Recipe: Pesto Pasta with Oven-Roasted Chicken

I've said it before and I'll say it again - it's amazing having a herb garden at home. Furthermore, my kids love eating herbs, be it raw (straight from the plant) or used in our cooking.

One of our favorite herbs from the garden is sweet basil, which we love making pesto with. Don't worry though if you do not own a basil plant, you can always get a pack of basil at the supermarket for under RM2 and make this.

Pesto Pasta with Oven-Roasted Chicken

Making pesto is super simple, especially if you are using a food processor. Just place everything in there and blitz until you get a paste. To make our dinner more substantial, we served our pesto pasta with oven-roasted chicken. You can also use a grill pan to cook it, though using the oven would be less messy. We use chicken breast as it's leaner and healthier, but equally delicious!

Pesto pasta is one of my kid's favorite pasta so they were delighted to see this at the dinner time. Loved the marinade for the chicken, making the chicken really tasty and tender. This recipe is a keeper, one I would be making over and over again! :)

Funny pasta-eating faces!

Pesto pasta with oven-roasted chicken
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 4


Ingredients
2 quantity homemade pesto (recipe here)
300-350g dried spaghetti
Salt and freshly ground pepper

To garnish
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
8-10 cherry tomatoes, halved
A handful walnuts
Basil leaves, roughly torn
Extra virgin olive oil

For the chicken
1 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tbsp cooking oil

For the marinade
1 clove garlic, crushed to a paste
1 large pinch of salt
1 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1/4 lemon
1 tsp whole cumin seeds, roughly ground
1/2 tsp smoked paprika


1. First, clean the chicken breast and then cut each piece into half lengthwise and crosswise. This will cut down cooking time. Place marinade ingredients in a bowl, and mix well, then rub all over the chicken breasts and leave to marinade for at least 2 hours in the fridge.

2. To make the pesto: please refer to recipe here. You can place all ingredients in a food processor to save time. Once the pesto is ready, set aside in the fridge with a covering of olive oil.

My kids always have fun making pesto at home!

3. For the chicken:
To cook in oven: Preheat oven to 200°C (roast mode). Line the baking tray with foil, and brush lightly with oil. Then place marinated chicken on the tray in a single layer. Roast in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until cooked through. Season chicken with more salt, if necessary.

To cook on hob: Alternatively, heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a large grill pan over high heat. Once the pan is hot, place chicken down, and turn heat down to medium heat. Cook the chicken breasts just until golden brown and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes each side. Season chicken with more salt, if necessary.

4. To prepare the pasta: Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water over medium high heat until al dente, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking, about 8-10 minutes. Drain the spaghetti and place in a large bowl. Then add the pesto and toss to coat. Add some olive oil (about 1 tbsp) if it seems a little dry.

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.  Cut each chicken breast on a slight diagonal into 6-8 thin slices. Arrange the chicken slices alongside the spaghetti.

6. Garnish with the cherry tomatoes, shaved Parmesan cheese,  walnuts and torn basil leaves.


(Note: We do like our pasta with lots of pesto, however if you're having this for the first time, try with 1 quantity pesto and gradually add more to your liking).

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


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The Deli, MiCasa All Suite Hotel, KL

We used to dine quite regularly at The Deli in the past, especially when we had errands to run in KL city. Last week, I had to go to the hospital for a follow-up check-up and I remembered this place, so we dropped by for a quick lunch.

There has been some change since we last visited: a lot more tables, much busier, more items on their menu and they even provide complimentary Wifi now. The prices have only been increased slightly. 

What seemed to be really popular here were the sandwiches/burgers, pastas as well as the braised Wagyu with pasta. So many people seem to have ordered the latter. Oh and they serve most of their food in Staub cookware (since they share same kitchen as Cilantro). How posh!

