Pan-Fried Sutchi with Kiwi Sauce

Hello everyone! This new blogspace stores and records all my tried and tested tasty recipes which I would like to share with you.

Most people love to cook with freshest available ingredients but find it near impossible to visit supermarket everyday, that's when frozen items come to rescue. He he.

I bought a bag of frozen Sutchi (Pangasius Hypophthalmus) fillets from NTUC (freezer section) recently and used its suggested recipe to make a meal. The fish tasted fresh and firm and with my slightly modified kiwi sauce, I found it rather enjoyable.

This takes no time to cook so I find it suitable for weeknights. And so I decide to post this recipe on this blog for you. Try it, you may be pleasantly surprised. :)

Pan-Fried Sutchi with Kiwi Sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 pieces Sutchi fillet
1/4 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Margarine (replaced with olive oil for the health conscious)
Dash of pepper

Kiwi Sauce:

1/2 Kiwi (mashed)

20g can Pineapple (diced)

40g Cucumber

1/2 tbsp Sugar

1 tbsp Lemon juice

1/4 tsp Salt

Modified Kiwi Sauce:

1 Kiwi (diced and lightly squeezed to collect some juice)

20g can Pineapple (in real pineapple juice; diced to achieve consistent cube size like the kiwis)

40g Cucumber (diced, same size as above; i used japanese cucumber)

1/2 tbsp Sugar (I don't add sugar in my cooking so I substituted sugar with pineapple juice)

1 tbsp Lemon juice (add a little a a time, taste before and after adding juice to make sure it doesn't taste too acidic)

1/4 tsp Salt (opt; I don't add salt to my cooking either, I opted out)

1 tbsp Olive oil

1 finely chopped medium red onion

5-6 cherry tomatoes (diced, same size as above, cherry tomatoes are sweet in nature, so really...you don't need to add sugar)

Method:

1. Marinate fillets with salt and pepper.


2. Pan-fry with margarine till golden brown.


3. Pour kiwi sauce over fish and serve with steam greens &/or potatoes &/or crusty bread &/or steam rice.

Fried Hokkien Noodles with Prawns

I applaud clever marketing idea when I see one.

Whenever I buy packed noodles (egg noodles, fresh noodles, hokkien noodles, udon etc) I always turn the pack over to look at their recipe suggestion.

I make up my marketing list this way in the supermarket, it helps save a lot of my time. This is what I want to cook tonight, so tell me what else I need. And then I will start browsing up and down the aisles looking the ingredients mentioned on the packaging.




For my luckiest friends living in Singapore, you may not wish to bother. You just need to go to your nearest hawker centre or coffee shop and you can enjoy a plate of hokkien noodles in no time. Unlike us in Perth, we either have to learn how to cook our hawker favorites or we can spend $9 to $10 for a plate of "doesn't taste like Singapore wan leh".

Anyway, I tried making this dish and though the picture doesn't do it justice, The Man actually asked for more. ;=)

Fried Hokkien Noodles with Prawns

Serves 4
Prep time 15 min
Cooking time 15 min

Ingredients:
500g Coles Hokkien Noodles (I seldom specify brand, but to my surprise, Coles's is the best, they don't have overpowering preservatives)
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 red chilli, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, crushed
24 large green prawns, shelled and de-veined
300g bok choy, sliced
¼ cup water
2 teaspoons sesame oil
½ cup kecap manis, sweet soy sauce
¼ cup light soy sauce
coriander to garnish (I couldn't be bothered)

1. Prepare noodles as directed and set aside.
2. In a wok or large frying pan, heat the oil until hot. Fry the chilli and garlic briefly until fragrant and cook the prawns in 2 batches until prawns turn into a bright coral colour. Remove from pan and keep warm.
3. Add the noodles and bok choy to the pan and fry over a high heat until noodles are hot and bok choy tender.
4. Return prawns to wok with the water, sesame oil, kecap manis and soy sauce. Toss over a high heat for 1 minute and garnish with coriander before serving.

