Capsicum Tomato Pasta

A few days ago I decided to purchase some really nice red and ripe tomatoes. They looked so fresh and juicy that I couldn't resist. I haven't made tomato sauce from scratch so I decided that I might as well buy tomatoes and make some :) I had a nice green capsicum (bell pepper) lying around my fridge so I decided that with the nice blend of flavours would make a nice dinner meal.






Ingredients:
Capsicum (I used green)
Spaghetti 
Tomatoes (~4)
Garlic
Cooking Oil
Herbs (I used cumin, thyme and rosemary) 
Cheddar Cheese

• Step 1, boil some water in a pot. 

• Step 2, while the water is taking it time to boil, cut up the garlic and capsicum.
• Step 3, when the water boils, place the (whole) tomatoes in.
• Step 4, when the tomatoes soften and you notice the skin peeling off, drain the water and transfer them to a big bowl.
• Step 5, fill the pot with more water and heat to boil
• Step 6, while waiting for the water to boil, mash the tomatoes (I usually do so with a potato masher, but be careful that the juice might squirt out)

At this point, your tomato mixture should be very watery. Do not worry about the skin pieces and lumps of tomatoes. The skin will soften with further cooking and the sauce will be chunky instead of just a smooth texture.

• Step 7, add in the herbs into the tomato mixture.
• Step 8, when the spaghetti almost reaches al dente, heat up the oil in a saucepan.

• Step 9, when the oil heats up, throw the cut up garlic into the pan.
• Step 10, when the garlic fragrance is in the air throw in the capsicum.
• Step 11, by now the spaghetti should be done so drain the spaghetti and , leave it one side first.
• Step 12, when the capsicum seems to have soften slightly, add in the tomato mixture.
• Step 13, as the sauce is very watery, allow the sauce to boil for a (rather long) while but ensure that it does not burn at the bottom of the pan by mixing it every few minutes (or seconds)
• Step 14, when the sauce thickens, add in the spaghetti and mix.
• Step 15, if you like a cheesy texture along with the pasta, add the cheese and mix. Or you could just sprinkle them on top and serve :D

Most people think that making tomato sauce is hard because of blanching (where you take tomatoes from boiling water into ice cold water to peel off the outer skin). I usually just wash my tomatoes, boil them and mash them. I know that there are some who are worried about tomatoes having a layer of wax or pesticides, but since I'm not super uptight about that sort of thing, this is my way to make quick tomato sauce. 

As to why I chose green capsicum, it was firstly because I love colour contrast in foods and well I was suppose to make turkish meatballs with them but since I ended up using my mince for something else, my capsicum looked really lonely. Haha. 

Oh yes, a potato masher. It is one of my must-have in the kitchen. I believe anyone who has ever made mash potato, tomato, carrot, banana (anything mash for that matter) would understand how unbelievably hard and tedious it is to use the back of a fork and slowly try to cut up the chunks to the best of our abilities. With a masher it makes things so much faster and easier. Plus the food is mashed much more evenly with little big chunks. This little kitchen tool has made my life so much easier and It is always important to check the quality of the masher you buy. The things to take note of when buying a masher is...

1. STRUCTURE. Get mashers that have the bottom plate supported on both sides. Some mashers are well supported with both ends of the mashing plate connected to the handle while for some, only one side is connected. If the metal is easily bent, this will cause a problem if force is directed more at the end that is not supported. The plate will start to bend towards the handle and you'd have trouble trying to mash anything with it. 
2. MATERIAL. This one is obvious. Generally we would stick to getting a metal or silicon masher with a insulated handle. Why not plastic? Well there's always a chance that it might melt or it is not strong enough.
3. MASHER PLATE. There are many designs when it comes to the plates. It can be circles or squares or even oddly shaped. When mashing, most people wouldn't think too much about the design of the plate as long as it can mash up the ingredients. I prefer to get small circles or squares as they tend to do the job faster and because if I were to make things such as tomatoes, my tomato chucks would tend to be of similar size instead of a mixture of big and small pieces.

Well, these are generally the things I take note of when I buy mashers. If you have any other tips to look out for when buying mashers, feel free to share :) Thank You! 

