Pumpkin Rice

I love food. But I am also a health freak at the same time. In light of the growing percentage of obese people in Singapore and the world, it is important that we take back control of what we eat. And that is one major reason why I like to cook for people I love. It gives me great satisfaction to see them enjoying the food as well as provides me the peace of mind to know that they are eating well and not any rubbish at the food court. However, time is my greatest enemy. When you finish meeting at 6 or 7 in the evening, it is just impossible to cook. Since today is the start of a long weekend, here's what I have served for lunch.

Pumpkin is a great source of anti-oxident and beta carotene that can help prevent certain cancers as well as prevent degenerative illnesses. I have always loved the natural sweetness of pumpkin. No matter how it is cooked or prepared, it always tastes so good. More importantly, you don't need skills to choose a good pumpkin. As long as they are not rotten, they are good.

Here's a simple recipe for those interested:

Ingredients:

1/2 pumpkin (cut into cubes)

2 cloves of garlic

12 dried Japanese mushrooms (soak to soften)

mince chicken (season with sesame oil, oyster sauce and pepper for 1/2 hr)

dried silver fish

1 tablespoon of soy sauce as seasoning

1 cup brown rice

Steps:

1. Fry garlic with silver fish till they brown.

2. Add pumpkin, mushrooms and mince chicken.

3. As they cook, add in the rice and stir fry till aroma fills the kitchen.

4. Transfer everything into the rice cooker and add the usual amount of water needed to cook rice.

5. Wait for rice to be ready.

Voila! Isn't that simple enough! Sometimes, we just need to put in that little bit of effort to make our lives better. Remember, you are what you eat! Bon appetit!