Expressing your love on Mother’s Day need not involve spending copious amount of money on sophisticated gifts. Surprise your mum with a simple home-cooked heart-healthy meal to show how much you care.

Here are two simple dishes I made, adapting from the recipes I learnt at the Tefal cooking workshop at Onaka Restaurant.

Recipe 1: Garlic Prawns on Toast
Serves 4

Ingredients:
- 20 nos. peeled prawns
- 4 slices of bread
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 sprig fresh curry leaves
- 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
- 2 tbsp red onion, coarsely chopped
- 1-2 tbsp of broccoli florets
- 1 cup sake (Japanese rice wine)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp soya sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste

In this recipe, I substituted lime leaves with curry leaves, white wine with sake, and added onion and broccoli while omitting chilli and dressings. I tend to make do with what I have available in the pantry, to reduce wastage and the chances of throwing away ingredients after a solitary teaspoonful.

I snipped off tiny florets from a broccoli for this recipe, which I can later use the remaining broccoli to cook up a comforting pot of creamy soup (check out my recipe here).

I still haven’t mastered the art of baking bread, so I made do with regular store-bought white bread, and used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to remove the centre of 4 slices of bread. Press the cookie cutter all the way down for neatly cut pieces. (It was only after my third attempt that I got it right, since I’ve never used a cookie cutter before! My first two unsuccessful pieces had jagged edges. Still edible.) The remaining borders need not go to waste (scroll down to see what I did with them).

For a healthy meal that everyone in the family can enjoy, choose the right ingredients (olive oil, fresh herbs) and the right cooking method (opt for techniques such as stir-frying as opposed to deep-frying).

Using a good quality pan is also vital for optimal results. I’m using the Tefal Comfort Touch pans in this post, which I highly recommend for its effective non-stick surface and reliable long-lasting quality.

Method:

1. Heat up Tefal Comfort Touch Frypan, add olive oil, sauté the onion till translucent.
2. Add in rosemary, curry leaves and garlic and sauté till aromatic.

3. Add in prawns and sauté. You can add in soya sauce at this point.
4. Add sake and let it evaporate.
5. Season with a pinch of salt to taste, and preferably freshly ground coarse black pepper for the finishing touch.

6. Lightly toast the heart-shaped bread on a pan, lightly greased if you’d prefer more crisp.
7. Plate prawns on toasts and spoon over with the aromatic sautéed particles in the pan.

Recipe 2: Flat Udon with Sautéed Mushrooms
Serves 4

Ingredients:

- 1 packet Shimeji mushrooms
- 1 packet Shitake mushrooms
- 1 packet flat Udon (approx. 360g)
- 20ml mirin
- 250ml chicken stock
- 1 garlic, finely chopped
- 1-2 onions, coarsely chopped
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt (to taste)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- A drizzle of truffle oil
- Nori for garnishing

In this recipe, I used flat udon noodles instead of the intended soba. It was negligence on my part that I did not double-check my ingredients before starting to cook. I panicked at the very last minute when I couldn’t find the packet of soba that I thought I had. It was a beautiful blunder nevertheless. Udon has a more starchy nature as compared to soba, absorbing a lot of that flavourful stock. If you prefer a more al dente bite, soba would be the recommended option. Both the Udon and Mirin are bought from Daiso, at an affordable price of just $2 each!

I like the aroma of sautéed onion and garlic, so in this recipe, I sautéed the mushrooms with the aromatics. Also, to make things less complicated, I used chicken stock instead of dashi.

Method:

1. Blanch Udon in boiling water according to package.
2. Heat up Tefal Comfort Touch Saute-pan and add olive oil.
3. Sauté onion till translucent before adding garlic. Stir continuously in medium heat to prevent garlic from burning.
4. Add in mushrooms and sauté.
5. Add a pinch of salt at this point. Do not over salt it as you can add more in the later part.
6. Add mirin, followed by dashi. Bring to boil.
7. Sauté the cooked Udon in the reduced stock.
8. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Plate and garnish with nori, and finish with a drizzle of truffle oil.

Last but not least, to make use of the remaining bread borders from Recipe 1, heat up and lightly grease the Tefal Comfort Touch Frypan, and pop the bread in, 1 to 2 slices at a time. Do not overcrowd the pan. Allow one side of the bread to lightly brown before flipping. Upon flipping, crack an egg into the middle portion. Cook at medium heat till the egg whites turn opaque while the yolks are still runny. Finally, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper for the finishing touch.

The toast slides off the pan with ease, thanks to the non-stick surface of my Tefal Comfort Touch Frypan.

Hope you enjoyed my post!

Here’s wishing all noble mums out there a Happy Mother’s Day.