20130827 Pasta with Bolognese Sauce

The first time i use bacon bits in bolognese sauce and it tasted sooooo good! This recipe made quite a huge batch of sauce so I simply freeze half of it for "rainy days". 

Ingredients 

400g minced pork/beef

200g bacon blocks

4 celery stalks, finely diced

4 small carrots, finely diced

2 big garlic cloves, crushed

1 red paprika, finely chopped

2 onions, finely chopped

2 X 400g cans peeled tomatoes with juice

2 rosemary stalks

1tsp dried oregano

Freshly grounded black pepper

Methods

1. In a pan, brown the bacon bits for about 5-10 minutes. Add minced meat and cook about 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a slow cooker. 

2. In the pan, cook the onions and garlic until fragrant. Transfer them to the slow cooker. 

3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker and give it a good stir. Cook on low heat for about 8-10 hours. 

4. Mix the sauce with your favorite cooked pasta, dump the mixed pasta into a casserole dish, scatter with a generous amount of grated cheese, and cook under a hot grill for about 5-10 minutes. Served with fresh ciabatta bread. 

20130825 Martha Stewart's Chicken Curry

I tweaked Martha's recipe a bit by using regular curry powder (couldn't find Jamaican curry powder), using more peas, using more coconut milk instead of adding water, and cooking it in a slow cooker. A very fragrant and soft chicken dish!

Ingredients 

3 chicken legs, each cut into two pieces

3tbsp curry powder

1tsp ground cumin

2 small onions, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

4 small carrots, thinly sliced

300g frozen peas

450ml coconut milk

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Methods

1. In a pan, heat olive oil and brown chicken for about 5 minutes on each side. Put chicken into the slow cooker. 

2. Brown onion in the pan for about 5 minutes. Add carrots and spices, and cook for about 5 minutes. Pour them into the slow cooker. 

3. Add the frozen peas and coconut milk into the slower cooker. Pour coconut milk all over the dish, and cook on low heat for about 6 hours. 

4. Serve with white basmati rice. 

20130824 Paprika chicken

Ingredients

4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips

2tbsp paprika

Salt and freshly grounded black pepper

6 Tasty Tom tomatoes, diced

Olive oil

125ml sour cream

2cups steamed cauliflower

Methods

1. In a bowl, marinate the chicken with paprika and salt and pepper.

2. Heat the olive oil in a pan and brown the chicken for about 5 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate. 

3. Add the onion and brown for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and 3/4 cup of water, and simmer for about 15 minutes. 

4. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Stir in sour cream and heat through. 

5. Stir in the freshly steamed cauliflower (if cauliflowers are cold, heat through), and serve with white rice.

20130822 Pork in tomato sauce

Ingredients

400g pork strips

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 small onion, finely chopped

2cups broccoli florets

2cups sliced mushrooms

400g canned tomato blocks 

1 rosemary stalk

1/2tsp dried Italian herbs

1/2tsp sugar

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Methods

1. Heat oil in the pan and fry garlic and onion briefly. Add the pork and cook for about 5 minutes. 

2. Add the veggie and tomatoes. Add the herbs and sugar. Stir well and simmer for about 10 minutes. 

3. Season to taste. Served with potatoes (I fried 450g of potato cubes, and season them with salt and dried dille).

20130821 Coconuty fish curry

My little one loves this dish, and will eat any veggie that is thrown in (including French beans that are not usually welcomed). pour loads of sauce over the rice and enjoy!

Ingredients

600g white fish filets, cut into big chunks

500g frozen mixed veggie

2tsp Kerrie powder

1/2tsp turmeric powder

1/4tsp ginger powder

1/4tsp ground cumin

1/8tsp chilli powder

Salt and white pepper

Olive oil

250ml coconut milk

1cup white rice + 1cup brown rice, cooked as per instruction

Methods 

1. Season the fish with some salt and white pepper. Heat some olive oil in a pan and fry the fish in batches - about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove fish from pan and set aside. 

2. Add some more oil and the frozen veggie (NOT thawed!) into the pan. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the veggie gets softer. 