My friend Ms S.GOH has kindly shared her version of Hokkien Mee.

- Boil water - standby, rinse the noodle.

- Heat up the wok, fried garlic, put in meat and stir till its cook

- add in the hot water

- put in the noodle (make sure that the water is over the noodle)

- put in all other ingredients (prawn, vegetable, sotong ....)

- Cover it and for at least 5 min.

- Stir everything , put in a little salt, MSG, white pepper, light soy sauce, dark soya sauce)

- Cover it until is boil . Taste it and is ready to serve

Steamed Salmon with Asian Flavours

A popular low fat meal in our household, makes me a happy cook as there is little preparation.

Steamed Salmon with Asian Flavours

Prep time 10 min

Cooking time 11 min

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets

3 green onions, thinly sliced

½ cup light soy sauce

1 tablespoon chopping ginger

1 tablespoon grated palm sugar

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon sesame oil

cooked rice and Asian greens, to serve (I used broccolini)

1. Line a bamboo steamer with baking paper. Add salmon and top with green onions.


2. Simmer soy sauce, palm sugar, ginger, garlic and sesame oil in a small saucepan for 1 minute. Set aside.


3. Place steamer over a wok of simmering water. Drizzle with a little sauce mixture. Cover and steam for 8-10 minutes, until cooked. Serve with cooked rice and Asian green.

Very simple one dish delight!

I thought my arm was falling off after I scrubbed down the shower screen in my ensuite today. I tend to feel slightly ill after chemical exposure (duh!!). Like any project you undertake in your life, its always wise to schedule for breaks in between. Half way through cleaning, I decided to take off my gloves, walked away and sat in front of my laptop, googling "Domestic cleaning services". Hahahahahaha!

But I am not joking, I did call up one company that quoted s $58 for a regular weekly cleaning, another company quoted $28.80 per hour (including GST). I find the prices reasonable, its hard work when come to thorough cleaning you know... Anyhow, I am pretty convinced I should leave it to the expert. "Hey babe, can we get a cleaner in soon prreeeeeshhhh?" He is keen, but auntie here is keener.

I mentioned I was going to try a recipe I dug out yesterday. "Chicken & Bok Choy stir fry". Verdict? Not bad, I am pleased. :) It was an easy one-dish-wonder. Perfect for weeknights. Though the recipe below is designed for 4 servings, we cleaned up everything effortlessly. Geee...we can always exercise tomorrow, can't we?

So here goes:

Chicken & Bok Choy Stir-Fry

Serves 4

2 tablespoons peanut oil
6 chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2 cm cubes
1 onion, cut into wedges
2 cloves garlic, cruched
8 shiitake mushrooms, soak in hot water for 10 mins, then drained
200g baby bok choy leaves
2 teaspoons sweet chilli sauce
1 tablespoon teriyaki marinate
2 teaspoons oyster sauce

1. Marinate chicken in teriyaki marinates for half hour.
2. Heat oil in wok and add chicken, stir-fry on high for 3 mins or until golden brown.
3. Add onion, stir-fry for 1 min or until tender.
4. Add garlic, mushroom, bok choy, sweet chilli sauce and oyster sauce, stir-fry for 1 min or until heated through. Serve with rice.

Steamboat

I promised you a list of Steamboat ingredients. But I think I will only give you the variety of items and you can decide on the portion yourself. As you can see from my previous post, I sucked at guess-timation.

My experience with Steamboat dinner has always been an intimate family affair with grandparents, uncles, aunties, parents, brothers & sister etc. And everybody chips in to help or to buy different ingredients. I was seriously in doubt that I could single-handedly pull off a steamboat dinner.

I have never prepared steamboat for 4 people and I had no idea how to portion the food. I was worried all the time about portioning. It would be too embarrassing for me if I didn't prepare enough food.

