Conduct
Posted: October 26, 2010 Filed under: cooking, dinner, pasta, references, sandwich 1 Comment »One of the things I think my mother should be proudest of in her job of raising her personal three-person circus is the good manners she’s managed to instill in us. I’m not talking about not being brutally sarcastic and having sharp-as-a-whip tongues because we all seem to possess these qualities too (hey, we can’t help it if we have zero tolerance for idiots) but I’m referring to being really decent human beings. We never go to parties empty-handed, we never treat anyone like they’re beneath us (unless provoked, of course), we never fail to use our Ps and Qs, and most of all, we’re unfailingly polite, courteous and gracious.
Mum may not have done such a good job on teaching us how to pose for photographs…
It’s a mix of being raised by a teacher (and a discipline teacher at that!) and a traditionalist Chinese woman. When dining with elder Chinese people, we would actually address each and every elder person at the table to invite them to eat before us in a chorus of, “Uncle, eat! Auntie, eat! Mum, eat! Dad, eat!” spoken in Chinese, of course. It’s about serving elders before you regardless if it’s a piece of chicken or the refilling of a teacup. We ensure everyone has had a first serving before reaching for seconds. We never ever take a last piece of a dish unless we’ve been “invited” to do so. I’m sure if you’re Asian, you know exactly the kind of delicate dance of manners that is involved when dining out with relatives and your elders despite the uproarious noise levels that may deceive one into thinking that everything is majorly casual. If you’ve ever watched Joy Luck Club and thought, “Geez, that’s an exaggeration!”, I’m here to tell you that it’s all true.
Circa 1992
I address my siblings as Eldest Brother and Second Brother in Chinese. I’ve never grown up calling them by their names despite us having really silly pet names for each other. There have been many crude Chinese words and impolitically correct terms used to address each other fondly, which are unfortunately way too rude to be publicised, along with names like Bird, Dope, Loser, etc.
Recent family portrait, sans me and second brother’s fiancee on his 30th
Despite all of that silliness, my mum still gets compliments from her friends about how well-behaved we are. I think that’s just a major part of being a human being, though. All of my friends are equally as polite and beautifully behaved and I so adore them for it. We may have really inappropriate humour and conversations, but they’ve never exhibited behaviour that was less than.
Maybe it’s because I’ve grown up so accustomed with manners being such a prominent part of everyday life that I’m seriously rattled by people who epitomise bad manners. I usually make leeways for personal life matters and subsequent apologies but continuous bad behaviour and lack of courtesy and grace really gets my blood boiling. In my opinion, you can be the wealthiest man on earth but if you’re a rude prick, you’re worth diddly-squat. Just like how money can’t buy style, money certainly can’t buy class and manners either.
My friends tell me I spoil them by gifting them with free meals and sweets but I honestly don’t mind because they’re such lovely people. They rigorously stroke my ego by gracing me with their gratitude and praise — probably explains why I had trouble fitting into most of the hats in David Jones last weekend! In all honesty, my friends are so great at being really casual about everything and repaying me in kind, and I don’t mean in the monetary sense, that I don’t think much at all about my feeding them. The generosity definitely flows both ways, as it should with all great friendships.
Meatball Sandwich
On Friday and Saturday night, I fed two of my best friends separately just because we were camping in my apartment. Miss S came by to hang with me on Friday night for a good girly catchup and a sleepover, and I was making this anyway so we had it for dinner. The following night, Miss J also stayed the night after spending the night with me studying.
Both girly chitchatting and studying were definitely physically exhausting so it was good to be so filled up after! The recipe was from the Gourmet Traveler Annual Cookbook, which is quite possibly one of my favourite things right now. It is just an inexhaustible source of recipes that all sound so delicious and easy that I want to cook from it for a few months. It’s currently so heavily tabbed that I’m not quite sure of what to make of my usual trusty colour-coded system.