3. Add the spices to the veggie and fry until fragrant. Add coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes. 

4. Add the fish chunks and let it cook for another 5-10 minutes. Season to taste, and served with the cooked rice. 

20130808 Pasta with Tuna & Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, pressed

400g can chopped tomatoes

1/4tsp chilli powder

1tsp dried basil

1tsp sugar

100g can tuna, drained

Black olives, pitted and sliced

2cups pasta

Grated cheese

Freshly grounded black pepper

Olive oil

Methods:

1. Cook the pasta as per instructions on package. 

2. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a pan and brown the onion. Add garlic, tomatoes, chilli, basil, and sugar. Give it a good stir, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5-10 minutes. 

3. Flake the tuna and add the olives and drained pasta into the sauce. Heat through and serve with a generous amount of grated cheese. 

20130807 New Potato and Mince Curry

I usually use about 150g of frozen spinach for this recipe. But as I ran out of spinach, I have replaced it with frozen peas instead. Yummy as usual! :-)

Ingredients:

350g minced beef

500g new potatoes, halved

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, pressed 

2tsp ground cumin

2tsp ground coriander 

2tsp kerrie powder

1tsp turmeric

1/2tsp paprika powder

1/4tsp chilli powder

500ml water

1cup frozen peas

125ml Greek yoghurt

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and brown the onion and mince. 

2. Add the garlic and spices, and fry until fragrant. Add the water, bring to the boil and simmer for half an hour. 

3. Add the frozen peas and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the yoghurt. 

4. Served with basmati rice or naan bread. 

20130728 Taco

Ingredients

For the meat...

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp paprika powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp beef bouillon block, broken

freshly ground black pepper

salt

olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

500g lean minced beef

1cup water

And the rest...

8 taco shells

lettuce leaves, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 jar taco sauce

125ml sour cream

Grated cheese

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and brown the meat and onion. 

2. Add the water and rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil them simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Heat the taco shells as per instructions on the packet. 

4. Spoon the meat and basically any veggie you like into the taco shells, and top with taco sauce and sour cream and grated cheese. Eat right away and serve with Desperado!

20120805 Chicken Enchiladas

Enchiladas are easy to make and very yummy, so they are perfect for weekend dinner. I usually made this with chicken and onions only, but as I have a red bell pepper sitting quietly in the fridge, I thought I would add it to the dish too. Who knows, it actually gives the enchiladas more flavor and texture - thumbs up!

INGREDIENTS
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 cup, freshly chopped coriander leaves
8 soft tortilla wraps
1 cup creme fraiche
1 cup taco sauce
grated cheese
olive oil
salt and freshly grounded black pepper

METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 175 degree C.
2. In a bowl, mix the creme fraiche and taco sauce together. Spread 1/3 of the cream and taco sauce mixture in a baking dish.
3. Heat some olive oil in a pan and fry the garlic and onion until fragrant. Add the chicken and pepper and cook until pepper turns soft. Lastly add coriander leaves and mix well. Remove pan from heat.
4. Spoon the chicken mixture into a tortilla, top with 1 tbsp of cheese, roll up. Place the enchilada seem side down into the baking dish. Repeat and make 8 enchiladas.
5. Pour the remaining cream and taco sauce over the enchiladas. Cover the dish with foil and cook in the oven for 20 minutes.
6. Generously sprinkle cheese over the enchiladas and cook in the oven (uncovered) for a furtther 10 minutes, or until the cheese turns nice and golden.

20120804 Parmesan Fish

I love the cheesy, crumbly top that reminds me of McDonald's fish-o-filet - a fancier version of it anyways. But the best thing about this dish is the lemony butter. It just gives the fish a lovely refreshing twist. My husband said (I quote), "It tastes buttery but not too greasy because of the citrusy flavor. I like it!". And my husband usually dislikes seafood, by the way.

