Planning a DIY Valentine’s Day dinner? Here are the gourmet hacks to look like a pro chef

DIY Valentine’s Day Hacks

Awesome possum pizzas: • Amò •

Spiffy steaks: • Bedrock Bar and Grill • Bochinche • Yakiniquest

Japanese joys: • Pipes by Hattendo • Shinsen Fresh Online Grocer

European elegance • Stellar at 1-Altitude • The White Rabbit

You have given 9,999 roses, gone on a sky-high dinner in a cable car and cruised the seas at sunset. Thinking of how to one-up all that for Valentine’s Day 2021? Roll up your sleeves and make dinner for your sweetheart. Nothing shouts deep love like a personally prepared meal. Relax, you don’t have to sear steak like Gordon Ramsey or make pastries like Janice Wong. We have rounded up the minimalist cooking kits and recipes to help the most hopeless cooks (no burning kitchens, promise).

Simply add the items to your cart and Oddle’s islandwide delivery service will make sure they land safely at your doorstep, just in time for that #stayhomeValentines. Get ready to sauté, sear and Salt Bae to your sweetheart’s stomach and heart!

1. Amò

Amò’s hearty and crispy doughs are legendary with pizza aficionados. Now, the restaurant has made it a breeze to create them at home too. The ItaliAmò pizza kits come with Amo’s signature slow-fermented dough to make a 12-inch pizza, a sauce of your choice and a whole dollop of buffalo mozzarella cheese.

Chef-owner Beppe de Vito recommends the San Marzano Tomato Pizza Kit ($21.40) for a luxe Valentine’s Day meal. “The house-made sauce made with the best DOP certified San Marzano tomatoes from Mount Vesuvius in Campania, Italy, is the perfect base for you to add other toppings, like sautéed mushrooms and salami available from our Pantry selection. Or feel free to raid the fridge to add any toppings to your heart’s desire.”

To really show off your cooking prowess, make panzerotti. It can’t be ordered from Amo’s menu, but its simple ingredients can. The warm and comforting deep-fried snack is typically found in southern Italy, and you only need three ingredients—slow-fermented dough ($8.35), fresh buffalo mozzarella ($6.45) and San Marzano tomato sauce ($4.05)—from Amo’s store. Buon appetito!

Panzerotti recipe:

1. Divide the dough into 12 balls and let it rest for an hour.
2. After the dough has been rested, roll each ball out into a 5-inch disc. Place one heap of tomato sauce and 2 tablespoons of mozzarella on one half of the disc, and fold the dough over the filling before sealing it by pressing down with your thumb.
3. In a deep skillet, pour enough oil to deep-fry. Heat the oil to 350°, and add one panzerotto at a time to fry, turning once until golden brown on both sides.
4. Remove each panzerotto from the oil and transfer to paper towels to drain before serving.

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2. Bedrock Bar & Grill

Get hot and heavy on the table … with an instant grill and steak kit from Bedrock Bar & Grill (what were you thinking of?) The Grill-It-Yourself Premium BBQ Meat Box ($99, serves 2) comes with an assortment of cuts such as wagyu striploin, dry-aged ribeye, jumbo king prawn and pasture-fed beef tenderloin. You can also get the bigger steak kit for four ($118), which includes two 300g premium ribeye steaks and two 200g ribeye steak burger patties, and stash away the extras in the freezer for another date night. Not sure how to grill the steaks? Fret not, there’s an instructional video.

3. Bochinche

Fan in South American aromas (oh the extent we’ll go to have a whiff of travel) with Argentinian restaurant Bochinche’s tender and naturally richly flavoured Argentinian steaks. Thinking whether to get a ribeye ($58.90 for 300g), sirloin ($53 for 300g) or fillet ($68.30 for 300g)?Bochinche’s head chef Fabrice Mergalet says, “Ribeye is fatty and juicy with a lot of flavours, while the sirloin is a more robust cut with a subtle flavour. A fillet is smooth and lean with good flavours and textures. I personally prefer the ribeye because it’s the most flavourful and fatty.”

Cooking steak is an art that requires much practice for mastery. For those who really want to give it a go, Chef Fabrice advises that the pan needs to be slightly oiled and very hot. He adds, “Only cook each side for two to three minutes and allow it to rest a bit before enjoying. We don’t really marinate the meats as they are already very flavourful on its own. We vacuum pack the meat with a bit of oil to conserve its condition during delivery.”