Day Two
It looked a lot prettier on the second day, although it was equally as delicious on both days. I adored the tomato sauce that I made from scratch. It was ridiculous how delicious it was!
On the third day, with the tiny bit of leftovers I had left, I boiled up some pasta and topped it with the tomato sauce and meatballs. I so enjoy versatile meals and leftovers.
Meatball Sandwich with Homemade Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Gourmet Traveler Annual Cookbook 2010
Serves 6
For meatballs:
200g soft white bread, crust removed, quartered
500g minced pork
1 cup mint, firmly packed, finely chopped
1 tomato, seeds removed, finely diced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1. Soak bread in 200ml cold water until just soft, squeeze out excess water, then finely tear into a large bowl.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, season to taste and mix well to combine. Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate for at least 4 hours to overnight.
3. Roll into walnut-sized balls and place on lined trays. Refrigerate until required.
For tomato sauce:
4 vine-ripened tomatoes, quartered
1 can of chopped tomatoes (no salt added)
60ml olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 fresh bay leaf
1/2 cinnamon quill
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
60ml tomato passata
2-3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp butter (or more cos that never hurts!)
1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add onion and garlic and saute until tender. Add bay leaf, cinnamon, basil, fresh and canned tomatoes; then reduce heat to low and simmer until slightly reduced, stirring occasionally.
2. Add passata, butter and red wine vinegar, season to taste and simmer for flavours to develop. Remove from heat and keep warm.
To assemble:
60ml olive oil
6 crusty rolls (I used parmesan flavoured baguettes), halved lengthways
Comte cheese or other good melting cheese, grated
Choice of salad of greens or potato chips (heated up) to serve
1. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add half the meatballs and turn occasionally until cooked through, about 4-6 minutes. Wipe pan clean and repeat with remaining oil and meatballs.
2. Preheat oven/grill to medium-high. Place base of bread rolls on a tray, divide meatballs among rolls, top with tomato sauce followed by grated Comte (amount is up to your discretion) and grill until cheese melts. Sandwich with top of rolls and serve with greens or potato chips.
As for my two amazing friends, I have to say that their friendship; their roles as sounding boards and my voices of reason, as well as the endless laughs we shared are repayment enough for all my efforts.
My amazing Miss J and Miss S
Disclaimer: I appear to be about 5’0 in this photo but trust that I’m actually 5’5 and I just have really tall friends!
Toma(y)to, Toma(h)to
Posted: October 13, 2010 Filed under: cooking, i love butter, pasta, references, vegetarian 2 Comments »This might possibly be one of my last (or final few) blog post(s) for a month or so because things are really starting to get intense with my workload. So intense that I’ve drawn a regimented work schedule to ensure that I stay on track and get productive. Honestly, we all know I’ll suck at keeping to it to the T but I will try my hardest. I have of course generously penciled in good breaks for myself like trips to the gym and nice dinners with my amazing support system lest I go crazy. It’ll also be a nice break to head out of my apartment/library and be forced to interact with human beings occasionally.
Another reason for the lack of food posts is that my housemate is leaving on a small holiday for a while so I’ll be all by my lonesome and well, cooking pretty food isn’t as fun without anyone cheering me on and giving me their enthusiastic feedback. I will however be susceptible to procrastibaketion. I used to be teased for my Stress Brownies because when I’d get overwhelmed by my essays, I’d whip up a batch of brownies at about 2 a.m. just to have something better to do. So mayyyybeeee there’ll be baked goods. I have a bunch of egg whites to use up actually, so I may be trying a pavlova soon.
Tomato and Basil Spaghetti
I like to think of myself as a non-fussy eater but there’s one thing I absolutely abhor: fresh tomatoes. I hate it in sandwiches and am always picking them out and disgusted that I have to deal with the slimy mess that’s left behind. The texture of it just reminds me of… well, vomit. It might be me projecting a childhood experience with tomatoes and the reappearance of a meal when I was sick but it seriously grosses me out. I’ve seen people bite into a tomato like it’s an apple and that’s skincrawlingly unacceptable in my books. Why oh why!
