Here are foods and drinks that will definitely satisfy your appetite and taste!

Note: All photos here were scanned from a photo collection of Nyugen, Roy, Simon, Max, Jenifer and Lynn.

Dukkah

Ingredients:

• ½ cup (75g) sesame seeds
• 2/3 cup (110g) hazelnuts
• ¼ cup (20g) coriader seeds
• 2/3 cup (110g) blanched almonds
• 2 tsps freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsps cumin seeds
• 2 tsps flaked sea salt or freshly ground salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced.
2. Spread almonds and hazelnuts on oven trays, roast in oven for about 10mins or until toasted. Transfer hazelnuts to a clean tea towel and rub them briskly with the towel to remove as much of the hazelnut skin as possible. Leave it to cool.
3. Toast sesame seeds in a medium dry frying pan over low heat, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Transfer the sesame seeds to a large heatproof bowl. Leave it to cool.
4. Process the almonds and hazelnuts, until finely chopped. Then mix with sesame seeds.
5. Mix coriader and cumin seeds in the same medium dry frying pan, cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until fragrant. Leave it to cool. Next, grind seeds using a mortar and a pestle or spice grinder.
6. Add ground cumin and coriader seeds to almond mixture with pepper and salt and mix it well. Store in an airtight jar for up to a month.

Tips: While serving, sprinkle salads, vegetables and soups. It tastes delicious with olive oil and bread too.

Prep 20 mins

Cook 20 mins

Makes about 2 ½ cups

Caramel Nut Chocolates

Ingredients:

• ½ cup (110g) caster sugar
• 60g butter
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 100g dark chocolate (chopped)
• 1 tbsp golden syrup
• ½ cup (75g) unsalted peanuts (chopped coarsely)
• ¾ cup (250g) sweetened condensed milk
• ¼ cup (25g) ground hazelnuts or almonds
• Red sugar (for decoration; optional)
• 50g dark chocolate (melted)
• 10g solid, white vegetable shortening

Method:

1. Mix butter, sugar and golden syrup in a small saucepan; stir constantly over low heat until sugar is dissolved.
2. Stir in condensed milk; bring it to boil. Reduce heat, cook, stirring constantly for about 6 mins until mixture turns a caramel color. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla, peanuts and hazelnuts. Mix well. Transfer mixture to a medium heatproof bowl. Then, let the mixture to cool for about 10 mins.
3. Roll rounded teaspoons of mixture into balls. Refrigerate on a tray until firm.
4. Mix chocolate and vegetable shortening on top of double boiler; stir over simmering water until melted.
5. Dip balls in chocolate mixture using a fork or a skewer, lift balls from chocolate and allow excess chocolate to dip away. Place on a tray lined with aluminium foil or baking paper. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set.
6. Drizzle melted chocolate decoratively over top of balls. Press on red sugar decorations, if desired (optional). Refrigerate until firmly set.

Prep 40 mins (plus refrigeration and cooling time)

Cook 15 mins

Makes about 32

Stir-Fry Spicy Vegetable

Ingredients:

• 120g Glass noodles (soaked)
• 5 slices tofu pok (sliced)
• 4 tsps oil
• 120g French beans (sliced)
• 80g tomatoes (sliced)
• 1 piece red chilli (sliced)
• ¼ cups water
• ½ tbsp salt

Additional ingredients:

• 80g Bombay onions (sliced)
• 30g carrots (sliced)
• 20g gingers (sliced)
• 1 thumb-sized tumeric (sliced)

Method:

1. Fragrant all items under additional ingredients with 4 tbsps of oil.
2. Add in glass noodles, tofu pok, tomatoes, red chilli, French beans together with water and salt.
3. Keep stirring until the vegetables soften. Serve while it’s hot.

Serves 3 – 4 persons.

Mouth-watering Caramel Bar

Ingredients:

• ½ tsp baking powder
• 50g brown sugar
• 115g butter (cut into small chunks)
• 2 cups plain flour
• 2 tsps ground almonds
• 250g chocolate, melted

Topping:

• 115g caster sugar
• 2 tbsps golden syrup
• 175g butter
• 175ml condensed milk
• 225g chocolate (melted over a low fire until liquid)
• 200g whole almonds (lightly toasted over a low fire till pale golden)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
2. Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl and stir the mixture with sugar.
3. Use your finger to “rub in” butter into the flour mixture until it’s well combined. Mixture should look almost like breadcrumbs. (If butter becomes liquid, put it in fridge occasionally to cool).
4. Over low fire, melt chocolate until it becomes liquid. Add melted chocolate and ground almonds to flour mixture. Use a wooden spoon to mix well.
5. Line a 9″ x 9″ square tin with greased parchment paper. Press mixture into the base of the tin. Prick surface with fork and bake for 25 – 30 mins until firm. Leave it to cool.
6. To make topping, mix butter, sugar and golden syrup and condensed milk in a sacepan over low fire. Heat evenly until butter and sugar melt. Over low fire, simmer until topping is golden, stirring occasionally.
7. Stir in whole almonds. Pour topping over biscuit base and spread evenly. Leave it to set.
8. Over low fire, melt chocolate. Spread on top. Leave the bar to cool and set overnight before cutting.

