Mee Goreng (Mi Goreng) - Mayasian, Indonesian fried noodles.

Mee Goreng

Means fried (goreng) noodles (mee). The word Mee is actually the word for noodles in Hokkien (A common Chinese dialect in South East Asia). This quintessential street-food staple is a perfect example of food fusion and evolution. It has a Malay (or Bahasa) name. The noodles, tofu, soy sauce are of Chinese origin. Sambal originated from Java, Indonesia. You will see different variations of this dish throughout South East Asia. This mix was due to the large influx of Chinese and Indian immigrants into South East Asia in the 1800 & 1900s.  

This is my take on a Mee Goreng. This version is closer to the Indonesian style and not the South Indian "Mamak" mee goreng.

This serves 2.

4 cloves garlic
1/2 Purple Onion, thinly sliced
12 raw prawns, peeled and de-veined
1 bunch Choy Sum or preferred Asian green leafy veg
1 handful bean sprouts
1 tomato, roughly chopped
12-16 fried tofu puffs. (I used the small ones - half them diagonally if large pieces)
250 grams fresh thick yellow egg (Hokkien) noodles
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp sambal
3 eggs - Beaten.

• Heat a wok over very high heat

• Add garlic and onions, fry for about a minute, till a little browning occurs. (1 way to prevent garlic burning is to add it 10-20 secs after the onions). 

• Add the prawns and cook for about 1 minute. 

• Add choy sum and toss to coat in the oil. 

• When the prawns are almost cooked through, add egg and scramble. 

• Add the tomatoes, tofu puffs, bean sprouts and noodles. Toss for about 2 minutes, or until the tomatoes and tofu soften.

• Optional Step - You can induce noodle toasting or Wok Hei at this point by laying the noodles around the wok and letting them toast with out tossing them for a minute or 2.

• Add all the sauces and mix well. 

• Fry for a another minute or 2 to caramelize the sauces a little.

Garnish with fresh cucumber, wedge of lime and some fried shallots.
Serve hot.

1 tbsp kecap manis

Method

Enjoy!

 

Fried Egg Noodles with Prawn

Awesome way to use egg noodles. So flavourful and satisfying. Using prawn stock is optional but highly recommended. I honestly eat 2 servings on my own... yeah I know I'm not supposed to.

 
Here is what you will need for 2
 

About 200 grams of egg noodles
About 250 grams of prawns – Peeled and cut into 1cm pieces.
Set the meat aside or in fridge until ready to fry

Bunch of baby spinach or your preferred Asian greens
 
For Prawn stock:
Put the heads and shells in a small saucepan
Add about 1 -1.5 cup of water in saucepan with prawn heads and shells
Bring to a boil and then Simmer over low heat for 10 mins
 
Half a large yellow onion – Sliced
1 stalk chopped spring onions for garnish
8 - 10 cloves of garlic chopped
 
Sauce:
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
Mix all the above in a small bowl
 
Method
Heat oil in wok over high heat
Add onions and fry for about 15 seconds
Add the chopped garlic - Fry for about 1 minute or so
Add the prawn meat, fry for about 1 minute
Add the eggs and scramble
Add the spinach and wilt them a little
Add the noodles and fry
Add the sauce and mix well
Add the prawn stock - you may not need all of it
Fry for another 20 seconds or so and you are ready to serve.

Enjoy!

GARLICKY EGG FRIED RICE - NO WOK REQUIRED

 

A method for garlicky egg fried rice that does not require a wok. A wok is almost always better for fried rice but if you don’t have one or not inclined to use one, this is a viable alternative.
The steps are also easy to follow and stress free.

What you will need:

• 400 grams cooked short grain rice (refrigerated overnight)
• Beat 3 eggs with a splash of soy sauce
• 1 Large yellow onion - chopped up (I used a food processor)
• 12-15 garlic cloves – chopped
• 2 stalks spring onions -sliced
• Soy Sauce
• Salt and pepper

Method:

• Heat some oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat
• Add the onions - Fry for about 3-4 mins - until they soften a little
• Add in the chopped garlic
• Fry for until browned, about 6-8 mins
• When onions and garlic are browned and fragrant - Remove from pan and set aside
• In the same pan - add the rice on a Medium high heat
• Allow the rice to fry and dry out a little in the pan
• After about a minute add the beaten eggs
• Mix well, coating the rice grains with egg
• Add the fried onions and garlic when eggs are almost cooked through

(Note if you adding a pre-cooked protein/meat - add it at this point.)

