Spaghetti Bolognese

Spaghetti bolognese is easy to make, yet delicious. :) Who can resist this food, anyway, unless you're a vegetarian or vegan? :p

Ingredients:

· 150g mushrooms (in a can), drain the liquid and diced into tiny cubes
· 1 carrot, diced into tiny cubes
· 1 onion, diced into tiny cubes
· 1 clove of garlic, crushed
· 400g minced beef
· 2 tbsp tomato puree
· 200g crushed tomatoes (in a can or in a carton)
· 125 ml beef stock
· 125 ml red wine
· 1 tsp dried thyme
· 1 tsp dried oregano
· 125 ml single cream
· 3 tbsp butter
· 400g dried spaghetti, boil until al dente and drained
· Salt and pepper

Methods:

1) Heat the frying pan in a medium heat. Melt the butter into the frying pan.
2) Fry the diced onion, diced carrot, crushed garlic and diced mushrooms until tender.
3) Add minced beef into the frying pan and fry until the meat cooked through.
4) Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, meat stock and red wine. Stir until well-blended.
5) Season with dried thyme, dried oregano, salt and pepper.
6) Pour the single cream and mix well. Let the mixture boil without stirring for 15 minutes on a medium heat or until the mixture is thickened.
7) Serve the boiled and drained spaghetti into four plates. Pour the meat sauce on the top of the spaghetti.
8) Serve immediately with grated parmesan cheese on the top of each dish.

Yield 4 serving.

Nabeyaki Udon

Nabeyaki udon is a Japanese noodle soup made of thick buckwheat noodle called Udon. Nabeyaki udon is usually cooked individually in earthenware pots. Since I don't have the that pots, I just cooked it in a dutch oven (soup pan). This noodle soup makes a good accompany when the weather outside is chily.

Ingrediets:

115 g boneless chicken thigh
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sake or dry white wine
½ tsp soy sauce
1 leek
300 g dried udon noodles, boiled and drained

For the soup:

· 1.5 L stock made of instant dashi stock
· 4 ½ tsp soy sauce
· 1 ¼ tsp salt
· 1 tbsp mirin (Japanese sweet cooking rice wine)

Methods:

1) Cut the chicken into small chunks and sprinkle with the salt, sake and soy sauce. Set aside.
2) Cut the leek diagonally into 2 cm slices.
3) Bring the ingredients for the soup to the boil in a saucepan and add the chicken and leek. Skim the broth and then cook for 5 minutes.
4) Divide the boiled and drained udon noodles into four bowls. Pour the soup with chicken and leek into each bowls.
5) Sprinkle each bowl of the noodle soup with shicimi togarashi (Japanese seven flavor spice) before serving. Serve immediately.

Yield 4 serving.

Kimchi Bokkeum Bap (Kimchi Fried Rice)

Kimchi fried rice is the best way to use the left over kimchi. Some people love to eat kimchi with pork, but I love to eat kimchi with chicken. ;) For those who doesn't know what is kimchi, well..kimchi is one of the famous korean dish made of spicy pickled chinese cabbage.

Ingredients:

- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 150 g chicken fillet, chopped
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 2 plates cooked rice (left over is the best for this dish)
- 2 spring onion, chopped
- 250 g kimchi, coarsely chopped, with its liquid
- Salt to taste

Method:

1) Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. Add the onion and chicken, cook until the onion is browned and the chicken is cooked through.
2) Lower the heat to medium heat, add the sesame oil.

3) Add gochujang and stir until well blended.
4) Add the rice and stir-fry until the whole ingredients are mixed well.
5) Add kimchi with its liquid and the spring onion. Cook for 3 minutes.
6) Add salt to taste.
7) Serve immediately.