Hugs for everyone~ Mash away!!

Simple fast dishes

   

So the other day I managed to get a hold of some nice and fresh baby pea shoots. I absolutely love this vegetable because even though they are stir fried, they remain that fresh crisp when you bite down into them. The other dish is simple stirfried asparagus and chicken.

When choosing asparagus, to me, there are two most important things to look at. Firstly, the colour and second, look at the bottom stem of the asparagus. If it's discoloured and dry, those are generally the parts you cut off because when you fry them, they don't become crunchy and yet soft, but instead they become tough and you're chewing on tough stems. So look at the bottom and the drier it is, the more you probably have to cut away.

Also, when cutting asparagus, they are usually cut in the slanted manner for faster cooking.
Both of these dishes are quick and easy especially if you're hungry but want to eat something healthy.


Chicken and Asparagus 
Ingredients:
Asparagus (I used three bunches)
Chicken (around ~250g)
Garlic
Soy Sauce
Cooking Oil

• Step 1, wash the asparagus
• Step 2, cut the asparagus, garlic and the chicken
• Step 3, Heat up the cooking oil in a pan
• Step 4, place the garlic in the pan 
• Step 5, when you can smell the fragrance of the garlic, throw in the asparagus and add soy sauce
• Step 6, cover the pan with a lid and allow the vegetable to be steamed
• Step 7, when the asparagus turn slightly pale in colour, add in the chicken
• Step 8, mix the ingredients and you can choose to cover the pan with the lid or just stir and allow the chicken to fry
• Step 9, Serve

Baby pea shoots
Ingredients:
Baby pea shoots
Salt/Soy Sauce
Garlic
Cooking Oil

• Step 1, Wash the baby pea shoots
• Step 2, Cut up the garlic

• Step 3, Heat up the cooking oil in a pan
• Step 4, place the garlic in the pan 
• Step 5, when you can smell the fragrance of the garlic, throw in the baby pea shoots
• Step 6, mix it around and add in the salt or soy sauce
• Step 7, cover the pan with a lid and allow the vegetables to be steamed

I know this step may seem a little weird, but I prefer to cover my vegetables and allow them to steam as I find it faster and I don't really have to watch the pan so I can do other things as the vegetables are being steamed.

• Step 8, when the shoots turn a lush green, mix them around and taste to check it's flavour
• Step 9, add more salt/soy sauce if required 
• Step 10, serve

These are the two dishes I had for lunch. 

Creamy Miso Pasta

I've been thinking of lots of different things to try and cook since I have so much free time during the winter break. I was thinking on the lines of fusion and I haven't eaten pasta in a while and this is what I came up with.

The best part about this recipe was the extra seaweed. Gave an additional texture of crunch to the dish :3





Seaweed has officially taken over as the best snack to eat if I have cravings for something crunchy and crispy. Instead of chips, it's a healthier and cheaper alternative :)

Ingredients:

Garlic (1-2 cloves)
Chicken (100-150g)
Spaghetti (around 1 serving) 
Thicken Cream (100-200ml) 
Cooking Oil
Seaweed
Miso Paste (~1tbs)

• Step 1, boil some water in a pot. 

• Step 2, while the water is taking it time to boil, cut up the garlic, chicken (and seaweed).
• Step 3, when the water boils, place the spaghetti in.
• Step 4, heat up the oil in a saucepan.

Make sure that there's not too much oil or the dish will turn out really oily due to the thicken cream and excess oil.

• Step 5, when the oil heats up, throw the cut up garlic into the pan.
• Step 6, when the garlic fragrance is in the air, add the chicken into the pan 

 Not when the garlic browns as it usually means that your garlic is going to be burnt soon.

• Step 7, don't forget to check on your pasta! If it's done, drain it and place it one side.
• Step 8, after one/both sides of the chicken is slightly cooked, pour the thicken cream, miso into the pan and mix well.
• Step 9,  After the miso paste has dissolved, test the flavour and if necessary, add more paste.
• Step 10, Add in the pasta and mix well. 
• Step 11, if the sauce is still very liquid like, continue to heat to allow the sauce to thicken
• Step 12, add the seaweed. Depending on your own preference, mix it into the dish, or just sprinkle some on top.
• ENJOY!