That said, when I saw Ruhlman’s recipe for this pasta dish, I knew I just had to make it. Seriously, read the recipe and watch the video. You’ll want to make it, too.
As much as I dislike raw tomatoes, I seriously loved this dish. It was ridiculously satisfying and pleasurable to (cook and) eat. Yet another recipe to add to my lazy weekday repertoire.
Maybe I can be talked out of my tomato-hate yet. I’m not going to crazily add it to my sandwiches or bite into a juicy fruit anytime soon but perhaps I won’t be so quick to dismiss it as something revolting. Baby steps, baby steps.
Upon seeing this, Joyce sent me a desperate request to cook this for her with the addition of bacon. Well really now, am I going to say no to that?
Ps. I took a look at my stats for the first time ever last night and noticed that I’ve received a grand total of 7,500+ hits to date. What?! When did that happen? Thank you for reading, all of you. I had no idea that a thousand people had dropped by let alone over 7000! It’s comforting, albeit a little disturbing to know that I’m not babbling to a silent abyss after all :)
Contrast
Posted: October 2, 2010 Filed under: cooking, pasta, pork, references 2 Comments »It’s always fun to reminisce and reflect upon the past. I think I’ve always gone through life with a lot of conviction and belief in myself but in hindsight, it was a little misplaced. I’m glad to be rid of many of the labels I used to don with pride in my younger years. I can almost see my friends rolling their eyes and hear their exasperated exclamations of, “You are still young!” But you get my drift!
I used to be such a shallow, materialistic, emotional, irrational and impulsive person. Didn’t I sound like such fun to be around? I’m really glad to have shed off the side of my persona who thrived on material goods and shopping because I’m thoroughly embarrassed now that I was ever known as a “shopaholic”. Sure, my wardrobe was a lot more enviable and I repeated outfits a lot less but I think it says more about my character that I am able to see past the fluff of bullshit heavily doused with perfume!
As much as I wish to still be 18 some days, I’m grateful for the subtlety and maturity the past few years have graced upon me. Besides, I’m not too resentful yet for I still get carded sometimes so I must still look wide-eyed and innocent ;) For those of you who still think of me as the girl with a massive headband on her head and dressed in expensive frocks and always overdressed for the occasion; that girl is no more. I almost wish someone had prodded me those years ago and said, “Did you know you’re kind of ridiculous?” I’m pretty sure my family did but I probably pranced away on a rainbow-coloured cloud of indignation, leaving a trail of glitter in my wake.
I guess I just had some growing up to do. I no longer flounce around in ridiculous dresses, I no longer wear bows pretending to be a life-sized present, I no longer waste my time browsing online stores, I don’t even drink expensive cocktails anymore (beer and gin+tonics are perfect, thank you!). Best part is I love Low-Key Adult Sophia a lot more than High Maintenance Princess Sophia.
(Okay, I probably diverted my money to food, but I still spend WAY less than I did when I was shopping. A designer dress gets me three or four fantastic meals and those meals are more memorable than a dress that if worn once and photographed in, I have to keep in my closet for another 6 months until people forget I own it. A degustation meal at Ezard is pretty much on par with one dress from Sportsgirl, did you know? How crazy is that?! I’ll take Ezard over Sportsgirl, please! The benefits of being a reformed shopaholic is that my closet is bursting with pretty dresses that are unworn because I never had the occasion to wear them as I was too busy being broke and thus only ate at cheap student places – oh the irony!)
Carbonara
I speak of my past because I revisited a dish I used to make a lot many years back. I don’t know why I stopped but I was feeling lazy today and this was the dish that came to mind as it’s relatively effortless. I used to make this so often that I don’t even need the recipe to make it anymore, but I Googled to find it for those who need precise measurements (I come from ‘a pinch of this’ sort of measurement style).
