Another Stir-Fry Vegetable

Here's my fussy eater-vegetable lover-meat hater daughter's favorite.  It's also a quick fix for a hurried dinner after a long day at the library... pffffff.... story of my life... Anyway, the vegetables choice in this recipe can be easily substitute with any other you have in the fridge.

Ingredients:
A handful of Mangetout - can be replaced with string beans, fine beans, snake beans etc
A handful of Baby Corn - can be replaced with whole kernel corns or carrots or anything you have
A handful of small prawn - You can use chicken, beef, egg or tofu
1/4 of large Onion - sliced
2 garlic - finely chopped
2 cm ginger - bruised
Salt
White Pepper
1 tbsp fish sauce - you can omit this if you don't have any
1 tbsp light soy sauce - you can omit this if you don't have any
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil - you can omit this if you don't have any
2 tbsp oil
Sliced chili if you want to make it spicy. we don't eat spicy food so this is omitted 

Direction:

1. Clean and sliced the vegetables and meat to your liking - cubed, sliced etc
2. Heat the oil in a wok (or pan or what ever you are using), sautee the onion, garlic and ginger until fragrant.
3. Bring in the small prawn (or other meat you are using) and sautee them until they change color.
4. Add the sauces that you are using - fish sauce, light soy sauce. sesame oil - if you don't use any sauces, skip this step
5. Bring the vegetables in and stir until they changed color. 
6. Add the salt and pepper and taste to your liking
7. Keep stirring until the vegetable soften a bit but not too much. You will like to have a bit of a crunch. Take is out and serve with a steaming rice.

The stir-fry will taste as nice without the sauces. But if you have a chance to get all complete, the toasted sesame oil brings a nutty yummy taste to the stir-fry against the warming ginger. Also the saltiness of the fish sauce together with light soy sauce works very well to add a different depth to the dish. Anyway... enjoy!

Tuna and Veggie Spagetti

OK.. Still in the mood for spaghetti. Thanks to Masak Bareng Yuuk! Pasta Edition... Well... I still have quite a stock of Spaghetti so why not. The day I made this was I was busy studying for one of my quiz day. Then I realized it was already past lunch time. I went to the kitchen and realized I forgot to cook my rice this morning aaaaaand I ran out of bread. Fruits were not really my options... I am tired and hungry. I want something filling, satisfying and quick. I reached for the spaghetti and decided to throw a cheat-bolognesse (a.k.a  the instant packets) but alas! it was also gone....

So I decided to make do with what ever I have. I quickly round up everything I think can work when I saw the canned tuna... AHA! this might work.... we shall see...

Honestly... it taste divine and takes only 10 minutes... well OK 15 mins to make and serve

To serve 1 (2 portions)

Ingredients:
1 handful of spaghetti -use any other pasta shape you want... it doesn't matter I think.
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp salt
1 medium garlic, crushed then finely chopped
2 tbsp Onion, chopped
1 small carrot - Diced small
4 cherry tomatoes - cut to quaters
2 tbsp salted butter
1 tsp ground white pepper
a bunch of flat leaves parsley - chopped
2 tbsp Canned tuna - drained from the oil or water or brine and flaked

Directions:

1. Boil water in a pan for the spaghetti. 
2. Meanwhile, prepare the carrot, tomatoes, parsley and tuna
3. When the water boils, add the salt and olive oil then bring the spaghetti in. I break the long spaghetti in half before putting them in boil water. 
4. Then heat the butter on a separate pan / wok, add the Onion and garlic. Saute until soft and fragrant
5. Bring the carrot in... followed by tomatoes add the ground white pepper. I do not add anymore salt because the butter is already salty. Let it cook for a while. I like my tomatoes to be slightly wilted to retain the warm fresh taste of tomatoes.
6. The spaghetti usually need about 7 - 8 minutes to be Al-dente (my husband taught me this)... or get a piece of the spaghetti and throw to the wall... if it sticks it's done... or... my way... pinch the spaghetti... it is the level of tenderness I want... then it is done
7. Drain the spaghetti and bring back to its pan . Add the sauteed carrot and tomatoes in the pan together with the cooked spaghetti. 
8. Mix together. Add the chooped parsley then the flaked canned tuna..
9. All is good and ready to serve!

This will also be my entry to Masak Bareng Yuuk! (Let's Cook Together) Sept-Oct Edition on Pasta!!!

Entry requirement in English click here

Simple Vegetable Stir Fry

You know when you walk in to the stores and you see all kinds of stir-fry sauces in packets. I can't see why making so much fuss when the basic simple stir-fry is a matter of one two three. Here's a basic recipe you can build up and add up any other meat, veg or ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Onion, chopped
• 2 garlic, crushed
• 1 cm  finger
• Salt and ground white Pepper
• 1/2 Stock cube (optional)
• 3 tbsp vegetable cooking oil 
• 1 medium carrot, julienned
• A handful of Broccoli 
• A handful of whatever meat (chicken, Beef, sausage etc) or meat substitute you like (tofu, egg etc)
• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Heat cooking oil. Bring in Onion, garlic and ginger. Sautee until fragrant and soft
2. Add the meat or meat substitutes... let them cooked.. add half water to cook them. 
3. Add the carrot and brocolli, add the rest of the water and the stock cube
4. Seasoned with salt and ground white pepper
5. Final taste... ready to serve. ----

Simple Vegetable Soup (Broccoli and Carrot)

HAH! this is a recipe that hardly ever go wrong. Unless if you burn the food down or have an unbelievable tasteless tongue. The soup is cheap, wasy and takes minutes to do...

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 Medium Carrot, cut to your liking -
1 or 2 handful of Broccoli florets...
1/4 meduim size Onion, peeled and sliced

2 garlic, peeled and crushed
about 2 tsp of Salt
about 1 tsp ground white Pepper
few stalk of Flat Leaf Parsle, I usually didn;t chopped them but it's OK. it's the flavour that I need. 
1 tbsp of butter or 1 tbsp of cooking oil
2 - 3 cups of water
Whatever meat you like, sausage, chicken, beef, OR mushroom, tofu, meatballs.. etc.. You can also go without this if you just want vegetable soup. - Cut the meat to smaller pieces for faster cooking time.

Directions:
1. Heat the oil or melt the butter then sweat the onions and garlics
2. If you are using Meat or protein of any kind... bring this in first after the onions and garlic soften.
3. Stir until the meat turn color, add water
4. Let it simmer about 5 minutes to make sure the meat are cooked.
5. Put the carrots in. Let it simmer for another 3 - 5 minutes until the carrot soften a bit.
6. Bring in the Broccoli florets and the Flat leaf parsley
7. Add salt and Pepper. Taste it to your liking.
8. Soup is ready

Note: you can add Stock cube if you like but remember put the stock cube first and taste it before you add any salt. Stock cubes are salty.

--- This soup still uses the vegs I bought last time. So cost wise... it is still under 1 pound... Hah! ---

For other recipe for soup ... you can see this link
http://annies123dish.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/simple-chicken-soup-sup-ayam-mudah.html