stalls because they almost always use cornstarch to thicken the dessert which in turn causes it to become watery and runny while eating it. So when my mum makes it, I really enjoy it so much and yearn for it all the time, but she hates making this because she says it causes a mess and takes a long time. Now that I can cook on my own, I requested for the recipe and I am surprised at how easy it is to make. It simply takes time but the end product is so delightfully pleasing.

Ingredients

Mushrooms, chopped into bit-sized pieces
Kikkoman Thick Teriyaki Marinade
Leeks, chopped

Method

1. Stir fry leeks with a little oil for about 3 minutes.

2. Throw in the mushrooms and stir fry for about 2 minutes.

3. Pour in about 1-2 tablespoons of Kikkoman Thick Teriyaki Marinade and stir fry for about 3 minutes.

What’s On My Mind…

I tried this out simply because I had leftover mushrooms and leek from the mushroom soup. This teriyaki sauce is really amazing. I have tried the more fluid form of sauce they sell but I have to say this thick version is much better. Use it to marinade meat or stir fry with other vegetables and it will not disappoint.

Ingredients

150g shitake mushrooms
150g portobello mushrooms
150g white button mushrooms
150g brown button mushrooms
Olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter
120g butter
1 white onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
3 sprigs of thyme
Salt
Pepper
2 leeks, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1 cup white wine
Minced thyme leaves
1 cup half and half
1 cup heavy cream
Chopped parsley for garnishing

Method

1 . Clean the mushrooms with a paper towel. Cut off the stems, chop it coarsely and set aside. Then slice the mushroom caps into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

2 . To make the vegetable stock, heat a large pot with olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Add in the mushroom stems, onion, carrot, thyme, salt and pepper and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes. Add in 6 cups of water and let it simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Strain and reserve the stock for later.

3 . In another large pot, heat the 120g of butter, add in the leeks and let it cook on low heat for about 20 minutes till it turns slightly brown. Add in the sliced mushroom caps and cook for 15 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute and then add the wine and cook for another minute. Then add in 4 cups of the stock which you have prepared earlier and simmer for 5 minutes. Add in the minced thyme leaves, salt and pepper and bring to a boil before reducing the heat and simmering for 15 minutes. Lastly, add in the half-and-half and cream and let it simmer through for about 2 to 3 minutes. Do not boil it.

Variation: To save loads of time and effort, you can use pre-packed vegetable stock and skip step 2. Just make sure you have at least 4 cups of stock.

What’s on my mind…

Fresh herbs are expensive in Singapore, so feel free to use dried thyme as a replacement for fresh thyme. I tried this variation and it was equally flavourful. As for the half-and-half, you can replace it with a 1/4 cup of cooking cream and 3/4 cup of milk. This mushroom soup is not very thick in consistency. It is rich, creamy and full of mushroom flavour. If you want a thicker soup, you can actually make the cream mixture I shared for the clam chowder, that will give you a thicker consistency if that is what you desire.