INGREDIENTS
4 thick fish filets
3 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
50g freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
juice and zest of 1 lemon
olive oil
50g butter, cut into small cubes
salt and freshly grated white pepper

METHOD
1. Grease a baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, lemon zest, parmesan cheese, and parsley.
2. Season the fish filets with salt and white pepper. Heat some olive oil in a pan and cook the filets for about 2-3 minutes on each side.
3. Transfer the filets to the baking dish, and cover the filets with the parmesan mixture. Put the butter cubes around the filets and sprinkle lemon juice all over the dish.
4. Cook the filets under a hot grill for 5-10 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

20120721 Stuffed Red Peppers

As there was a buy one get two deal for minced beef at the supermarket, I bought a little too much minced beef. I wanted to make meatloaf but my husband pulled a dirty face at the sound of it. So I just made this simple dish instead.

INGREDIENTS
300g minced beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 egg
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 tbsp dried thyme
salt and freshly grounded black pepper
a dash of Leicestershire sauce
2 red bell peppers, halved and seeded

METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 200 degree C. Grease a casserole dish.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients (except the red pepper of course) together with hands.
3. Fill the peppers with the meat mixture, then lay them into the casserole dish. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for a further 20 minutes.

20120718 Boursin Pasta

This is a really simple dish that can be ready within 30 minutes - okay, it took me about an hour as I have to entertain a 5-month-old in the meantime. If I would have cooked the broccoli and pasta in advance, the cooking time will be even less (and the oven does most of the work anyways). I thought of making a simple sauce with Boursin cream cheese, creme fraiche, and milk. But I discovered this wonderful Boursin Cuisine Garlic & Herbs at the supermarket - it is perfect and is actually cheaper than making the sauce with the Boursin cream cheese myself! An easy and flavorful dish that I would strongly recommend.

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 broccoli, cut into florets, steamed
300g minced beef
300g pasta, cooked and drained
1 Boursin Cuisine Garlic & Herbs
grated cheese
salt and freshly grounded black pepper

METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 160 degree C.
2. Heat the olive oil in a pan and brown the beef. Add the onion and fry until fragrant. Then add the broccoli and pasta, and season with salt and pepper. Finally add the Boursin Cuisine. Turn the heat down and let it cook for about 5 minutes until heat through.
3. Remove the pan from heat, and transfer the pasta mixture into a casserole dish. Generously sprinkle grated cheese all over the pasta. Leave the casserole in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

20120715 Beef Stew with Carrots and Onions

It has been a long time since I last cooked something new. I used to cook to relax, but haven't been able to do so with a baby to care for. Even though Olivia is not a fussy baby, she needs attention from time to time. I like spending an hour or two preparing food in the kitchen without any thoughts in my mind, so am still learning how to enjoy cooking while there are interruptions here and there. As my husband was home today, I was able to spend an hour in the kitchen to prepare this stew. Okay, it didn't need an hour but I took my time. Oh how much I miss cooking! This stew tasted good. I took a risk and used rosemary and thyme together. The result was good as the stew was so fragrant. And the crunchy fresh French bread certainly went well with the stew. I've got to plan ahead and cook more again from now on.

INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp olive oil
900g stew beef, cut into 5cm cubes
400g carrots, cut into tiny cubes
5 small onions, finely diced
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thime
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly grounded black pepper
1 tbsp tomato puree
400g can of peeled tomatoes
3/4 cups red wine
1 cup beef stock

METHODS
1. Heat the oven to 150C. Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a Dutch oven and brown the beef.
2. Add garlic and dried herbs to the beef, and fry until fragrant. Add wine and bring it to the boil. Then add the carrs, onions, tomato puree, and tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon to break the tomatoes, and top off the stew with beef stock.
3. Bring tge stew to tge boil, cover tightly with a lid, andcook in te oven for about 3 hours. Stir the stew halfway through cooking. Serve with boiled potatoes or crunchy french bread.

20120219 Beef red curry

(SOURCE: Koken & Genieten magazine - Scherpe rundvleescurry)

I was worried that I would not be able to make this beef stew while caring for a three-week-old baby. But it went really well as it took only less than 30 minutes to prepare. So I simply got everything ready immediately after I had put Olivia down for a nap. Then while the stew was bubbling away on the stove, I could continue to play with/feed/change Olivia. I consider this stew a success, though it didn't have much of a red curry taste as I had added too much water. Next time I will add 500ml of water only as the onions tend to produce quite some liquid too.

