Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil

I don't usually have the 'motivation' to cook when I'm alone at home. The thought of washing up after that would be enough to deter me most of the time, and I would end up buying food from outside. But once in a while, I'm even lazier to drag my butt out of the house. And today is one of those days.

Thanks to this cookbook I borrowed from the library a few days ago, I managed to find some really simple pasta dishes that I can cook for myself without much fuss. Also, if you are trying out this dish, do note that there is a difference between the flat leaf parsley stated in the recipe, as to the curly parsley I used (bought from NTUC).

Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil (recipe from : The Best Ever One-Pot Cookbook by Jenni Fleetwood)

Note : the following quantity is for 4 servings

Ingredients :

- 400g fresh / dried spaghetti
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 - 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 dried red chilli (I substituted with red chilli flakes)
- 1 small handful of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped (I could only find curly parsley)
- salt

Directions :

1) Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted boiling water, according to the packet instructions, until it is just tender, adding plenty of salt to the water* (see note below).

2) When the pasta is just tender, drain it using a large colander, then transfer it to a warmed, large serving bowl.

3) Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the garlic and dried chilli and stir over low heat for a minute or two until the garlic is just beginning to brown. Remove the dried chilli and discard.

4) Pour the hot olive oil and cooked garlic mixture over the pasta, add the chopped parsley and toss vigourously until pasta glistens, then serve immediately.

* Note : Don't use salt when you are preparing the hot oil, garlic and chilli mixture, because the salt will not dissolve sufficiently. This is why plenty of salt is recommended for cooking the pasta.

And being a cheese person, I added a handful of grated Parmesan cheese to the pasta in the end so the saltiness of the dish is just right. :)

Auntie Tips (18)

Tip 1 :
Here's another way to get rid of dirt on any white material : just pour any herbal-infused shampoo you can find into a pail, together with the material. Add some water and leave it there for a while. The water will turn grey - a sign that the dirt has been removed. Try this method for getting the shine back in your stainless steel pots and pans too.

Tip 2 :
Are your child's stuffed toys beginning to get dusty and dirty? Bring out the cornstarch and start rubbing it onto the affected areas. Let the cornstarch stand for a while before brushing it off.

Tip 3 :
To make fresh lemon or orange juice without a juicer, simply place the fruit on a chopping board, and roll it back and forth a couple of times. Cut the fruit in half and insert a fork in the centre. Twist the fork continuously inside the fruit above a wide and large bowl. You'll still get a lot of juice and there'll be no mess at all.

Tip 4 :
If there are stains or unpleasant smells in your vases, just make a mixture of salt and vinegar and rub it all over.

Tip 5 :
You can reuse the plastic, boxy containers which are used to pack grapes and starwberries. As these containers have holes punched into them, you can actually convert them into recyclable strainers. Put your vegetables inside one so you conveniently wash each item under running water. Use it to store the washed vegetables in the fridge as well.

From : Women's Weekly - Oct 2007

Happy Lunar New Year

新年快乐!

恭喜发财!

Butter Chicken (Indian Chicken in Tomato Cream Sauce)

This is the second attempt at another butter chicken recipe. I did one back some time ago and it didn't have any sauce. But this was different and we bought a packet of frozen naan from NTUC to go with it.

And I also made some changes to this recipe :

- instead of cooked chicken, I bought chicken fillets and marinated them using the ingredients from the previous butter chicken recipe

- I opted to leave out the garam masala and ground cinnamon coz I didn't want to buy bottles of those just for this recipe (and I thought the marinating would be enough)

- I left out the peas coz I don't like peas

Butter Chicken (Indian Chicken in Tomato Cream Sauce) (recipe from here)

Spice Blend:

• 1 tablespoon garam masala seasoning
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Sauce:
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 skinless rotisserie chicken, boned out and pulled into 1 1/2 by 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 (10-ounce) box frozen peas, placed in a colander and run under hot water to thaw
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

1) To make the spice blend: Stir the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

2) To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the pieces just begin to turn gold, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste and spice blend, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning. The spices will be fragrant. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and stir will. Add the chicken pieces, spoon the sauce over the top and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and cook, uncovered, until the chicken is warmed through and the sauce is flavorful, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently. Remove the chicken to a serving dish and cover to keep warm.

3) Shake any excess water from the peas. Add the peas and cream to the sauce in the pan, stir well and heat through. Do not boil. Spoon the sauce over the chicken. Serve with rice and warmed pita bread.

Variation: If you prefer shreds of chicken to whole pieces, remove the skin from the chicken and pull the meat into large chunks by hand. Add to the pan along with the garlic, tomato paste and spice blend. Cook for 3 minutes and then add the tomato sauce and continue with the recipe. Serve over basmati rice.

Auntie Tips (17)

Tip 1 :
To create a natural and uplifting scent for your bathroom, cut an orange in half, scoop out the pulp to form a cup and pour in a tablespoon of salt. Leave one on the sink, above the cabinet or within the toilet area. Once the smell is gone, you can just replace the orange cups with new ones.

Tip 2 :
To sharpen your scissors, stack three pieces of aluminium foil one on top of the other and cut them a few times.

Tip 3 :
Before you get rid of your old blouses, snip off the pretty buttons and store them in a jar. You can use them to jazz up a picture frame, embellish a plain purse or create a one-of-a-kind bookmark. You can also add some to your scrapbook or journal.

Tip 4 :
To make deliciously fried and crisp fish, immerse the fish in milk before you dip it in flour.

