Recipe: Spaghetti pasta with garlic butter prawns, crispy bacon and chilli flakes

Last year, my kids were totally crazy about pasta (having pasta every weekend and weekdays too if they can get away with it)... and it looks like this craze will continue in 2015. Other than crispy bacon, my kids also love prawns hence this pasta dish was born.

It is a combination of the Asian-style "garlic butter prawns" as well as Italian aglio olio pasta - a really fantastic fusion pasta dish, I have to say. For the adults, I also added in some dried chilli flakes for the spicy kick. Absolutely delicious!

The kids love this :)

Spaghetti pasta with garlic butter prawns, crispy bacon and chilli flakes
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 4


Ingredients
300-350g spaghetti
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 rashers streaky bacon, finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
20 king prawns, peeled and deveined, with tails intact
1-2 tbsp salted butter
1-2 tsp chilli flakes
2-3 stalks parsley, roughly chopped
8-10 sweet basil leaves, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Parmesan cheese, to garnish



1. In a pot of salted water, cook the spaghetti pasta according to pack instructions, about 8-10 minutes until al dente. Remove from heat and drain, run under cold water to stop from cooking further.

2. Heat the olive oil in frying pan on medium high heat. Add bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes, until crispy and golden brown. Remove and set aside.

3. In the same pan, melt the butter and then add the garlic and cook for another minute until golden brown. Then, add the king prawns and chilli flakes (start with 1 tsp and more if you prefer it spicier), and cook for 1- 1 1/2 minute until the prawns are cooked through. Add the drained pasta, season with salt and pepper as necessary and toss well.

4. Using a two-pronged carving fork, swirl some of the pasta around the fork. Slide the pasta off the fork and mound it in the center of a plate. Repeat for each serving. Top with crispy bacon, prawns as well as parsley and basil. Grate Parmesan cheese all over.

Note: You can omit the chilli flakes in Step 3 if serving to kids, then sprinkle in at the end with cheese for those who want it.

*I am submitting this to LTU: Noodles/Pasta hosted by Anne of My Bare Cupboard.


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Recipe: Stir fried udon with prawns, scallops and sweet chilli sauce + WORLDFOODS Giveaway

Hi everyone! I am delighted to share that WORLDFOODS products are now available to purchase at all Cold Storage stores (including Penang and Johor), Jason and BIG supermarket.

Why WORLDFOODS products? If you're a busy parent / someone working full time with little time to cook / someone who wants to whip up a quick meal in the kitchen, WORLDFOODS is simply perfect for you. Through my collaborations with WORLDFOODS this year, I have discovered many interesting & delicious sauces which I can use for my everyday cooking ie. for stir fries or as a marinade or dipping sauce. They're really convenient and easy to use. Furthermore, WORLDFOODS sauces are food allergens free, trans-fat free and gluten free with no artificial preservatives, coloring or flavouring,  and are suitable for vegetarians, vegans, coeliacs and Muslims.

To celebrate WORLDFOODS being stocked in these new locations, we are doing a giveaway whereby 3 bottles of WORLDFOODS Dipping/Stir-Fry sauce will be given away to 1 lucky winner.

Please enter your details onto Rafflecopter App below as well as commenting in this blogpost "I want to enter this giveaway" with your name and email address - you can gain more entries by completing additional steps in Rafflecopter. This contest is open to those living in Malaysia and Singapore, and will run until 7 September 2014 23:59. The winner will be contacted via email.

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I very rarely use bottled sauces unless they are a trusted brand like WORLDFOODS which contain no artificial preservatives, coloring or flavouring. Furthermore, it is very convenient and easy to use and I can whip up delicious meals for family in less than 30 minutes.

We like having "fast food" for lunch, and by fast food, I don't mean McDonalds but a delicious plate of pasta/noodles. Back in my uni days, I used to make a noodle dish with sweet chilli sauce (which I loved a lot) hence I am recreating it with udon and WORLDFOODS' Thai sweet chilli sauce with kaffir lime.

For this dish, I used king prawns, scallops and chicken as well as adding in lots of vegetables (carrots, sugar snap peas and cabbage) so this is a pretty healthy dish to serve to your family. The sauce is aromatic and tangy, making this noodle dish very appetizing. Total prep and cooking time is under 20 minutes.

My boy loved it :)

Nom nom nom!