• Add about a tbsp of soy sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Turn of the heat and mix in the spring onions

Serve and enjoy!

Mushrooms and Rösti, topped with an egg.

 

Rösti or rööschti - A type of potato fritter from Switzerland. Similar to a hashbrown I guess. but usually cook in a pan instead of a deep fryer.

We had potatoes and mushrooms in the house, wanted to jazz them up a little. Spring onion and thyme were from our back yard.

I made this one thin as I wanted it crispy. This is thinner than a traditional rösti I guess. Haven't had or made that many to be 100% sure. Those that I have had were thicker and larger. Important to get the mushrooms browned to intensify the flavour. Recipe: 1 Large Potato ~ 250 grams (Julienne or grated) Half and medium/small onion (finely chopped/diced) 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped) 6 mushrooms ~ 250 grams(sliced) knob of butter 2-3 sprigs of thyme 1 egg

Method:

1. Fry egg sunny side up.

Potato
2. Heat a flat fry pan with some oil. 3. Put potatoes in pan set to medium heat.
4. Cook until both sides are crispy.

Mushrooms
5. In a separate pan heat some oil over high heat.
6. Then add onion and garlic. Fry till softened and light brown.
7. Add mushrooms and fry until browned.

Assembly -

8. Mushrooms on the potato and top with fried egg.
9. Garnish with fresh herb of your choice.

Also, a short cut would be to use frozen/store-bought hash browns and just cook the shrooms yourself. Also, grate the potatoes if you don't want to julienne them.

Pad See Ew - My first video post

Pad See Ew - Flat rice noodle stir fried with gai lan, bean sprouts, egg, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, kecap manis, oyster sauce. Used rendered pork fat as the cooking fat, Used a seared a scotch fillet as the main protein. Still fairly new at the whole video while cooking thingy. Love the flavour of this quintessential Thai street dish. Much like Char Kway Teow in SG.

Video here - https://youtu.be/oPD8RXSIAYk

What you will need to serve 2

2 tbs extra pork lard or vegetable oil

6 cloves garlic - chopped

200-300 grams beef sirloin that I pan seared till medium rare beforehand

3 eggs - beaten

200-300 grams flat rice noodles (Kway Teow or Cheong Fun)

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 bunch gai lan cut into 5cm lengths

50 grams bean sprouts (optional)

2 tbsp kecap manis

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp crispy shallots

 

1.     In a work or large skillet, heat the lard (or oil) on medium heat.

2.     Once oil or lard is hot, add the garlic. Fry till fragrant (a hint of sulphur).

3.     Turn up heat to high.

4.     Add the eggs and scramble. 

5.     Once the eggs are almost cooked through add the noodles and stir fry. 

6.     Mix well and then add the soy sauce, beef and bean sprouts.

7.     Add the kecap manis and oyster sauce.

8.     Stir Fry and then add the gai lan and fry till the sauce caramelizes a little. 

9.     Turn off the heat and serve immediately. 

10. Garnish with fried shallots and chillies if desired. 

 

Enjoy!

Noodles in Beef Broth

My first post in a long while. Relocation and adjustments to deal with. Hope to have more posts in the future.

This is comfort food that is very simple to put together. Inspired somewhat by all the beef Pho around near where we live. While not the same thing, its more of a short cut beef noodle soup dish that one can put together with relative ease after work. Especially on a cold day, this is so good. 

The trick to a quick dinner prep is to actually do most of the work while the broth is simmering. Literally can be done in 45 mins or less and way more satisfying than instant noodles.

You can use your own homemade beef stock, which is highly recommended. In a pinch, store bought works fine.

What you will need to serve 4

For the soup / broth

4 pieces of star anise

1 cinnamon quill

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

8 cloves garlic – crushed with the side of a knife

1 bunch Corriander Root – washed clean and crushed with the side of a knife – Reserve leaves for garnish.

