in my studio | category | in my kitchen

May
03
2012

spaghetti bolognese

RECIPE FOR SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE WITH MINCE BEEF

Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients

400g dried thin spaghetti
500g beef mince
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 carrots, diced
300g sliced mushrooms (or 400g can sliced champignons)
1 tsp oregano (or to your taste)
4 tbsp thick tomato paste
1 x 425g can peeled tomatoes
3 cups beef stock (i use vegetable stock or just water)
salt and pepper, to taste
3 tbsp olive oil
fresh shaved parmesan and/or powder parmesan to garnish

Method

1. Heat olive oil and saute onions and garlic in a medium pot.

2. Add mince beef and stir until evenly brown until lumps are broken.

3. Add carrots, stock/water, mushrooms, oregano, tomato paste and canned tomatoes. Stir for a bit and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 45 minutes until liquid has greatly reduced.

3. Add salt and pepper and stir.

4. Boil spaghetti with a bit of oil and salt, then drain under cold running water.

5. Serve immediately with hot bolognese sauce topped with cheese.

No comments
Category: beef, halal, in my kitchen, pasta

Apr
03
2012

grilled chicken with creamy napolitana sauce

One of our family favourite mid week dinner is grilled chicken with creamy napolitana sauce served with steamed vegetables and mash potato. It is a quick and rather healthy dinner and the good thing is, if you make a big pot of the napolitana sauce, you can re-use it with some pasta for next days dinner.

RECIPE FOR GRILLED CHICKEN WITH CREAMY NAPOLITANA SAUCE

Serves: 2
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 30 mins

Ingredients

1 chicken breast, slice into 4 parts
1 large carrot, cut
1/4 brocolli, cut
coriander (optional), for garnishing

For napolitana sauce:
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, pound in mortar and pestle
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken stock
150ml thickened cream
salt and pepper, to taste

For mash potato:
1 large potato, quartered and boiled till soft
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp milk
sprinkle of salt and pepper

Method

1. To make the napolitana sauce. Saute onions and garlic in a saucepan with a bit of oil for a minute or two and then add tomato paste, chicken stock and thickened cream. Bring to boil and leave to simmer to reduce the sauce. Don’t forget to season with salt and pepper.

2. Whilst the napolitana sauce is simmering, boil the carrots and brocolli in one pot and in separate pot, boil the potatoes. Both with a bit of salt. Drain well once soften.

3. Heat up some olive oil in a grill pan and grill the chicken breast for 8-10 minutes turning sides. Make sure it does not overburn/overcook.

3. Mash the potatoes with butter, milk, salt and pepper till creamy and no lumps are seen.

4. Serve grilled chicken on a plate alongside the vegetables, mash potato and finally drizzle over the napolitana sauce and sprinkle with some coriander.

No comments
Category: chicken, halal, in my kitchen

Mar
29
2012

scones with strawberry jam and whipped cream

scones

I’m so sorry! I’ve been procrastinating for far too long now. You could blame it on my morning sickness, Alhamdulillah I’m 6+ months pregnant now, and experienced horrible morning sickness till 4+ months. It took another month or so for me to get back into my cooking/crafting/organising mojo. I’ve got heaps of posts on standby waiting to be published and here is one for today.

scones

Who can resist good’ol traditional baked scones with a bit of jam and whipped cream? I sure can’t! These are mouth watering and perfect for breakkie on the weekends with your loved ones.

RECIPE FOR BASIC SCONES
Adapted from Taste

Serves: 16
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients

Plain flour, for dusting
3 cups self raising flour
80 gram butter, cubed (at room temperature)
1 to 1 1/4 cups milk
strawberry jam and whipped cream, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Dust 2 flat baking trays lightly with flour.

2. Then sift the self-raising flour into a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Make a well in the centre. Add 1 cup of milk. Mix with a flat-bladed knife until mixture forms a soft dough, adding more milk if required. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently until smooth (don’t knead dough too much or scones will be tough).