Logically, if you are unfamiliar with steamboat, you would naturally think its only a matter of scaling it down. (Hey, wait till you do it yourself, there's a lot of work okay!) It was a huge logistical challenge for me. Anyway, I am glad I did that now and I now have a slightly clearer picture than I did previously. Having said that, I am still not confident suggesting portions, everything is by trial and error. So good luck!

Below is a short introduction to Chinese Steamboat

The Chinese Steamboat owes its beginning to the Mongols of northern China, more than 400 years ago. These nomadic peoples did not bequeath a great culinary heritage to Chinese cuisine, but the Mongolian hot-pot is a most important legacy. By the eighteenth century it had become a winter favorite in the Qing dynasty court and still remains and flourishes in all China's regions today.It began as a simple way of cooking meats and vegetables. The thinly sliced meat is dropped with some leafy vegetables into a bubbling chicken soup contained in a specially designed pot (called a steamboat by the Cantonese, and a hot-pot or a fire kettle in other regions of China). It is placed in the middle of the table for finishing and serving. After a minute or two, the food is cooked and is lifted out and eaten with a variety of dipping sauces. When all the meat and vegetables are finished, cellophane noodles are added to the broth, resulting in a wonderful fragrant and flavorsome soup.

Steamboat Ingredients:

Meat
Beef fillet (cut into thin slices, marinate, see ingredient to marinating)
Pork fillet (cut into thin slices, marinate, see ingredient to marinating)
Chicken breast or tenderloin (cut into thin slices, marinate optional, see ingredient to marinating)

Seafood
Prawns (with shells)
Cod fish fillets (cut into thin slices)
Squid tubes (cut into thin slices)
Scallops (remove roe)

Others
Fish balls
Prawn balls (optional)
Meat balls (optional)
Quails eggs (hardboil in water, depend on availability)
Crabmeat stick (peel off the plastic wrapper)
Assorted steamboat ingredients you can find in Asian Supermarket
Fried beancurd
Firm beancurd
Glass Noodles
Rice

Vegetables
Chinese Cabbage (wash and cut into bite size)
Shiitake Mushrooms (hydrate in hot water)
Beansprouts (rinse, tailed if you have time)
Baby Bok Choy (wash and cut into quarter)

Meat Marinate in
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp corn flour
1 tbsp rice wine
Salt and pepper

Dipping Sauce
Minced ginger in Soy:
1/4 cup light soy sauce
2 teaspoons minced ginger
few drops of sesame oil.

Mustard & Soy:
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 teaspoon English or French mustard
2 teaspoons peanut oil
2 to 3 drops vinegar.

Hoisin Sauce:
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1/4 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

Chilli Sauce: Fresh cut chilli with light soy sauce

By the way, my friend from Singapore, Ms S.Goh also suggests alternative chilli sauce: sambal chilli or chicken rice chilli

Chicken Tenderloins with Coriander Salad

Chicken Tenderloins with Coriander Salad

Strange..I cook this pretty often but I manage to miss out on blogging. Anyway, better be late than never. (Gosh, don't you hate cliche?)

This quick and easy recipe:

Serves 4

Prep time 10 mins

Cooking time 10 mins

KJ 1115 Fat 16g Sat fat 3 g

1 bunch of coriander, leaves plucked

4 green onions (shallots), chopped

1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sweet chilli sauce

1 teaspoon fish sauce

500g chicken tenderloins

1. Place coriander, green onion and tomatoes in a large bowl. Combine lemon juice, olive oil, chilli sauce and fish sauce in a jug and set aside.
2. Preheat a lightly greased chargill or barbecue on high. Cook chicken for 3 mins on each side, until golden and cooked through.
3. Pour dressing over coriander mixtures and toss to combine. Divide chicken between serving plates and top with salad, season and serve.

Steamed Fish with Asian Vegetables

Steamed Fish with Asian Vegetables

Typical Chinese meal consists of 3 dishes+1 soup, a standard family requirement. You can cut down on variety for just 2 people, but you know you are not meeting the standard, that's how I feel anyway. I got to hand it to our Ang Moh friends, they always manage to design cooking 2 dishes at one go, in this case, fish and vegetables in the same dish. Very clever lor.