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp butter
1kg stewing beef, cut into chunks
6 small onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp red curry paste
salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD
1. Heat the butter in a Dutch oven and brown the beef over high heat. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add the onions and garlic, and fry until fragrant. Stir in the tomato puree and curry paste. Add 900ml of water and bring it to the boil. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 3 hours.

20120218 Tandoori-style chicken with buttered rice

(SOURCE: BBC GoodFood - Brian Turner's Tandoori-style chicken with buttered rice)

It has been a challenge to find the time (and energy) to try out new recipes since Olivia was born. My husband has been helping out loads and cooking simple meals. As we are getting more used to Olivia's needs and are learning to be flexible with our dinner time, I decided to cook something simple today. I prepared the ingredients during one of Olivia's afternoon naps, and then cooked the meal immediately after her feeding at 6pm. It was a miracle that our dinner was not interrupted. And of course, once we finished dinner, Olivia immediately asked for hugs - so our dessert had to wait. I can't wait till Olivia has developed more of a routine so we can better plan our meals around it. People say such a routine will be developed by the time babies are 6 weeks old...just 3 more weeks to go, fingers crossed!

INGREDIENTS
4 rounded tbsp Greek yoghurt
2 tsp tomato puree
3 garlic cloves, crushed
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 tsp ground ginger
3 tsp medium curry powder
500g chicken fillets, cut into large cubes
2 tsp sunflower oil
For the buttered rice -
25g butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
250g leftover cooked basmati rice
4 tbsp hot chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 180 degree C. In a bowl, mix the first 7 ingredients together and stir until the chicken is coated.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and quickly saute the chicken for 1 minute to seal. Cook the chicken on the top shelf of the oven for 8 to 10 minutes until tender and lightly charred.
3. Meanwhile, make the buttered rice. Melt half the butter in a pan and saute the onion over a high heat until soft. Add the rice and allow to just warm through, and then sprinkle over the stock. Season.
4. Grease four ramekins with the rest of the butter. Divide the rice between them and arrange on a baking sheet, then cover each one tightly with foil. Place on the second shelf in the oven and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes until all the stock has been absorbed.
5. Serve the buttered rice with the chicken.

20120125 Butter Chicken, v3

(SOURCE: TastyKitchen - Butter Chicken)

I craved something rich and flavorful, so decided to make butter chicken again. As my last attempt to modify the butter chicken recipe was a success, I decided to tweak the recipe a little more again to give the chicken more flavor and a little bit of a kick. Oh the butter chicken had such an intense flavor and it was just so good!

INGREDIENTS
500g boneless chicken, cubed
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp tandoori masala spices
1 tsp salt
a dash of chilli powder
2 small onions, diced
30g butter
300g passata
300g chopped tomatoes (canned)
2 tsp dried coriander leaves
250ml cream, at room temperature

METHOD
1. Combine the first 5 ingredients and marinate for at least 2 hours.
2. Heat the butter in a pan and saute the onions until soft. Add the marinated chicken and cook for 10 minutes. Add the passata, chopped tomatoes, and dried coriander. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes with the lid on. Lastly, add the cream just before serving.

20120124 Sesame Oil Chicken

(SOURCE: RasaMalaysia.com - Seasame Oil Chicken)

I loved how the entire kitchen was filled with the aroma of sesame oil when I heated the oil in the wok, so I expected a very intense and flavorful dish. But unfortunately, I didn't smell or taste any sesame oil in the chicken - how disappointing! I wonder if it was because the sesame oil I used was not good enough, as the original recipe recommended a "toasted/dark sesame oil" which has a more intense flavor. Next time I will look for the toasted sesame oil at the Chinese supermarket and give this dish another go.

INGREDIENTS
500g little chicken drumsticks
2-inch piece of root ginger, cut into thin strips
1.5 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp dry sherry
2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup water
3 dashes white pepper

METHOD
1. Heat the sesame oil in a wok over high heat. Add the ginger and stir fry until fragrant. Add the chicken and fry a little before adding the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sherry, and white pepper. Continue to stir-fry until the chicken is about 70% cooked.
2. Add water and do a few quick stirs. Cover the wok with a lid and turn the heat to medium to low heat, and let the chicken cook until the sauce thickens and the meat becomes tender. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes. Add more water if the sauce dries up. .

