Rotini in Tomato-Cilantro Sauce

I love pasta, unless the sauce is too sour. And I like the Indonesian-ized version better than the Italian one. I can't help with my sweet tooth *grin*.

Once, I ate pizza with a bunch of American kids. I asked for chili/tomato ketchup. They were confused, "Why do you want to eat pizza with ketchup?" I thought, "Isn't that the right way to eat pizza? Like what we do in Pizza Hut with sweet chili sauce, ketchup, tabasco and grated cheese??"

They were still puzzled.

Oh, I got it. You eat pizza differently twenty-hours away from your hometown. Please take note of that. Hahaha...

So, I bought a package of cute rotini pasta. I was worried that the cute shape will not make me full. But it did make me full. Carb is carb, regardless of the shape.

I make it simple and easy. Simply easy is my motto in cooking. I should say simply easy experimental. I add diced apple to my pasta for extra sweetness and fiber.


Also lettuce, green onion and cilantro for extra color... and fiber. And caramelized onion too for more sweetness.


The first step would be to stir fry the chopped garlic until fragrant, then add in the diced apple. Cook until the apple turns slightly soft.


Pour in the shrimp or chicken broth. I happen to have shrimp broth that I reserved from boiling shrimps for Vietnamese roll. Heat the mixture.


Then throw in the corned beef, caramelized onion, chili paste and tomato sauce. Stir and mix evenly. Also add in a pinch of salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.


Next, fold in the vegetable and olives. Stir..stir..and stir...I want the veggie to be crisp, so I don't cook them too long. After five stirrings I turn off the heat, arrange the boiled rotini on a plate, and pour a generous amount of sauce over them like the first picture.


Or instead, I'd like to throw the pasta into the pan for practicality. And eat from there...;p Both are equally delicious.



Rotini in Tomato-Cilantro Sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 package Rotini pasta, cook until al dente
4 cloves of garlic, minced
7 pitted olives, slice thinly
1/3 jar of pasta sauce
150 ml shrimp broth
1/3 can of corned beef
1 small fuji apple, diced
a dash of salt, pepper, and italian seasoning
a handful of chopped cilantro, green onion and lettuce
2 tbs of caramelized onion
1 tbs of olive oil for stir frying the garlic

Caramelized onion:
Slice one medium onion thinly. Heat the pan, spray it with olive based cooking spray, or butter. Sauteed the onion until soft. Add two tbs of honey and a dash of salt. Keep cooking until the color darken and the onion caramelized.

Method:

Heat the pan with a tablespoon of oil. Put in the garlic, and stir fry until fragrant. Add in the apple and the shrimp broth. Let it boils.

Pour in the pasta sauce, and also throw in the caramelized onion and corned beef. Stir and blend.

Lastly, throw in the cilantro, lettuce, and pitted olives in the mixture. Add in more water if it is too thick.

Enjoy!

International Gourmet Buffet

Finally...International Gourmet Buffet! As I mentioned in my earlier post, we've been wanting to try this restaurant since last year (based on a rave review from Metro). So, last Tuesday, we went there for dinner. The dinner cost is quite reasonable at $ 13.99/person, and even sweeter with a 20% discount coupon that I got from sanjosebuffet.com. I came with a high expectation, and IGB was not a let down.



We arrived there at about 7 pm, and it was packed! It seemed that close to twenty-something motorcycle riders were having a great time off the road. The hostess-in-stiletto quickly seated us in the nicely decorated restaurant, and we wasted no time grabbing food from the vast array of three back-to-back buffet tables. Based on what I can find in their website, there are about 75 course meal available daily. Whoa! That's huge!

I'd made up my mind to eat as much variety of food as I could. My strategy was to take a little bit of here and there, and only come back for second for the meal that really stand out. Well, I did come back twice for the dessert-Espresso Sambuca, and Chicken Teriyaki. In total, I came back and forth five times and was a happy customer. In two hours, my tongue has experienced over twenty different meal and my curiosity was finally over.

But, still..there's a particular post-buffet effect that I could not escape from: bloated tummy & problem walking back to the car.