This recipe:

Serves 4
Prep time 5 mins (okay, it took me longer than that, you shouldn't trust this anyway)
Cooking time 5 minutes (again you shouldn't trust this, for me I always steam my fish for 8~10 minutes)

Here what you need:

6 green onions (shallots)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine) or dry sherry
4 baby bok choy, trimmed, quartered
4 firm white fish fillets, such as trevalla or flathead fillets (I use Cod fish)
125g shiitake or oyster mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled, cut into julienne
Steam rice, to serve

1. Finely slice 4 green onions. Combine with garlic, oil, soy sauce and shaoxing wine in a small bowl. Season well and set aside.
2. Line a steamer with baking paper. (My bamboo steamer peed chia already, so I just use an oval plate coated with oil) Top with bok choy, then fish. Scatter with mushrooms and carrot and spoon over soy sauce mixture. (You can add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil if you like a nutty flavour)
3. Cover and steam for 5~7mins, over a pan or wok with simmering water, until the fish is cooked through. (In my experience, its best to leave it for 8~10mins)
4. Meanwhile, cut remaining green onions into thin slices. Divide dish and vegetable stacks between serving plates and top with green onion. Serve with steamed rice.

Celery Stir-Fry with Barramundi

Celery Stir-Fry with Barramundi

Sometimes I just got to be brave. Its not easy posting recipes you know, especially when it makes me crave for food. I am doing this for you and after this, I will go buy some fish for tonight. hehe.

left desk

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:

:

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and half hour later

Uh-hum...I am back. From the supermarket actually. hehe, I was really tempted and I really wanted to cook this dish tonight, so I got to dashed out to make sure I've got the main ingredients. I haven't got barramundi but heh, good old snapper won't go wrong. Another reason why I needed to do this right away; it was disastrous the last time I cooked this. I used the wrong fish - Cod fish. It didn't taste good and it left a stank many days after. So you see, I am very motivated to make it right this time.

According to Table Magazine June 2007, celery makes a splendid cooked vegetables, especially when its lightly stir-fried with crispy fresh snow peas, garlic and plenty of flat leaf parsley.

Serves 4
Prep time 15 mins
Cooking time 5 mins

2 tablespoons oil
½ bunch celery, trimmed, cut into 8cm lengths
150g snow peas, trimmed
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 cup flat leaf parsley (e.g. Italian parsey)
½ cup (125ml) chicken stock
1 teaspoon sesame oil
4 x 100g pieces barramundi (I would use snapper, or any frying pan friendly fish fillets in absence of barramundi)

1. Heat half of oil in a large frying pan or wok on high. Add celery, snow peas and garlic and stir-fry for 2 mins. Add parsley and cook for 1 min. Add stock and sesame oil and simmer for 2 mins, until celery is just tender.
2. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a non stick frying pan on high. Cook fish for 2 mins each side, until flesh flakes. Serve with celery stir-fry.

The magazine also suggest Yalumba's 2006 Oxford Landing Sauvignon Blanc as a matching wine.

Chicken with Lemon & Capers

Chicken with Lemon & Capers

Yet another simple dish I fancied. I love chicken tenderloins because they are juicier and have no fat. They aren't as tough as chicken breast. Actually, I have replaced chicken breast with either tenderloins or thighs in many recipes because I think they taste better.

Serves 4
Prep time 5 mins
Cooking time 10 mins

15g butter
12 (about 750g) chicken tenderloins
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup (50g) capers
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1. Steamed chat potatoes, green beans, to serve (I substituted with broccolini because I felt like it)
2. Heat butter in a frying pan on medium. Cook chicken in batches for 3~5mins, turning once, until golden. Remove and keep warm. Add lemon rind and juice to pan with ½ cup water, scraping base of pan. Cook until mixture reduces by half. Stir in capers and parsley.
3. Return chicken to pan and cook 1~2 mints, until heated through. Season to taste and serve with potatoes and green beans. (In my case, broccolini)

Tips: For thicker sauce, dust chicken tenderloins in a little seasoned flour first.
The flavours in this recipe works equally well with fish.

