Avocado Pasta

I have read many times online regarding this interesting avocado pasta....ermmm at first I was not really keen to try it , but even if curiosity kills the cat, I have to try it out.  And since it is avocado season, and having some left after making guacomole, I gave this dish a try and I would say it is interesting. Flavourful creamy sauce coated every string of spaghetti, it is simply delicious. Yes, I would definitely cook this again.  Firstly it is delicious and secondly it is healthy.  The avocado sauce is creamy and every bite is so delicious with the basil flavor bursting in the mouth.  I have basil grown in my little space. All I need to cook is the spaghetti.  The rest is blended raw. A very healthy meal indeed.  I am surprised hubby WB loves it too.  Being a meat eater, this is really surprising! It must be darn good for him to partake this vegetarian meal :)

Avocado from the Philippines

seed of avocado is big so not a great buy after all

blends the avocado with basil leaves, garlic,black pepper, salt

and olive oil and a squeeze of lemon

blend till it emulsified

add to the spaghetti and give it quick stir till

every string of spaghetti is well coated with the

avocado sauce

served with avocado slices or cherry tomato

or any vegetables that you like

Avocado Pasta

 ingredients:

spaghetti for two person  -  cooked till al dente

2 ripe avocados - halved, seeded and peeled

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp of lemon juice

salt and black pepper to taste

1/3 cup olive oil

garnishing

1 avocado - halved, seeded and peeled - cut into slices

basil leaves 

Method:

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti till al dente, drain well.

2. To make the avocado sauce, combine avocados, basil, garlic and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor; season with salt and pepper to taste. With the motor running, add olive oil in a slow steam until emulsified; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine spaghetti and avocado sauce till spaghetti is well coated with the sauce.

4. Garnish with avocado slices and basil leaves.

5. Serve immediately. 

Enjoy!

Guacamole

Guacamole is a dip made from avocados which originates from Mexico. The name is derived from two Aztec Nahauti words - ahuacati ( avocado ) and molli (sauce).   To make a simple guacamole, you can just add salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice to help balance the richness of the avocados. But, I love mine to have chopped tomato, cilantro, chilli and chopped red onion. These combination of ingredients really is a WOW! Can be addictive .  My daughter loves this and it is her all time favorites.  She will eat for supper too at times when she has to work late into the morning :)

I managed to get some Philippines avocados which are kind of small and have big seeds. Bland in taste but great for making Guacamole.  Great as a dip and side dish for my seafood meal.  I pan fried fish and fish roe and this flavorful guacamole was the perfect side dish for my seafood meal. 

these were on offer in Jusco

and I grabbed 6 pieces

 once the avocados has ripen, its time to make guacamole,

the combination of these ingredients turned

the guacamole into a flavorful side dish

I like my guacamole to have chunky bits of

everything...perfect as a side dish

 tip- prepare the guacamole last as the avocados will turn

slightly brown if you prepare them early

Guacamole 

ingredients

3 avocados
1 ripe tomato - remove seeds and diced
2 tbsp of chopped cilantro (stem and leaves)
2 tbsp of chopped red chillies
Some chopped garlic *optional
half red onion - diced
1 tbsp of lemon juice
salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Cut the avocados in half, remove seed. Score the inside of the avocado with a blunt knife and  scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Place in a bowl.

2. Use a fork , roughly mash the avocado ( do not overdo it, the guacamole should be a little chunky)

3. Add in salt and pepper and mix well. Add in the rest of the ingredients except tomato and give it a quick stir. Wrap up with cling wrap and chill before serving. Chilling the tomato will hurt their flavor. Add in the chopped tomato just before serving.

Enjoy!

Steamed Egg With Sea Clams (Vongole)

If you have been following me all these 10 years, you would have known me well enough to know that I love any kind of seafood.  Gosh, 10 years...that is like quite a long period of time to be blogging and sharing all the food that I have cooked these 10 years.  Blogging has taken a back seat ever since photography has taken a big portion of my time. For those of you who have been folowing my blogs these 10 years, I would like to say thank you for all your support and patience.  Your supports encourages me and have given me lots of happiness beside cooking and baking :)  My four kids (my Piggies)  and hubby (Wildboar ) are my supporters too.  Giving me a LIKE each time I posted my food photos on Instagram and Facebook :)

