Tomato and tofu soup

This is another super easy soup to prepare. You can sprinkle some chopped parsley or spring onions to add taste and improve the presentation

Ingredients

1 tomato

1 pack soft tofu

1 chicken stock cube

Wash and cut the tomato into wedges

Cut the tofu into bite size pieces

Prepare the soup and put in the tomato and tofu

Season with salt and pepper

Dish up and serve

Air fried dried anchovies (Ikan bilis in Malay) 鳀科

In South East Asian cuisine, we tend to use dried anchovies rather than the pickled ones. They are normally fried in oil until crispy and can be served as it is or cooked with sambal, as a garnish or stir fried with vegetables or used in soup. It is fantastic cooked with peanuts and chilli and eaten with beer. It can be ground into powder and added to children’s porridge.

Anchovies are small, common forage fishes which are full of nutrients such as iron, omega-3 fatty acids and calcium (present in the bones). It is ideal for people who are lactose intolerant.  

Ingredients

It is best to use medium to big sized anchovies as small ones will fall through the basket. Remove the heads and intestines otherwise the anchovies will be bitter.

Dried anchovies are very salty therefore soak them for about 5 mins and rinse thoroughly to reduce the salt content.

Drain off the excess water

Spread out on absorbent paper and pat dry.

If you like, add a little to the anchovies but I prefer it without the oil

Set the air fryer to cook for 6 mins. Give it 1 min to heat up the fryer so that the food will not stick to the basket.

Put in the anchovies and start the cooking process.

Give it a couple of shakes every couple of mins to ensure that the anchovies are evenly browned

Transfer to an air tight container for use later. Let it cool down before covering it.