If the past two months of the ‘Circuit Breaker’ period have taught me something, it will be the fact that almost every dish imaginable can be done in our kitchens. All it takes is some courage and more importantly time and effort—the two luxuries that many of us don’t seem to enjoy.
Despite the honour of having free culinary lessons from local and international chefs and numerous online recipes to follow, it all boils down the fastidious preparations and dreadful need to wash up that will deter our spirits in an instant.
Whether you are merely feeling a tad bit lazy or struggle even to fry a sunny-side-up, we’ve got the perfect solution for you. Enjoy the pleasures of cooking without having to make urgent grocery runs or cry your eyes out chopping onions with DIY meal kits.
Delivered to your doorsteps, these meal kits not only contain fresh ingredients and condiments, they are completed with step-by-step instructions specially curated by professional chefs to guide you through your cooking process. From a plate of pasta to a decadent cut of steak, here are 10 easy-to-follow meal kits to get you started on our culinary journey!
1. Pasta Bar
Been spoiling yourself with freshly made pasta from eateries such as Pasta Bar and Bar Cicheti? Then you will know what I mean when I say that there’s no going back once you’ve tasted the real deal. If pre-packaged pasta can no longer satisfy your pasta cravings, Pasta Bar has got your back!
Pasta Bar’s Fresh Cook At Home Pasta Kits provides an option of three freshly made noodles—Hand-Cut Tagliatelle (S$42), Fresh Tagliolini (S$42), and Fresh Rigatoni (S$40). The kit also includes your choice of sauces ranging from tomato-based San Marzano Tomato & Basil and 24-hour Beef Ragu to the spicy Arrabbiata.
Kitchen adventurers can also challenge yourselves to Pasta Bar’s Pasta Pro Kits. Available in two flavours—Carbonara (S$65) and Cacio E Pepe (S$60)—these pro kits will surely be a ton of fun to experiment with especially since you will be able to roll and cut your pasta according to your preference!
Pasta Bar: 55 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089158 | Tel: +65 6222 0627 | Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (Daily) | Facebook | Instagram | Website
2. Prepped
With the mission to do all the heavy lifting in the kitchen and leave the joy of cooking to the consumers, Prepped is a meal kit service created not only to help save time in the kitchen but also cut down on the problem of food wastage.
As part of a nuclear family myself, I sometimes face the problem of not being able to find groceries sold in smaller quantities. As a result, fresh produce often goes bad faster than expected. Like me, if you are facing such problems, Prepped might just be the right solution as they offer meal kit services with no lock-ins or subscription required.
All that needs to be done is to choose from their curated list of recipes featuring of our local childhood favourites to popular zi char styled dishes and you are be good to go. Since all the ingredients delivered have been washed, portioned and chopped according to the recipe, you will just require your cooking utensils and basic condiments like salt and pepper to cook up a feast fit for a king!
Graded by effort, first-timers in the kitchen can start off comfortably with their easiest option and slowly work your way up as your culinary skills improve. The best part of Prepped’s meal kit is the fact that all the ingredients (down to the chopped onions and garlic) are vacuum packed and labelled with numbers corresponding to the steps on their recipe, making it more convenient and absolutely fuss-free.
Prepped: 6A Shenton Way, OUE Downtown Gallery, #03-02, Singapore 068809 | Opening Hours: 11am – 8pm (Mon to Fri), Closed on Sat & Sun | Facebook | Instagram | Website
3. Buona Terra
A contemporary, fine-dining Italian restaurant helmed by Chef Denis Lucchi, Buona Terra’s Home Cooking Series offers the restaurant’s housemade pasta and signature sauces in all its glory.
Intended to preserve the quality of fresh pasta, Buona Terra’s ready-to-cook pasta kit makes it easy and seamlessly convenient to prepare the restaurant’s speciality at home just before mealtimes. Freshly made daily in-house, the pasta kits are available in three variety (Tagliolini, Tagliatelle, and Pappardelle) and comes in a selection of sauces including Amatriciana (S$32), Al Pesto (S$32) and Crab and Fresh Sicilian Tomato (S$38).
Prepared and assembled upon order, each kit is packed with essential ingredients such as rock salt, olive oil and cheese to finish the dish. In any step of the way if you encounter a hiccup, worry not as Chef Denis will be at your rescue with his engaging demonstration clips!
Buona Terra: 29 Scotts Road, Singapore 228224 | Tel: +65 6733 0209 | Opening Hours: 12pm – 2.30pm & 6.30pm – 10.30pm (Mon to Sat), Closed on Sun | Facebook | Instagram | Website
4. Open Farm Community
Setting itself apart from other cafes and eateries with its delectable seasonal fare that is boldly creative, many of us visit Open Farm Community not only for their exceptional dishes but also for the restaurant’s carefree ambience.
