recipe is: urban spaghetti

Ingredients

1 1/2 packets of spaghetti (or however much you need) , boiled in lightly salted water til al dente

350 gms minced beef, marinated with 1 tbsp light soya sauce & 1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper

6 tbsp olive oil
6 big onions, diced
1 whole head of garlic, skinned and pounded
2 cans button mushrooms, 1 can halved/quatered & 1 can thinly sliced
1 tbsp lea & perrins
450 gms tomato puree
170 gms tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine (can be substituted with beef stock)
6 dried bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried basil leaf
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/3 tsp coarse ground black pepper
salt and sugar to taste
grated cheddar cheese

Method


heat the olive oil over a small flame, then add the onions and sautee til soft and opaque

add the garlic and fry til fragrant

add in the beef and stif fry til almost cooked thru

add the bay leaf, basil leaf, rosemary, black pepper and the lea and perrins

stir fry for another 5 mins

add the tomato paste and tomato puree

add the red wine and button mushrooms

let it simmer for another 5 mins

add the salt and sugar to taste

close the lid and let it simmer for another 15 mins, adding more liquid if needed

serve hot with spaghetti and cheese

note: ~ it is better if the tomato paste is substituted with sundried tomatoes

~ i prefer cheddar cheese to parmesan for this sauce as it's more robust and stronger in flavour

~ the sugar is to balance the sourness of the tomatoes. try not to add too much sugar as you'll lose the tangy tomato taste

recipe is: Yam Rice with Dried Prawns

Ingredients


400 gms yam, skinned, diced and shallow fried til golden brown
1/2 cup dried prawns
6 shallots, skinned and finely sliced
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1/3 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp chicken granules OR 1/4 chicken stock cube
1/2 tbsp dark soya sauce
1/3 cup of water
3 cups of rice


Method


heat up 1/3 bowl of oil in a wok and deep fry shallots til golden brown. pour out into a bowl

put 4 tbsp of shallot oil back into the wok and stir fry the dried prawns til fragrant (about 3 mins)

add the yam, oyster sauce, light soya sauce, sesame oil, chicken granules and dark soya sauce and stir fry for 3-4 mins. add the water and let it come to a boil

dish up and set aside

put the rice into the rice cooker and put in 1/3 LESS water than normal, add a pinch of salt and turn on to let the rice cook like normal

when the rice is halfway cooked (when most of the water has been absorbed), add in the yam mixture and stir thoroughly. put the cover back on and let the rice cook thru

dish up and serve with some deep fried shallot and drizzle with some of the shallot oil and add a dash of pepper.

recipe is: dumpling soup

Ingredients

350 gms minced chicken
300 gms minced beef
8 stalks dried black chinese mushroom, soaked and finely diced
1 small carrot, skinned and finely chopped
1 thumb size knob of young ginger, finely chopped
5 stalks spring onions, finely chopped
8 tbsp of huoa tsing wine/chinese cooking wine
3 tbsp of oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 flat tsp salt

a few tbsp water for sealing the wontons
1 pkt (abt 70 pcs) square/round wonton skin measuring about 10cm by 10 cm
400 gms chinese mustard green/bok choy/choy sum
2 litres chicken stock
chilly sauce for dipping



Method

put the minced chicken, minced beef, black chinese mushroom, carrot, ginger, spring onions, chinese cooking wine, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt and light soya sauce in a big mixing bowl and throughly mixed until all the ingredients forms into a big sticky lump

cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for about 1 hour

remove the meat filling mix from the fridge and take out the wonton skin from the packet. get a big platter to put the wrapped wontons

scoop about half a tablespoon of the filling and put it in the centre of the wonton skin (be careful to keep your hands and utensils dry as the skin tears easily when damp), smear the sides with a bit of water and fold over to seal completely (only smear the water onto one fold side of the skin, don't have to surround all the sides of the skin). set aside on the platter. continue with the rest of the filling and wonton skin

heat up a big pot of water and once the water is boiling, put in the dumplings in and cook for 4 minutes. remove the dumplings and set aside. it's best if done in batches, rather than boiling the whole lot at once.

heat up the chicken stock, blanch the vegetables in the chicken stock, and set aside.

in individual bowls, divide out the dumplings and the vegetable. ladle in the hot chicken stock and serve with chilly sauce in dipping saucers.