4. Pat dough into a 2cm-thick round. Using a 5cm (diameter) round cutter, cut out 12 rounds. Press dough together and cut out remaining 4 rounds. Place scones onto prepared baking trays, 1cm apart. Sprinkle tops with a little plain flour.

5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden and well risen. Transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm with strawberry jam and cream.

1 lovely comment
Category: bread, desserts, in my kitchen

Dec
03
2011

chicken soup and on being sick!

chicken soup

Please accept my apologies for the lack of post over the last couple of weeks, I have been sick, terribly sick- that the thought of food and consuming it, makes it even worst! Hence why I have not updated this blog. But at least I can have some hearty winter soup eventhough its summer here! So if you’ve got a few soup recipes up your sleeves, kindly do share them with me. I’m always on the lookout for more recipes!

RECIPE FOR CHICKEN SOUP WITH CABBAGE
Adapted from my stepmum

Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 chicken breast, cut into small pieces
50g dried rice vermicelli
4 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped spring onions (to garnish)
3 tbsp fried shallots (to garnish)
2 eggs
1/4 cabbage, shredded thinly
salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Bring to a boil the chicken breast pieces in a pot of chicken stock.

2. Add in the cabbage, vermicelli and simmer for 45 minutes.

3. Crack the eggs but do not stir. Leave for 5 minutes before seasoning it with salt and pepper and the other garnishes.

4. Serve immediately while hot.

2 lovely comments
Category: chicken, entree, halal, in my kitchen, soups

Nov
19
2011

curry laksa version 2

curry laksa

Yet another laksa post from me because I am a fanatic laksa fan. Here is the original post, I posted a few months ago when I first learnt how to make it from scratch-no bottle paste anymore yee-ha! This time, I made a few extra changes.

If you love cooking malaysian food, you most probably have all these ingredients sitting at home in your pantry/fridge. All you have to do is get the fresh stuff like boy choy, bean sprouts etc. The only downside is probably having to toast the belacan (shrimp) which is super smelly-makes-you-want-to-gag, but because I’m all-things-malaysian, I absolutely love the smell! Though, hubby’s orders: please toast them outside. And yes, please do. You do not want your house smelling like off shrimps ;)

RECIPE FOR MALAYSIAN CHICKEN CURRY LAKSA
Adapted from Almost Bourdain, with slight modifications

Serves: 6
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 50 mins

Ingredients

For the paste:
20 Asian shallots
10 cloves garlic
10 dried chillies, soaked in warm water for 30mins
3 tsp toasted belacan
3 tbsp dried shrimps, soaked in warm water for 5 mins
6 candlenuts (buah keras)

Other ingredients:
3 tbsp curry powder (I used Baba’s Meat)
1 kg egg noodles (hokkien noodles), blanched
24 shelled prawns, deveined
2 chicken breast, cooked and sliced
2 big bunch of choy sum, cut
3 stalks lemon grass, bruised
2 sprig curry leaves
3 cups chicken stock
3/4 can coconut milk
200 g tofu puffs, halved
300 g bean sprouts, blanched and tail removed
3 hard boiled eggs, halved
1 packet fried fish cakes, sliced thinly
5 tbsp oil
salt to taste
Fried shallots, for garnishing
Spring onions, for garnishing

Method

1. To make the paste: Mix ingredients and pound into a paste using a blender.

2. Heat up oil in a medium sized pot, and stir the prawns for 5 mins until cooked evenly. Remove prawns and set aside.

3. Saute the blended paste, lemon grass, curry powder and curry leaves until the oil separates and is fragrant. This should take about 7 – 10 mins.

3. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.

4. Reduce heat and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes.

5. Add the coconut cream/milk and bring to a boil again, stirring constantly to prevent it from curdling.

6. Turn of the stove and add tofu puffs, fish cake, choy sum and some salt to taste then give it a final stir to coat all the ingredients.

To serve: Divide noodles into individual bowls. Pour the hot curry laksa evenly ontop of the noodles into each bowl and then spread the prawns, chicken, eggs and the garnishes. Serve immediately.