Pan fried tomatoes with Spaghetti

Posted by Gingerblossom at 11:41 PM

Friday, October 17, 2008


Daniel cooked this for our lunch today... my job was to slice and dice.
It's a simple and fairly healthy meal that we have after over-indulging in rich food.
The original recipe came from a Jamie Oliver book but we've adapted it several times to our tastes and depending on the ingredients we're able to get.

The ingredients for my fav version:

1.Fresh cherry tomatoes ( red and yellow for color!) - halved
2. Fresh Basil leaves - hand torn into pieces
3. Fresh garlic - thinly sliced
4. Fresh Chilli- diced ( add more if you like it spicy)
5. Olive oil ( we like extra virgin for the strong flavour)
6. Bacon ( adds saltiness to the dish and if you're a meat person, just add more! Remember to cut down on salt)
7. Salt & Pepper to taste
8. Barilla Spaghetti No. 5

Cooking directions ( I watched Daniel & took notes! I didn't dream this up so you don't have to worry that your dish ends up burnt as mine usually does)

1. Boil water for spaghetti. Once water boils, add salt, then add the spaghetti. Cook noodle till slightly al dente.

While spaghetti is cooking...
1. Fry bacon, remove from fire and drain oil. Set aside.
2. fry garlic in olive oil ( in seperate pan!) till lightly brown.
3. Add chilli, stir.

4. Add tomatoes and salt to taste. Fry till tomatoes are soft.
5. Add basil & cooked bacon
6. Drain cooked spaghetti and add to the frying contents.
7. Stir fry all contents.
8. Add salt to taste if required.
9. Turn off fire then add pepper and a dash of olive oil to coat the noodles
10. Serve
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

So I can't cook... but I am good with my hands!

Posted by Gingerblossom at 12:38 AM

Well, not too bad with my hands... I like making accessories, DIY home stuff...

Here's a couple of stuff I made in the 6 days I've been hiding in the house in Beijing. They are mostly for sale ( since I'm unemployed and the money would support my hobby :P)

Culinary aspirations

Posted by Gingerblossom at 7:07 AM

Thursday, October 16, 2008

In an attempt to inject some element of taitai-ness into my life, I took to the kitchen again. Culinary finesse or at least ability to instruct other people to whip up sumptuous meals for you seems to be a taitai pre-requisite. And I figured since I'm not gainfully employed now, I might as well try to overcome my culinary phobia and attempt a meal or two. Last night's success gave me the confidence to try again today.

Tonight's dinner was:
1. Stir fried pork with ginger strips
2. Bak Choy with oyster sauce and garlic
3. Leftover soup from last night


Prep started out ok where I sliced ginger, diced garlic, washed veg. Then came the part where I had to slice the pork. If you know me well or seen me at a supermarket/ BBQ, you'll know that I HATE touching uncooked meat with my bare hands. I normally hold meat ( even those cling wrapped nicely) with thumb and index finger only. It's wet, slimy, squishy...! Eeks! Ah.. so I had to slice the pork. I think "chopped" would describe it better given how thick the slices were. The pork was then marinated with Lee Kum Kee Premium Soya Sauce and corn flour.

At this point, Hallelujiah... Daniel came home so I had expert supervision.

Chef Tham told me to add pepper to the marinade. Chef Tham also directed me to fry the ginger till golden, add garlic, then add meat. When meat is cooked through ( remember, they were chunks), add 1/3 cup of water followed by a dash of oyster sauce. Simmer till sauce thickens then serve. Phew! Thank goodness for Daniel because I was really at a loss with what goes into the pan first AND I wouldn't have thought about the water and oyster sauce.... And to tell you the truth, I didn't even know if the meat was cooked.

As for the veggies, Chef Tham cooked them cos her royal kitchen idiot (me) wasn't quite sure how to. Blanche in hot water, I know. Cook with sauce, I don't.

So it appears my taitai basic kitchen training still has a looooooong way to go. Maybe I should brush up on another aspect of taitai-dom instead... like buying branded bags (not interested) , or maybe yoga (too slow) or...

Sweet Soup Success

Posted by Gingerblossom at 5:59 AM

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

I'm a total klutz in the kitchen. Nothing I've ever attempted to cook ever turns out well. I suspect it's got to do with the fact that I DO NOT enjoy cooking. It's more stressful than say... public speaking. I can actually feel the beginnings of a stomach cramp, cold sweat gathering on my brow, the barest whisper of panic set in... if I have to prepare a meal. It's terrible. The 4 years of secondary school where I had to take food and nutrition classes did not help. Burnt rice/meat, rock hard cookies, mushy cake, unrisen bread, soggy noodles, spoon baked in pie... every kitchen blunder imaginable would happen to me, short of singeing my eyebrows at the stove.

Soooooo.. it was with some pride that I served up drinkable soup a la Chinese style for dinner tonight, to the fussiest eater I know - Daniel. AND my soup wasn't spat out/ sent back to the kitchen/ kill anyone. Ah ha! Didn't expect that. Seems like I did learn some culinary skills from years of watching Daniel prepare our meals.

My one and only successful culinary endeavor was a Bittergourd ( Balsam Pear to some) & Pork Rib soup, sweetened with dried Chinese dates. Simple yes? Well, once upon a time I would have made even a disaster of simple soup. That's why tonight's soup success tastes all the sweeter to me!

My fat cat Pisase

Posted by Gingerblossom at 8:53 AM

Monday, October 13, 2008

Pisase is a severely misunderstood cat. People don't like her much because she's such a grump, swiping anyone who crosses her path. But she's loyal, no doubt about that. She recognises the hand that feeds her ( more often than not, she also bites the hand that feeds her!) and is able to tell the good guys from the bad. Aka who feeds her and loves her vs who doesn't. That's why Pisase never fails to run up to me for a rub whenever I come home. Even after 6 weeks away, she recognised me and came running to the door for her customary rub. She's been following me around the house for the past 2 days... which is rare given how she usually avoids people, and being vocal about getting her rub down. She's MY special cat because she's only ever this sweet with me. Everyone else in her little cat mind is probably a bad person. That includes Daniel :P