I had fun making this recipe. Every time I try something new and spontaneous is makes me all excited and jumpy. I just can't wait to find out how a recipe will turn out! I hope you have fun making and eating this dish like I did!

Hugs for everyone~ Have fun!

Thyme egg

There's no picture for this recipe, sorry, but you're not missing out on much visually. It looks like a normal egg omelette. This is a short recipe. Really short. This isn't the recipes that you see online that are scrabbled eggs with cheese, thyme, rosemary, etc. This is a simple recipe of just egg and thyme... and a bit of salt and pepper :p

Ingredients:
Egg
Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Oil

I wasn't joking when I said that's all you need. If you want a short version of the instructions, it's essentially, mix everything together and fry. 

But here goes the long version of the instructions...

• Step 1, crack the eggs into a small bowl or cup 

• Step 2, mix the thyme, salt and pepper into the egg and stir 
• Step 3, heat up the pan with cooking oil
• Step 4, under low heat, pour the egg mixture into the pan
• Step 5, wait for the egg to be cooked (look for little ait pockets/ bubbles in your egg)
• Step 6, flip the egg over 
• Step 7, serve.

You could always change it up with other herbs. I've tried it with basil and rosemary. Egg has a generally neutral flavour that isn't strong on the taste buds. So with some herbs it add flavour and dimension of flavours. I love what you can do with eggs. Fry, steam, poach, hard boil, half boil, scrambled... Hmm... I should probably do a post about all the simple different ways to cook an egg. Well, I have a lot of time since it's winter break right now so there's a lot more recipes coming!

Hugs for everyone~ Have an eggceptional day! 

Leftover basmati rice?

 This recipe is a fusion. I absolutely LOVE doing fusion. The reason is simple, it's so unique and it just shows how much we can mix up up different flavours and have something so amazing. By now you probably know that I'm not the type of cook or chef who wants to learn all there is to know about one kind of cuisine. I'm the type who wants to learn about all the cuisines add them together and bring out my own flare and taste in the food I make.

So this recipe is basically a fusion of Chinese and Indian. It has all the spice but also the nice flavour of Chinese cooking infused inside it. It's not a battle of flavours in your mouth but I feel that it's quite a good harmony.

Ingredients:
Leftover Spiced Basmati Rice

Oyster mushroom (the small ones that grow in bunches)

Mince Chicken

Yam

Shao Xing Wine

Light Soy Sauce

Cooking oil

This recipe is like how you would make normal fried rice. So it's simple, easy and oh so delicious. 

• Step 1, Cut the yam (and mushrooms) into even pieces

• Step 2, Heat up some oil in a frying pan 
• Step 3, When the oil is hot, throw in the mushrooms and yam. 
• Step 4, Fry till the yam has soften 

This might take a while. You may want to cover the pan to steam the yam. This will help quicken the process.

• Step 5 , Add in the mince chicken 
• Step 6, Pour in the wine and light soy sauce. 

Or you may like to mix the uncooked mince with the wine before cooking it in the pan

• Step 7, When the meat is cooked, add in the rice and give it a good mix. 
• Step 8, Allow the rice to heat up and soak up the sauce and wine. Give good stirs to allow even mixture
• Step 9, test the flavour, ensure the ingredients are cooked and.. SERVE!

I know this dish may stretch some people's comfort zone for food, but it's still a nice dish to try if you have left over spiced basmati rice. I always make too much rice and I always think of new ways to reinvent a dish. It's boring eating the same thing even if you know it tastes amazing. 

Oh yes, in some cases if the rice may become somewhat similar to a risotto because it becomes mushy and overly soft. So just be careful and take note of that. If that happens and you don't like your rice to be mushy, let it air out for a while to harden and then heat it up again.

Hugs for everyone! Have fun with fusions!

Spiced Basmati Rice

I don't have a photograph for this recipe because all you're going to see is white rice. This recipe is simple recipe that I absolutely love doing because you can't really go wrong with it.

