Easy Cooking Talk - Yamie Ready-to-Cook Premix Rice

As much as I love to meal-prep, sometimes it can be a real chore to wake up earlier just to meal-prep since I do not like to prep my meals the night before if given the choice. I prefer my meals as fresh and warm as possible so I always make the effort to wake up earlier to prep my meals on days I don’t have early morning sessions.

Being a true Indonesian I can really survive just eating rice for every main meal (HAHA). Even though I try not to anymore, especially after 8pm everyday, one of the main source of carbohydrates that I find super difficult to resist is RICE, even more difficult would be FLAVORED RICE! :P

Yamie Rice & Gan Hup Lee

A product of homegrown integrated rice company, Gan Hup Lee (1999) Pte Ltd, Yamie Ready-to-Cook Premix Rice consists of Thai Jasmine rice blended with many flavorful ingredients to give it an authentic taste. Preparation is hassle free – simply add water, cook and serve. What’s more, the product range features wholesome ingredients and enhanced taste, turning a good meal into a great meal.

The awesome folks at Gan Hup Lee sent us a couple of Yamie Rice Ready-to-Cook Premix Rice and I could not wait to try cooking them! Yamie Rice comes in 7 truly delectable flavors: Claypot Rice, Chicken Rice, Yam Rice, Nasi Bryani, Sambal Rice, Black Pepper Rice and Chicken Flavoured Porridge.

Photo credit: Misstamchiak

Each box comes with a packet of rice and flavored ingredients depending on the different flavors. The Claypot rice flavor consists of some dried mushrooms in a smaller packet for enhanced flavor.

I will usually add some chicken breast in for more protein content.

So basically, all you need is 3 simple steps!

Truly suited to Singaporean’s taste buds, Yamie Ready-to-Cook Premix Rice is Halal certified and NO Preservatives 
NO added MSG 
NO Artificial Colourings 
NO Trans fat!

This was the outcome of my version of the Yamie Rice Ready-to-Cook Premix Rice with added marinated chicken breast meat! I added spring onions and chilli padi for more flavor and J loves it so much too! :D

Yamie Rice Ready-to-Cook Premix Rice can be found at major supermarkets like Fairprice Xtra, Fairprice Finest, selected Fairprice supermarkets, Giant Hypermarts and selected Sheng Siong supermarkets and feel free to visit www.yamierice.com or www.facebook.com/yamierice to get more ideas/receipes!

Yamie Rice Cook off!

Together with Maureen (Misstamchiak), Pheobe (Thefoodchapter) and Kelvin (Cheekiemonkies), I was invited to my first-ever Cook off!

We were asked to pick a mystery box, each containing a different flavor and it happened to be the first flavor that I tried cooking at home and also J’s favourite! CLAYPOT RICE! It was really awkward for me to speak in front of the camera but thank God for Maureen who was such a natural! Here are some of the behind-the-scenes photos from the cookoff which we had so much fun with! :D

Prepping my chicken breast meat

Posing while waiting for my final product!

And tadah, my claypot chicken rice is ready!

This the part that got me most awkward! :P

And finally, the Yamie Rice Cook off video!

Yamie Rice is having a Facebook contest that you should participate! Instructions are very simple and as follows:

My Favourite Blogger Cook Off Recipe Voting Contest

• Simply fill in your personal details here (https://goo.gl/4Q4cl0), vote for your favorite blogger cook off recipe and submit your entry latest by 15 October 2015 @ 12pm.
• Lucky winners will be drawn from the pool of the voters of the blogger cook off recipe with the highest votes.
• Total 10 winners will walk away with $30.00 Hans cafe dining voucher.
• Winners list will be announced on 16 October 2015 at Yamie Rice Facebook Page. Follow us to get the latest updates of promotion & Facebook campaign.
• Winners will be contacted via phone call and cafe dining voucher will be mailed out to the winners. • Lucky draw result is final and no correspondence will be entertained.
• Prizes are not transferable or exchange for cash.
• Yamie reserve the right to amend and add in any terms and conditions without prior notice.

Good luck and have fun cooking! :P

Eye Talk – My ReLEx ®SMILE Vision Correction Surgery

I started wearing glasses since I was in Primary 2 at 8 years old and since then, my glasses had been my best friend. At the age of 15, I was finally being given the chance to wear contact lens and that became my second best friend until the recent years, when my trusty contact lens started to fail on me. My eyes started getting irritated very easily and I could not wear contact lens for more than 5 hours and by the 4th hour, my eyes would have gotten red and irritated. I was only wearing my contact lens for events, shoots and important functions. Daily, I would be wearing my glasses even when I worked and worked out. At night, I would sometimes be woken up by irritation on both eyes and both hands rubbing both eyes, not being able to even open my eyes after all the rubbing.

