Have you ever wondered what you can cook in a thermal cooker? Here are 10 thermal cooker recipes that I’ve handpicked for you. Reduce your carbon footprint and cook in a more environmentally friendly way at the same time. 1. Thermal Cooker Chicken Congee | Souper Diaries For many Chinese, congee or porridge is the ultimate … Read more
This Chinese style chicken curry is one of my go-to meals when the craving for curry arises. I usually cook curries in my Happycall pot but it works equally as well in a thermal cooker with adjustments to the cooking time. This recipe is quite similar to my earlier quick and easy Chicken Potato Curry. The … Read more
It’s been a long time since I last cooked a beetroot soup. Unlike most other soups, this is one soup that my kids will not drink much of as they don’t like the earthy taste of beetroot (红菜头). The rich red color of the soup does not help either. “Why is the soup so red?”, … Read more
Slow cooking is easy and energy efficient with a thermal cooker. Whip up this homey chicken with potato stew in a tangy sauce with minimal hassle in under 30 minutes on a stovetop. Thereafter let the thermal cooker continue with the cooking process. There’s something very comforting about stews and braised dishes. It reminds me … Read more
Making stock is an important process in many types of cuisine. A Chinese chicken stock recipe commonly uses ginger and scallion as aromatics instead of the trio of celery, carrots and onions (sometimes even more) favored in a Western style stock. Without the distraction of too many aromatics, the resulting stock has a more intense … Read more
I can’t resist this steamed herbal chicken dish. It is a simple but delicious dish of marinated chicken wrapped and steamed with Chinese herbs. The result is tender and moist meat infused with a wonderful herbal aroma. The herbs used for this dish is similar to a Chinese herbal chicken soup. The most dominant herb … Read more
Chinese congee is the ultimate comfort food for many. A versatile food, it is a blank canvas where almost any ingredient can be added to create different flavours and textures. In this Chinese congee recipe, dried scallops are added to the rice porridge in a thermal cooker to create a rich, flavorful broth. Congee or … Read more
A ‘warming’ tea, red dates longan tea helps to nourish the blood, builds up qi and strengthen the spleen and stomach. Updated on: 20/3/18 In my mother’s family, this tea is always served on the first day of the Chinese New Year to our guests and also to ourselves. Growing up, I remember helping my … Read more
This simple dish of stir fry leeks with roast pork and tofu is utterly delicious, easy to cook and is one of my favourite home-cooked dishes. Leeks can also be paired with other vegetables, meat or seafood for a quick stir-fry. Leeks are a common vegetable but during Chinese New Year, they are considered auspicious … Read more
Chinese braised chicken with mushrooms is a delicious stew fragrant with the addition of dried shiitake mushrooms and umami gravy. A classic Chinese dish, this home style comfort food is one that regularly makes an appearance on my dinner table. Below are the ingredients used for this Braised Chicken with Mushrooms dish. Chicken-on-the-bone such as … Read more
In Chinese cuisine, steaming a fish is the best way to showcase the freshness of a fish. A classic and popular dish, this Cantonese style steamed fish is a fast and tasty way to prepare any type of white fleshed whole fish or fillet. It is a must-have dish for many families during the Chinese … Read more
Lo Han Chai, Chap Chye or Buddha’s Delight. Whichever name it is called, it is the same mixed vegetables stew traditionally cooked and eaten by many Chinese household on the first day of Chinese New Year. There’re many variations of this well loved vegetarian dish with some even adding meat and seafood. Growing up, my … Read more
Bitter gourd (also known as bitter melon, bitter gourd, bitter squash, or balsam-pear) is popular in Chinese cooking, as well as in many South East Asian countries. Sometimes, I’ll have a craving for this braised chicken with bitter gourd dish as it is so delicious especially when eaten with a bowl of steaming hot rice. … Read more
A dish of Hakka origins, stuffed bitter gourd is also loved by other dialect groups. This stuffed bitter melon recipe has become a favourite of mine and it reminds me very much of yong tau foo where bitter gourd slices are also stuffed but with fish paste instead of meat. A nutritionally rich vegetable-fruit, bitter … Read more
Yogurt is one of my favorite healthy snacks. Did you know that it is so easy to make your own yogurt? It is also more cost-efficient and you’d be using less plastic compared to store-bought yogurt. In this post, I will show you how to make yogurt at home with a thermal cooker. Recently, I … Read more
Learn how to use a thermal cooker to cook a light and tasty soup with this Chinese sweet corn soup recipe. A delicious everyday soup. This simple and delicious soup is naturally sweetened by the sweet corn, dried honey dates, ikan bilis (dried anchovies) and pork ribs. It makes a great one-dish meal and I … Read more
It was only in my adult years that I began to appreciate the taste of kailan. Kailan (Chinese broccoli) has a slightly bitter taste and as a child, I avoided eating anything that was remotely bitter. Now that I’ve grown to like it, stir fried kailan with oyster sauce is a regular dish on my … Read more
Juicy and tender steamed pork spare ribs in black beans sauce. A classic dim sum dish delicious on its own or with rice. A must try! I recall with fondness, memories of my late mother and I eating at dim sum restaurants whenever I visited her in Ipoh. It was always an exciting time, especially … Read more
Steamed Three Color Eggs – a home-style Chinese dish made with 3 different types of eggs: hen’s egg, century egg and salted egg. Salted Eggs and Its Many Uses Shown below are the century egg and salted duck egg. The egg covered with salted charcoal paste on the left is the salted egg. They are … Read more
I’ve always enjoyed the texture of black fungus and try to incorporate this ingredient into my cooking whenever possible. Paired with chicken and dried lily buds and steamed, it produces a comforting and textural dish. This steamed chicken with black fungus and dried lily buds is not only delicious but also healthy as well. What … Read more
After all the rich and decadent dishes during the Lunar New Year which just ended a few days ago, I thought it would be good to return to something simple and uncomplicated. Stir fry pork with salted vegetables is one of those dishes that I eat from time to time and it’s so easy to … Read more
Braised shiitake mushrooms with broccoli is easily one of my favourite mushroom dish. Very tasty and healthy, these braised shiitake mushrooms have a rich, smoky flavor and they are high in vitamins and minerals like copper, selenium, zinc, manganese, choline, vitamin B6, B3, D and many more. When buying dried shiitake mushrooms, get the thicker … Read more
Steamed pork with salted fish is a family favourite for me and I’m sure for many Chinese families too. It is a familiar dish for many of us who grew up eating it. The star ingredient here is the salted fish as that’s what gives this dish its unmistakable flavor and fragrance. Although it’s a … Read more
Steamed fish is one of my favorite dishes as it is healthy, delicious and so easy to make. One of them is this Teochew Steamed Fish. The sour, savory and spicy flavors from the broth is what makes this dish extremely appetizing and addictive. I first tried Teochew steamed fish many years ago in a … Read more
One of the dishes that I craved for when I moved to Singapore many years ago is this dish called Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork Belly in Soy Sauce). My mother used to cook this dish at home quite often so it is a dish that is very close to my heart. Translated literally, Tau … Read more
Learn how to steam smooth and silky eggs with this step-by-step easy Chinese Steamed Egg Recipe. I’ve always loved steamed eggs since I was little. Plain steamed eggs, eggs steamed with meat or with savory or spicy toppings – I enjoyed them all. What I love most about them is the melt-in-your-mouth silken texture. A … Read more
ABC Soup is often cooked with either pork ribs or chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, onions and sometimes celery. It is a nourishing soup that many Chinese children have grown up with and is one of my family’s favourite soup. You may wonder why this soup is called ABC Soup. ABC soup sounds like it contains … Read more