The Deli Menu

We stuck to our favorites, the duck leg confit (RM18) as well as fish and chips (RM21). We were extremely satisfied with our order- the duck leg confit was very tender with crispy skin. The fish and chips was also perfectly executed - the fish was moist with crispy skin and the chips were really good.

We also had the strawberry meringue (RM11), sadly a little too hard for my liking this time. We had great difficulty cutting into it with our spoons. The last time we had it, it tasted really great.

Verdict: Food still tastes great as ever, except for the slight disappointment with the dessert. Not too pleased though that they no longer offer complimentary parking for their customers since January this year, hence we had to fork out RM7 for parking.

Opening times: 11am to 7pm. Closed on Sundays.

Price: Total bill RM53.

Location: The Deli, Micasa All Suite Hotel, 368B, Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2179 8082 ext. 7082

GPS Coordinates: 3.162273, 101.719548




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ROOST, Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar, KL

We stumbled upon this restaurant when we were in Bangsar last week. ROOST is located on Jalan Telawi 3, taking over the spot previously home to F by Buffalo Kitchens. Apparently, it's the same owners but just a change of restaurant name. 

Stairway to ROOST

With the tagline "From Farm to Fork", ROOST aims to showcase minimalist, rustic, Nordic and sustainable food. Whenever possible, they want to utilise local sustainable ingredients and translate them into modern European cuisine.

The 2-page menu comprises of snacks, appetizers, pasta, mains, burger and dessert. Some interesting dishes on the menu include deep fried frog legs with tamarind jam, crispy cuttlefish with ink aioli and lavender smoked king prawn. They also do a set-lunch for under RM20 (salad + sandwich).

To start, Hubby ordered the apple wood smoked duck breast (RM18), served with browned butter onion puree and pomegranates. Presentation is nice, and flavours are well-thought out. Clean and nice dish.

I am so glad that I ordered the Duck Liver Pate (RM16) - the pate is so smooth and rich and tastes absolutely amazing! Been a while since I had such a good one. Very surprised that it came in such a generous portion too, and really delicious eaten with the tomato jam and toasted bread. Highly recommended.

Sadly, the other dish that I ordered was pretty disappointing. I was attracted to the mangrove crab meat and scallop salad as it sounded promising on paper. For RM25, I was definitely expecting more than limp watercress, some cherry tomatoes, 1 scallop (cut into half) and a few slivers of crab meat. Pretty uninspiring.

We did however enjoy Hubby's mains - pan seared seabass atop a creamy pumpkin butter risotto (RM35). Nicely done.

Oh and look - I spotted my photo in December's issue of Time Out KL. 

Hubby had an affogato (RM12) here too. Good coffee, he says.

Verdict: Overall, we had a good meal here - I enjoyed the duck liver pate in particular and would certainly return for this.


Opening times: 11:30 am - 11.30pm. Closed on Mondays.

Price: Total bill RM115.40

Location: ROOST, 69-1, Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (previously F by Buffalo Kitchens, above Chawan)

Tel: 03-2201 1710

Website: https://www.facebook.com/Roostkl

GPS Coordinates: 3.130232, 101.67101

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MIGF 2014: Nook, Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral

It's that time of the year again and Malaysia International Gourmet Festival (MIGF) is back for its 14th year with the theme "Red Hot Chefs". Making its debut last year and back again this year is NOOK in Aloft KL Sentral, which will showcase their festival menu throughout the whole month of October.

NOOK's innovative festival menu is created by Executive Sous Chef Rozaiman and his team. Diners can choose to indulge in a 3-course light menu for RM98 nett per person (RM130 nett with cocktails and wines) or 6-course full festival menu at RM188 nett per person (RM250 nett with cocktails and wine).

Staying true to Aloft's fun and playful style, Chef Rozaiman's menu showcases local dishes with a modern twist. There is even some molecular action thrown in. Overall, I was most impressed with the dishes - beautifully presented, tastes great and so much fun to eat!