Stir fried udon with prawn, scallop and sweet chilli sauce
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 5-8 minutes
Cooking time: 8-10 minutes
Serves 2


Ingredients
1 tbsp cooking oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
200g fresh udon
8-10 sugar snap peas, topped and tailed and halved lengthways
1 cabbage leaf, finely sliced
1/4 carrot, peeled and julienned
80g chicken breast, sliced
8 king prawns, peeled and deveined with tails intact
6 scallops (I used Hokkaido)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp mirin
2 tbsp WORLDFOODS Thai sweet chilli with kaffir lime sauce
Salt

To garnish
Spring onion, finely chopped
Toasted white sesame seeds



1. Bring a pot of water to the boil. Once boiling, add the udon and cook for about 2 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Set aside.

2. In a wok, heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic, and cook for 1 minute until lightly golden. Add chicken breast and cook for another 1 - 1 1/2 minute, until cooked through.

3. Add cabbage, sugar snap peas, carrot, prawn and scallops, and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Add in udon, and season with light soy sauce, mirin and WORLDFOODS Thai sweet chilli with kaffir lime sauce. Taste, and season with more salt as necessary.

4. Garnish with spring onion and sesame seeds and serve immediately.

*Other locations you can get WORLDFOODS products from are:  Village Grocer (Bangsar Village 1, Sunway Giza, Mt Kiara), Jaya Grocers (Intermark, Empire Shopping, Plaza Jelutong) and Hock Choon @ Ampang.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Recipe: Spaghetti with King Prawns, Ebikko and Rocket

"Mummy, can you please cook us pasta for lunch today?" said my two little ones.

Some days, my kids will make special food requests in the mornings and I will make it for them for lunch. I usually just have a rummage through my fridge/freezer to see what ingredients I have to cook with. Luckily for them that day, I had bacon, grey oyster mushrooms, king prawns, ebikko and rocket leaves. And thus this gorgeous pasta dish was born!

Spaghetti with king prawns, ebikko and rocket

My kids choice of pasta is always spaghetti, as they love slurping every strand with gusto. I had a good feeling that they would enjoy this as it combines all their favorite ingredients together. The bacon is first cooked, set aside and sprinkled just before serving so that it remains crispy. The bacon fat/oil is then used to saute the mushrooms and king prawns (can you imagine the yumminess yet?). Once the pasta is plated, ebikko (shrimp roe) is added - I really like the texture and slight saltiness it adds to the dish. And this time, I garnished the pasta dish with some rocket leaves instead of sweet basil, and it worked out really well in terms of flavour. You can finish off the dish with a drizzle of truffle oil or grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

I am really happy with this dish, and more so when my kids told me that they loved it and asked for seconds. :) Quick, healthy and delicious.

By the way, 2 more days to our Gordon Ramsay "Cook Like a Star" event. Do join us by cooking your favorite Gordon Ramsay recipes :)

Spaghetti with king prawns, ebikko and rocket
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 12-14 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients
150g spaghetti
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 streaky bacon, sliced
100g grey oyster mushroom, sliced
10 king prawns, peeled and deveined, with tails intact
2-4 tsp ebikko
15g rocket leaves, washed
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Optional topping
Truffle oil
Parmesan cheese


1. In a pot of salted water, cook the spaghetti pasta according to pack instructions, about 8-10 minutes until al dente. Remove from heat and drain, run under cold water to stop from cooking further.

2. Heat 2 tablespoon olive oil in frying pan on medium high heat. Add bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes, until crispy and golden brown. Remove and set aside.

3. In the same pan, add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the mushrooms and fry for 2-3 minutes until cooked. Add the king prawns and saute for about 30-45 seconds, until cooked, then add the cooked pasta, drizzle with remaining olive oil and mix thoroughly for about 1 minute, and then season with salt and pepper. Mix in the crispy bacon.

4. Using a two-pronged carving fork, swirl some of the pasta around the fork. Slide the pasta off the fork and mound it in the center of a plate. Repeat for each serving. Spoon 1-2 tsp of ebikko on top of each plate and garnish with rocket leaves. Drizzle with truffle oil and shave Parmesan cheese on top, as desired.

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Recipe: Tom Yum Fried Rice with King Prawns

After cooking the tom yum pasta with king prawns dish, I still had some WORLDFOODS Thai tom yum paste left, so I used it to cook tom yum fried rice for our lunch. Fried rice is such a versatile dish, you can add any ingredients that you have in the fridge and with proper seasoning, it will taste good.

A quick search in the fridge and I decided to use some minced chicken breast, king prawns, and sliced French beans for my tom yum fried rice. I also added some pineapple chunks, a sweet element to complement the spicy and sour tom yum paste.