Prep 20 mins

Bake 1 hr

Serves 8 – 10 persons

Thai Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

• 60g shallots
• 50g red chillies
• 2 stalks lemongrass
• 250ml olive oil
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste (soaked in 50ml cold water for 10 mins. Strain to get tamarind liquid)
• 1.3kg pumpkin (peeled and cut into chunks)
• 1 liter water
• 125g packet UHT coconut milk (or, use fresh or UHT milk)

Method:

1. Use a blender (or pestle and mortar) to blend shallots, red chillies and lemongrass. If you’re using the blender, make sure you add a teaspoon of water for easier blending. Blend the mixture until fine.
2. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium fire. Add spice blend and sauté until fragrant and oil appears at edges, about 10 mins.
3. Add tamarind liquid and mix well.
4. Add pumpkin and mix well.
5. Add water and turn fire to high and bring it to boil. Then turn fire down to medium and simmer until pumpkin becomes soft and tender, about 20 – 30 mins.
6. Pour some of the mixture into the blender. In batches, blend until smooth.
7. Add coconut milk. Mix well and serve at once.

Prep 20 mins

Cook 40 mins

Serves 10 – 15 persons

Balsamic Relish and Caramelised Onion

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup 9160ml) balsamic vinegar
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsps yellow mustard seeds
• ½ cup (75g) firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 4 large (1.2kg) red onions (sliced thinly)
• ½ cup (80ml) olive oil

Method:

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onions and garlic; cook and cover over low heat for about 30 mins, stirring occasionally until soft.
2. Stir in mustard seeds and cook for another 1 min.
3. Add sugar, vinegar and salt. Bring it to boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncover, stir occasionally for about 5 mins, or until most of the liquid has evapolated and the onions are caramelised.
4. Put mixture into hot sterilised jars; seal while hot. Keep refrigerate for up to a month.

Tips: To taste delicious, serve it with sandwiches and cheese.

Prep 15 mins

Cook 35 mins

Makes 3 cups

Vodkatini Cocktail

Ingredients:

• 90ml dry vermouth
• 18 raspberries (or halved strawberrier, or blueberries)
• 270ml vodka
• Some icecubes

Method:

1. Mix vodka and vermouth in a mixing jug. Add berries. Leave in fridge.
2. Before serving to your guest, top it with some icecubes and stir well.
3. Pour mixture into martini glasses, drop a few berries into each glass and serve.

Serves 6 persons.

Cheers Mocktail

Ingredients:

• 1 can of soda water
• 1 lime wedge
• 8 mint leaves
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsps pomegranate pearls (red seeds)
• Juice of 1 apple
• Some icecubes
• Sprig of mint, to serve

Method:

1. Mash mint leaves, brown sugar, lime wedge and 1 tbsp of pomegranate pearls in a shaker or a jug.
2. Add apple juice.
3. Pour mixture into tall glass
4. Top with soda water (or sparkling water) and icecubes.
5. Decorate with remaining pomegranate pearls and a sprig of mint.

Serves 1 person.

Melt-In-Mouth Pistachio Shortbread

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 2/3 cup (110g) icing sugar
• 180g butter (softened)
• 1 ½ tbsps milk
• 2 tbsps cornflour
• 1 ½ cups (260g) plain flour
• 2 tbsps shelled pistachio nuts (chopped coarsely)

Method:

1. Beat butter, vanilla and ½ cup (80g) of sifted icing sugar until light and fluffy. Add milk, beat until mixed. Add sifted flour; beat until it just mixed.
2. Refrigerate biscult dough for about 10 mins or until firm enough to roll.
3. Shape the dough into a 30cm log, roll it in baking paper until smooth and round. Place on tray, refrigerate dough for 1 hrs.
4. Preheat oven to 160°C/ 140°C fan-forced. Line oven trays with baking paper.
5. Cut dough into 5mm slices and place on trays, about 3cm apart. Press pistachio nuts gently on top of slices.
6. Bake for 15 mins or until a pale straw color. Stand biscuits on trays for 3 mins; transfer to wire racks to cool slightly. Dust warm biscuits with remaining icing sugar. Cool completely on wire racks.

Prep 20 mins (plus 1hr 10 mins refrigeration and cooling time)

Cook 15 mins per batch

Makes about 40

One bonus added recipe

Thai-style Brown Rice Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 – 6 bird’s eye chillies (cut finely)
• 1 ginger flower (shred finely)
• 4 stalks coriader (chopped finely)
• 4 kaffir lime leaves (shred finely)
• 3 stalks lemon grass (the white part sliced thinly)
• 500ml water
• 400g brown rice (wash and drain)
• Salt and freshly grated black pepper to taste

Dressing:

• 1 tbsp fine sugar
• 5 tbsps lime juice
• 500g toasted peanuts (pound coarsely)

Method:

1. Put brown rice and water into a rice cooker to cook.
2. Once rice is cooked, fluff it up and leave it to cool.
3. Mix dressing ingredients and mix it well.
4. To make the rice salad, mix dressing with rice and toss until well mixed. Then add lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, corriader, ginger flower and bird’s eye chillies.
5. Season with salt and freshly grated black pepper.
6. Sprinkle rice with some toasted peanuts and serve.

Serves 4 – 6 persons.

Enjoy! Cheers!