Chicken Soup with Marconi

Who has got the time to slave over a hot stove? With our busy schedules, cooking a tasty and healthy meal is out of the picture. Or is it? Here's a great alternative that's nutritious, delicious, quick and easy to make.

This is one of my family’s favourite recipe My kids absolutely love this chicken soup. It’s healthy, quick and easy to make. Best of all, the kids eat everything, including the vegetables. You can introduce this soup to your kids as young as 18 months. Just make sure you strain out the bits that cannot be chewed or swallowed. You can even experiment with different vegetables and see what works for your family.

If you are having a particularly busy day and have NO time to cook, just boil the soup with the chicken bones (about 20 mins), then toss everything into the slow cooker and let it do the job. When you return home 6 hours later, you’ll be greeted with the sweet aroma of chicken soup. Serve it with macaroni or rice and you have a ready meal.

Chicken Soup

What you need:

• 500ml of water / chicken broth
• chicken bones*
• vegetables like carrots, celery, sweet corn
• onion chopped or sliced
• minced chicken or breast meat
• marinate with light soy sauce
• 1tsp corn starch
• Marconi

What you do:

1. Marinate the minced chicken or breast meat in the beginning with light soy sauce and corn starch. Let it rest.
2. Bring the water or soup to a boil
3. Add the chicken bones, and bring it to boil for about 20 minutes
4. Diced the vegetables into smaller pieces
5. Add the vegetables into the mixture (the onion and sweet corn contributes to the tastiness of the soup)
6. Let it simmer for another 20 minutes or so.
7. Cook the macaroni, rice or ABC pasta that you kids prefer
8. Ready to serve

This post first appeared in theAsianparent.com

Chef Sam Leong shows us how to cook a good cod fish

Celebrity Chef Sam Leong has cooked for Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, Queen Elizabeth II of England and US presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton. Today, he shares with theAsianparent a quick and easy menu you can cook for your family.

1. Steamed Cod Fish in Superior Light Soy Sauce

Portion for: 4 persons

Ingredients: Cod fish (fillet) – 4 pieces

Seasoning:

• Chicken consomme (or water) – 320 ml
• Soy sauce – 70 ml
• rock sugar – 20 ml
• dark soy sauce – optional a few drops
• spring onion – 2 stalks
• ginger (sliced) – 5 pcs
• coriander – 2 stalks

Garnish :

• Choi sum (chinese vegetable) – poached
• Spring onion (shredded)

Cooking Directions:

1. Marinate the fish fillet with egg white (1), salt (1/4 tsp), sugar (1/4 tsp), sesame oil (a dash) and corn flour (2 tsp)
2. Bring marinated cod fish to steam* for about 8 minutes (in a wok or steamer)
3. Prepare Steam Fish light soy sauce**
4. Sprinkle shredded spring onion on top of cod fish and pour piping hot oil over it
5. Garnish the dish with choi sum, place the cod fish on top
6. Pour hot Steamed Fish Light Soy Sauce over cod fish and spring onion

Cooking Tips:

* How long you steam a fish depends on the equipment you use and the size of the fillet. So, do test and trial and you’ll realize your optimal time.

** Preparation for Steam Fish Light Soy Sauce

1. heat up your corn / vegetable oil in the work
2. stir-fry ginger, spring onions, and sliced ginger
3. once, its fragrant, add in consomme / water
4. pour the sauce over coriander to soak for half hour
5. strain the sauce, removing the ginger, spring onion and ginger
7. This post first appeared in theAsianparent.com in 2011.