Here are some snapshots I've made:

THE FIRST PLATE

I went straight to the first row, and took: lemongrass pork (it's tender but I expect more lemongrass flavor), blackened fish (Yum!), herbed corn (delish..), tri tip (hubby's fave), BBQ steak (I can make this myself), Fried Chicken (nice and juicy), and jambalaya (strong chili flavor...interesting). I ate every single thing slowly, as I wanted to really decipher the taste. Hmm..I like 'em all, especially the fried chicken (since I can't make it at home...no deep frying at my place).


THE SECOND PLATE

I threw in three types of carbs in my second plate: Mint Israeli couscous, Spanish sangria rice, and Persian mixed Rice. People rave about the couscous, but to me, it's way too mild--it's like tasteless mini tapioca balls. The Persian mixed rice and Spanish rice were much suitable to my liking--strong taste. Chicken verdi: check! The cilantro added a spicy kick to the mild flavor of chicken. Chicken teriyaki: I can't complain, I'm Asian. Bombay Eggplant: sweet and flavorful (maybe too sweet for some, but I'm from Central Java--a sweet tooth haven, so I'm fine with it). Mediterranean beef stew: too dry...skip it. Sesame Calamari: it's ok. I love deep fried stuff in general. Beef Kebab: Hmm..nice, tender and garlicky. Brazilian Fish: it's not fishy, it's very mild, and so tender--it doesn't even tasted like fish! Sicilian chicken: Juicy, tender, and rich. I really enjoyed my second plate except for the dry beef stew.


THE THIRD PLATE
By the time I finished my second plate, hubby was struggling with his don't-know-how-many-pound plate of meat. He was just staring at the plate and scoop in whatever stuck in his fork...Oh, he's close to giving up. That's what happen if you don't slow down. Buffet is NOT an eating competition. The art is to enjoy a plethora of meal the best that you could, so you need to take it slow and steady. I told him to stop eating and relax, while I advanced for the next round.


Yes, dessert is allowed to interrupt the main course. My tongue needed a short break from savory food, so I took five mini bowls of dessert back to the table. Just skip the creme brulee and bread pudding. The brulee was bland, and the pudding was stale. But, I love the sweet and tangy flavor of the blueberry cobbler. The vanilla cake was ok, nothing special. The ganache was dense and rich.


This is hubby's dessert plate that I hijacked. I'm a fan of the Espresso Sambuca. The rest are so-so...


THE FOURTH PLATE

Up to this point I was not full yet. I was amazed with myself. With this kind of tummy capacity, I should refrain myself from eating buffet. The day-after exercise would be too much to bear. Anyway, here's my last main course bites: Cha Bo Vietnamese Kebab: tasty, tender, and spicy!. The seafood was ok, but I sensed that it was not fresh. The salad came up with six dressings or more, I should have taken more veggie to balance the meat intake. The bruschetta was crunchy, it's kinda light. I like it. The fried rice, penne alfredo and santorini tasted just like elsewhere. The creamy spinach was mild, I like the Indian version better.


THE LAST PLATE
I still have some room for more dessert ^^

I couldn't stop eating the Sambuca, it's so yummy. The lemon tart was tart as expected. The cookies were chewy, not crunchy as my liking. And the ball-shaped Persian dessert (there was no tag) was overly sweet (really, like one ball equal to one pound of sugar), even a sweet tooth like me refused to handle a single bite. Too sinful...


THE BILL
The total amount was $27.46 after tax, discount and gratuity. I think it's worth it. I'd like to come back anytime (not in the near future though). I still need to burn the extra calories :) (Yeah, after forty kinds of dishes...)


International Gourmet Buffet
101 Curtner Ave. #60, San Jose, CA 95125 Tel: 408.564.6778

Hainan Chifan (Nasi Ayam Hainan)

Everybody has their own version of Hainanese Chicken Rice. As long as the family members give their nods of approval, keep your recipe. Sometimes cooking is not about "taste like restaurant's", but individual creativity.