What a delicious plate of fried rice! So fragrant with a multitude of flavours - sweet, sour, spicy and salty. Top your fried rice with a fried egg each for extra oomph :)

Tom yum fried rice with king prawns
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10-12 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup cooked cold rice, left overnight in fridge

2 tbsp cooking oil

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 shallot, thinly sliced

50g chicken breast, diced

6-7 French beans, trimmed and diced

80g pineapple rounds, chopped

8 king prawns, peeled and deveined with tails intact

2 tbsp WORLDFOODS Thai tom yum paste

1 tsp kecap manis

1/2 tsp fish sauce

To serve

2 eggs
1 1/2 tbsp oil

1. In a wok, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and shallots and cook for 1 1/2 minutes until lightly browned. Add chicken and cook for 2 minutes, then add the WORLDFOODS tom yum paste and fry for a further 1 minute, until fragrant.

Ingredients for the tom yum fried rice

2. Add rice and French beans, and stir well to coat with the sauce. Cook for about 2 minutes,  until the rice is heated through.

3. Add prawns and cook for another 2 minutes, until the prawns are cooked. Finally, add the pineapple chunks and season with kecap manis and fish sauce.

4. To fry the eggs, place 1 1/2 tbsp of oil into a small frying pan over medium low heat and break an egg. Cook until the egg white has set, then using the spatula, scoop hot oil onto the egg yolk for about 10 seconds. Repeat with other egg.

5. Plate the rice, and top with a fried egg each. Serve immediately.

Note: You can substitute French beans with long beans or peas.

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Recipe: Tom Yum Pasta with King Prawns + WORLDFOODS Giveaway

I love creating fusion pasta dishes in my kitchen. This time, I making tom yum pasta with king prawns, using WORLDFOODS Thai tom yum paste. I have cooked with this paste before (made seafood tom yum soup) and I really like how spicy, tangy and appetizing it is. 

Whenever I create a fusion pasta dish like this, I will work out the best ingredients to pair it with. I am using king prawns (with their tails intact), as well as some roasted cherry tomatoes, and the sauce base includes fresh ingredients such as onion, lemongrass and kaffir lime to further enhance the flavour of the paste.For those who prefer their tom yum tangy, you can serve some calamansi lime (limau kasturi) halves on the side which they can squeeze over just before eating.

This was a successful creation - the al dente spaghetti is nicely coated with slightly spicy and tangy tom yum sauce and it is especially fragrant, thanks to the finely sliced lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. The sourness of the sauce is nicely balanced by the sweetness of the king prawns, and the mint leaf garnish leaves a nice, fresh aftertaste. Also love how quick and easy this is to prepare!

Yum yum, says Baby D

GIVEAWAY!

Once again, thanks to WORLDFOODS, I have 2 bottles of this Thai tom yum paste to giveaway. All you need to do is leave a comment below stating "I want to enter this giveaway" with your name and e-mail address. This giveaway is open to Malaysia only. 2 winners will be drawn (1 bottle each) at random on 21 April 2014 (after 12 noon) and notified via email. Those who have entered previously can enter again :)

And the winners of the giveaway are: Ken (No.9) and Azlinawati Munajat (No.17). Thanks to all who entered! Please reply to the email that I have sent to you.

Note: WORLDFOODS products are food allergens free, trans-fat free and gluten free with no artificial preservatives, coloring or flavouring, as well as being suitable for vegetarians, vegans, coeliacs and Muslims. In KL, WORLDFOODS products are available at Village Grocer (Bangsar Village 1, Sunway Giza, Mt Kiara), Jaya Grocers (Intermark, Empire Shopping, Plaza Jelutong) and Hock Choon @ Ampang.

Tom yum pasta with king prawns
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients
150g spaghetti
40g chicken, minced
8-10 king prawns, peeled and deveined, with tails intact
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 lemongrass,white part only, finely sliced
2 kaffir lime leaves, cut a few slits with scissors (daun limau purut)
2-3 tbsp WORLDFOODS Thai tom yum paste
1 tbsp cooking oil
150ml water
1 tsp fish sauce


To garnish
Mint leaves
6 cherry tomatoes
Olive oil
2 calamansi limes (limau kasturi), halved (optional)


1. Cook spaghetti according to manufacturer's instruction in a large pot of salted water, until al dente (about 8 minutes). Drain and put under cold running water to stop the pasta from cooking further. Set aside.

2. In the wok, heat the oil over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add the onion and fry for 2-3 minutes until softened.  Add the chicken, and cook for a further 1 - 1 1/2 minutes, then add the tom yum paste and fry for another minute until fragrant.

