Lunch Recipes

Rice

This recipe is as easy as A, B, C for those owning a rice cooker. If you don't fall in
the mentioned category, have no fear. You can still enjoy steaming hot rice.

Ingredients

1 cup of rice (for 1-2 people)

Cooked with a rice cooker
Steps:

1. Use the cup that comes with the rice cooker and take exactly 1 cup of rice.
2. Wash the rice.
3. Put the clean rice in the rice cooker.
4. Add in 4 cups of water.
5. On the rice cooker. After approx. 10 minutes the rice cooker with automatically turn off.

The rice is done.

Cooked without a rice cooker
Steps:

1. Boil water in a shallow pot.
2. Wash rice and put it in the pot.
3. Heat until boiling
4. Give the rice one good stir, cover the pot and let it cook on low heat for 15 minutes.
5. After 15 minutes, check the rice. It's done when tender. If it's still a bit hard, cover and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes.

Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables

What's the most fun a novice cook can have in the kitchen? Stir-fry is the answer.
It's quick and easy. Plus, you can add in any kind of vegetables until your heart's content.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
6 dried black mushrooms, softened and sliced
200g cauliflower, cut into bite-size bunches
200g broccoli, cut into bite-size bunches
1 large carrot, cut into thin sliced
1/2 cup canned straw mushrooms
1/2 cup canned small baby corn
1/4 cup fresh snow peas, sliced

Sauce:

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Thickener:

2 tablespoons cornstarch starch
2 tablespoons water

Steps:

1. Have all vegetables prepared and ready to go into the wok.
2. Combine sauce ingredients - chicken broth, soy sauce, salt and sugar - in a medium bowl.
3. In a cup, mix the cornstarch starch and water.
4. Heat your wok on high heat.
5. Add 2 tablespoons oil, garlic and black mushrooms, and fry briefly. Do not burn garlic.
6. Add and stir the cauliflower, broccoli and carrot pieces in your wok for 10 to 20 seconds.
7. Splash with 2 tablespoons cold water to produce steam and help the cooking process.
8. Repeat if necessary. Continue stir-frying until about half cooked.
9. Add all the other vegetables and stir-fry for approximately 60 seconds.
10. Add the sauce ingredients and mix gently until liquid comes to a boil.
11. Add the cornstarch paste to the boiling sauce at the bottom of the wok and stir gently until sauce starts to thicken. Mix to coat all the vegetables, serve hot and enjoy!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

This is another favourite Chinese dish that is simple to cook. Long preparation though.

Ingredients:

600g bone chicken -cut into bite size
1 tea spoon salt
1/2 tea spoon pepper
Oil for deep-fryin
1 onion--cut into slices
1/4 cucumber - cut into 4 long strips;remove soft centre and cut into big cubes
1 tomato--cut into wedges
1 red chilly--seed and slice
1/2 red capsicum--cut into cubes
2 stalks spring onions

For sauce, combine:

1 table spoon tomato sauce
1 table spoon light soy sauce
1/2 table spoon chilli sauce
1 table spoon lemon juice
1/2 table spoon sugar or to taste
1/4 table spoon pepper
1/2 tea spoon sesame oil
1 tea spoon chicken stock granules
1 cup stock

For thickening, mix:

1 tea spoon corn flour
1 table spoon water

Steps:

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Deep-fry the chicken until just cooked. Drain and place on a serving dish.
3. Heat 3 tbsp oil in wok and stir-fry onion until transparent. Add cucumber,
   pineapple, capsicum, tomato, chillies and spring onion and stir briskly for 1 minute.
4. Pour in combined sauce ingredients. When it begins to boil, add thickening
   then pour sauce over chicken.