Well, a few years ago, I made Singapore version of Hainanese Chicken Rice that looked like the one in restaurants and tasted good too. Here's the picture:



But since nowadays I want to be as practical as I can be (not much cooking utensils and less patience ;p), I'd rather whip up the cheat recipe. Feel free to follow my "too-easy-to-do" version of Hainanese Chicken Rice. Here's the step-by-step pictures:


Chicken, garlic, ginger, and shiitake mushroom are the key elements of my Hainanese Chicken Rice. I can't do it without 'em. They're versatile too, you'll see 'em often in my cooking :)



Heat up a tbs of oil. My recipe calls for chicken oil. I harvest chicken skin, and put them in batches in the freezer. Anytime I need flavorful oil, I just throw one batch in a hot pan and let the fat melts. I know it's not healthy, but it's only a tablespoon...And I don't have any other oil in the house but this...and a can of cooking spray...So don't be mad, I don't use it often..And I always throw away the rest of the skin after I get enough oil...one tablespoon ^^



Then, into the pan the garlic and ginger..This will make your house smell like a Chinese restaurant. Stir fry until fragrant.



Next is the juicy and succulent previously dried shiitake mushroom. Please invest on good quality shiitake. Mine is "Ming Chu" brand (big, thick and fat).



You can see the color gets darker. Yes, I did put 1 tbs of sesame oil, 3 tbs of soy sauce, a dash of pepper, a tbs of honey, and 1 tbs of oyster sauce. You can put a little bit of water, and let it boil.



Next, arrange the chicken nicely on top of the mushroom (hubby love dark meat, hence the thighs), sprinkle some salt (generously) on the chicken. Cover the pan. Let the chicken cooked for about 10 to 15 minutes.



What's that??! Is that a plate of grapes?? Yes, your eyes don't fool you. I happen to have red grapes in my fridge and I like to put them in my main course instead of dessert. They work just fine...Trust me. But, this one is optional, no worries.



And what's that white thingy?? Oh, it's just sliced cabbage for extra fiber. Are you health-conscious people? Me too... And they will be very soft once the rice is done. So, you won't even feel there's a serving of vegetable here. A good trick for kids.



This happens fifteen minutes later. Everything in the pan is pretty much cooked. So they can be transferred into the rice cooker.



Hello rice! Sorry to keep you waiting...By the way, prior to cooking the rest of the ingredients, I've prepared the rice first. Take three cups of rice, wash, and put in the rice cooker pan with just enough water to cover it. Don't put too much water or your rice will be soggy later. Then throw in 1/2 tsp of salt, a dash of pepper, and 1 heap tbs of sesame oil. Put the pan in the rice cooker, and plug the cable to the socket. But don't press down the "cook" button. Just keep it warm. This will make the rice evenly cooked with a nice texture.



Transfer the mixture; stir and blend. Place the chicken on top for the last touch. Then you can press the "cook" button and wait impatiently.



It's done! It's done in fifteen minutes! Hmm, hubby will love it!



The texture of the rice resembles sticky-rice, but this one is so flavorful. Kudos to the garlic, ginger, and chicken broth...

Let's not waste our time, come join me and dig in!



Too bad the picture is bit blur. I think I need to buy SLR type camera. I wish! :)


Mrs. Loh Hainanese Chicken Rice

Ingredients:
5 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 cm of ginger, cut into three
2 chicken thighs without skin
3 shiitake mushroom, soaked and then sliced
3 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs oyster sauce
1 tbs honey
2 tbs sesame oil
a handful of sliced cabbage (optional)
a handful of halves red grapes (optional)
3 cups of rice
salt and pepper to taste

Methods:
Heat the oil, stir fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant. Put in the mushroom.

Seasoned with soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, pepper, and honey. Add 250 ml of water to cover them.

Place in the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt (and pepper). Cover the pan, let it cook for fifteen minutes.

Once the chicken is cooked, put in the optional ingredients such as cabbage and grapes ^^ When the cabbage is tender, transfer the mixture to the rice cooker (with the rice ready).

Measure the water level in the cooker, add more water if not enough.

Wait 'till you hear the "pop" sound, and it's ready to enjoy with garlic chili sauce. Yum!

Fried Noodle a.k.a Bakmi Goreng

This is a fusion dish. It's basically friend noodle with whatever-I-have-in-the-fridge. The more the merrier; it also means that I can clean up my fridge and resume to grocery shopping soon.


