Singapore's Wine & Dine magazine featured a neat little challenge in their January 08 issue - they invited 2 contestants, Paul Foster from The Food Bachelor and June Ng who runs the Lancome Beauty Institute, to adapt our Miso Cod recipe and make it their own. What a great idea!

Neither of them had seen the original recipe and were presented with a box of the ingredients. Mrs Ng ended up with something very similiar to our Miso Cod recipe (probably had it somewhere before!) and Paul did a great little adaptation. They were both super tasty, but we're going to feature Paul Foster's recipe so here it is, courtesy of Wine & Dine.

Thanks Jolene for the Mother shout out! Read the Wine & Dine article here.

Paul Foster's Pan Fried Cod with a Wasabi Cream Sauce $13.35 

Oh how I love a good soup!  When The Soup Spoon opened up in Singapore, I was so thrilled (and gutted because I'd wanted to open a soup kitchen as well) to finally be able to find soups-outside-of-the-can in Singapore.  But...there was still that little part of me that wished for a non-commercial, thick, chunky, homemade-y kind of soup. 

So we've made our own. 

Our soups are all crafted by our own fair hand using the bestest ingredients and stuff you would find in your own kitchen.  We only use vegetables to thicken our soups, no flour or cornflour or modified starch (whatever that is!)...so don't be alarmed if you have to give the soup a big old stir before you eat it because the chunkier vegetables have settled to the bottom.  Yes, these soups aren't typically Mother because they are ready-made but that's because we reckon you don't have the time to make them yourself.  Some of them take an entire afternoon to prepare because we roast our vegetables first to concentrate the flavours. 

Our "Cream of..." soups don't really use cream, just good honest milk which adds enough creaminess without overwhelming you with richness. We do sometimes add cream as a garnish but that's completely optional. 

We call our soups One Soup Wonders because they come in generous 500ml portions - great as a meal on it's own or for 2 as a starter.  They cost $8.50 for 500ml but some recipes may cost more because of the garnish.  If you don't fancy the additions, just uncheck the box before you checkout.

Most of the soups shown here are part of our 7 Days of Virtue Detox menu so if you did the detox and loved one of the soups, you can have them again! 

(from left to right)

Whitebean, Sun-kissed Tomato & Pesto  $9.25

Curried Pumpkin with Toasted Almonds & Crunchy Shallots   $9.50

Cream of Roasted Tomato with Chunky Ciabatta Croutons   $9.75 

Tuscan Bean & Oregano   $8.50 

Sweetcorn, Leek & Potato Chowder with Smoked Ham   $9.00

Mushroom Medley with Parsley & Sunflower Seed Croutons   $9.50

Broccoli & Cheddar  $9.25

Sweet Potato, Parsnip & Bacon with a red pepper swirl   $10.00 

Carrot & Coriander   $10.50 

Yin and yang. Hot and cold. Male and female. The philosophy of yin and yang lies at the heart of Chinese culture. Taken literally, yin and yang mean the dark side and sunny side of a hill. People commonly think of yin and yang as opposing forces. However, they are complementary pairs. We believe problems arise not when the two forces are battling, but when there is an imbalance between the two elements.

When it comes to food, the philosophy is the same. In Asia, you often hear about "heatiness" which is essentially too much yang energy in a food, causing heat and imbalance. I also believe that Dr D'Adamo's concept of eating right for your blood type is a Western interpretation of the necessity for harmony within your own body.

My digestion has always favoured steamed, soupy clear foods. I LOVE a good hearty steak, but unfortunately it doesn't agree with me and I only indulge occasionally. Whereas a chinese herbal steamed soup, or a poached fish just slips down, causing no indigestion or distress to my metabolism. It just feels right.

So here we have our Yin Yang Teriyaki Cod, an asian adaptation from Epicurious ' Fillet of Cod with Asparagus & Proscuitto. The cod perched on a bed of asparagus, glazed with our homemade citrus teriyaki and then wrapped in a parcel and baked en papillote, a method of cooking that essentially steams the fish in its own juices. Very Yin.

It's accompanied by a simple sesame & spring onion fried brown rice, a Yang method of cooking.

All the philosophy aside, it's also bloody good and takes less than 30mins to make.

Serving for 1 as a main $14.95             [go to recipe] 

Hurray it's the New Year!  All of us at Mother wish you the very, very best 2008 has to offer.  It's going to be a FANTABULOUS year, can't you just feel it? 

We believe that a new year means a new beginning, and it's a Chinese superstition that the way you start the year is pretty much the way it's going to be for other 364 days.  One of my personal New Year's resolutions is to eat healthier.  It's not so much about weight loss but about healthy insides!  So with that mind, we've tailored a special mealplan based on medically-endorsed nutrional principles to promote internal cleansing and boost energy levels after an indulgent holiday season.  What a great way to the start the year!