I shall not digress and here is what I had cooked for last night dinner.  Saw some very fresh and large sea clams or vongole, I bought home a kilogramme This is a dish that needs only a few clams but needed the broth for the steamed egg.  I steamed the 1 kg of clams and managed to get just 160 ml of broth. thick and sweet .  To make it more tasty , I added a dash of chinese cooking wine, a tsp of ginger juice to the broth .  This is a keeper and will make this dish again for sure.  Simply delicious and appetizing than the normal steamed egg.  Hubby needless to say, make more next time, maybe a pie dish each.  The size of this pie dish is 7inches in dia and 1 1/4 inch deep.  Perfect for this recipe for 2 persons.

 seven steamed clams  to fit this into this pie dish

 make sure to use heat resistant cling wrap

to cover the dish before steaming

 for this recipe, time of steaming under med. heat

is 10 mins...set timer to get the correct smooth texture

love the smooth and wobbly texture and every mouthful

is simply heavenly

Steamed Egg With Vongole

 ingredients:

For broth

1 kg sea clams - soak with salt water to remove mud and sand

7 large sea clams

2 large eggs - beaten

160 ml broth - you can use chicken stock ,but I used the broth from the steamed clams

1 tsp of chinese cooking wine

1 tsp of ginger juice

a pinch of salt - not too much as the broth from the clams has a bit of salty taste

sliced spring onions for garnishing

Method:

1. Soak and wash clean the clams for 30 mins, remove , drained off excess water.  Put the steamer to boil.  Place the clams in a deep dish and steamed for 10 mins or till the clams are half opened.  Take out 7 large sea clams . Drain the broth from the dish into a measuring cup.  The rest of the clams can be kept in a container and keep in fridge for other cooking. 

2. Beat the 2 eggs in a deep bowl.

3. Measure out 160 ml of broth and pour into the beaten egg , add in chinese wine, ginger juice and salt.  Sieve the mixture to get a smooth egg mixture.  Pour the sieved mixture into the 7 inches pie dish, add in the steamed clams and arrange the steamed clams to fit nicely on the egg mixture.  

4. Cling wrap the pie dish and put into the boiling steamer. Reduce heat to medium and steam the egg mixture for 10 mins.  Before lifting out of the steamer, tilt the dish and if the egg custard is firm , you can off heat and take out the dish.  It is ready for serving.

5. Remove cling wrap and garnish with sliced spring onions. 

Enjoy!

Braised Stuffed Potato With Sour Plum Sauce

Potato is the family's favourite food.  Today I want to share this easy to prepare dish, something very different from the usual way of cooking. It is braised stuffed potato with sour plum sauce and fermented bean paste.  Simply delicious.  The filling is made up of a few ingredients namely minced pork, chopped beancurd puffs, bonito flakes, chopped spring onions, chillies, cornflour, and sesame oil. I added the chopped bean curd puffs to the minced pork is to add character and keep the meat filling moist.  I will definitely make this dish again as braising the stuffed potato in sour plum and fermented bean paste truly allowing the bland potato to absorb the flavors.  I allowed the sauce to thickens and the sauce is enough to coats each stuffed potato . 

Slice the potato into 1 cm thickness, after which slice the 1 cm thick potato in the center but do not cut through. Stuff the filling into the potato like how you make Yong Tau Foo. 

fillings consists of minced meat,  bean curd puffs, spring onions

chillies, bonito flakes, sesame oil, cornflour - stir together

till the meat mixture is sticky

to prevent the potato from turning dark, soak in lightly salted water-

drip of excess water before stuffing in the filling

make sure to dust cornflour before stuffing in the fillings

so that it acts as adhesive or the meat fillings will drop off

deep fried the stuffed potato till cooked and lightly

browned

lightly braised in sour plum sauce till the flavorful

sauce is absorbed into the potato

Braised Stuffed Potato With Sour Plum Sauce 

ingredients:

4 med sized Holland Potato -

Filling ingredients
250 gm minced meat - pork or chicken
2 bean curd puffs - chopped
1 tsp of soy sauce
some bonito flakes
some chopped spring onions
chopped bird's eye chillies - amount depends on individual taste
1/2 tsp of sesame oil
1 tsp of corn flour

extra corn flour  for dusting

1/2 cup vegetable oil for deep frying the stuffed potatoes

sauce
2 cloves of garlic - chopped
2 tbsp of sour plum sauce
1 tbsp of fermented bean paste ( tau cheong )
1/2 cup water

thickening
2 tsp of corn flour
2 tbsp of water

Garnishing
coriander leaves

Method:

1. Scrub , clean and peel potato. Slice them into 1 cm thickness.  Cut a slit in the center of the 1 cm thick slices but do not cut through. Soak in lightly salted water for 5 mins to prevent darkening. Pour off water and place the sliced potato in colander to drip dry while preparing the filling.

