Saturday, February 28, 2009
Pasta with Homemade Sauce
Monday, December 22, 2008
Pak Choi Hakka Noodles
I hadn't ever heard of pak choi, so when I went shopping in Mumbai and saw some in the supermarket last month, I was instantly intrigued. I like to think of myself as daring in the kitchen, mainly because I have no idea what I am doing. Well, that's not entirely true, but I do usually start making something without a clue as to what the final result will be. I sort of make it up as I go along. Most of my 'experiments' are based on cookery programs, watching my mother and well, tasting the result after every addition. (Yeah, that's all right until we are talking marinade. So gross.)
I picked up a packet, which contained two small cabbages. The cabbages remained in my fridge for a week before I decided to actually use them. Now my fridge is a massive freezer all by itself, as it freezes EVERYTHING. (Ever tried frozen bread? Awful. Trust me.)
Recipe:
1/2 packet Chinese hakka noodles1 small pak choi cabbage
2 spring onions, sliced
7-8 french beans, julienne
3 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
salt to taste
Cook the noodles first, boiling them in slightly salted water. Cook until the noodles are a la dente, and drain off the water. Put the garlic, sesame seeds and the olive oil into a microwave-safe dish, cover and heat on high for two minutes. Covering the dish is important otherwise the sesame seeds will splatter the insides of the oven.
Slice the cabbage head off, leaving the stalks and the green leaves separate. Chop the stalks and the leaves lengthwise, making long thin pieces of cabbage. I read somewhere that the trick to making pak choi is to have the leaves and the stalks separately. Put in all the vegetables into the garlic-sesame oil and microwave open for 2 minutes. The vegetables should be hot, and slightly cooked without losing their raw flavour.
Mix in the hakka noodles and the sauteed vegetables in a big dish.
Any vegetables can be used while making these noodles; it's only a question of establishing a good flavour.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Garlic and Sage Chicken
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Simple Trifle