Tip 5 :
Snip off the foot part of an old pair of stockings and place it over your sweeper's head. Push the edges into the grippers to secure, and start cleaning the rooms as usual. You will find that the mesh fabric of the stocking attracts and traps dust quickly.

From : Women's Weekly - Sept 2007

Natalie - 3-4 months old

doesn't look quite happy to be sitting in the stroller

other than her fingers, her shirt is her next favourite food

.

trying hard to find a way to watch the TV

Claypot Chicken Rice

I was actually not very pleased with how this dish turned out. The overall taste was good, but the rice turned out to be too soggy. I always have a problem when it comes to estimation, and I had to admit that it's quite difficult to judge the amount of water when it comes to cooking rice without using a rice cooker. And I also thought to just half the recipe and follow the amount, but apparently, something was wrong somewhere. So, the next time, I'm going to follow what my mother suggested: 1 cup rice = 1 cup liquid.

Claypot Chicken Rice (recipe from here)

Ingredients :

- 1 Chinese sausage

- 4 chicken thighs – cut to bite size pieces
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy
- 2 tbsp light soy
- 2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp of rice wine
- 1 inch ginger (julienned)
- 1 tsp of salt
- ½ tsp of pepper
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 spring onions (chopped finely)
- 5 dried shitake mushrooms, (soaked in warm water for 20 minutes)
- 2 cups rice
- 3 cups chicken stock

Directions:

1. Mix the chicken with all the ingredients except the rice, mushrooms, spring onions and stock. Leave to marinade for at least half an hour.

2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok and stir-fry marinated chicken meat for 1 minutes. Add mushroom slices, sliced chinese sausage. Dish out and put aside

3. Put the rice and chicken stock in the cold claypot and place it over a medium heat with the lid on. Bring to the boil and immediately reduce the heat to a low simmer, then leave the rice to steam for 15 minutes. The rice should be nearly cooked, with little holes in the flat surface.

4. Spread the chicken mixture all over the top of the rice, and put the lid back on. Continue to steam over a low heat for another 15 minutes, until the chicken is white and cooked through. Give it a few stir and sprinkle the spring onions over the top and serve piping hot.

Haven't Met You Yet - Michael Bublé

Shortbread Cookies

Do not let these odd-shaped looking cookies fool you. It was just the presentation and looks that were a little off, other than those, the taste was good. Really surprisingly good. I was also very happy that my uncle actually wondered if I could make these and sell them for the coming Chinese New Year. However, I didn't have much confidence. I suspected it was because of my toaster oven that gave these cookies the slightly dark burnt look, not at all shortbread-looking like those from the recipe link. But I was still very glad that everyone enjoyed it. :) And I'm definitely getting some cookies cutters soon.

Shortbread Cookies (recipe from here)

Ingredients :

- 3 sticks unsalted, softened butter (24 tablespoons)

- 1 cup of sugar, plus a little extra, for sprinkling
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- chocolate for melting and dipping or drizzling (optional)

Directions :

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (~176 degrees Celsius)

2) In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together the butter and one cup of the sugar, until just combined. Now add the vanilla.

3) In another bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add it to the butter/sugar/vanilla mixture. Mix on low speed until everything just comes together.

4) Form dough into a disk and then chill for 30 minutes. Roll out dough to about 1/2 -inch thick. Cut out with whatever cookie cutters you’d like. If you’d like, before baking, sprinkle with sugar.

5) Bake for 30 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Let cool and dip in/drizzle on melted chocolate, if desired.
These cookies stored well for about 5 days in cookie tins.

Chicken Ngoh Hiang

So I've finally made my ngoh hiang. Yes, with chicken instead of pork coz as I had mentioned before, I can't stand the piggish taste of supermarket pork. Though I suspect that using chicken might not taste as sweet and succulent as pork, but I'm still very satisfied with the overall result. I had made ngoh hiang, of all things. It was not as difficult as I thought it would be.

And I'm also proud to say that I had kind of got the seasoning right this time. According to this post from The Little Teochew, there are 2 ways to get around the saltiness of this dish :

1) Go light on your seasoning of the filling, so that the saltiness of the wrapper makes up for the blandness, or

2) Season your filling as you normally would. Then, using a clean damp cloth, wipe the wrappers a few times (both sides) very gently. Make sure your cloth is damp and not wet, else your wrappers will turn soggy. Rinse the cloth thoroughly after each wrapper has been wiped. Squeeze dry and go on to the next.

And I followed the first method, coz I didn't think I have to patience to wipe and wash, wipe and wash. Heh.

Ngoh Hiang (recipe from here)

Ingredients : 

- 300g minced pork (or any minced meat you prefer)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced finely
- 6 water chestnuts, chopped roughly
- 6 medium sized fresh prawns, shelled, de-veined and chopped into small chunks
- 2 stalks leeks (the white part only), sliced thinly OR substitute with 2 stalks spring onions, chopped (I used both)
- 1 tbs soy sauce
- 1 tbs fish sauce (I omitted this)
- dash of sesame oil
- dash of pepper
- 1 small egg, beaten lightly
- Ngoh Hiang skin (sold in large, folded sheets at dry goods shops ... you have to cut them to size before rolling)

Directions :

1) To the minced meat, add garlic, leeks, prawns and water chestnuts together. Add in 1 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs fish sauce and a dash of sesame oil.

2) Add in one egg and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle some spring onions for colour.

Note : To see how to assemble the ngoh hiang, follow the recipe link.