Storecupboard Suppers - Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

I caught myself swallowing my saliva while I started writing this post because the topic I am writing about is yet again food but this is really yummy and you can scavenge what's in your cupboard to make up this dish. I took this recipe from "The quick and easy cookbook" a Christmas present from my mother-in-law, I love it! Turning to the page, there is a lot of marks on it, evidence of frequent usage, otherwise a messy kitchen hand, indeed I cook this a lot, because I am loving it. :D

Serves 4

Prep 10 mins

Cook 25 mins

Cals per portion 590

Fat per portion 14g

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 small red chillies, seeded and finely chopped

2 x 50g (2 oz) cans anchovies, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons capers

100g (3½ oz) pitted black olives, halves

2 x 400g (14 oz) cans plum tomatoes

500g (1 lb 2 oz) packet dried spaghetti

1 bunch of fresh basil, roughly torn (grow them yourself, so you have endless supply of your favorite herb)

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over a moderate heat. Ad the garlic and chillies and cook for 1 min until the garlic is just golden. Add the anchovies, capers, olives and canned tomatoes with their juice and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20~25mins until the sauce is thick.
2. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a saucepan of boiling, salted water according to packet instructions. To serve, drain the cooked pasta and toss with the tomato sauce. Add basil and season with salt and ground black pepper.

Cheat with BBQ Pork Ribs with Stirfried Choy Sum

Remember BBQ Pork Ribs with Stirfried Choy Sum from my previous post?

Seems like a lot of work marinating the pork ribs but hey, I bought them pre-marinated and packed from the supermarket. All I did was following instructions written on the package. I roasted them in the oven at 200 degree C for 40mins, or until I am satisfied of the "charness". I then took out the rack and cut/saw them into singulars with a steak knife, push them back into the oven, making sure all surfaces are nicely charred.

While the ribs were going through their final touch up in the oven, I cooked the choy sum. Stirfries are quick affairs, 2 mins tops. Great thing with roasting is that you can walk away, get busy with other things e.g. collect laundry from the clothes line, watch the news, read emails etc then come back later and your food is cooked ready for you.

Moroccan Chicken

I cooked "Moroccan Chicken" featured in Table Magazine May 2007 and it tasted fantastic. Nothing beats sitting down for a hot meal during cold evenings and this dish wasn't just hot, it was spicy too. But the reason why any dish would become my favorite is that it got to be easy. Don't get me wrong, I love cooking but I am no kitchen slave, you get what I mean?

So here's what you need:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, halved, sliced
2 tablespoons Moroccan seasoning mix
8 chicken high fillets, bone in, skinless (I can only find de-boned fillets, so I have to use those)
1½cups (375ml) chicken stock ( I know some of you make your own stock, that's actually the best if you can afford the time, but if you are time-pressed or impatient like me, I buy from supermarket)
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
4 potatoes, peeled, cut into small cubes
150g baby green beans, tailed

Note: This recipe serves 4, it took me 10-15min preparing the ingredients and the cooking time was about 30 minutes.

1. Heat half of oil in a flameproof casserole or frying pan with a lid on medium. Cook onion, uncovered, for 3-5 min, stirring, until soft and starting to brown. Stir through Moroccan seasoning and cook for 1 min, until fragrant. Remove from pan and set aside.


2. Heat remaining oil in same pan on high. Cook chicken for 3 min each side, until browned. Return onion to pan and pour over stock, lemon rind and juice. Season to taste. Bring to boil and reduce heat to low.


3. Scatter potatoes around chicken, cover and simmer for 12 min. Add beans and simmer, covered for another 3 in, until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender. Serve chicken and vegetables with pan sauce spoon over. I served with rice.

Still Cooking? - Yep Still Cooking...