Spaghetti Carbonara
Serves 1 rescued-from-the-wild-ravenous person, or 2 medium eaters
Adapted from Nigella Lawson’s How To Eat
1/2lb spaghetti
4 oz pancetta or bacon, diced, fats separated from the meaty bits
2 tsp olive oil
4 Tbsp white wine (confession: I used 1 cup today because I’m a little boozy like that)
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Powdered nutmeg (I ran out so I swapped for cinnamon – it worked!)
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
Freshly ground black pepper
A few Basil leaves
1. Bring water to boil, salt liberally, and cook spaghetti until al dente (my go to time is 11 minutes on low-medium heat).
2. Combine the egg and egg yolk in a bowl, whisk them together gently with a fork. Add a few dashes of nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper and combine. Add in the freshly grated parmesan and combine well. Set aside.
3. About 5 minutes into cooking the pasta, heat oil in a deep pan, then add in the fatty bits of the diced pancetta/bacon. Fry until crisp, then add the meaty dice. Fry until properly cooked and crisp.
4. Add in the white wine and reduce until you’re left with about 2 Tbsp of delicious combo of wine and rendered fat juices. (Or if you’re like me and threw in a cup of white wine, watch the whole thing turn into a flambe and panic about setting off the smoke alarm and then proceed to go, “WOW! COOL!” Accidental flambes are fun.)
5. By this time, your pasta would’ve been cooked so drain that into a colander and turn off the flame for the pan. Throw the unsalted butter into the still-warm pan, add in the pasta and toss with the diced meat and its gorgeous juices until the spaghetti is well coated.
6. Pour in the yolk mixture and stir together until well combined. The heat from the just-cooked pasta and your still-warm pan will cook the egg just enough for it to be safe to eat.
7. Serve on a plate and shred some fresh basil leaves for a hint of delicious aroma with your very sinful pasta dish.
Carbonara flashback from 2006
I wasn’t kidding when I said I’ve been making this dish for a while now.
It’s funny how things and people evolve through the years, isn’t it? I used to be such a stickler to the recipe but now I just wing it completely confident I’d make it delicious, even missing the nutmeg.
This is my favourite kind of carbonara, not the creamy white sauce versions that people seem to love. Does anyone else find those versions of carbonara absolutely revolting and overwhelming? I only know one restaurant that makes that sort of carbonara that I can stomach, and the restaurant is all the way back in Malaysia, unfortunately (I’m talking about Dave’s in 1 Utama).
I wonder what this dish would look like a few more years down the road. Most of all, I wonder what I’ll be like. Even more pleasant, I hope!
Pantry Scrambles
Posted: May 9, 2010 Filed under: cooking, pasta, prawns, roast chicken 5 Comments »So the last few weeks have been a bit dodgy in our kitchen. I hit a slump as I started to prioritize uni work over spending too much time cooking because I had deadlines to meet. Also, I was living on the last legs of my monthly allowance and I was trying to stretch it out as far as possible so that meant I was doing some crafty cooking of everything that I had in the refrigerator and pantry and not buy anything else. It’s a good idea when you want to empty out your fridge too, I guess.
I suppose now I understand why people say they’re too busy to cook, but most people are busy at work and just lazy when they get home. I’m pretty much chasing a deadline that doesn’t live within the 9-5 work day, and I still cook because well, it’s still better than cheap fast food. This is probably cheaper, to be honest!
I call this.. *drumroll* Pantry Pasta
All I had in my freezer was a whole lot of prawns without their shells (from the load of Curry Laksa I made – but didn’t post up, but you gotta wait for this, it’s good). And as usual, we always always have a variety of pastas and canned chopped tomatoes in the pantry.
Pantry Pasta
Serves 4 (or 3, depending on how hungry you are)
Prawns – about… well however many you think you need
Pasta – whatever you have on hand
1 onion
1 garlic
2 carrots, grated
Soya sauce
1 tsp sugar
Can of chopped tomatoes
Ground cinnamon
Dried italian herbs
White wine (again, how much you think you need)
Dried chilli flakes
Salt, pepper
1. Marinade the prawns with a bit of soya sauce and sugar. Trust me when I say this helps make prawns crunchy. It’s a little Chinese cooking method that my mum taught me and the crunch in the prawns is always oh-so-good.
