In Singapore, Fishball noodles is a local favourite. They are served dry or in soup, with a variety of noodles to choose from.

We can make this in our kitchen, it is quite simple to put together. Blanched kway teow is toss with shallot/garlic oil, soy sauce and oyster sauce; with a spoonful of dried shrimp chiili on the side. Served with a bowl of fishball soup.

The clear soup, which comes with fishballs, slices of lean pork and pea shoots gets a boost of flavour from the garlic oil and fried garlic. The fishballs are big and bouncy and have a nice bite.

Chee Cheong Fun or Steamed Rice Rolls are commonly served for breakfast or as a snack.

There are many types of Chee Cheong Fun. One is the Hong Kong / Dim Sum style, which is filled with char siew, prawns or youtiao. The other is the plain version, served with garlic oil, soy sauce, a sprinkle of roasted sesame seeds and a dollop of red or brown sweet sauce. And other variations in between.

Good Chee Cheong Fun should be soft, smooth, silky and glide down your throat.

This Cheong Fun are ready-made, they are available in markets or supermarkets. I steamed the rice rolls in a double boiler till soft, cut into sections, then drizzle with garlic oil, soy sauce and a sprinkle of roasted sesame seeds.

The soy sauce and garlic oil make this Cheong Fun very fragrant. A small plate of sweet sauce is also served on the side for dipping.

This is a simple and fuss free breakfast option. Although not freshly made, this Cheong Fun is soft and silky. Assembled with the right amount of sauce, toppings and garnishes and they are turned into a lip-smacking breakfast or snack item.

If you need a break from the heavy food and treats of the holiday season, try this Chicken Soup Mee Sua.

Mee Sua, wheat vermicelli (面线) also known as longevity noodles (长寿面), symbolizes longevity. Hence, many Chinese eat Mee Sua on their birthdays.

Chicken Soup has acquired a reputation of being a remedy for common colds and influenza. It’s warm, soothing, nutritious, and satisfying. There really is nothing more comforting than homemade chicken soup, it just makes you feel good (心灵鸡汤).

This Chicken Soup is made entirely from scratch, using fresh chicken. The Mee Sua is toss in at the very end of the cooking as it takes only two to three minutes to cook.

The silky noodles will soak up the flavors of the chicken soup. I slurp up all the soup every time I have a bowl of this. This is my go-to dish for a light meal, I can eat this every day.

A simple breakfast – ham and egg with cinnamon toast and tomato salad.

After a long night of sleeping, our bodies need fuel to get us going. Breakfast provides us with the fuel for an active day.

I personally prefer a cup of coffee with my breakfast. Coffee complimenting breakfast provides me with a stimulating boost to kick start my day in a good mood.

When you have something for breakfast, you’re not going to be starving by lunch.

– Bruce Barton

When planning meal for a big group of people, one-pot meal can be your best friends.

Need a delicious, hearty meal that is healthy too? You really can’t go wrong with chicken stew.

This stew is made with chicken drums and thighs; with onions, broccoli and carrots and a bunch of selected herbs. Made in one-pot, but packed with tender chicken and vegetables and will keep everyone satisfied.

This is a “forgiving” sort of dish, you can substitute any kind of vegetables and herbs. You can serve this on it’s own, or with crusty bread or rice.

It is simply scrumptious.

Coleslaw is a salad consisting of shredded cabbage, carrots and salad dressing.

This coleslaw is crisp and refreshing, nicely balanced with just enough tang from the lemon juice added to the creamy dressing.

A classic, staple salad; a great side dish that goes with many dishes.

Stacked of pork ribs make a good alternative to chicken or beef.

Ribs come in slab, and a slab seems like too much for a few people, but bear in mind that more than half of that is bone. In general, one slab can feed about two people.

These ribs are slow cooked, which makes them so flavourful, tender and juicy. They are coated with an irresistible sweet and sticky sauce, the aroma and flavour of the glaze gives a delicious kick to the pork ribs.

Served with corn niblets, coleslaw and tomato salad, this dish creates a colourful feast.

They are definitely a crowd favourite.

Chinese meal typically consists of three dishes and one soup (三菜一汤) to go with rice. The three dishes normally include a meat dish, a fish dish and a vegetable dish. We believed that this provides a balanced diet.

The soup can be herbal soup (药膳汤)， double-boiled soup (炖汤) or just basic scald/boil vegetable soup (滚汤). These soups are drunk as much for their flavor as well as for health benefits.

Interestingly, the foundation of Japanese daily family meal also consists of one soup three dishes, they called Ichiju Sansai.

Cooking every day can be both challenging and tiring, and with only two to four people in the household. So for practical reason, I normally prepare two dishes with a soup or just two dishes every meal. However, I do ensure that these dishes include meat/fish and vegetable/soup. This way, we can still have a balanced meal.

These two dishes, Stir-fry String Beans with Chinese Sausages and Stir-fry Chicken with Ginger and Spring Onions are easy and quick to prepare. The umami/savoury taste of these dishes go perfectly with a bowl of steamed rice.

Home food – food that you truly miss from home.

A clean-tasting soup with a spicy taste, similar to the Teochew style Bak Kut Teh.

This is actually the regular Pig Organ soup but I prefer to call it Mixed Pork soup since I have omitted several types of pig organs.

On rainy days, it is especially comforting to have a bowl of this. Add a bowl of rice, and this will be a simple meal.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

In Singapore, standard local breakfast items include fried bee hoon, chee cheong fun, chwee kueh, porridge, nasi lemak and fried glutinous rice etc.

These are widely available in hawker centres and relatively inexpensive.

To most busy Singaporeans, morning is always a mad rush, getting the children ready for school and rushing to go to work. So more often than not; breakfast such as bread, cereals and pancakes are the usual breakfast food. These are quick, fuss free and easy to prepare.

But on days that we can afford a bit more time, why not sit down and have a traditional breakfast?