3. Add water and bring to the boil. Add the kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass and simmer gently for 2 minutes. Season with fish sauce.

4. Add prawns and cook for about 1 minute, until cooked through, then add the pasta and give it a quick stir, to coat each strand with the sauce.

5. For the roasted cherry tomatoes, preheat oven to 200°C. Place tomatoes in a tray and drizzle with some olive oil and place into preheated oven for about 4-5 minutes until the skin looks slightly wrinkled. If you do not possess an oven, you can add the tomatoes into the pasta in step 4 (along with the prawns) to let it gently heat through and soften slightly.

5. To serve: Using a two-pronged carving fork, swirl some of the pasta around the fork. Slide the pasta off the fork and mound it in the center of a plate. Repeat for each serving. Divide 4-5 prawns per plate, then garnish with mint leaves and 2-3 roasted tomatoes per plate. Serve immediately.

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Recipe: Homemade Pork Tacos with an Asian Twist + WORLDFOODS giveaway

A taco is a traditional Mexican dish consisting of a corn or wheat tortilla with a variety of fillings, such as beef, pork, seafood, vegetables and cheese. Recently, we have been buying quite a lot of wholemeal tortilla (for our "pizza" bases) and Hubby saw on Instagram that we could also make hard-shell, U-shaped taco shells with them. Of course you can buy ready-made taco shells but they usually come in a box of 12s and it's hard to finish them all before they lose their crunchiness (and some are already broken while being transported around). 

Homemade Pork Tacos with an Asian Twist

The solution - make your own taco shells. It's really simple - just drape the tortilla sheet over 2 bars of your oven rack and bake for 7-8 minutes until crispy and hard. This way, you only make what you need. Since a whole tortilla sheet may be too big, you can opt to cut it in half before draping for daintier shells.

For the filling, we decided to give it an Asian twist, by stir frying the minced pork with the WORLDFOODS Thai green curry paste. We also topped it with scrambled eggs to add creaminess to the taco. Other garnishes include chopped cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley and some Asian pickled green chillies (you can also use jalapenos).

And what a delicious taco it was! Well-balanced textures and flavours - sweet, sour, salty, crunchy and creamy, all in one bite :). And such pretty colours too!

GIVEAWAY!
Thanks to WORLDFOODS, I have 2 bottles of this Thai green curry sauce to giveaway. All you need to do is leave a comment below stating "I want to enter this giveaway" with your name and e-mail address. This giveaway is open to Malaysia only. 2 winners will be drawn (1 bottle each) at random on 26 March 2014 and notified via email. Those who have entered previously can enter again :)

Note: WORLDFOODS products are food allergens free, trans-fat free and gluten free with no artificial preservatives, coloring or flavouring, as well as being suitable for vegetarians, vegans, coeliacs and Muslims. In KL, WORLDFOODS products are available at Village Grocer (Bangsar Village 1, Sunway Giza, Mt Kiara), Jaya Grocers (Intermark, Empire Shopping, Plaza Jelutong) and Hock Choon @ Ampang.


And the winners of the giveaway are: Winnie (No.11) and Emily Ang (No.6). Thanks to all who entered! Please reply to the email that I have sent to you.

Homemade Pork Tacos with an Asian Twist
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10-12 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients
2 tortilla wraps or store-bought taco shells
200g minced pork (or chicken)
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tbsp cooking oil
1/8 tsp salt
2-3 tbsp WORLDFOODS Thai green curry paste

For the scrambled eggs
2 large eggs
1 tbsp butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tsp milk/cream

Garnish
2-3 tbsp pickled green chillies or Jalapeno
6-8 cherry tomatoes, chopped
3-4 tbsp grated mozzarella cheese
Fresh parsley, leaves plucked

1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Drape each tortilla over two bars of your oven rack and bake for about 7-8 minutes or until crispy.

Make your own taco shells! :)

2. Using a frying pan, heat cooking oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and fry for 2 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the minced pork and fry for about 5 minutes, until the pork is golden. Finally, stir in the WORLDFOODS Thai green curry paste and stir well for another minute until the pork is evenly coated. Taste, and season with salt as necessary. Set aside.

3. In a separate pan, break the eggs and add half the butter. Over medium low heat, use a spatula to stir the eggs to combine egg. Keep stirring (as you would when cooking a risotto - do not stop stirring). Add the remaining butter as the mixture begins to set. Do not let it get too hot, you will need to move the pan on and off the heat - about 2-3 times. The eggs will take about 3-4 minutes to cook. Add the milk/cream (it brings the temp of the eggs down hence stops the cooking process via residual heat) and season the eggs with salt and pepper.

