Tomato Spaghetti with Roasted Bell Peppers and Sausage

Everyone love spaghetti. I have not been cooking spaghetti for a long time so decided to make some. Usually I will cook it with minced meat. This time I cook with sausages and roasted bell peppers.

Roasted Bell Peppers are really yummy. Roast it using the stove until all the skin turn black. Soak in a the water and remove the dark skin after that. The flesh taste tangy and good to go with a good bowl of tomato soup, minestrone soup and pasta.

Ingredients : 

• Beef/Pork/Lamb Sausages or Chorizo - cut into chunks
• Brown or White Onion - 2. Cut in small pieces
• Garlic - Half a garlic. Mince it.
• White Mushrooms - Slice it
• Fresh Basil
• Dried Oregano
• Fresh Thymes
• Angel Hair Pasta
• Salt
• Pepper
• Parmesan cheese - 1 block. Please do not use the powder form
• Butter
• Olive Oil
• Tomato and Garlic pasta sauce - You can do a short cut by purchasing from supermarket or make it yourself.

Direction :

If you have 2 stoves side by side, use 1 pan to cook the sauce and a pot to cook the Angel Hair Spagetti.

Pan heat up add olive oil and onion. Cook until the onions turn soft and translucent. Add garlic, mushrooms and sausages together. Add Thymes and oregano and stir it until the sausages start to cook.

This time, I purchased a bottle of pasta sauce from the supermarket. Pour in the whole bottle of sauce and roasted peppers into the pan.

You may start cooking the noodles now since Angel Hair cook fast. Taste the noodles while cooking and make sure you don't over cooked it.

Add salt and pepper to the sauce. Transfer the noodles directly to the pan and stir in together. Make sure all the noodles are evenly spread. 

Off the fire and start plating.  Grate some Parmesan cheese on top and fresh basil as well.

The noodles are dry but filled with sauce and flavour. Sausages cook perfectly and very delicious!

 
 
 
 

Apple Vanilla Jam

I love weekend. That's where I get to spend my time cooking and creating something for family.

On this weekend, I would like to make pancakes to go with the Shiraz Sauce I bought from Sydney recently.  I have some fresh big apples sitting inside my fridge. So I've decided to make some jam to go with the pancakes as well.

Apples are great with Vanilla, Cinnamon and Nutmeg. It smells like Christmas!

 

 

Ingredient :

• Large Red or Green Apples - 3-4. Remove skin and cut into small chunks
• Lemon - 1. Zest and cut into half for juice later
• Vanilla Pod - 1, cut into half
• Cinnamon - A pinch
• Nutmeg - A pinch
• Cloves - 2 pieces (optional) 
• White Sugar - 2 Table Spoon
• Brown Sugar - 2 Table Spoon
• Butter - 2 Table Spoon

Direction :  

Heat the heavy pan and pour in apples and sugar with high heat. You have to constantly stir the apples. The apple will slowly release juices while cooking.

Add Brown sugar, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Cloves into the apples and continue to stir until it softens. It will turn slightly brownish due to the brown sugar and also when it soften.

Continue to stir occasionally.  Remove the cloves and vanilla pod. I  used a hand held blender and start blending the apples. I love having some of the big pieces of apple in side the jam so I just blend for a short time. 

It will depend how you like you jam texture. If you prefer it to be totally pureed, then blend the apples thoroughly. 

Set aside and let it cool.  You can keep in a jar for use later. Goes well with pancakes and bread.

Hong Kong Style Swiss Chicken

During my recent trip to Hong Kong, I went to Tai Ping Koon Resturant at HK Central with my friends for dinner.  We've ordered a lot of dishes and one particular dish that we love the most is the "Hong Kong Style Swiss Chicken Wings".  This is one of the signature dish at this restaurant.

The chicken wings was so tender and succulent. We kept on wanting more!

After coming home for a few days, I've decided to try my hands cooking this dish with whatever things I have to substitute to satisfy my craving.

Hong Kong Style Swiss Chicken

Ingredients :

• 12 chicken mid-wings or 4 L-shape chicken drum sticks (cut in half)
• 1 cup soy sauce (superior dark soy sauce) or Japanese soya sauce
• 1 tablespoon of dark sauce
• 1 cup water
• Rock sugar 2-3 pieces (big one)
• 1 spring onion, cut 1.5-2 inches lengthwise
• 3 slices ginger
• 1 Cinnamon
• 2-3 Cloves
• 2- star anise
• 1tbsp Shaoxing wine or Japanese Mirin

Direction :

Water bring to a boil and immerse the meat and let boil for 1min. If the meat are other parts (drumstick),  you may need to boil it slight longer

Immediately transfer the meat for an ice water bath. This will make the skin tasted better and not easily broken.

Add all ingredients in a large pot, bring to boil over medium heat.
 

Turn off the heat, and put the meat in ( skin side down) and cover the lid, and stand for 10 - 15 mins.

Turn on the fire and turn off once bring it to boil. Turn the meat once and stand for another 10-15 mins to ensure all sides are nicely coated. 

Serve immediately once it is done.

You can refrigerate the sauce and make another batch with it later.

Meat so juicy and it taste sweet and hints of salty.

 


 

Steam Pork Ribs with Prawn Paste

Prawn paste and pork ribs are one of the best combination in chinese cooking.  It is simple and you can never go wrong with this dish.  

Packed with flavour and meat just so juicy. This is one of my favourite dish.  It taste even better overnight!

It is really suitable for adults who works and just want something to eat fast. I usually will make 3 portions and keep into the fridge. Reheat for dinner whenever I want.

Ingredient:

• Fresh ginger - 1 Knob, cut into chunks
• Onion - 2, cut into chunks 1
• Pork Ribs - 500 - 800g
• White Pepper
• Mirin 
• Salt
• Light Soya Sauce
• Sesame Oil
• Fresh Chili
• Corn Flour
• Spring Onion

Direction : 

Use an electric chopper and chop the ginger and onion. Squeeze the juices out onto the Pork ribs.  Add a little Mirin, Salt, Sesame Oil, Light Soya Sauce, Pepper all together with the meat. Mix it well and add chili and ginger on top of the meat. Marinate for at least 3 hours.

Use a wok and boil water before steaming the pork ribs. Once water boiling, send the ribs and steam for 40-45 minutes.  Add a little light soya sauce if  you want it slightly saltier.

Meat should be soft and tender. Good to go with a bowl of steam white rice.

Parsley and Mint Pesto

I love pesto.  They are so flavorful and you can just add it to anything.

You can put some into your sandwich, burger, meat or pasta.

This pesto are one of my favourite. It is very easy to do and you can keep the rest in the fridge for a week or freezer for up til a week!

Beautiful pesto recipe is absolutely bursting with fresh herby flavor and to do it for family or friends!

 

Ingredients :

• Fresh Parsley - 1 or 2 bunch
• Fresh Mint - a hand full
• Garlic - 6 cloves
• Walnuts
• Almonds
• Freshly grated Parmersan Cheese
• Olive oil
• Seasalt
• Black Pepper
• Lemon zest
• Half Lemon Juice

Direction :

Toast the nuts using the oven or pan. Leave it to cool.

Using Electric chopper, add in the herbs, nuts, garlic, cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper and Olive oil and mix into paste.  Add more olive oil if it is too dry.

Make sure you chop the ingredients as fine as possible.

You can store these lovely pesto into an air-tight container. Just add ore olive oil on top so that the pesto would retain it color.

Can store these pesto in the freezer for up till a week.

Apart from using fresh Pasley and Mint to make pesto , you can use Fresh Basil.