Ingredients:

• 145 g (about 1 cup) rice

• 6 cups water

• Salt, to taste

• Oil, to taste

• 150 g beef mince

• 35 g rice vermicelli

• Deep-fried peanuts

• Spring onion

Marinade:

• 1 egg white

• 3 tsp water

• 2tsp cornflour

• 2 tsp oil

• Salt, to taste

• Pepper, to taste

• Sesame oil, to taste

Preparation method

1. Rinse rice two to three times. Drain well. Mix with a little bit of oil and salt. Set aside for 20 minutes.

2. Use a large pot, bring 3 cups o water to boil. Add rice and stir to prevent from sticking to the bottom. When it boils again, reduce heat to medium and continue to cook for about 1 ½ hour, until the rice softens and the congee thickens.

3. Heat up one-third of a pot with oil medium heat. Put a tiny a bit of rice vermicelli to test the temperature of the oil. If the rice vermicelli floats immediately to the surface, the oil is ready. Deep the rice vermicelli until it turns fluffy, but not brown. Immediately drain out and place on kitchen towels to absorb the excess oil. Cool it completely.

4. Mix the beef with the marinade. Mix the rice vermicelli.

5. Put the marinated beef in the congee, or place at the bottom of individual serving bowls, then ladle the boiling congee over. Sprinkle some spring onions and fried peanuts.

Seared Salmon with Singapore Noodles

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp medium Madras curry powder

• ¼ tsp salt

• 1tsp sugar

• 4 salmon fillets 200g each

• 1 tbsp garlic oil

Ingredients for noodles:

• 250 g vermicelli rice noodles

• 50 g dried shrimp

• 125 ml Chinese cooking wine

• 1 tbsp garlic oil

• 100g finely sliced Chinese leaf

• 125g baby corn, sliced into thin rounds

• 2 spring onions, finely sliced

• 2 tsp medium Madras curry powder

• 1 tsp finely chopped ginger

• 250 ml chicken stock

• 50 ml tbsp soy sauce

• 150 g beanprouts

• 50ml chopped fresh coriander

Preparation method

1. Mix the curry powder, salt and sugar in a wide, shallow dish and dredge the salmon in this, turning the pieces all over in the rub.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan and cook the salmon fillets on a high heat for about 2-3 minutes a side, searing the sides of the fillets too if they are very thick.

3. Singapore Noodles: Put the rice noodles into a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave them to soak for 4 minutes and then drain them.

4. Soak the dried shrimp in the wine, then heat the oil in a wok and fry the Chinese leaf, baby corn and spring onions for a few minutes.

5. Add the curry powder and finely chopped ginger to the wok, and then the chicken stock and soy sauce. Pour in the shrimps with their wine, and drained, soaked noodles, tossing and shaking everything all together in the wok.

6. Finally, stir in the bean sprouts and give a final toss before turning out into a bowl and sprinkling with the coriander.

Chicken and Green Mango Thai Salad (serves as a starter)

If green mango is impossible to find, supermarkets often have mangoes that are unintentionally rock hard and perfect for a salad like this. Papaya can also be used and even pomelos, which are those large green grapefruit-like fruits.