2. Put all the filling ingredients in a deep bowl and using a fork , stir them together till sticky and well mixed.

3. Take a sliced potato , open up the center slit, dust with cornflour and stuff with the prepared filling, like how you make Yong Tau Foo. Repeat the process till all the sliced potato are used up.

4. Heat up 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, gently add in the stuffed potatoes and deep fry them till cooked and slightly browned.

5.Dish up and keep aside . Pour out the oil into a bowl, leaving just  a tsp of oil in the pan, add in chopped garlic and stir fry over medium heat till fragrant, add in the sour plum sauce and fermented bean paste and continue to stir fry till well mixed. Add in water and give it a quick boil. Add in all the deep fried stuffed potatoes, cover with lid and let it braise under medium low heat for 15 mins.  Add in the thickening. Once the gravy has thicken and all the stuffed potatoes is coated with the thick gravy, Off heat and dish up. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Note: if you want  more gravy, adjust water and add another 1/2 tbsp of sour plum sauce, 1/4 tbsp of fermented bean paste .

Enjoy!

Stir Fry Pork Tenderloin With Cincalok

Stir fry pork tenderloin with Cincalok is a Nyonya dish combining pork, cincalok ,a South Asian ingredient ( fermented small shrimp/krill ), tamarind paste , fried crispy shallots and chilli . All this ingredients comes together to make this dish with the right notes - full of umami flavour.  Though the smell of fermented krill can be offensive to some but it can be a delight to some.  Lucky for me , the family loves it and I use them in making kimchi and a condiment ( combine cincalok, slice shallots , slice chilli and lime juice )  for fried fish. 

We are not Nyonya but my grandmother and mom used to cook this dish when I was young and that is how I acquired the taste for this dish.  The deep fried crispy shallots adds oomph to the dish plus the cut chilli gives it a bit of heat. A very appetising dish indeed and hubby always look forward to this dish.  Looking back it has a been a while since I last cooked this dish :)  Hope you guys will be inspired to try out this recipe.

 Stir Fry Pork Tenderloin With Cincalok

ingredients:


600 g of pork tenderloin - sliced thinly- season with 1 tsp of soysauce and 1 tsp of cornflour
5 bird's eye chillies - sliced
6 shallots - sliced and fried till crispy
2.5 tbsp of cincalok
2 tbsp of tamarind paste mixed with 1/2 cup water
1 tsp of sugar
2 tbsp of vegetable oil

Method :

1.Heat up 2 tbsp of oil in wok, once oil is hot, add in the sliced shallots and fry till crispy and golden brown. Dish up and keep aside.
2.Using the same oil, add in cincalok, chillies and stir fry till fragrant, add in the seasoned sliced tenderloin and continue cooking till the meat is cooked.  Add in chillies , tamarind water and sugar.  Continue to simmer till the gravy has thicken . Add in the crispy shallots last.  Off heat and dish up. Serve with rice.

Enjoy!

Stir Fry Roast Pork With Leek

What do you do with the leftover roast pork especially the home roasted ones?  After the CNY pre dinner we had some leftover roast pork belly and since I had some China leeks which I bought from Tesco, I decided to stir fry the roast pork belly with the leeks.  Simple to whip up and full of flavor.  We love the sweet aroma from the leeks.  A perfect pairing with the leek.  One can never go wrong with this pairing.  Ever since I learned how to make my own roast pork from home, having delicious meal at home is something hubby and I looked forward to everyday.  And recently, I read that roast pork is one of the top 10 most nutritious to have in our diet....how far it is true, we shall see. Whatever it is, Chinese roast pork is still one of the most delicious and sought after in every chinese family :) whether it is bad or good for health.  Because it is darn delicious on its own or stir fry like what I have whipped up a dish of roast pork and leek.

just this two main ingredients is good

enough to whet ones appetite

stir fry with chopped garlic and a slice of ginger

will give you a dish smelling good and taste yummy

you don't need any other dishes ..this is a well

balance dish.

Stir Fry Roast Pork With Leek

ingredients:

some roast pork belly - cut into slices
a few stalks of China leeks - sliced
a few cloves of garlic- chopped
a slice of ginger
a tsp of white pepper
salt to taste
1/2 tbsp of vegetable oil

Method:

Heat up a tbsp of oil in a deep non-stick pan.  Once the oil is hot, add in the chopped garlic, ginger and stir fry till fragrant.  Add in the roast pork and continue to stir fry for a few minutes and as the roast starts jumping in the pan , add in the sliced leeks and continue to stir fry till well combine, add in white pepper and salt to taste.  Add a tablespoon of water.  Once the leeks has soften, off heat and dish up.  Serve with hot rice.

Enjoy!