4 shallots or half an onion – sliced

3 tablespoons dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

¼ cup light soy sauce

1.5 - 2 liters beef or veal stock. (Store bought is fine, just watch the salt content)

  

Garnish

Corriander Leaves (The roots are in the soup) - chopped

2 stalks Spring onion – sliced

Sesame oil

Back/white peeper
Chillies (optional)

The rest of the stuff

320 - 400 grams of noodles. (Egg noodles, ramen and thai stick noodles all work well)

1 cup bean sprouts (Optional)

1 cup spinach or other Asian greens (Bok Choy or Mustard greens are great as well)

400-600 grams Beef Tenderloin (Eye Fillet) – Thinly sliced.

Method

1. Cut the corriander at the stem, about 2 inches above to root. Wash clean, set aside the leaves and root separately. The leaves will be used when serving.
2. Drizzle a little light soy sauce over the beef and mix. Set aside.
3. In a large pot or stockpot, heat some cooking oil (about 2 tablespoons) over a medium heat. When oil is heated up, put in the Garlic, peppercorns, coriander rood, shallots, star anise and cinnamon. Fry until fragrant. About 5 mins. Browning on the garlic and shallots is good, just don’t burn them.
4. Add all the beef stock into the pot. Add the soy sauces and oyster sauce and fish sauce. Stir to mix well. Bring to a boil and then lower heat, allowing to simmer for about 20mins.
5. While the broth is simmering, cook your noodles according to packaging instructions and portion into serving bowls.
6. Blanch vegetables and portion into serving bowls.
7. Portion the beef over the noodles and vegetables in the serving bowls. (yes raw)
8. Turn off the heat in the stockpot. Pour or ladle half of the broth into each serving bowl through a strainer. The heat from the hot broth should cook the sliced beef just right. If you are not comfortable with rare beef, just blanch the beef in small bowl of the broth prior to serving.
9. Garnish and serve. 

Chilli Con Carne

Chilli Con Carne - Actually means Chilli with meat. Recipe variations are really wide. E.g. There are those who believe beans and tomatoes should not be included and there are those who differ from that point of view. The recipe changes from state to state in the US and Mexico.

Chilli Con Carne

I got inspired to try my hand at this dish after watching an episode Diners Drive-ins and Dives on Foodnetwork Channel. I brought this dish to two pot lucks and it was very well received at both. Its an awesome dish for a pot luck as it can be made the day or even days before. It will taste better after spending some night(s) in the fridge.

Makes about 8 servings

200 grams streaky bacon - Cut up into 1 cm slices
500 grams Minced Beef
2-3 sausages (spicy Italian kind preferred) - Diced up.
300 grams beef chuck - cut into 1 inch cubes. (Optional - I like the chunky pieces in my chilli)

1 Whole Large Onion - Diced
1 Red Capsicum - Diced.
5 Cloves Garlic - finely chopped or minced

2 tablespoons chilli powder (More for extra heat)
2 teaspoons paprika power
2 teaspoons ground coriander
3 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt

50-70 grams Dark Chocolate (At least 60%)

1 can diced tomato
1 can tomato paste
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1 cup beef stock - (Chicken stock is fine too)
1 can of Beer (Dark beer preferred if you have) - optional
2 cans Kidney beans or Pinto Beans or one of each

Garnish
1 Bunch Corriander - Roughly Chopped
2-3 stalks of Spring Onions - sliced
1 cup - Shredded Cheddar.
Optional - For added heat, add some thinly sliced bird's eye chillies. (Chilli Padi)
Tip - If too spicy, add some more sugar.


1. Add the bacon into a large stockpot over high heat. Fry for about a minute. Add the diced onions and capsicum and fry for about 3 - 5 minutes (Until they soften and onions turn translucent) Add the garlic and saute for another 1 or 2 minutes.

2. Add the chuck and sear for about 4 minutes (If using) and then add the ground beef and sausage and sear, stirring gently, try not to break up the ground beef too much. Cook until the meat is nicely browned and cooked through should take 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Add the chilli powder, paprika, coriander, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, ground black pepper, salt and cook until the spcies release their aroma, about 3-4 minutes.