20120122 Chinese-style braised beef, v2

(SOURCE: BBC GoodFood - Chinese-style braised beef one-pot)

I made this dish a couple of months ago and loved its vibrant flavors. This time I moderated the amount of ingredients a little in a hope to make the dish a little less sweet. The key is the dark soy sauce! I got the dark soy sauce from a Chinese supermarket this time - it tastes more intense and less sweet than the soy sauce I got from the local supermarket. The meat was so tender and rich in flavor - thumbs up!

INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp olive oil
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1.5-inch piece fresh root ginger, peeled and shredded
1 bunch spring onions, sliced
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
1kg braising beef, cut into large chunks
1 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
3 tbsp dry sherry
3 tbsp dark soy sauce (from a Chinese supermarket)
500ml beef stock

METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 150 degree C. Toss the beef in the flour. Heat the oil in a dutch oven and brown the beef in batches. Remove beef from pan and set aside.
2. Add the garlic, ginger, onions and chilli to the pan, and fry until fragrant. Then add the five-spice and fry for another minute. Then add the beef and stir until combined. Splash in the sherry, scraping up any meaty bits.
3. Pour in the soy sauce and stock, bring to a simmer, then tightly cover, transfer to the oven and cook for 3 hours. Stir the meat halfway through.

20120117 Sookhe Masale ka Murg (Dry Masala Chicken)

(SOURCE: Indian Cookbook by Pushpesh Pant - Sookhe Masale ka Murg)

I chose this recipe as it requires only a handful of ingredients, and it has an interesting way to cook the chicken - you have to parboil the chicken before frying. This article explained that parboiling chicken before frying will help to reduce the amount of oil used for frying and to cook the chicken faster. The original recipe still used 1 cup of ghee to fry the chicken, so I am not sure the author chose to parboil the chicken to use less oil for frying...But anyways, I have modified the recipe quite a bit by reducing the amount of chilli powder and oil used. The little drumsticks were finger-licking and super garlicky! I think they will be great for barbecue too. So next time I will just parboil the chicken and then pop them onto the barbecue for about 5 to 10 minutes.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric powder
6 garlic cloves, crushed
6 black peppercorns, crushed
600g little chicken drumsticks
1 tbsp olive oil
salt

METHOD
1. Marinate the chicken with the first 5 ingredients, then set aside in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
2. Pour 1 cup of water into a large heavy-based pan and add 1 tsp of salt. Add the marinated chicken and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the water has evaporated and the chicken is cooked through. Remove the drumsticks from the water and place them on a kitchen tissue to dry a bit.
3. Heat the oil in another pan over low heat, add the chicken and fry for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

20120115 Thyme Chicken Legs

I wanted to make roasted chicken but was not really up for the carving bit, so I got some chicken legs instead. I was debating at the supermarket whether to make roasted chicken legs with rosemary or thyme. Then the problem solved itself as there was no fresh rosemary, so thyme it is! From experience, I know that thyme and lemon are always great with chicken. To give the chicken a little kick, I added some crushed garlic and cayenne pepper too as an experiment - who knows, it was really good! The chicken legs were so flavorful and juicy, so I simply served them with some steamed carrots and cauliflowers - I tossed the steamed vegetables in the meat juice, and then sprinkle them with some freshly grounded four seasons pepper.

INGREDIENTS
4 chicken legs
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, plus several sprigs of thyme
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly grounded black pepper
some cayenne pepper

METHOD
1. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, thyme leaves, lemon juice, olive oil, and some salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Pat dry the chicken legs and slit them. Rub the thyme mixture into the chicken - be sure to rub some herbs into the slits. Let them marinate for at least an hour.
3. Heat the oven to 200 degree C.
4. Throw the sprigs of thyme into the casserole dish, and then lay the chicken legs on them. Sprinkle the chicken legs with some cayenne pepper. Bake in the oven for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until golden brown.