I think Summer is fighting with Winter and the weather's all screwed up. We have experienced it all in terms of weather changing patterns. Oh just let me build up drama and confusion to cooking and tough recipes selecting process, will you?

Its like this, the weather is confusing me so I do not know what to cook for dinner. So...I do oven roasting...a lot of oven roasting, everything oven roasting, ah...I think you follow.

There is no recipes to the kind of oven roasting I do, because I just kind of throw everything into an oven proof dish, then push it into the oven, then leave the kitchen and watch TV or read emails, then come back 45min to an hour later and ta-da! Dinner's ready. Erm...yeah, its that easy, any cooking skills involved? Ermmm..no.

I like the char taste so I tend to leave everything till slightly burnt before I bring them out of the oven. No no no, its has got nothing to do with me forget time while watching telly or playing with my laptop, its meant to be a little "char", ah...I think you follow.

So, I would go to the supermarket, pick up some carrots, potatoes, pumpkins, brown onions, capsicums, roma tomatoes, herbs and meat for roasting like pork, beef, lamb chops and cutlets. I don't like roasting fish and chicken, I prefer to pan-fry, stir-fry or stew or make into soup.

Here are examples of roasted and stir fried meals we had over the past 2 weeks.

Roasted Lamb forequarter with capsicum & onions drizzled with rosemary and olive oil and roasted potates and pumpkins, then finished with mint sauce when served.

Stir-fried baby bok choy with garlic and soy sauce

Stir-fried chicken thighs with ginger and shallots

No time to cook? Here's a quick fix, the good old steak

Here's what we did. We basically bought 2 steaks and a bag of salad from the supermarket. Cook steaks on a hot plate, 5 min on each side(medium well), turning just once. Once done, cover steak in aluminium foil and rest for 5 min. You can top your steak with horseradish sauce and use any salad dressing (we use balsamic vinaigrette) on your salad.

You can also add steam/ mash potatoes if you'd like a bigger meal. Very easy hor?

Spice it up! - Mustard & Rosemary Chicken

You may like to try this the next time you plan a menu to entertain invited friends.

Mustard & Rosemary Chicken

Serves 4
Prep time 5 min
Cooking time 15 min

4 (about 680g) chicken breast fillets (I only use hormones free chicken)
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary leaves, plus extra sprigs, to serve
1 garlic clove, crushed
600g chat potatoes, quartered
250g baby spinach leaves
20g butter
1 lemon, cut into wedges

1. Combine chicken, mustard, juice, oil, rosemary leaves and garlic in a bowl and toss well to coat. (can be kept chilled for several hours to intensify mustard and rosemary flavour)
2. Heat a chargrill plate on high. Cook chicken, in batches, for 6-8 min, until cooked through and browned.
3. Meanwhile, boil, steam or microwave potatoes until just tender. Drain. Place hot potatoes in a large bowl with spinach and butter, toss gently until spinach starts to wilt and butter melts.
4. Serve chicken fillets with potatoes and lemon wedges and top with extra rosemary sprigs.

Pot luck Special - Grilled Chicken & Risoni Salad

Impress your host and friends with this mouthwatering salad when you are invited for a pot luck party!

Grilled Chicken & Risoni Salad

Serves 4
Prep time 15 min
Cooking time 15 min

3 chicken breast fillets
¼ cup (60ml) olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
200g risoni (Risoni is a small rice-shaped pasta, but any small pasta would be fine)
1 red capsicum, diced
1½ cups thinly sliced celery
1 cup (150g) pitted kalamata olives, halved
1 small red onion, finely chopped
¼ cup shredded basil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1. Lightly spray a chargrill with cooking oil spray and heat on medium. Brush chicken with a little olive oil and season with pepper. Cook for 5 min each side or until cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate, sprinkle with lemon juice and set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, cook risoni in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water according to packet directions. Drain, refresh under cold water, drain again. Place in a large bowl with capsicum, celery, olives, onion and basil.
3. Remove chicken from plate, reserving juices. Slice chicken thinly and add to risoni salad.
4. Strain chicken juices into a jug and add vinegar and mustard. Gradually add remaining oil in a stream, whisking until dressing thickens slightly. Pour over salad and toss to combine.

