I first tried Japanese styled pasta several years ago at a local Japanese pasta restaurant & fell in love with the very fresh & simple flavor, nothing heavy or complicated. The ingredients are very simple & you can whip it up in a jiffy. Great for busy & hectic days!
Serves 4
Ingredients :
500g spaghetti
6 slices back bacon, cut into squares
1 bunch shimeiji mushrooms, bottom removed & separated into pieces
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
A handful of baby spinach, washed
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 tbsp shoyu (japanese soy sauce)
1 tsp dashi stock granules
20g butter
Roasted seaweed, as garnishing
Method :
1. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions till al dente, reserve one cup of the pasta liquid. Drain & set aside.
2. Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan over low heat & fry the garlic till lightly brown & fragrant.
3. Add the bacon & onion & fry over medium heat till the bacon is cooked.
4. Add in the mushrooms & tomatoes & continue frying. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Add in the shoyu, dashi & pasta water.
5. Add in the spaghetti, spinach & butter, toss in the sauce till well combined.
6. Serve topped with roasted seaweed.
Notes :
1. You may use any kind of pasta you desire. I personally love the thick tubular spaghetti.
2. You may also use any kind of mushrooms you like, even a combination if you like variety.
I LOVE my crockpot. Days when I have playdates for my kids or when I've got a lunch & shopping date with my girlfriend (that will take all day!), my crockpot comes to the rescue. No need for takeouts! All I need to do in the morning is prep & throw everything into it, press the magical button & come back to a lovely, hearty dinner for the family. Hubby will think I'm a supermom!
Here's a recipe from the blog, sotastysoyummy that I tried & fell in love with. It's so incredibly easy, yet so tasty. A meal that even my picky little ones at home devour. I did make a few modifications to the recipe, so here goes!
Serves 4
Ingredients :
6 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled & cut into halves
6 carrots, peeled & cut into chunks
1 large onion, cut into wedges
8 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
1.5 cups chicken broth
4 tsps dried parsley flakes
2 tsps dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
6 tbsps cornstarch
1 cup milk
Method :
1. Place potatoes, carrots & onions in the crockpot, followed by the chicken.
2. Mix the parsley, thyme, salt & pepper into the chicken broth & pour it into the crockpot. Add the bay leaves.
3. Cover & cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
4. Mix the cornstarch into the milk & stir till well blended. Once the chicken is done, stir the cornstarch mixture into the stew. Cook for another few minutes till the sauce thickens.
5. You may serve it with steamed rice or crusty baguette.
Notes :
1. I like using potatoes like Yukon Gold or red-skinned potatoes for stews as they hold their shape better after cooking as compared to potatoes like the russet variety which tends to fall apart after prolonged cooking.
I am a fan of western-style soups & Cream of Mushroom soup has got to be one of my favourites. I started cooking this soup when I lived in USA & had to host weekly dinners with our friends. I first chanced upon this recipe from allrecipes.com & after some modifications of my own, it has since become a favourite recipe of mine. Do try it if you love rich & creamy soups. It's so quick, easy & delicious, I am pretty sure you will never go back to canned soups again.
Serves 2 as a meal or 4 as a starter
Ingredients :
5 cups sliced white button mushrooms
1.5 cups chicken broth
0.5 cup chopped onions
1/4 tsp dried thyme
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
0.5 cup milk
0.5 cup cooking cream
1 tbsp sherry
Method :
1. In a large pot, cook the mushrooms in the chicken broth with the onions & thyme till tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Puree the mixture & set aside.
3. In a separate saucepan ,melt the butter, then whisk in the flour until smooth. Add in into the mushroom puree, together with the salt, pepper, milk & cream. Bring the soup to the boil, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Season to taste & add sherry.
Notes :
1. You may use 1 cup milk instead of 0.5 cup milk & 0.5 cup cream if you do not have cream on hand. Using cream gives the soup a creamier texture.
2. I used a hand held blender to blend the soup directly in the pot. You may use the conventional blender to do so but do make sure the soup is slightly cool before transferring to the blender.
3. If you like a smooth texture, you may blend it totally. However, I like a chunkier soup, so I only blended half & left mushroom chunks in the soup.
4. Adding sherry gives the soup a nice kick but you may omit it if you prefer.