Since we won’t be able to visit Open Farm Community anytime until 19 June 2020, we can still enjoy their mouth-watering dishes and even attempt to re-create them at home! Their Mushroom Pasta Kit (S$32) and Bolo Pasta Kit (S$32) aside, what caught my attention was, in fact, their DIY Sando Kit (S$32)!
A perfect lunch option that feeds two, Open Farm Community’s DIY Sando Kit allows you to make your very own bakkwa BLT sandwich that is both hearty and satisfying! Each DIY Sando Kit comes with a loaf of freshly baked focaccia bread, vacuum-packed bakkwa, a variety of fresh seasonal produce and condiments to complete your sando creation.
A twist on the traditional bakwa we enjoy especially during Chinese New Year, Open Farm Community’s take on their bakkwa BLT sandwich is a taste seemingly familiar yet intriguing at the same time!
Open Farm Community: 130E Minden Road, Singapore 248819 | Tel: +65 6471 0306 | Opening Hours: 11.30am – 9pm (Daily) | Facebook | Instagram | Website
5. Noka
Brought to us by Open Farm Community, Noka is a Japanese farm-to-table sustainable dining concept located in the newly refurbished Funan Mall. The restaurant supports local ecosystems, food security and promotes farm partners through the use of fresh ingredients sourced in Singapore.
Exquisite Japanese dishes beautifully plated with fresh herbs and edible flowers aside, Noka also offers two Do It Yourself Kits for diners to re-create fresh sushi and warm oden soup in their kitchens. Pre-cooked and vacuum-packed to ensure its freshness, Noka’s Oden (S$21.20) requires no cooking. All you need to do is pop your oden pack into a pot of boiling water and you will be able to savour the sweet and refreshing oden soup after just six minutes.
Have you ever dreamt of being a sushi chef after witnessing your plate of sushi being skilfully prepared within seconds in a sushi bar? Then let your wildest dream come true with the Hand-Roll Sushi Set for 2 (S$56.50). Featuring slices of fresh bluefin tuna, salmon, kanpachi, scallop, sweet shrimp and a variety of vegetables together with a bowl of Japanese rice, seaweed and condiments, let your fingers work to create a unique combination of hand-rolls according to your preference!
Do keep a lookout for Noka’s hand-written recipe card alongside their cute illustrations that comes with your order of their Do It Yourself Kits. In times like this, trust me, a hand-written card will somehow put a smile on your face and keep you going through the day.
Noka: 109 North Bridge Road, Funan Mall, #07-38, Singapore 179097 | Tel: +65 6877 4878 | Opening Hours: 11am – 9pm (Daily) | Facebook | Instagram | Website
6. Janice Wong/2am: dessertbar
If you are an aspiring home baker or even someone who love getting your hands dirty with flour and chocolate at your free time, Janice Wong is definitely not an unfamiliar name. Known for her out of the box creativity and unique concepts, Singapore’s very own Willy Wonka has not only launched her Bake At Home kits but also introduced her 2am:dessertbar At Home kits.
A baking concept providing bakers with all the ingredients required to bake from scratch, Janice Wong’s Bake At Home kits includes a series of premixes specially curated to cut down on complicated steps and down-to-the-decimal measurements.
Ranging from simple Madeleine (S$67.50) to Chocolate Truffles (S$63) and even a whole Green Tea Cake (S$54), each baking kit not only comes with the essential ingredients but also the moulds and garnishes required to make your bakes look exactly like one made by a professional!
If baking with premixes is not enough for you, then let your creative juices flow with Janice Wong’s 2am: dessertbar At Home kits. With each element of the dessert prepared upon delivery, you can learn dessert plating skills from the step-by-step video instructions guided by Janice Wong herself. For that extra bit of challenge, try making the dessert your own by plating just the way you want it to be and share your creation online to get your friends inspired as well!
Janice Wong Singapore: Refer to outlets here | Facebook | Instagram | Website
2am:dessertbar: 21a Lorong Liput, Singapore 277733 | Tel: +65 6291 9727 | Opening Hours: 3pm – 2am (Tues to Fri), 2pm – 2am (Sat & Sun), Closed on Mon | Facebook | Instagram | Website
7. Amò
Best enjoyed when it’s freshly cooked, chic Italian eatery and bar Amò by Michelin chef Beppe De Vito is bringing classic Italian fares to our kitchen with their “ItaliAmò” range of meal kits. Pasta aside, forgo commercial pizza deliveries and make pizza night a fun-filled one with Amò’s pizza kits.
A great cook-and-bond activity involving both the young and old in your family, Amò’s pizza kits are available in three flavours featuring distinct and unique base sauces such as the San Marzano DOP Tomato ($20), Pumpkin ($24) and Truffle Cream ($28).