I was also stuck with the regular contact lens because of my high degree of astigmatism by the time I started wearing contact lens. I could not use any form of coloured and fancy contact lens too.

Love at FIRST SIGHT (in the mornings) 

I relied so much on my glasses than anything else. First thing I reached for in the morning was my glasses. I wore glasses to work and worked out uncomfortably and inconveniently in my glasses. Even the nicest and most expensive glasses were uncomfortable for me, I wanted out of this love-hate relationship.

I then dreamt of getting a set of perfect eyesight as I heard about the wonders of getting LASIK done, from many friends. I came up with pros and cons of investing this huge amount of money to get my eyesight fixed (almost) permanently. I started doing research and reading up the pros and cons of LASIK VS glasses. Of course, the ‘pros’ won hands down because LASIK is a ‘one-time-cost’ solution to clear vision as compared to the lifetime cost of relying on glasses or contact lens.

I heard about LASIK and even though my friends all encouraged to go ahead with it, I was still skeptical because of the cutting of flaps and flap complications, etc. Until I was introduced to the new ReLEx ® SMILE procedure, that was when I decided I should just give it a go!

What is ReLEx ® SMILE?

ReLEx ® SMILE stands for – Refractive Lenticule Extraction, Small Incision Lenticule Extraction. 

As compared to LASIK, ReLEx ® SMILE, doesn’t create a flap – instead, the laser creates a refractive lenticule (a thin lens shaped cornea tissue) in your eye and a 2mm to 4mm incision is being made and the surgeon then removes the lens. Your cornea’s integrity is maintained, and since it is less invasive, it also means you heal faster than a flap would, and there’s less risk of the flap dislodging as well. Dryness may be less too.

Watch the procedure here:

Pre-evaluation tests & Consultation Day

I quickly wanted to get the pre-evaluation done (was actually more worried about whether I will pass the tests). There are only two eye centres in Singapore that has the ReLEx smile procedure available. I managed to schedule the earliest appointment at this Lasik clinic in Paragon level 13. I was told to lay off contact lens for at least 3 full days (I did for a week just to be safe).

When I arrived at the clinic, bright and chirpy nurses and staff at the front counter greeted me. They were so helpful and cheery I almost forgot what I was there for and felt so at ease. I was told to fill up some forms and an optometrist took over from the counter and briefed me on the pre-refractive surgery evaluation procedure.

The evaluation process took about two hours, which includes a consultation with the doctor.

The pre-refractive evaluation compromises of a series of test to scan from the front to the back of my eyes. From evaluating my prescription to assessing my eye pressure. The tests also picks up imperfections, analyses & measure my cornea thickness.

And finally, the optometrist brought me in to see the doctor for the final confirmation! The doctor told me I was eligible for any form of surgery, both LASIK and ReLEx ® SMILE. I was super relieved!

Surgery Day

J and I scheduled the same day of surgery and so we were there first appointment in the morning. We had some waiting time so we went ahead and helped ourselves with some biscuits and MILO. :P 

YAY to last time (in a long time) without glasses!

Amidst all that excitement and nervousness, the nurse gave me a briefing on the post surgery procedure when I get home.

The nurse applied numbing eye drops just before I was ushered into the surgery room and before I knew it, the surgery was over within 15 minutes (which includes a quick post-surgery check by the doctor/surgeon). I went straight home after the surgery. I felt no pain at all, just discomfort and involuntary tearing throughout my ride home. As soon as I got home, I went straight for the bed and rested for 3 hours. Right after 3 hours, the discomfort was completely gone and my eyesight was already super clear, it was like a miracle!

1st Post surgery review – next day

Our first post surgery review was the next day and VOILA, the optometrist checked that my eyesight was already 6/6 and the doctor also gave the go-ahead to do whatever I want, except swimming! I could literally feel myself jumping! :P

2nd Post surgery review – 2 weeks later

This was right after I completed the 2 weeks course of antibiotics. The doctor checked that my eyes were still 6/6 and gave the consent to do WHATEVER I WANT such as swimming! :D

It’s been almost 4 months since my surgery and I still am very thankful that ReLEx ® SMILE totally changed my life! I was still trying to get used to the fact that I do not need glasses anymore and waking up in the morning was such a breeze! I must say, that this was one of the best decisions and investment ever (the other is braces)!