Tagliatelle in Saffron and Mascarpone Sauce with Prawns

Ingredients for 6:

600g Tagliatelle
2 onions
1 Garlic clove
2 tb Olive oil
1 pinch Saffron strands
200ml dry white wine
500g Mascarpone cheese (can be substituted with cream cheese)
36 small/medium prawns, around 300g
Salt and pepper
1tbsp fish sauce (optional)
1 tbsp light soy sauce (optional)
1 tsp dried dill
1 handful torn fresh basil leaves to garnish


Method:
1. Cook the pasta according to package instructions.

2. Finely chop the onions and garlic. In a large frying pan heat the oil, add the onions and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the saffron, then half of the wine and finally add the Mascarpone cheese. Simmer gently for a few minutes, add the remaining wine, prawns and dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add fish sauce and light soy sauce if you like.

4. Drain pasta, add sauce and garnish with basil leaves.

recipe modified from here

Tags: tagliatelle saffron marscapone prawn pasta recipe

Singapore Noodles

When I was studying in Melbourne, I was always amused by the existence of the "exotic" "Asian" dish called "Singapore Noodles". Anyone from Singapore would tell you - there's no such thing. Although, there is something called Hokkien Mee which is made in Singapore, and very much unlike the 'usual' Hokkien Mee made with dark sauce, and that's another story altogether. I've come to realise though, that the so-called "Singapore Noodles" is modelled after Punggol Mee Goreng.

Punggol (now known as Sengkang) is an area in northeast Singapore near the sea shore that was known for its fresh seafood. Mee Goreng, of course, means the fried noodles of the mamak variety. Thus, Punggol Mee Goreng, or "Singapore Noodles" is something akin to Indian-style fried noodles with seafood.

Talk about mixed up! So I present to you my humble attempt at Singapore Noodles, or Punggol Mee Goreng:



What you need:
1 packet of yellow Hokkien noodles (should be 1 kg, and make sure you loosen them first)
3 eggs
3 tbsp oil
1/2 cup fish stock

(the following ingredients to your discretion)
2 fish cakes, sliced
6 tofu puffs, each cut in two
12 prawns, shelled and cooked
12 squid rings, cooked
1 tomato, chopped
2 spring onions, chopped in 1-inch pieces

(mix into a paste)
4 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
Optional: 1 tsp chilli powder


1. In a large wok, heat oil and fry eggs until lightly scrambled.
2. Add noodles and mix well with egg. Pour in fish stock and let noodles absorb the flavour.
3. Mix the sauce paste into the noodles, stir well
4. Finally, mix in the seafood, beancurd puffs and veges. Serves 5.

Tags: mee goreng singapore noodles fried noodles punggol recipe

The Chicken that exploded my nose

I've been experimenting with wasabi powder of late, especially since I discovered wasabi peanuts as a snack. So for may packed lunch this week I decided to experiment a little bit more with all the hot stuff in the kitchen to create the Chicken That Exploded My Nose.


The Chicken That Exploded My Nose
Ingredients
Chicken breasts, cut in strips
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp wasabi powder
1 tsp chilli powder
Breadcrumbs

1. Create a marinade using the mustard, wasabi and chilli powder to marinade the chicken with. Leave in fridge for a couple of hours.
2. Coat strips with breadcrumbs and deep fry until golden brown.
3. ALTERNATIVELY, coat breadcrumbs, spray with oil and bake for 20 min.

The picture you see is the fried version. Unfortunately, it didn't explode my nose as expected and was VERY much less spicier than I intended it to be. So I decided to make a dipping sauce to go with it.

The Dipping Sauce for the Chicken That Exploded My Nose
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
1 tsp wasabi powder

1. Mix everything together. Use as condiment for the chicken and poultry.

Tags: chicken wasabi fried baked mustard dip recipe

cheese and chive muffins

ingredients:
1 egg
¾ cup water
1 cup self-raising flour
½ tsp salt
125g grated cheddar
1 tbsp fresh chives
½ tsp pepper
coarse sea salt (optional)

method:
mix all ingredients until just combined.
Spoon into well-greased muffin pans and sprinkle with sea salt.
Bake at 190 degrees F for 15 minutes.



comments: from my beloved penguin muffin bible. A very simple recipe!! No oil/ butter added...very crispy on the outside...and the taste is reminiscent of deep-fried fritters.. makes a great little party snack!! possible variations: corn kernels/ minced onions/ sun-dried tomatoes..

Tags: cheese chives muffin recipe