Each kit comes complete with the restaurant’s famous slow-fermented dough, house-made base sauce, buffalo mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil, and flour. Let your culinary creativity run loose by jazzing up your pizza with your favourite ingredients laying in your fridges. If not, choose from Amò’s extensive list of add-ons (from S$2) that includes cured meats, vegetables and cheeses.
Cut the fuss of fermenting your own dough with Amò’s amazing pizza dough. A result of temperature-controlled leavening and aged mother starter cultivated in-house five years ago, Amò’s pizza dough is made using the finest Italian flour for maximum flavour and better digestibility. The result—light and fluffy pizza with air pockets and a crust with a lovely crackle!
Amò: 33 Hongkong Street, Singapore 059672 | Tel: +65 6723 7733 | Opening Hours: 11.30am – 2pm & 5.30pm – 9pm (Daily) | Facebook | Instagram | Website
8. Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford
With new recipes developed and switched up fortnightly, weekly meal planning is now a breeze made easy by the award-winning culinary team from both Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford.
Packed with fresh ingredients together with a recipe card as well as a complimentary side of Aquaponics Salad grown and harvested at the hotel’s very own aquaponics farm, Fairmont & Swissôtel Recipe Kits will leave you spoilt for choice with their variety of dishes ranging from Italian to Thai cuisine.
Despite the need to chop up some of the ingredients, it was still fairly easy for novice first-timers to follow as fancy knife skills are not required. The best part of these meal kits were the recipe cards that were so clear and concise, simplifying the entire cooking process for the creation of complex-looking dishes.
If you are planning to surprise Dad this Father’s Day by whipping up a storm but have no idea where to start, why not try out Fairmont & Swissôtel’s Father’s day Recipe Kits (from S$138). Both kits offered consist of ingredients for a three-course meal enough to feed up to four persons. After which, complement the meal and give yourself a treat with their selection of exclusive alcoholic beverages selected by their in-house sommelier.
Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford: 80 Bras Basah Road, Fairmont Singapore, Level 1, Prego, Singapore 189560 | Tel: +65 6431 6156 | Opening Hours: 7am – 10.30pm (Daily) | Facebook | Instagram | Website
9. boCHINche
Every once in a while, the carnivore in me will awaken, and I will crave for nothing else but a good cut of steak, seasoned purely with just salt and pepper. Steak, however, is probably one of the most difficult food to get delivered since many of us would prefer our slab of meat right out of the pan.
Thus, if you are planning to for a hearty plate of steak for dinner and have no idea where to get quality cuts of beef, look no further as boCHINche is here to solve your problem with their DIY sets.
With five Argentinian cuts of beef for you to choose from, you can now cook your steak to the doneness you desire right in your own kitchen! Every set of boCHINche DIY Kit (from S$35.40) comes complete with the restaurant’s special chimichurri sauce and a choice of Potato Gratin or Parmesan Asparagus for you to choose from.
Best paired with steak, you can also get a bottle of wine together with your choice of two DIY sets and enjoy a 15% discount off your total bill. What’s better, pick up your meal at boCHINche for an addition 10% off. That’s a total of 25% saving! What are you waiting for?
boCHINche: 115 Amoy Street, #01-02, Singapore 069935 | Tel: +65 6235 4990 | Opening Hours: 11.30am – 8.30pm (Daily) | Facebook | Instagram | Website
10. Bar Cicheti
We might not be able to busk in the cosy and warm ambience of Bar Cicheti, but fans of Chef Lim Yew Aun’s pasta dishes can now enjoy a variety of up to six different pasta with Bar Cicheti’s Fresh DIY Pasta Kits.
Not your common store-bought spaghetti or linguine, Bar Cicheti offers Tagliatelle (S$17),Pappardelle (S$21), and Casarecce (S$15) to pair with your choice of sauces such as Lamb Ragu with Porcine, Beef Bolognese and Basil Pesto.
The latest addition to their list is Bar Cicheti’s classic Pici Cacio E Pepe(S$17)—a simple pasta dish stripped down to just its basics, highlighting the beauty of the Sarawak black pepper, fresh marjoram and parmigiano-reggiano used.
With minimal ingredients coupled with clear instructions, each pasta kit is a fool-proof solution for anyone who seeks a quick meal fix any time of the day! Especially for all you Bar Cicheti fans, the eatery has also put together a list of songs to go with your plate of freshly cooked pasta on Spotify. So why not also give your ears a treat whilst savouring your pasta!
Bar Cicheti: 10 Jiak Chuan Road, Singapore 089264 | Tel: +65 6292 5012 | Opening Hours: 12pm – 9.30pm (Daily) | Facebook | Instagram | Website