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Basmati Rice 

Around 2.5 cups of Chicken Broth

1 Cinnamon Stick

4-6 Bayleaves

1 Tablespoon of Cumin seeds 

Some recipes usually require oil or butter, which will make sure that your rice has a nice gloss and it won't stick to your pot. I usually watch over the rice, stir it every few minutes and I used a non-stick pot so I don't usually have a problem. Feel free to just add in a tablespoon or two of oil if you feel that it's easier.

• Step 1, rinse the rice over clear water. 

• Step 2, in a pot, add everything in. Rice, broth, spices. 
• Step 3, place over high heat till it starts to boil
• Step 4, turn the heat down and cover the pot. 

• Step 5, when the liquid is all absorbed and the rice is soft. Mix/Fluff the rice to ensure even cooking has taken place

If you feel there is need for more liquid, add in clear water or more broth

• Step 6, cover the pot and remove from heat. Leave the rice undisturbed for around 5minutes.
• Step 7, Fluff the rice again and serve :)

Usually when I say wash the rice, instead of rinse... until one incident where I told my friend to wash the rice and she took the detergent and started to soak the rice in soapy water. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. So yes, lesson learnt, always be clear when giving instructions. 

I know that in many recipes they just state that when the rice is soft to remove it from heat. But I like to stir my rice constantly just to check. Especially when I use a soup pot instead of my normal wide pan. To ensure even cooking I have to constantly mix the top and bottom if not I end up with burnt rice. 

Some recipes also use much more spices such as cardamom and cloves but since those are spices that I hardly have around the house, I don't go out of my way just to get them. The joy of cooking is looking at what I have to work with and creating something I never thought I would make. 

Hugs for everyone!! Spice up your life :) 

Prawn and Chicken Toast

If you have leftover bread, this is a good way to use them up. I had a gathering on Saturday and this was made as an appetizer and snack since the cooking was taking some time.

This recipe is a little time consuming, but the outcome and taste of this dish is yum!

Ingredients:

Prawns 
Chicken Breast/Thigh or even mince
Spring onion
Fish Sauce
Bread
Cooking Oil
Egg
White Sesame Seeds


For the measurements of this recipe.. The ratio is used for  Chicken to Prawn was 5 to 3. As for why there is so many options on the type of chicken is simple because you have to process the chicken and get this all sliced up. I used Chicken Breast and Tiger Sea Prawns and because I don't have a food processor, I simply used my knife and chopped away. Tedious, but it gets the job done. Plus I like to have some texture and chew in my food so having chunks of meat around to bite on was nice. 

When I made this, I used 500g of chicken and 300g of prawns. You can always choose the ratio you like, for example, if you prefer for prawns, add more, if you're allergic to prawns, just stick with chicken all the way. It's really flexible. Oh yes, I used one eggs and around slightly less than one tablespoon of fish sauce. 

• Step 1, cut up or process the chicken and prawns 

• Step 2, cut up the spring onions 
• Step 3, Mix the chicken, prawn, spring onion, fish sauce and egg together
• Step 4, (OPTIONAL) Take your bread loaf and slice off the edges

Because you're using stale bread, the edged are generally already harden and it would be difficult to bite into. I save the edged and usually eat them together with soup :)

• Step 5, Pour out the sesame seeds on to a plate. 
• Step 6, Evenly spread the mixture of chicken and prawn onto the slices of bread.
• Step 7,  Press the bread down over the plate of sesame seeds to coat it evenly. Or scatter the seeds over the bread, but ensure you press the seeds down to stick to the mixture if not they will fall out.
• Step 8, Pour a generous amount of oil over a pan and heat
• Step 8, When the oil is heated, with the sesame side facing downwards, place it into the pan to cook the mixture. 

Please don't flip the slices over and fry the bread side. With the amount of oil, the bread will soak it up and you will be biting into a soggy piece of oily bread, 

• Step 9, Ensure that the mixture has bee completely cooked and serve on a plate. 

This recipe used up an entire big loaf of bread. If you live in Sydney, you know the $2 Woolworths bread? Yep, I used up that entire loaf and I still had leftover mixture. I stored the leftovers and fried them as little patties the next day. 

Hugs for everyone~ nom nom nom