My new found comfort food - Rocket & Prosciutto Pasta

Very satisfying...Yum....

Rocket & Prosciutto Pasta

Serves 4
Prep time 10 min
Cooking time 10 min

500g tagliatelle
⅓cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil
8 thin slices prosciutto, torn
¼cup (50g) chopped semi-dried tomatoes (more if you like, I use 100g)
2 tablespoons kalamata olives
3 garlic cloves, crushed
30g rockets (more if you like, I use 70g)
1 cup (80g) shaved parmesan

1. Cook tagliatelle in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water according to packet directions. Drain, return to saucepan.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan on medium. Cook prosciutto for 3 min, until crisp. Stir in tomatoes, olives and garlic and cook for another min. Add to pasta with rocket and remaining oil and toss together well.
3. Season to taste and scatter with parmesan to serve.

Mediterrean Style Pan-Fried Snapper with Tomato, Olives & Basil

Ohhh...this is so good...and healthy! I have made slight changes to the original recipe.

Mediterranean Style Pan-Fried Snapper with Tomato, Olives & Basil

Serves 4
Prep time 5 min
Cooking time 10 min
kj 1905 fat 15g sat fat 3g

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 fish fillets, such as snapper
1 garlic clove, sliced
500g cheery tomatoes
¼cup (60ml) white wine
¼cup (40g) diced kalamata olives
¼cup torn basil leaves
steamed baby potatoes, sliced, to serve (not in picture)

1. Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan on high. Cook fish for 3 min. Turn to cook other side for 2 min, until golden and cooked through. Remove from pan and keep warm.
2. Cook garlic in pan for 10 sec, add tomatoes and cook for 2 min. Add white wine and olives and bring to boil. Add basil and season to taste.
3. Serve fish with tomatoes and sliced potatoes. Drizzle with sauce and serve with a nice bottle of wine.

My recommendation for white wine: Goundrey Unwooded Chardonnay 2006 (Western Australia)

The Simplest Ever Recipe - Tomato Pasta Salad

I came across this recipe 3 years ago and loved it ever since, this any-time pasta is so easy to make and never fails to satisfy. Apart from the pasta, you really don't need to cook any thing else, easy huh?

Tomato Pasta Salad

Serves 10 (as an accompaniment)

Prep time 10 min

Cooking time 10-12 min

Just a few ingredients like these:

500g small shell pasta

250g (1½ cup) semi-dried tomatoes, chopped (I got them from the deli in supermarket)

50g (¼cup) baby capers or if large, chopped

½ cup chopped chives

Dressing

80ml (⅓cup) Olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, crushed

You can whoop up the simplest pasta salad like this:

1. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water following packet directions, until al Dante. Drain and place in a large serving dish or bowl. Add tomatoes, capers and chives, and toss well to combine.
2. Make dressing by placing ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake well. Add to warm pasta, season to taste and toss to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.
   

Refreshing taste of Summer - Chicken with Mango Salsa

I wasn't quite sure about this recipe at first but it surprised me pleasantly. The ingredients were so simple and it was a breeze to cook. It was so refreshing we are going to have it again soon. :)

Chicken with Mango Salsa

Serves 4

Prep time 10 min

Cooking time 10 min

1 mango, diced

1 Lebanese cucumber, diced

½ small red onion, diced (other types of onions will be too spicy)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon paprika (aka hiam jueo hoon)

4 chicken breast fillets

500g long grain white rice

1. Combine mango, cucumber and onion with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
2. Combine remaining oil and paprika and brush over chicken. Heat a lightly oiled frying pan on medium. Cook chicken for 4 minutes each side, until browned and cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, heat rice according to packet directions and divide between 4 serving plates. Top with sliced chicken, spoon over salsa and serve.