4. Add the tomatoes and tomato puree. Cook out the tomatoes and puree for about 4 minutes. Stir in the beer and stock. Use the liquid to de-glaze the pot, mopping up any brown bits sticking to your pot. Add the kidney and pinto beans(with all the juice from the cans, as the starch will help tighten up the chilli).

5. At this point, add the chocolate and tomato ketchup, mix well. Simmer for about 2 hours. Checking and stirring regularly, every 20 minutes or so on very low heat, just so the bottom does not burn. Or or use a slow cooker

Serve the chilli in bowls, garnished with Spring Onions and/or Corriander and Cheddar.
Great with Fries and Tortilla Chips! Enjoy!

Spicy Baked Eggs

The wife loves baked eggs in a tomato based sauce. So I decided to make this for breakfast one day. We both love little spicy kick in our food sometimes, (Actually its most of the time for me) so this is my spicy rendition of a great brunch dish. The trick is timing the bake, so as not to overcook the eggs.

Spicy Baked Eggs with sausage and garnished with basil

Here's what you'll need to serve 2.
4 Eggs - Cracked into 2 bowls. 2 eggs in each bowl.
1 400gm can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup tomato puree.
1 small / medium yellow onion - diced
2 cloves garlic - minced/diced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (Optional)
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1/2 Red Capsicum - diced
2 sausages - cut into thick slices (I used spicy pork ones, but you can use your own preferred sausages)
Parmesan Cheese
handful Fresh Basil - sliced (For Garnish)
Salt and pepper to taste.

Steps:
1. Pre-heat your oven to grill/broil.

2. In a oven-safe frying pan, heat some oil over medium heat. When the oil is heated, fry the sausage chunks until they achieve nice browning on the surfaces. Remove sausages from the pan and set them aside, leaving the oil behind.

3. Next fry the diced capsicum in the pan for about a 2-3 minutes. Next add the onions, garlic, chilli flakes and smoked paprika. Fry for about 3-4 minutes, until the onions soften and the chillies give off their aroma. Then add the tomatoes and tomato puree and cook for about 5-10 minutes (cooking out the tartness from the tomatoes), stirring often. Taste as you go, adding salt and pepper as you like. Turn off the heat once you get the consistency and depth of flavor that you want. (I like my tomatoes really cooked out, so I sometimes cook them out a little longer)

3. Make a couple of little wells in the sauce with a spoon or ladle and pour the eggs in. Place the whole pan in the oven and grill for 6-10 minutes. (Depending on how runny you like your eggs).

4. Remove from the oven, garnish generously with basil and grated Parmesan. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil if you like. Serve immediately with crusty bread.

Hope you'll enjoy this coz we did :)

Spicy Tagliatelle With Cherry Tomatoes, Basil and Bacon.

Haven't been cooking anything new in a while. Busy schedules and all. I felt like a spicy pasta dish (which is quite often) one evening and thought making use of the pack of leftover cherry tomatoes in the fridge. This is a variation of pasta dishes I posted here before. Its not too heavy or saucy, but lightly dressed in a sauce that is not too strong but still full of flavour. The sweetness of the tomatoes and the saltiness of the bacon go so well together.

This easy meal for 2 is put together in less than 30 minutes.

Spicy Tagliatelle With Cherry Tomatoes, Basil and Bacon.

Here is what you need for 2.

180 grams Tagliatelle pasta (Or your favourite long pasta)
100 grams streaky bacon - cut into small strips.
5-6 cloves of garlic - sliced
1/2 cup Chardonnay or dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock (Or use the salted water from cooking the pasta of stock is not available)
2-3 bird's eye chilli/chilli padi - sliced (leave these out for a non-spicy version)
12 Cherry tomatoes - Halved
Salt and pepper to taste
Handful of fresh basil leaves - Sliced
Cooking oil (canola, light olive etc)
Extra virgin olive oil - for drizzling.

Steps:1. Cook pasta In a pot of salted boiling water for 2 minutes (Or according to package instructions). Strain and set aside. Add some olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together.