4. To assemble, first place half the cooked minced pork (from Step 2) into each shell. Next, layer the cherry tomatoes, followed by the scrambled eggs (from Step 3). Top with mozzarella cheese, Asian pickled green chillies and fresh parsley. Tuck in!

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*This recipe was featured on Asian Food Channel's FB page on 26 March 2014.

Recipe: Black Pepper, Garlic & Soy Chicken Drumsticks/Thigh + Roasted Pumpkin with Fresh Herbs

Chicken drumsticks are now officially my children's favorite meat. From once every fortnight, now they are requesting for drumsticks up to twice a week. On top of that, Baby D also asked that I rotate the style of cooking every week for variety...(lol kids these days). 

Last week, I was browsing my cookbooks for chicken recipes, and came across this one by Napa Valley chef Cindy Pawlcyn - crispy black pepper and garlic chicken wings - which she describes as "powerfully flavored". I simply replaced the chicken wings in the recipe with chicken drumsticks and thigh and also used regular light soy sauce instead of mushroom soy sauce that is called for. 

Black Pepper, Garlic & Soy Chicken Drumsticks

When I read the editor's summary of the recipe, I immediately liked it because it is described as "so delicious and so easy to make". Fuss-free....Definitely my kind of recipe. Quite a lot of garlic and black pepper goes into the marinade, but rest assured that it will not overpower the chicken.

The chicken is left to marinade for at least 6 hours (better still if you have time, leave to marinade for 12 hours or overnight) and then cook in a preheated oven until the skin is golden brown, sticky and crispy. The soy sauce marinade makes this very flavorful and finger-licking good! For those with lower salt tolerance, you may want to substitute with Japanese soy sauce which is less salty.

"Mummy, it's SOOO nice!"

I served the chicken drumsticks / thighs with a simple side salad (using my newly purchased white balsamic vinegar- see this recipe for the honey dressing) as well as some roasted pumpkin with fresh herbs which I picked from my garden. I have actually made something similar before but this time I served them in large chunks for the more rustic look (and it saves time cos I don't have to peel them and cut them into small chunks). Really enjoyed it - should cook pumpkin like this more often. :)

Side salad of cherry tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, walnuts with a honey dressing

Roasted pumpkin with fresh herbs

Black Pepper, Garlic & Soy Chicken Drumsticks/Thigh
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from Best of the Best Vol.10
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 22-25 minutes
Serves 6

Ingredients
For the marinade:
1/2 cup light soy sauce
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp minced garlic (abt 6 cloves)
2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper

6 chicken drumstick
6 chicken thigh

1. In a bowl, combine the marinade ingredients and mix well.

2. Pour the marinade over the chicken, making sure all the surfaces are coated well. Place in a tupperware and marinate in the refridgerator for at least 6 hours (ideally overnight). Turn the chicken halfway through.

3. Preheat oven to 200°C. Arrange the chicken thighs and drumsticks on a baking tray, making sure they do not overlap. Spoon some marinade over the chicken. Roast for 22-25 minutes, until the skin is dark brown and crispy. The juices should run clear when the chicken is pierced with a sharp knife.

4. Serve with roasted pumpkin and side salad.


Note:
1. Weight for chicken drumstick +thigh approx. 3 lbs (1.4kg).
2. Chicken will brown quickly after 20 minutes, so keep an eye to avoid skin from getting burnt.

Roasted pumpkin with sage and rosemary
Recipe by Baby Sumo, inspired from here
Preparation time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
800g ripe pumpkin, cut into thick slices
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
A handful fresh rosemary, leaves snipped
8-10 fresh sage leaves, whole
Salt and freshly ground pepper


1. Firstly, place olive oil, rosemary and sage in a bowl and allow herbs to infuse into the oil for 10-15 minutes.

2. Using a brush, brush a thin layer of oil onto the baking tray. Place the pumpkin on the tray in a single layer. Tuck the fresh herbs beneath each piece of pumpkin.

3. Brush the pumpkin pieces with the herb oil. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Bake in 180°C preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until tender and the top layer looks slightly wrinkled. Remove from oven and serve with the chicken.

Note: If you are serving the pumpkin with the chicken, then cook the pumpkin first, followed by the chicken.

*I am submitting this to the Little Thumbs Up "Soy Beans" event organized by Bake for Happy Kids, my little favourite DIY and hosted by Mich of Piece of Cake. You can link your soy recipes here.

*I am also submitting this to Cook-Your-Books #5 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours .



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