Chef Rozaiman with his Festival menu

For a sassy start, we were served a unique Malaysian-style kerabu salad (with a fusion twist, of course)- marinated sea conch, octopus and sea urchin roe with coconut kerabu and fiddlehead fern (pucuk paku). This was undoubtedly the prettiest dish of the evening. The sea conch (a first for me), is marinated in lime juice, spicy chilli, salt and pepper, sort of like a Asian-style ceviche. Mix everything well together and you have one tasty salad. The salad is paired with a delicious WXYZ Mojito.

WXYZ Mojito

Marinated sea conch, octopus and sea urchin roe with coconut kerabu and fiddlehead fern 

The second dish is chicken noodle soup, which I thought was pretty fantabulous. A meal in NOOK is afterall incomplete without some syringe action - the liquid made from black chicken is injected into the hot soup to create your noodle strands. How cool is that! The consomme soup was very tasty too - Chef explains that it is a pindang style soup with galangal and lemongrass.

Good, interactive fun

For the first main course, we were served the sambal beef tongue and tendon served with percik sauce and achar crudite. The flavours are bold and punchy and we like this a lot! Chef Rozaiman tells us that the beef tongue is cooked sous vide style for 12 hours, shredded and then cooked with sambal sauce. No wonder it is so tender, almost like eating Wagyu beef. The tendon have also been cooked til tender, absolutely delish.

This is paired with the Miguel Torres Santa Digna Chardonnay Reserve

A refreshing lemongrass, lime and pandan sherbet to cleanse our palate

My favorite dish of the evening is the cod fish assam pedas, served with garlic rice, salted egg and tempura egg plant. Cod is such a delicate fish, but the spices in the assam pedas is just right, making this simply delectable. Chef Rozaiman explains that in his kampong, salted egg is commonly served with assam pedas. I wish I could have more of this!

For a sweet ending, we had the NOOK Cendol paired with a Sour Boy. The cendol is served with syringes filled with coconut milk and palm sugar syrup, and you can adjust the taste to your liking.

Sour Boy - Cointreau, lime, assam boi

Pandan rice flour jelly, ba'kelalan salt, palm sugar, red bean and glutinous rice

Playing with your food is highly encouraged here. :)

Coffee, tea or ABK is served with the Festival menu. If you are a coffee lover, then go for the ABK (Ais Batu Kopi) - ice latte served with Bristot espresso cubes. The cold milk and sugar syrup are served in beakers, how fun!

Pork-free.

Price: 3-course light menu for RM98 nett per person (RM130 nett with cocktails and wines) or 6-course full festival menu at RM188 nett per person (RM250 nett with cocktails and wine).

Location: NOOK, Level 1, Aloft KL Sentral, No 5 Jalan Stesen Sentral, 50470 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2723 1154

Website: http://www.aloftkualalumpursentral.com/

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Recipe: Gammon steak with grilled pineapple, chips and peas

A couple of weeks before we went to Scotland, I had a craving for gammon steak. It's not something we can find easily here in KL supermarkets so Hubby promised me that he would make it for me once we get to Scotland.  True to his words, he made it on the evening we arrived (ah yes, first thing we do is visit the supermarket to buy lots and lots of yummy food!). 

Gammon steak with grilled pineapple, chips and peas

Gammon steak and chips is a classic British pub dish. Gammon is the hind leg of pork, cut from the side of bacon after curing, either by dry-salting or curing in brine. Like bacon, it needs to be cooked before it can be eaten. Since it can be quite salty, you can rinse it with cold water first and pat dry before cooking.

Gammon steak can be easily prepared at home for a quick meal - you can either pan fry it or grill it for 8-10 minutes. To prevent the gammon from curling up while it's cooking, just snip the fat at about 1 inch intervals all round. Gammon steak is usually served with grilled pineapple, or a fried egg(or both) with chips and peas.

Thanks Hubby for cooking this for me, it definitely hit the spot (cravings satisfied!).

