By Joseph Wong

josephwong@thestar.com.my

Now that you have to prepare meals at home as this is the safest thing to do when it comes to food, given the government’s control movement order (CMO) following the Covid-19 outbreak.

With having to juggle work and family is no easy task when it comes to remote working so here’s a few Asian easy one-pot meals Malaysians are familiar with. It’s time to put that snazzy kitchen you have invested in into good use.

Malaysian ABC soup

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken drumsticks
• 4 potatoes, cut into chunks
• 2 carrots, cut into chunks
• 1 large onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 large tomato, segmented 
• 2 litres of water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Most indoor kitchens are now using induction or electric stoves, so this is a plus point as it reduces the risk of fire and also with the amount of sanitisers we are using, it is best to keep away from an open flame.

This is one of the best meal to make in dry kitchens as it is not messy and the hob can help defuse the aroma of cooking. The preparation time should only take 10 minutes. 

Place all the ingredients into a pot, add water and bring to a boil. Let the soup simmer for two hours for the chicken meat to fall off the bone. And salt and pepper to suit your taste. This serving makes enough for four people.

Chicken rice 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of rice
• 2 cups of water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• A few slithers of ginger
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 250 gm of diced marinated chicken (in light soy sauce and crushed garlic)

Nearly every Asian home has a rice cooker. This is one of the most versatile appliances and the user only needs to be creative in its usage to tap its full potential. 

Fancy an easy chicken rice meal with the rice cooker? Just wash your rice and place it in the rice cooker as usual. By now most Malaysians know that the amount of water should be twice the amount of rice, for example, one cup of rice requires two cups of water. 

Put in the ginger and garlic for additional fragrance. Add the butter and marinated chicken into the same pot. Press on and the rice cooker will do the rest. This recipe is for a single person. How easy is that? The result is perfectly cooked chicken rice to be eaten with chilli-garlic sauce.

Fasta-pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 package of spaghetti
• 4 tomatoes, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 to 8 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
• Dried chilli flakes
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil 
• 2 teaspoons of salt 
• A pinch of pepper
• 1 litre of water
• Parmesan cheese 

Another good meal for your dry kitchen is the fasta-pasta. This quick meal is one of the fastest items to make and just as delicious. If you are like most Malaysians, the pasta you will be using is spaghetti in a pack, not the fresh made ones. A whole package will serve four people, just nice for smaller dining areas as in the case of modern apartments and condominiums.

Combine the pasta, diced tomatoes, diced onion, garlic, a hearty pinch of dried chilli flakes for a bit of heated punch, olive oil, salt, a pinch of pepper, and a litre of water in a large straight-sided skillet. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring and turning the pasta frequently to stop them from sticking to each other, until the water has nearly evaporated. This should take less than 10 minutes and the meal is perfectly suitable for vegetarians. Serve with Parmesan cheese. 

Easy roast

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 kg small potatoes
• 2 tablespoon oil
• ½ cup salted butter
• A pinch of dried herbs
• Seasoning 

Clean a whole chicken and shove lemon halves into its cavity. Rub butter, herbs and seasoning all over the chicken. Put the potatoes around it, and drizzle everything with oil. This should take 15 minutes to prepare.

Place it into a pre-heated oven. Cook at about 200 ͦC for about an hour and 20 minutes depending on the size of the chicken. Cover the chicken and vegetables with aluminium foil for an hour. Uncover the roast for another 20 minutes for the skin to crisp. 

What’s great about this kitchen appliance is that it comes with a timer, so you don’t even have to keep track of time. It will let you know when you are ready to do the next stage of baking or when the meal is ready.

Beef stew

Ingredients:

• 1.5kg beef chuck 
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 large onions, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 7 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups of red wine
• 2 cups of beef broth
• 2 cups of water
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 4 carrots, cut into chunks 
• 2 big potatoes, cut into chunks

Unlike the rest of the one-pot meals introduced earlier, this dish will require a bit of cooking. It will also need your kitchen stove and the oven, so make sure you have both. A pot that can be placed into the oven is necessary.

Begin by cutting the meat into chunks and with salt and pepper. Heat a bit of oil in a large soup pot and brown the meat as this will add depth and dimension to the stew. 

Take out the meat and add in the onion, garlic and balsamic vinegar to the pan. The vinegar will loosen the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the onion has softened, then add the tomato paste.

Put the beef back into the pan and add the flour. Stir until the flour is dissolved. Pour in the wine, broth and water Add in the bay leaves and sugar.

Bring to a boil, then cover and braise in the oven at 180 ͦC for two hours. Then, add in the carrots and potatoes, and braise in the oven for another hour. By now, the meat and vegetables should be tender, and the broth has thickened. Serve with bread.

StarProperty Stay At Home Cooking Contest (6 - 18 April 2020)

Cook any one of the recipes in this article and follow the steps below to win Aeon shopping vouchers.