2. In a large saute pan, heat some cooking oil. When oil heated, fry the bacon strips until they almost turn crisp (4-5 minutes) then add in the garlic and tomatoes and fry for 2-3 minutes. 

3. At this point deglaze by adding in the white wine and chicken stock. Scraping up the brown bits from the base with a wooden spoon or similar implement. Allow to simmer for about a couple of minutes or so.

4. Add the pasta into the pan and mix well. Turn off the heat. Add the chillies and basil. (You can save some for garnish) Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Dish onto pasta plates and garnish with some fresh basil and chillies. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.

Hope you will like this. Enjoy!

Pasta in Tomato Sauce

This dish always reminds me of the scene from the movie No Reservations. The scene where Aaron Eckhart "cons" Abigail Breslin to start eating a bowl of pasta which got me wanting to eat this dish after watching the movie. I think it has do to with the way Abigail Breslin hungrily wolfs down the pasta.

Tagliatelle with Tomato Sauce and fresh basil

The basic pasta dish that and most likely the first pasta dish that most people here in Singapore encounter as a kid. This is more of a walk-through on the technique of making a quick pasta dish, rather than a full recipe.

This post will take you trough on whipping up this pasta dish in 15 minutes or less, with sauce that you pre-made yourself.

Ingredients to serve 2
160 - 180 grams store bought pasta (Or about 100 grams per person for a big eater)
2-3 cups tomato sauce (link here for recipe)
A splash of dry red wine (optional)
Handful of fresh basil for garnish (optional)
Grated Parmesan for garnish (optional)

Steps:
1. Cook Pasta according to package instructions in salted boiling water. Remove strain the pasta. Dress with a little olive oil to prevent them sticking together. Set aside. (Note: Cook for 3/4 of the time stated on the package for Al Dente)

2. In a large saute pan over medium heat, pour all the sauce (and wine if using) onto the pan and allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes. Allowing to reduce slightly.

3. Add in the cooked pasta and mix well. Allow the pasta to cook in the sauce for at least a minute or 2.

4. Portion into pasta bowls. Garnish and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.

Spicy Dry Ramen Tossed with Sesame Oil and Soya.

Had a dry noodle craving at home so I tossed this together. Beats having to eat instant noodles. The fresh vegetables add a refreshing textural element. I used Bonito flavoured soya (cause I happened to have it in the fridge) but you can use regular Soya, or even Yuzu Soya for a fruity dimension.

Spicy Dry Ramen with all the garnish

Served Warm, tossed in Soya, Chilli Oil (Layu), Sesame Oil, Garlic oil, Sugar, Cayenne Pepper and Rice Wine Vinegar. Served with fresh veg and a 6 minute egg. Its deceptively addictive.

Here's what I used for 2:

160 grams egg noodles/ramen

Garnish
1/2 cup shredded romaine lettuce (About 3-4 leaves)
1 Large chilli - thinly sliced
Handful of bonito flakes
Handful of shredded Nori
2 stalks of spring onions - sliced
3 tablespoons Dried Sakura Ebi - Toasted in a oven at 190c for 5 mins.
2 eggs - Boiled for 5-6 minutes in boiling water then placed in cold water.

You can mix and match your favourite vegetables for the garnish, or based on what you have in the fridge at that time.

Sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons - Bonito Soya
2 teaspoons Chilli Oil (Layu)
1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Sugar1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (omit if you are not into spicy)
2 teaspoons Rice Wine Vinegar
1 tablespoon Garlic oil

(You can prepare garlic oil by frying 2 cloves of sliced garlic in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until they turn golden brown)

Steps:

1. Mix all sauce ingredients together in large mixing bowl.

2. Boil ramen/noodles according to package instructions. When done, toss noodles in the sauce mix. When noodles are well coated with sauce, dish into separate bowls.

3. Remove shell from eggs and place on noodles.

4. Top with all other prepared garnish and serve immediately.

It require a little effort in prep, well worth it. Just be sure you prepared all your garnish before you cook you noodles. Once you start to cook your noodles, everything will happen quickly.

Tagliatelle with Meatballs and Tomato Sauce

Gotta love meatballs with pasta. They freeze well, so you can make them beforehand.

