Pasta with chicken and mushrooms

There is a slight difference in one of the main ingredients in this recipe, that is the Italian pork and fennel sausage. I really didn't know if it was sold anywhere in Singapore, much less in any supermarket near my place. Therefore, I substituted it with just plain normal minced chicken, which I seasoned with a little salt and black pepper and set it aside for a while before cooking.

However, if there is any chance that I could get the Italian sausage, I would certainly try this again. :)

Pasta with pork and fennel sausages (adapted from "Quick and Easy workday dinners")
Serves 4

Ingredients :

6 Italian pork and fennel sausages (I substituted with minced chicken)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
300g field or button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
500g penne rigate
grated Parmesan, to serve


Directions :

1) Split the sausage open, remove and crumble the filling, then discard the skins.

2) Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the onion for 3-4 minutes, or until fragrant and transparent. Add the garlic, chilli flakes, mushrooms and crumbled sausage meat. Cook over high heat, stirring gently to mash the sausage meat, for 4-5 minutes, or until the meat is evenly browned.

If necessary, use a tablespoon to remove any excess fat from the pan, leaving about a tablespoon of oil. Continue to cook, stirring once or twice, for 10 minutes.

3) Stir in the tomato and thyme, then bring the sauce to the boil. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the sauce doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

4) Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large saucepan of rapidly boiling salted water according to the packet instructions until al dente. Drain well, then add to the sauce, stirring gently to combine. Garnish with Parmesan, then serve immediately.

动感清明上河图 - A Moving Masterpiece

I first came across this while watching the news one evening. What captured my attention was not only the animation, but that the painting was able to change from day to night. To be honest, I didn't know what was this painting about at all. But I managed to do a little research on the Internet for it before I went to the exhibition.

The painting was famous because it supposedly depicts the richness of the society, from the poor to the wealthy, from the rural area to the capital city, and also the daily life of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Before actually seeing the animated painting, there was an area where there were exhibits of the lives of the people during that time.

What really caught my attention was this man named Bi Sheng (毕生). He invented the movable type printing equipment, whereby each chinese character was carved on one single piece of clay, and these characters could be re-arranged on a metal plate to form different sentences to be printed.

I wonder if Scrabble was an inspiration from this? ;p

 A bank note from the old times

Finally, there was the 128 x 6.5 metres projected image of the painting. There was no way to capture the full length of the painting.

 The day and night scenes of the same area 

When I first mentioned to the husband that I wanted to see this painting, he was kind of hesitant. The entrance fees was kind of steep, if there was the impression that it was just to go into the place to stare at one painting. However, he was quite surprised and impressed after the whole thing, and seeing the exhibits and considering the amount of work being put  into making the painting animated, and to transit it seamlessly from day to night, I could understand why the entrance fees were a little high.

All in all, it was an enjoyable and fun experience. As there was no Chinese history being taught in school, this was a good way to know more about the ancient Chinese cultures, and also to be kept interested in the history.

I had managed to capture a video of the painting changing from day to night. Enjoy! :)