Onion Rings

These onion rings were really crispy. I would never thought that I would be able to eat so many onion rings in one serving. I ate half of them as I was frying the other batch to cook in the frying pan too! Yes! It was that good!

I got the recipe from Jeaniemormof2 in allrecipe, and I altered a bit here and there to suit my available ingredients. I didn't have bread crumbs with me when I made these onion rings. So, I made my own bread crumb. I toasted a couple white bread, and grind them in food processor. They turned out to be really good and crispy!

Ingredients

1 onion, sliced into 1/4 inch

1 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried/chopped oregano/basil

1 egg

1 cup + 2 tbsp milk

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs

oil for frying

Directions

1. Separate the onion slice into rings, and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and herbs (oregano or basil).

3. Dip the onion slice into the flour until they are all coated. set aside.

4. Whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture using a flour. Dip the floured rings into the batter to coat. Then, place on a wire rack to drain until the batter stop dripping.

5. Spread the bread crumbs on a plate or a shallow dish. Place rings one at a time into the crumb and coat them well. Repeat with remaining rings.

6. Deep fry at the rings at high heat a few minutes or until they turned golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain.

7. Ready to serve.

Sambal Terung/Eggplant Sambal

When I was a lot younger, my friend told me that eating eggplant would make you stupid. So, I haven't been eating eggplant since then. It wasn't until I was doing my diploma when a friend told me that I was stupid for believing that eating eggplant would make me stupid. I've started to eat eggplant since then. Well, my friends loved Sambal Terung (Terung = Eggplant), and I've learnt to eat and prepare this dish from her.

Sambal Terung

3 medium sized eggplant

a pinch of salt

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp dried shrimp

1 red chili

1 medium sized shallot

2 clove garlic

1 - 2 tbsp chili paste

2 tbsp sugar

a pinch of salt

1. Slice eggplant diagonally. combine with salt and turmeric powder. Deep fry until soften. Remove from heat and set aside. 

2. Use mortar and pestle to pound dried shrimp, red chili, shallot and garlic (or blender).

3. Heat up a wok with oil. Transfer the pounded ingredients into wok and stir-fry continuously for a minute. Add in chili paste and stir fry for a few minutes or the oil separates from the sambal. 

4. Add in sugar and salt. Mix well.

5. Add in fried eggplant into the sambal and combine well. And they're ready to be served.

Ratatouille

I bought some Zucchini and had ratatouille in my mind. I always wanted to make this since I watched Disney's Ratatouille. Shopping and cooking using ingredients I've never used is my new hobby!

I googled for recipe and decided to try Chef Wan's version (adapted from 'From the Garden to the Kitchen). It's simple as compared to the other recipes. (I found a recipe of traditional ratatouille too! It requires some work, but I'll try them someday).

Ratatouille 

1/2 zucchini 

1/2 eggplant cut into small cubes

1/2 red capsicums (I used 3 colors capsicum)

15 black/green olives (I discarded this)

1 large onion chopped

4 garlic, minced

A handful of fresh "Herb de Provence" 

3 tomatoes diced

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup olive oil 

1. Heat oil. Fry garlic, onion and sweat all vegetables.

2. Add chopped tomatoes, paste and "Herb de Provence".

3. Season with salt and pepper and stew the vegetable for another 25 minutes on low heat.

Sauteed Brussels sprouts

I bought some Brussels sprouts out of curiosity. I've never cooked them before. And my instinct told me that I should do some experiment with this. Plus, cooking with ingredients I've never used it fun! So, I googled the internet looking for some recipes. My friend told me that they can be sauteed with garlic. 

I've found a recipe from Cook Sister! and decided to give it a try. I had to be really careful in cooking them too. Well, my research told me that over cooking these vegetables would make them bitter. And most people were traumatized with Brussels sprout after experiencing those bitter taste. And that scared me! I was quite lucky that they didn't turn out  too bitter, though...

Pasta Primavera

This magazine cover was my final project for my food photography class. Edited with Picasa and Picnik :)

My brother asked me for some vegetarian recipes. He was disappointed when I updated with my Pan Fried Chicken recipes. I haven't got any pictures of any vegetarian dishes in stock, except this. I made this pasta during my food photography class. Pasta Primavera - it's a perfect dish for summer, don't you think? I've never attempt to make this at home - my little sister doesn't like vegetable, remember?

Pasta Primavera

1 carrot, peeled, and cut into strips

1 medium zucchini, sliced

1 onion, sliced

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (I like them charred)

250g  Pasta

1/4 cup tomato sauce

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp Italian herbs

2 cloves garlic - minced

Oil

Salt and pepper

Grated parmesan, optional

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in your pasta and cook until they were al dante (cooked, but firm).

2. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Saute minced garlic first. Add the vegetables, stir to coat with oil. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring only occasionally, until vegetables are just cooked. 

3. Add some Italian herbs. Pour in tomato sauce and let it cook.

4. Once the pasta is ready drain the pasta and put it directly into the skillet with the vegetables. Adjust seasoning. Add more sauce if needed. Gently mix in the cherry tomatoes.

5. Serve with some freshly grated Parmesan, if you like.

Stir Fried Pea Sprouts with Garlic

My mom bought some pea sprouts the other day, and she asked me to cook them. I searched for recipes that would go really well with pea sprouts, and most of them said, stir fry them with garlic.

Stir Fried Pea Sprouts with Garlic

250g Pea Sprouts

2 clove Garlic, sliced or minced

50g Shrimps

1 tablespoon Water

1 tablespoon Oil

1/2 teaspoon Light Soy Sauce

a pinch of Salt

1. Heat wok with oil.

2. Add in the garlic and stir fry till fragrant. Then, stir in some shrimps.

3. Add in your pea sprouts and stir fry quickly to let them 'shrink' evenly.

4. Add in 1/2 to 1 tablespoon water your pea sprout is too dry.

5. Add in light soy sauce and a pinch of salt to taste.

6. Stir well, dish and serve.

Baked Macaroni with Spinach Sauce: Trying to teach my kid sister to eat her vegetable

Baked Macaroni with Spinach Sauce

My mother was saying that I have always made the same pasta sauce. So, she bought me a book of 75 classic pasta sauce. While browsing through the book, I've found a recipe of Spinach Sauce! I thought that it would be a great dish to make my kid sister eat her vegetables again.

I boiled the macaroni, saute them with some garlic and chicken fillet, and pour them into the heatproof serving dish. Then, I pour over the sauce. The sauce is made of soft cheese (I used plain cream cheese),  milk and spinach.

To cover the spinach, I sprinkle some mozzarella and a little bit of parmesan. Then, I shove them into the oven over 180° C for 15 to 20 minutes.

The final product... absolutely no trace of the greens! My kid sister finished them all, and left none for me （￣へ￣）. But I guess, it's a good thing!

Pasta Carbonara: Trying to teach my kid sister to eat her vegetable

My kid sister hates vegetables. In fact, the only vegetable she would eat is mushroom. So, the last time I made Pasta Carbonara for a friend, I was a bit surprised when my mother told me that she ate the carrots too (I usually put away some for my family). It must be the Parmesan!

Well, you see, when I was preparing the sauce, I noticed that the taste of the sausage is overpowering the Carbonara. I didn't like it. So, I put in a lot of Parmesan Cheese to cover the taste of sausage. It worked! Now, my kid sister is able to eat those carrots as the taste of those carrots has disappeared because of the Parmesan. (I'm not sure if that's a good thing, though...)

This time, I wanted to try and make her eat some of the broccoli, and put them in into the Pasta. It didn't work though... She removed the broccoli, and I had to finish them up for her. Oh well, I'll try to find some recipe where she would eat those vegetables... (I don't get it... Why do kids these days hates vegetables?)

Any recommended recipe, anyone?

Cabbage Wrap with Kimchi Paste

Cabbage Wrap and White Radishes with Kimchi Paste

I need to go on a diet. After a few months lazying around the house, I noticed that I've put up some weight. Then, my mother mentioned that my dad wanted to go on a diet too, and she needs to think of some menu for dieting. I thought that Cabbage Wrap is a good menu for dieting, and went around looking for the recipes.

However, I thought that the Cabbage Wrap looked somewhat plain. It needed some sort of dipping sauce, or gravy. I was thinking of something spicy, and remembered that cabbage would taste great in kimchi, and started to Google for some kimchi paste recipe on the internet.

The Cabbage Wrap with Kimchi Paste taste really good!! I thought that the kimchi paste was too spicy for my preferences, but after a while, I get addicted to the taste. I'm going to keep the recipe and try them again for sure!

Recipe:

2 medium size Chinese Cabbage
400g Ground Beef
1 Medium Carrot - diced/chopped
1 large Onion - chopped
1 clove garlic - chopped
Salt and Pepper

Kimchi Paste (Click for recipe)


Direction:

1. Combine ground beef with chopped carrot, garlic and onion. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat oven to 180ºC.
3. Boil a large pot of water on stove, and sprinkle some salt.
4. Pull the cabbage leaf off the head carefully. Blanch the leaves a few minutes until they're tender. Dry the blanched cabbage on the chopping board.
5. Take the ground beef mixture and place on the edge of the leave. Roll the leaf. Make sure that the beef mixture is fully covered.
6. Arrange the wrapped cabbage into a casserole bowl and pour the kimchi paste on top of the cabbage.
7. Put the dish on the oven, and bake for 10 minutes at 180ºC.