Blog Archives - Vanilla Palate

Gochujang Glazed Chicken, Butternut and Roasted Vegetable Traybake

by Diana Last updated May 2, 2021

Gochujang Glazed Chicken, Butternut and Roasted Vegetable Traybake

Gochujang is a red savoury sweet and spicy fermented chili paste that is used in Korean cooking. It’s made from glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, red chili pepper flakes, and salt. It’s pretty domineering and a small amount add intense flavour to your dish. Gochujang offers an umami note and heat to your plate. To elevate...

Sriracha Oven Baked Chicken Strips

by Diana Last updated Jun 1, 2020

If you love crispy chicken strips, you will love this sriracha oven baked recipe. Nothing beats a crispy and crunchy chicken strips marinated with a little bit of the glorious sriracha hot sauce. You have the option to oven bake or fry the chicken. I like baking it. It’s easy and healthier for you too....

Chicken & Vegetables Broth with Pasta

by Diana Last updated May 31, 2020

Quick and easy rarely relates to good food but in this case it doesn’t apply. As the weather cools down drastically, it’s time to grow your heartwarming bank of comfort meals. This recipe is a super easy turbo charged meal to add to your repertoire. It is quick, balanced, healthy, power packed with flavours and...

Basil Chili Chicken Stir Fry

by Diana Last updated May 24, 2020

Everyone needs a simple Thai inspired dish that can be whipped up within an hour. With the work from home situation, people tend to work more hours as there is no reason to say you’re outta of here to pick the kids, or you need to rush home to cook dinner for the family etc....

Sambal Belacan Kicap Manis Chicken

by Diana Last updated May 6, 2020

After having a really good ayam bakar for dinner last week I was determined to create my own version of it. I was looking through the pantry and was totally stoked when I found some sambal belacan! Nothing beats having fried chicken with sambal belacan rempah (spices). It is the ultimate power pack flavoured meal....

Succulent Roast Pork

by Diana Last updated May 3, 2020

There is nothing more indulging than having a succulent crackling roast pork. Biting into the crunchy crackling and super moist meat is the best roast pork combo. Most often that not, the crackling is crunchy but the meat ends up a little too dry. This perfect recipe from Sarah Tiong is the best roast pork...

Coconut & Turmeric Chicken

by Diana Last updated May 2, 2020

This South East Asia chicken is packed with flavour and is an easy hearty meal. Depending on your preference, you can have it as a grilled chicken or curry. Besides being packed with flavours, the star of the dish is the super food, turmeric. Turmeric is used in a lot of Asian and Mediterranean cooking...

Ginger Miso Noodle Broth with Sesame Oil Ginger Chicken

by Diana Last updated Apr 25, 2020

Ginger Miso Noodle Broth with Sesame Oil Ginger Chicken

It’s been a while now that I’ve cooked our Friday night dinners. I used to tell people that I can’t cook as I never needed to cook back home. I’ve always felt that I did not need to worry about domesticated stuff as my focus has always been my career growth. Plus why worry about...

Date Night Menu

by Diana Last updated Apr 19, 2020

Date nights are different these days with the current Covid 19 crisis. No more dressing up to head out for dinner. It’s either Uber Eats or DIY cooking (which I’m not complaining). So to spice things up and break the norm of the current situation I initiated a ‘home’ date night. The idea is to...

Homemade Kimchi

by Diana Last updated Apr 14, 2020

Kimchi, a staple food in Korean cuisine is made out of napa cabbage, radish, and Korean spices. Kimchi has numerous health benefits that I’ve categorised it as a superfood! Well here’s why it deserves a place in the superfood category. Benefits of kimchi. 1. It provides probiotics that promotes good digestion and regular bowel movement....

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

by Diana Last updated Mar 31, 2020

I was chatting with my best friend Jo yesterday while waiting for my partner to get home from work when it dawned on me I should pamper him with a hot meal. We already have some chicken that we were going to have for dinner but I thought why not have it with some aglio...

Steam Pork with Anchovies

by Diana Last updated Mar 31, 2020

Steam pork with anchovies is a modification of steam pork with salted fish. I substituted salted fish with anchovies and the result was as good if not better. The amount of anchovies used for this dish is really dependent on how much you love anchovies. In my case, anchovies are my best friend. This dish...

Soba & Sesame Delight

by Diana Last updated Mar 27, 2020

When it comes to noodles I always opt for soba. Soba noodles is a healthier option as it contains potent plant compound that has many health merits. This buckwheat noodle has been proven to benefit blood sugar, heart health and inflammation as well as cancer prevention. It is lighter in comparison to pasta and contains...

Dumpling & Chicken Broth

by Diana Last updated Feb 18, 2020

Everyone loves dumplings. I love dumplings right up till my trip to China in 2018 with my Uni mates. Given that they were westerners, they loved the idea of having dumplings 24/7. Eassily accessible and cheap in China, why not? I guess it was a pleasurable food experience for them but I got really tired...

Moderation is Key

by Diana Last updated Feb 6, 2020

Every day we are bombarded by new diet fads. No carbs, keto, Atkins, you name it! The craze today and taking up too much space on my Facebook feed is the Keto Diet. The diet that cuts sugar, carbs and encourage consumption of high-fat food. Sounds like heaven for some. Imagine consuming all the roast...

Investing in Personal Development

by Diana Last updated Jan 23, 2020

It’s been over a year since I completed my MBA and I secretly miss it. Strangely, I miss the adrenaline rush, the forced readings, group discussions and most of all I miss parking myself in the library. I do realise that I am sounding like a total nerd but the fulfilment and satisfaction I received...

Christmas Came Early

by Diana Last updated Dec 18, 2019

It’s starting to look and feel like Christmas. We had a lovely and relaxing weekend filled with food and drinks. We got to make up for being apart this Christmas and New Year so Christmas came early for us. We were recommended by friends to try out Yuri on the hills and after a year...

Redefining The Classic Three Veggie and One Meat Meal

by Diana Last updated Dec 9, 2019

Redefining The Classic Three Veggie and One Meat Meal

We took the three veggie and a meat to a different level today. Unlike your classic meal, we’ve jazzed up our version and had it all cooked on our Komodo Joe. To up the ante, we smoked our pumpkin for a more intensified flavour! Oh and we had four veggies as opposed to three (why...

Lazy Nabe

by Diana Last updated Dec 9, 2019

What is your top cuisine? Those who know me might easily guess this. Here is my top 3 favourite cuisine. 1. Korean 2. Japanese 3. Italian Over the last few weeks, I have been constantly thinking of kimchi. This happens throughout the day as if the kimchi is calling out for me. I’ve always loved kimchi with ramen...

Food Galore Weekend

by Diana Last updated Nov 25, 2019

Weekends are best spent with loved ones. We both love food and cooking. Last weekend was food galore for us! From burger joints to schnitzel house, French market, our local pub and finally some home cooking. Nothing beats winding up the weekend with a home cooked meal. We wrapped up the working week at Burger...