Don’t forget to add sides of Provencal chips ($11.80) and grilled brocollini ($22.40, chef’s choice!), and a moreish Catalan dessert of bunyols de vent (mini doughnuts) dipped in dulce de leche (sweetened milk). It’ll be heaven, we tell ya.

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4. Pipes by Hattendo

Lay out a Japanese spread with ready-to-cook items from Pipes by Hattendo that are super affordable too. Pan fry a grilled chicken ($6 for 200g), steam the signature Spanish pork belly ($10 for 150g) and Unagi Kabayaki ($15 for 230g), and add a couple of onsen eggs ($1 each). End off with Hattendo’s famous oozy cream buns, available in flavours like matcha and azuki beans.

5. Shinsen Fresh Online Grocer

Fresh ingredients and marinated produce are your secret weapons from Shinsen Fresh Online Grocer to create an impressive Valentine’s Day dinner. From a Japanese Forest Mushroom Cream Soup ($7.95 for 400ml) to Teriyaki Chicken Boneless Leg ($9.95) and Cajun Pre-marinated White Fish ($9.80), each item comes with detailed instructions on the best ways to cook them.

If you want to make the meal from scratch, Shinsen’s Chef Mori shares two easy recipes using their store ingredients to level up your Valentine’s Day dinner celebrations.

Ricotta Cheese & Spanish Ravioli

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Add in 2 packets of ricotta cheese and spinach ravioli and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally (the ravioli floats when it’s ready). Remove ravioli with a slotted spoon.
3. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add Japanese Napolitana sauce or Japanese konbu cream sauce. Stir and add salt if needed. Put in parsley or basil herbs if preferred.
4. Add sauce to ravioli and garnish with herbs and serve while hot.

Truffle Butter Aged Steak with Garlic Butter Mixed Mushrooms

Ingredients:
2 Truffle Butter Aged Steaks ($17 for 150g each)
Murakami Shitake Mushrooms – one portion ($7.30 for 110g)
Maitake Mushrooms – one portion ($12.80 for 120g)
Pink Oyster Mushrooms – one portion ($4.55 for 100g)
1 small onion (chopped)
Salt and pepper
Fresh parsley (for steak)
1 tablespoon fresh herbs or dried Italian seasoning (for mushrooms)

Method:
1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-low heat and add chopped onions (1 small onion) to cook until they are caramelised and tender.
2. In a separate large pan over high heat, melt 1 tbsp of butter until frothy and slightly brown. Season the steak with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Place the steaks in the large pan over high heat. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until preferred doneness (internal temperature should be 57°C for medium rare). Lower the heat and let the steak baste in its truffle butter for a golden brown crust.
4. Once done, top the steak with the caramelised onions along with the parsley as garnish.
5. While waiting for the steak to rest, melt 1 tablespoon Binchotan Garlic Butter in medium-large pan.
6. Add mushrooms and stir over medium heat for 10-12 minutes until tender.
7. Sprinkle mushrooms with herbs.
8. Serve the steak with mushrooms on the side.

6. Stellar at 1-Altitude

Instead of cooking on your own, rope in your partner for some culinary (fore)play. The chefs at Stellar at 1-Altitude have gone through great lengths to put together an easy peasy Fish On The Fire for 2 ($128) meal with instructions. The set includes a whole red snapper to be cooked a la minute, and served with baby gem lettuce with miso dressing and sunflower seeds, truffled charcoal onion mash and pickled spicy baby radish and cashew. Hopefully the only sparks that fly are of love and not ire.

7. The White Rabbit

Here’s another almost-done meal for you to wrap up easily at home. The White Rabbit has an elegant four-course At Home Experience ($138) with all the frills and thrills: a classic lobster bisque with lobster tortellinis and tarragon, roasted black truffle chicken, a Valrhona dark chocolate caramel tart. Spread a white cloth over the table, light a few tall candles and put on some jazz. It’ll feel as if you’re at the restaurant.

8. Yakiniquest

If only wagyu will do for your discerning half, then the search ends at Yakiniquest. The wagyu fine dining specialist offers a Grill-It-Yourself Yakiniku Meat Bundle ($139 for 2-3 pax) that comes with an assortment of meat cuts, a wagyu egg omelette and wagyu croquettes. Set up a table and two chairs at the balcony, throw a country-style gingham cloth over the table, and enjoy your outdoor grill to breezy sunset views.