Yield: 2 servings

Yakisoba (Japanese stir-fried noodle)

Yakisoba is so easy to make and also delicious. :) When there's nothing much ingredients left in our fridge, Yakisoba is always the best option to make. ;)


Ingredients:

- 300 g dried soba noodles, boiled and drained.
- 200 g chicken/beef/pork fillet, thinly sliced. à I used chicken fillet
- 1 ½ tbsp oil
- ½ tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- ¼ head cabbage, roughly chopped
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and julienned
- Salt and white pepper powder to taste

For the seasoning: Combine in a small bowl:
· 4 tbsp Worchester sauce
· 1 tbsp soy sauce
· 1 tbsp oyster sauce
· 1 tsp sugar
· ½ tsp salt

Method:

1) Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the chicken fillet until just cooked.
2) Add the grated ginger, garlic and cabbage. Stir-fry for 1 minute.
3) Add the carrot and stir-fry for 1 minute.
4) Add the noodle, stir in all the seasoning ingredients.
5) Season with white pepper and stir-fry for 3 minutes.
6) Serve immediately.

Yield: 2-4 servings

Japanese Curry Rice

Japanese curry rice is yummy, yet simple to make. I always make this food when I feel like eating curry but don't want to do the hard work of making the curry paste. :p

Ingredients:

- 2 chicken breast fillet (@100g-150g)
- 1 large onion, peeled
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled
- 2 medium carrots, peeled
- 1 block/cube Japanese instant curry
- 2 tbsp oil
- 500 ml water
- Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1) Cut chicken fillet into bite size pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2) Cut onion into wedges, then cut potatoes and carrots into chunks.
3) Heat the oil in a wok; brown the onion and garlic but don’t burn them.
4) Add chicken pieces and stir fry until light brown.
5) Add potatoes and carrots and stir fry until a little bit tender.
6) Add water to the wok and cook until the water boils.
7) Add the Japanese instant curry cube and stir well over low heat until the gravy is thickened.
8) Serve the chicken curry with steamed rice.

Yield: 2 servings.

Mae-un dak (Korean Spicy Chili Chicken)

I love spicy food and so does my hubby. :) This time I was feeling like cooking korean food. So, I decided to cook this spicy korean chili chicken. :)

Ingredients:

- 1 tbsp oil
- 300 g chicken fillet, cut into bite size
- 1 small onion, peeled and cut into small cubes
- 1 zucchini, cut into small cubes
- ¼ head Chinese cabbage, cut into bite size
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 spring onion, cut into 1 cm length
- 2 tbsp gochu jang (Korean chili paste)
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp sugar

Method:

1) Heat the oil in a wok over high heat.
2) Add the chicken, onion, zucchini, cabbage and garlic. Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables begin to brown.
3) Add the spring onion, gochujang, soy sauce and sugar. Cook for three minutes.
4) Serve immediately with warm, steamed rice.

Yield: 2-3 servings.

Stir-fried Kway Teow

Stir-fried Kway Teow is a famous stir-fried rice noodle dish in Indonesia and Singapore. The singaporean call this dish as Char Kway Teow, while indonesian call it as Kway Teow Goreng (Stir-fried Kway Teow). Singaporean Char Kway Teow normally use bean sprouts and lap cheong (chinese pork sausage) and seafood (eg.:shrimps). On the other hand, indonesian kway teow use more chicken or beef and choy sum. Here I made the indonesian kway teow.

Ingredients:

- 250 g fresh rice noodles (or 100g dried rice noodles, boiled)
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 300 g chicken fillet or beef, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soya sauce)
- 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp oyster sauce
- 300 g choy sum or gai larn, cut into bite size
- ¼ tsp white pepper powder
- Lemon wedges to serve (optional)

Method:

1) Put fresh rice noodles in boiling water for 30 seconds, and then drain the water. Set aside.
2) Heat a wok over medium heat, add 1 tbsp of the oil and swirl to coat the base and side. Add the egg and cook into scramble egg.
3) Add the remaining oil, add the sliced chicken fillet or sliced beef and stir-fry until brown.
4) Combine the kecap manis, soy sauce and oyster sauce in one small bowl, then add to the wok.
5) Add choy sum or gai larn and the rice noodles to the wok. Stir-fry for 3 minutes or until the choy sum becomes slightly tender but not very soft.
6) Add white pepper powder and stir well.Serve warm with lemon wedges.

Yield: 2-4 servings