Beef Meatballs

 I like to make larger quantities of the meatballs and sauce and keep them for later use.

Here is what I used to serve 4:

For the meatballs
500gms minced beef
1 yellow onion - finely diced
5 cloves garlic - finely diced
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 milk

For the tomato sauce
400 gms diced tomatoes (about 1 can)
1 can tomato puree
1 yellow onion - diced
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Rest of the stuff
350 grams of dried tagliatelle (or your favourite pasta)
Handful of fresh basil for garnish - roughly chopped

Tiger Shrimp Tagliatelle

I was thinking, bacon works with shrimp, bacon works with asparagus, why not put all 3 in a pasta dish? So I went out and got some shrimp, bacon and asparagus and made dinner for 2 =).

Tiger Shrimp Tagliatelle

We enjoyed the end result. This works with almost any store bought pasta. I just happened to have some tagliatelle at home.

Here's what you'll need to serve 2:

180 grams Tagliatelle
300-350 grams Tiger Prawns (I used king tiger prawns.) - shelled, keep the heads aside
2-3 rashers streaky bacon
150 grams asparagus - cut into 1 inch lengths, separate the tips from the rest.
2 cups chicken stock (you can use water if not available)
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves - sliced
1 sprig of thyme - leaves only
Parsley for garnish

Mushroom, Red Pepper and Spinach Fritatta

We really enjoyed the last time we had Fritatta at home, so I decided to do it again. This time changing around the ingredients I used a little. By the time I was done, I realized that I made a vegetarian Fritatta.

Mushroom, Red Pepper and Spinach Fritatta

Ingredients:
200 grams white button mushrooms - sliced
0.5 - 1 cup baby spinach
1 medium sized red pepper - diced
1 medium sized yellow/white onion - diced
150-200 grams cheddar cheese
6-7 eggs
50 grams mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 stalk spring onion - sliced (optional for garnish)

Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Bacon and Onion

This simple yet tasty dish is one of my favorites when home alone. Its a variation of the basic Aglio Olio (which basically means garlic oil). It may look plain, but its deceptively tasty. This dish can be done in like 20 minutes or less.

Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Bacon and Onion

The salty bacon, combined with the sweetness of the onion and garlicy aroma meld together into a very enjoyable flavor for the dish.

Here's what I used to make enough for 2

180 grams spaghetti
2-4 chilli padi (bird's eye chillies) sliced
5-6 rashers of streaky bacon (about 150 grams) cut into smaller pieces
5 cloves of garlic - sliced
1 yellow onion - sliced
Handful of rocket leaves or parsley for garnish.
1/2 cup chicken stock (optional - use the water from cooking the pasta if stock is not available)

Thai Inspired Stir-fry Beef Noodle

Gotta love a plate of spicy fried noodles. Thought of this idea when I was thinking of a way to use the frozen steak left in the freezer.

Stir-fry Noodles with Beef - Thai style

It may be hard to tell but I actually used Angel Hair Pasta.

Here's what you'll need for my version of Thai Beef Noodle Stir-fry.

Marinated Beef:
250 grams sliced beef
2 teaspoons light soya sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornflour
Generous dash of ground black pepper

Stir-fry Sauce:
1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil1 tablespoon light soya sauce
Juice from half a large lime (or 3-4 small ones)

The rest of the stuff:
180 grams Angel Hair Pasta (Cooked according to package instructions)
1 cup bean sprouts
1/2 yellow onion - sliced
2 chilli padi (bird's eye chilli) - sliced
5 stalks of Khoo Chye - Cut into finger length strips
6-8 garlic cloves - sliced
Ground black pepper
2 eggs - beaten
2 eggs - sunny side-up (optional)

Eggs Benedict - with a twist

Weekend brunch, an activity that seems to be gaining in popularity here in Singapore over the last several years. I remember hearing the phrase "Eggs Benedict" may years ago and having to ask Wikipedia what it was. The wife loves her weekend brunch, even though I constantly remind her about how I feel that a lot of the popular brunch locales are grossly overpriced. 

