Rainy Day Home-Cooked Lunch!
Stayed-in rainy day lunch: handmade flat noodle soup with prawns and bok choy, plus a tray of fried fish cake bites.
Rainy day, stayed in, cooked at home. Home-cooked lunch. 😋👍🏼
What was on the table:
- Two stainless steel bowls of handmade flat noodle soup: chewy thick noodles, peeled prawns, bok choy / xiao bai cai (bright green leafy), light pork-or-chicken broth, fried shallots scattered on top
- Tray of fried fish cake / fried meat bites: golden brown deep-fried bite-sized pieces, looks like store-bought frozen-pack fish balls or chicken bites that fry up quickly
- The home setup: stainless steel bowls (the practical home-cook serving), no fanfare plating, just food
The rainy-day stay-in cooking ritual is the Singapore weekend mood:
- Tropical rainstorms: sudden, heavy, last 30-90 minutes, make going out unappealing
- Pantry inventory cooking: use what’s in the fridge and freezer, no grocery run
- Comforting warm foods: soups, noodles, congees, the body’s response to the weather
- Two-pot or one-pot meals: minimal washing up after
- Stay-in cooking ratio is high: maybe 1 in 5 weekends actually involves rainy-day cooking
The handmade flat noodles in soup approach:
- Fresh handmade noodles (or pre-made bought) cut into wide flat sheets
- Boil in seasoned stock (pork bone, chicken, or ikan bilis based)
- Add quick-cooking proteins: prawns, fish balls, sliced pork
- Add quick-cooking greens: bok choy, xiao bai cai, choy sum
- Garnish: fried shallots, scallion, white pepper
- The whole thing in 15-20 minutes: weeknight-fast
The frozen fish cake / fried bites pack is the Singapore weeknight protein hack:
- Bought from the supermarket frozen section: usually $4-$8 a pack
- Pulled from freezer, pan-fried or air-fried without thawing
- Ready in 8-10 minutes: faster than poaching chicken
- Universal kid + adult appeal: dip in chilli sauce or eat plain
- Pairs with anything: rice, noodles, soup, salad
- The lazy-cook secret weapon: makes any meal feel more substantial
Why home cook on a rainy day:
- No queue: hawker centres get packed when it rains (everyone has the same idea)
- Hot fresh food: served immediately, no transit cooling
- Customisable spice / saltiness: tune to your mood
- Pajama dining: the comfort element
- Cost-efficient: $5-$10 of groceries makes 2 meals
- Quality time: cooking with BB or alone, both work
The Singapore home pantry essentials for stay-in cooking:
- Noodles: instant ramen, mee sua, kway teow, handmade frozen, the carb base
- Frozen protein: fish balls, fish cakes, chicken bites, gyoza, the protein backup
- Quick vegetables: bok choy, xiao bai cai, kang kong (the Asian leafy)
- Stock cubes / paste: chicken, prawn, mushroom (the flavour shortcut)
- Eggs: the universal upgrade for any dish
- Fried shallots in a jar: the magic finishing garnish
- Chilli sauces: sambal, sriracha, chilli oil (the spice options)
Overall: 4.5 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Solid rainy-day home cook. Sometimes the simplest noodle soup hits the mood right. Would re-cook.
