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!