The Adventures of Happy Call!

The latest cooking utensil craze to hit Singapore should be that of the Happy Call Double Sided Plan . Basically it is two flat pans that is pivotable at the top and allows you to cook stuffs that requires frying on both sides by simply turning over the pan. The two pans are closed (locked) together using a with a strong magnet at its handles and is sealed with a rubber tubing that goes around the circumference of the pan.

My wife and I managed to get one during a promotion sale at Isetan and had been enjoying cooking some tasty dishes on it. Below are some of the dishes we tried, as well as the recipe and short description on how to cook it.

1. Swiss Rösti

The traditional way to cook Swiss rösti is to flip it over once one side is cooked, like how they do it at Marché. I have tried it using a conventional pan but without much success. My flipping leaves half a mangled mess on the pan, and the other half on the stove. The Happy Call Pan is thus great for cooking Swiss rösti as you simply just have to turn over the pan once one side is done

You can make your own fresh Swiss rösti from raw potatoes (Google for the recipe) or you can buy one of those pre-made packed which are available at the supermarkets (I have seen them available at Cold Storage, Marketplace, Fairprice Finest and Fairprice). Just simply need to follow the cooking instructions on the back of the packaging. Each side takes about 7-8 mins to cook, and once one side is done, just flip the pan around and cook the other side.

Swiss Rösti

2. Steaks

You can get good quality steaks quite easily now with the growing number of quality butcheries being set up in neighborhood shops or shopping centers. One of these gourmet food suppliers, Culina have even partnered with Fairprice Finest to offer its quality meats at all Fairprice Finest branches across Singapore.

Cooking steaks using the Happy Call Pan not only allows you to cook both sides of the meat by simply turn over the pan, it also seals in the meat's flavor due to the magnetic locking mechanism and rubber tubing.

There are two ways to cook the meat.

1. Place meat on heated Happy Call Pan, sprinkle salt (sea salt tastes better, or you can get one of those gourmet salts like red wine salt or truffle salts) and black pepper, close the pan and let it cook for 2-3 mins (for medium rare). Flip the pan and repeat.

2. Place meat on heated Happy Call Pan, but do not sprinkle and salt or pepper, close the pan and let it cook for 2-3 mins (for medium rare steak). Flip the pan and cook the other side. Once both sides are cooked, sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.

I personally prefer the first method as the taste of the salt and pepper will be more embedded into the beef. However, if you prefer a more beefy taste, then method two would be more suited for you.

In terms of the selection of beef cuts, it is really up to the individual. I personally prefer the Ribeye due to it being more flavorful, and the cuts tends to be thicker, thus it is easier get the right texture if you prefer your steak medium rare.

Method 1 Cooking: Marbling 8+ Wagyu Beef

Method 2 Cooking

Method 2 Cooking

3. Claypot Rice

This is a surprise dish to be cooked using a Happy Call Pan. I found this recipe while searching around the internet for Happy Call recipes. Basically, the wide base pan allows for the rice to be charred at the bottom -  at the same time, the locking mechanism and rubber tubing traps the water and retains inside the rice in the middle, as well as the top ingredients. Resulting in a combination that is akin to rice being cooked on a traditional claypot.

The recipe can be found here. (Thanks to Cuisine Paradise)

Claypot Rice

Claypot Rice Close Up

4. Pan Fried Dumplings (饺子) aka Gyoza

Similarly to claypot rice, the Happy Call Pan is good to cook pan fried dumplings as it is able to char the bottom of the dumplings, yet lock in the water inside the fillings to make the dumpling juicy.

5. Pork Chops

Similarly to steaks, pork chops can be pan fried using the Happy Call Pot on one side and subsequently turning over the pot to cook the other side.

Pork chops seasoned with herbs 

Pork chops with sauteed cauliflower and buttered herb rice

The Happy Call Pot is available at major departmental stores (Isetan, Robinsons), online at Qoo10.sg, or via the home shopping network (look out for the advert during Channel U's home shopping broadcast).