2. Get your pasta water boiling, salted, and chuck your pasta in for 10-11 minutes until al dente.
3. Heat a bit of oil up in a pan (I used a saucepan cos I’m a lazy shit when I’m busy). Chuck in garlic and onion and cook until onion is translucent and garlic is a little golden.
4. Chuck in the can of tomatoes and carrots, throw in a few dashes of cinnamon and dried italian herbs. Add in your chilli flakes (I don’t even measure this, I just shake the bottle over the pan – I seem to like sniffling over my meals). Then add your white wine. Bring to a gentle simmer.
5. Add in your prawns and watch it till it’s cooked. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Plate your cooked pasta in a bowl and ladle your sauce over. Sprinkle over with grated Parmesan. If you’re flash, you can do freshly grated but if you’re a student like me, you just get the el cheapo packet where it’s all grated.
EASY. Seriously. Probably took me 15 minutes in total to put together. And so, so good. I had leftovers for another 2 meals which was good cos I that’s what I’m talking about, stretching meals and money ;)
Then there’s this, which was made out of necessity because we ate out instead of eating the chicken I had already thawed so I had to marinate it overnight, and all out of ideas, I put in a bunch of random things and it turned out fantastic. Unfortunately, it doesn’t make for a very good recipe.
Asian-style roast chicken drumsticks and vegetables
Mix & Match Roast Chicken Drumsticks and Vegetables
Serves 2 or 4, depending on how hungry you are
4 drumsticks
4 carrots, cut at an angle into chunks
4 potatoes, large chunks
12 shallots (but I love shallots so you could go less), halved
Honey
Soya sauce
Tsao Shing wine
Five spice powder
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt, pepper
1. Marinade the chicken drumsticks with soya sauce, honey, Tsao Shing wine, a few dashes of five spice powder and some white pepper. Amount? Hm! See this is why I don’t give out recipes based on things that I make on a whim. I’m guessing about 4 Tbsp soya sauce, 2 Tbsp honey, 3 Tbsp Tsao Shing wine. Approximation. Just go with how you feel, though. You’d usually know what feels too much or too little. Right? Right. Cover with clingfilm, chuck in fridge overnight.
2. Heat oven up to 200˚C. Prepare all your vegetables by peeling and chopping it up as mentioned above. Except the shallow. Leave the skin on for that. Place in a roasting tin, sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, glug some extra virgin olive oil over it and give the pan a good shake to coat everything up. If you’re feeling fancy or if you have it, chuck in a few sprigs of rosemary or thyme in there. It’d be good.
3. Place the chicken drumsticks in with the vegetables. The leftover marinade you see in your bowl? Just pour over the chicken and a little over the vegetables too.
4. Pop into the oven for 25-30 minutes. Eat while hot and enjoy.
One of my favourite things in the world is roasted vegetables. Vegetables with a bit of salt and pepper and olive oil and roasted in the oven for 15 minutes is just unbelievable. Simple, easy, healthy. Well I think it’s healthy!
And roasted shallots? God, I hope you’ve had them before. They’re so insanely good. Seriously. It’s all caramelized and soft and fragrant and tastes nothing like a shallot, just sweet and melts in your mouth. So bloody good. That’s why I always go overboard with the shallots because that’s the one thing I go crazy for amongst everything else.
So this is what I do when I’m trying to save money and living off the final few ingredients in my fridge. It’s pretty delicious too so I don’t really mind. I like the creativity involved, too. It’s almost like a mystery box but without the crazy obscure ingredients. I never, never resort to instant noodles. There’s something about instant noodles that makes you feel instantly disgusting and sinful. Not worth it!