I sat back in the garden with the kids and enjoyed looking at my FIL's garden of beautiful flowers while dinner was being prepared...

Gammon steak with grilled pineapple, chips and peas
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 x 450g pack unsmoked gammon steaks (2 in a pack)

To serve
4-8 pineapple rounds (1-2 per person)
100g frozen peas
chips

1. Using scissors, snip at 1 inch intervals along the rind and fatty edges all around - this will stop the gammon steak from curling as they cook.

2. Heat a grill pan, and add a touch of oil. Cook in the grill pan 4-5 minutes each side over medium high heat. Alternatively, you can place it under a hot grill for about 8 minutes, turning halfway around.

3. Arrange pineapples in a single layer then place under a grill for 2-3 minutes. Cook oven chips according to manufacturer's instructions. Cook frozen peas in boiling water for 2 minutes, or place in microwavable bowl, sprinkle 1 tbsp water and microwave for 1-2 minutes.

4. Top the gammon steak with grilled pineapple and serve chips and peas on the side.

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Simply d, Avenue K, Kuala Lumpur

Over the weekend, we visited Simply d's 3rd and latest outlet in Avenue K shopping mall. Simply d is part of The Delicious Group; a fast-casual cafe/restaurant offering an array of Western and Asian infused pasta, salads, sandwiches and more. They have 2 other outlets in Nu Sentral and The Curve.

The great thing about the menu here is that you can mix-and-match the style and type of noodles you want. For example, you can order the carbonara with linguine, fusilli or even yellow mee (if that's what you like!).

Other styles of noodle/pasta styles available here are: dry tossed sambal, salted egg pumpkin, beef short ribs herbal soup, laksa, Vietnamese salmon pho, teriyaki salmon, creamy seafood marinara, chilli chicken "pastamee", sweet basil & cashewnut pesto, and roasted garlic & sundried tomato aglio olio. These styles can be matched with these types of noodles: linguine, angel hair, fusilli, spaghettini, soba noodles, flat white noodles and yellow mee.

Simply d's menu

The kids chose to have the sweet basil and cashew nut pesto with spaghettini along with the option of adding grilled lamb kofta (RM15). Service is fast here. Great choice by the kids, they really enjoyed the pesto pasta here - Baby D took a couple of mouthfuls and exclaimed "Deeeeeee-licious!". 

The boy who loves pesto 

We also tried the fusilli salted egg pumpkin plus a tea egg for RM13.50. Really like the creamy pumpkin, but would love more salted egg yolk in mine. The tea egg is beautifully runny, could eat two of these!

We also ordered a 100% beef burger (RM13) with coleslaw and tapioca chips. Nice juicy burger and so reasonably priced too. My Hubby would definitely enjoy this.

For desserts, there is a selection of cakes and ice creams. I highly recommend the coconut and pandan cake (RM8) - it's fluffy, soft and luscious. One of the best cakes we've eaten this year. My kids loved it a lot, they finished the slice between them (I only managed a sneaky mouthful). Definitely returning for this. Kids also tried a slice of chocolate and hazelnut brownie (RM9) which was rich and sinful. No problems finishing that too!

Chocolate and hazelnut brownie

By the way, Simply d is also currently running a Instagram contest called #snapmycup. Follow them on Instagram @simplydcafe for more details - but basically you just need to ask for a cup, snap some photos and you'll be in the running to win one of their cool stools. Oh and every participant gets a free coffee.

Simply d at Avenue K

Walked over to the Twin Towers for some photos :)

30% off on total bill from now until 17 Sept at Avenue K and The Curve outlets.


Opening times: 8am to 10pm daily.

Location: Simply d, Avenue K, Concourse Level, Lot C-16A156, Jalan Ampang, 50450, Kuala Lumpur. (beside H&M Men Department)

Tel: 03 2181 7995

Website: https://www.facebook.com/simplyd.my


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