Here are the cast of the characters. They want to make a difference in the world by feeding me and my husband. What a noble intention! I won't delay your goodwill guys!


It begins with the pasta. Boil 'em until al dente, drain and rinse with cold water to stop 'em from cooking.


Grind the candle nuts and garlic until they form some kind of paste. Add a pinch of salt while grinding.


Scramble the egg and set aside to use later. Hmm...the smell of fried egg is just amazing!


I'm harvesting chicken oil from one lump of frozen chicken skin. You may disagree with me and replace it completely with pork fat, evoo, palm oil, grapeseen oil, as you wish. But chicken oil is fragrant. A tablespoon would not harm. Always use it in moderation, that's the key :p


Once you get a tablespoon of chicken oil, stir fry the garlic and candle nut paste until they ooze a delightful aroma.


Then throw in the mushroom, tomato, and shredded chicken. Add in oyster sauce, soy sauce, chili paste, and sweet soy sauce. Mix 'em well.


Then, pour in the key ingredients--chicken broth. Stir the mixture and let 'em boil.


Always eat more portions of veggie, such as cabbage like this. Dump 'em in as much as the pan can hold. Cover the pan, let the cabbage soften a bit.


Don't forget the noodle. Without noodle this dish is meaningless. Mix all the characters evenly. I love sweet soy sauce. I keep adding 'em until I get the right tone of dark brown :)


The last touch, put in the rest of the crew: spam, enoki, green onion, egg...Mix 'em well. You'll develop muscle in this stage. And you're pretty much done here :)


Enjoy the yummy sliminess of this noodle. Love it, love it, love it!


Fried Noodle a.k.a Bakmi Goreng

Ingredients:

250 gr egg noodle (I use linguini), cooked and set aside
250 ml chicken broth
100 gr shredded chicken meat
100 gr spam or ma ling, diced
2 eggs beaten, scrambled
2 shiitake mushroom, soaked, then sliced thinly
1 packet of enoki mushroom,cut into three parts
1 medium tomato, slice thinly
2 stalks of onion, cut about 2 cm long, then finely slice them (vertically)
5 cabbage leaves, sliced thinly
3 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs oyster sauce
1 tsp chili paste
1 tbs tomato sauce
3 tbs (and more ^^) of sweet soya sauce a.k.a kecap manis
1 tbs oil for sauteeing the garlic+candle nut paste

Grind 'em:
4 cloves of garlic
4 candle nuts

Methods:
Heat the oil in a pan. When it's hot, put in the garlic+candle nut paste. Sautee the paste until it turns light brown and fragrant. Add in shiitake mushroom and tomato, stir them around. Then thrown in the chicken meat.

Pour in all the sauce: soy sauce, oyster sauce, chili paste, tomato sauce, and sweet soya sauce. Mix 'em around.

Add in the chicken broth. This is a very important ingredient that you can't skip. The broth is the root of the flavor. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix evenly, and let it boil.

Throw in the chopped cabbage, stir for about 5 minutes until soft but not mushy. Then add the noodles, mix the ingredients evenly. Add more soya sauce if the color is not dark enough.

Put it the last ingredients: spam, scrambled egg and shiitake mushroom. Blend 'em well. Try to taste the noodle, add up soya sauce, salt, or kecap manis if you like. This recipe calls for milder taste because I want to reduce the sodium and sugar in the meal. Back home people will think this noodle dish is not strong enough, it's too mild. And I don't add MSG so it's healthier.

Indonesian Shu Mai Ala Moi

Indonesian food, especially from Central Java region, tend to be sweet. So does the shu mai variety. My mom always adds sugar into the mixture and I don't think this will apply to other culture. But that's just us--Semarangnese. We can't even live without kecap manis (Indonesian Sweet soy sauce). I can eat kecap manis with plain rice and tapioca crackers (krupuk terung) just like that! In fact, kecap manis and tapioca crackers were my childhood favorite food.

This evening we shopped around Milpitas, as we always do on weekend. My chubby hubby suddenly suggested, "Do you want to cook shu mai?" He's not someone with much ideas about cooking; so, when he says something like that, it means he wants it (and also means that I'm going to spend the whole night whipping the meal--with his help of course).