There are those who really enjoy brunch food and do not have the inclination to make their own. Then there are those who enjoy taking pictures of their food and upping each other in "who went to the classier brunch place competition". Also not forgetting those who just want to be seen/tagged/<insert your preferred social network lingo> in a trendy brunch establishment. 

This reminds me of a quote:
"No matter how low things were in my life, how desperate, how unlovely my personal habits at the time, I could always get a brunch gig, the smell of failure for me is french toast.” Anthony Bourdain.

Interpret that however you like =P.

Anyway enough of my rants. Let's focus on the only parts that matter, the food and the eating.

I do enjoy brunch food (Bacon and eggs, what's not to like?). So I decided that this particular weekend I was going to stay home and make brunch. I got the idea of this dish from Chef John at www.foodwishes.com. He calls it the Monte Cristo Benedict.

It was really enjoyable. Actually no, it was not enjoyable, it was awesome.
It was like "French Toast" meets "Ham and Cheese" meets "Eggs Benedict".

Here is what you need for 2 portions.

Pumpkin Risotto

Wife loves pumpkin, wife loves risotto, so being the good hubby that I am *ahem*... what do I do? I whip up a plate of pumpkin risotto! I added some bacon and a poached egg for my benefit =).

Pumpkin Risotto with Poached Egg and Bacon

I felt that the egg made the meal a little bit more substantial. The risotto was sweet which made crispy bacon and grated Parmesan the perfect complements. But then again, bacon is already perfect on its own.

Here's what I used to serve 2

Ingredients:
300grams pumpkin - diced into small cubes.
150 grams Arborio or Carnaroli rice. (Arborio is what you see in the picture)
4 cloves garlic - chopped
1/2 yellow onion - finely diced
700ml chicken stock
salt and pepper
Oil for frying

Topping and garnish:
4 rashers streaky bacon
2 poached eggs (poached eggs video by an instructor from CIA)
Freshly grated Parmesan

Fried Rice with XO Sauce, Bean Sprouts and Silverfish

I had ready fried silverfish, bean sprouts and leftover rice. So naturally I thought, ok fried rice! Opened the fridge and saw Mr XO sauce staring at me, so he's also invited to the party.

XO Sauce Fried Rice

I can't seem to get enough of this fragrant, crunchy, savory, spicy fried rice.

Here is what I used:
Serves 2

2-3 rice bowls cooked rice
(should be dry and hard, like leftover rice from the fridge. Rice that is still nice and fluffy should not be used)
3/4 cup bean sprouts
4 stalks spring onion - Chopped
2 tablespoons fried silverfish (Link here for frying silverfish)
5 shallots - sliced
5 garlic cloves - chopped
2 eggs - beaten
2 tablespoons XO sauce
3 stalks of chilli padi - sliced (optional - its for super spicy eaters like me)
oil for frying
salt and pepper to season. (Ground white pepper is fine)

Spaghetti Arrabbiata with Shrimp and Scallops

Wife had this dish sometime ago while we were eating out and she began suggesting that I try it out at home. So I decided last weekend to give it a shot.

Spaghetti Arrabbiata with Shrimp and Scallops

The name "Arrabbiata" actually comes from the word "Angry" in Italian, referring to the spiciness of this dish or sauce. Its a tomato based sauce that is spiced up with chillies. Some places use sweet peppers but the best Arrabbiatas I've tasted use dried chillies/peppers. Dried chillies have that slightly bittersweet flavor and aroma, coupled with the heat that it gives off.

I was rather pleased with how it turned out, the sauce had a good flavor. Most importantly, wifey was happy with it.

Here's what I used to serve 2:

Cooking oil or light olive oil for frying.
1 can diced tomatoes (drain off the liquid from the can)
1/3 cup white wine (you can get cooking white wine at most supermarkets)
1/2 cup tomato puree (passata)
1 yellow onion finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 stalks dried chillies, blitzed with a food proccesor or grounded with a mortar and pestle.
(To reduce the heat, cut them open lengthwise to remove the seeds)

About 160gms No.3 Spaghetti (You can use regular spaghetti. No.3 is a personal preference)

8 pieces of scallops
8 grey prawns (peeled)

For garnish
2 teaspoons flat leafed parsley chopped
2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes