Tuesday 11 March 2014

Spaghetti with Marmite

Hi

I was inspired to cook this dish when I saw Joyce from Kitchen Flavour cooked it.  The recipe was taken from Nigella Lawson from her cookbook “Nigella Kitchen”. 

 Indeed, Marmite on Spaghetti is a special and nice combination. 


It’s a simple and easy dish to make for lunch.  I’m glad my husband and sons love it.


Yes, Joyce is right.  This noodle was pretty plain without the additional ingredient added.  After adding the ham and chilli flakes, this dish has become entirely different.  It looks more appealing and, tastier and yummier too!


INGREDIENT
(Serves 4-6)
(Note the additional and change in yellow by Joyce)
 12 ounces dried spaghetti
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon Marmite, or more to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve
300gm chopped ham (I used SPAM Bacon)
minced chives, for sprinkling over (I skipped this)
coarse chilli flakes


METHODS

(1)Cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling salted water, following the package instructions.

(2)When the pasta is almost cooked, melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the Marmite and 1 tablespoons of the pasta water, mixing thoroughly to dissolve. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water ; then drain the pasta and pour the Marmite mixture over the drained spaghetti. adding a little reserved pasta water to amalgamate if required. Serve with plenty of grated Parmesan cheese. (I stir-fry the chopped ham in a little oil, remove and drain. Use the same pan to melt the butter and the marmite as stated in the recipe)

(3)Serve the spaghetti with some fried chopped ham sprinkled over and garnish with chopped chives, and some coarse chilli flakes if desired.



HAPPY COOKING!


Wow!  Cook Like A Star is celebrating it’s 2nd anniversary.  
Congratulation for making it thus far!


For March and Apr, Cook Like A Star is having an All Star Anniversary Party and we’ll be cooking and baking from any of the previous featured chefs' recipes.  

They are:
Ina Garten, Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Curtis Stone, Ree Drummond, Bill Granger, Masterchefs, Martha Stewart, Delia Smith, Donna Hay

I’m submitting this post to Cook Like A Star - All-Stars Anniversary Party 

Come! Join us for the party.


Tuesday 4 March 2014

Steamed Prawns in Ginger & Wine

Hi

When I spotted this recipe from cookbook Chef At Home – A Taste of Goodness, I show it to my hubby and told him that maybe I should try to cook this for Sunday dinner.

And guess what?  He bought these huge prawns on Saturday morning when we were at wet market doing weekly marketing.  

Look!  The prawns were so big.  It weighed about 700kg (700g) for 9 pcs.
So, I had no choice and went ahead to cook this dish.
What I like about this dish is the sauce.  It has the flavour of shaoxing wine, sesame oil and ginger that mixed with the egg white.
The prawns seasoned with the Chinese white wine had made this a fabulous dish.  It was so well received by kids and husband.  My mum told me that the best way to cook seafood is to steam them to retain the original goodness of the seafood.
Yen from Eat Your Heart Out had cooked something similar to this too.  The ingredients she used were the same as this.  You can check out hers too.

HAPPY STEAMING!!



INGREDIENTS
1kg Fresh Tiger Prawns (I’m using clear shell prawns)

Seasoning
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 tsp sesame oil
4 tsp shredded fresh young ginger
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine (I used Shaoxing Wine)
2 egg white
1 stalk spring onion, chopped finely

Ganishing
2 red chillis, cut into strips
1 ½ tbsp ginger strips
1 stalk spring onion, chopped
Coriander leaves, shredded (I used parsley)

METHODS
(1)Trim tips of prawn heads and legs.

(2)Marinate with seasoning and set aside for ½ to 1 hr in refrigerator

(3)Place on plate and spread chili and ginger strips over prawns

(4)Steam over high heat for 7 to 9 mins, depending on size of prawns

(5)Garnish with spring onion and coriander. Serve.


I’m contributing this recipe to Cook-Your-Books #10, 



Also, I’m submitting this for Little Thumbs Up.  For this month the theme is Prawn. 


 Little Thumbs Up is organised by Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids and Doreen, My Little Favourite DIY
And for March, it’s hosted by Food Playground