Okay, so off we went to Marina groceries and bought the ingredients. The rest of the evening was full of chopping, stirring, pleating, steaming, and not-to-be-missed: food tasting ^^

I like to prepare all the ingredients at once, while my mom does just the opposite. I remember when she cooked back then she always yelled, "Des...!! Get me the tomato sauce!! And also the nutmeg!" Then I would scramble around the kitchen and dining room to look for the things that she needed. It could happen many times in a single cooking process. Phew..

Well, that's just her habit. She might want us to get involved by purposely forgetting stuff, than to let us rested our butts in front of the TV.

But that could be a nuisance...and a mean interruption. Especially when you are watching Korean dramas...Ugh, can't get enough of Korean dramas. LOL

Anyway, I was pretty much traumatized, so I do my homework carefully. I don't want to bother my husband getting me this and that, and ended up being lectured for unpreparedness.

Ok, I'll stop mumbling. Here's the crew for today:

Oh, please don't be surprised if you see an apple there.

I know it's unconventional...some might call me irresponsible...

But I'm just curios. Cooking is my science lab experiement ^^

Next, put the ground pork in a deep container. Throw in a handful of finely diced carrot, apple, and chopped green onion. Try to stir the mixture.



Ughh...it's so hard. I think the mixture is just too dry...

Actually, the sauce and all liquid ingredients should get in. So pour the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, pepper, garlic+ginger paste, one egg, wine, honey, diced ham, and a little bit of water in. And try to stir and feel the difference. Oh yeah, the ham is already mixed in before, so can't see it below:



Yes, even hubby agreed that it was easier to stir with the liquid in. He's just an enthusiast sous chef. He even gave up his newspaper-reading time for this stirring job. Thanks honey...



I want the texture to be smooth, slightly chewy yet tender. It takes eggs and tapioca flour to make it that way...I have one egg in already, and I added another one. Place them in and blend evenly.



The next step would be to steam the shumai. You can pan-steam your shumai by doing the following trick. In a deep pan, pour in water and place a heat resistant bowl in the middle. Fill the bowl with water for double-heating function.



Then put a big heat-resistant plate on top of the bowl. They are perfect partner for an emergency steamer. Tested and proven!



Here comes the tricky part. Well, it's actually easy, but you must be patient and careful when making and handling these babies.


Just place 1/2 tbs of the mixture in the middle of a wrapper. Carefully pleats the side of the wrapper around, and lightly pinch the upper end of the shumai until it resembles a mini volcano. Topped it with finely diced carrot or capelin roe (thanks to Mae Han). Place them in the pre-heat steamer.

Close the lid, and steam each batch for fifteen minutes. For this recipe, I made in total three batches.



Here's the babies fifteen minutes later. They are too cute to end up in my tummy.



But...I must say that in tummies is where they belong :) They're edible shumais after all...;p


THE RECIPE (yields 55 small cuties)

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground pork
1/3 can of ham, minced (yum...)
2 dried shiitake mushroom, soaked 'til soft, then diced finely
5 stalks of green onion, sliced thinly
1 medium-sized carrot, diced into very small pieces (honestly, it's troublesome)
2 eggs
1 tsp garlic+ginger paste (made from 1 big clove of garlic and 1,5 cm of ginger)
4 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs oyster sauce
2 tbs honey
2 tbs wine (I use white zinfandel)
2 tbs sesame oil
1/4 cup of water
1 heap tbs of tapioca starch
1 package of shu mai wrapper
Capelin Roe

Optional:
1/4 apple diced thinly (I know...But my cooking is experimental, I hope you understand ;p)

Methods:
Put in meat in a big bowl/container, then thrown in all the ingredients at once, or in series, is really up to you. But I suggest that the sauces, eggs, and liquid get in first. It will make the stirring job easier.

Once all the ingredients is in perfect unity, put 1/2 tbs of the mixture into the wrapper and try your best to make it like an open money bag (by pinching/pleating the side of the wrapper around)

Steam in batches for fifteen minutes. Take out when ready, set aside to cool. Enjoy with chili sauce or dipping sauce. It's really good too on its own.