Marion... I like her videos. She's a versatile chef and cooks recipe from many cuisines. Despite she's a daughter of Thai and angmo mixed parentage.

This butter garlic pasta definitely a fusion from the Chinese scallion oil noodles. Also, if u have tried Familymart aglio olio they actually about the same thing. To make it tastier, u boil ur pasta in water with a chicken stock cube.

Sweet sambal noodles with Samyang buldak sauce



1)100g dried noodles. Cook and set aside. Preferably plain wheat noodles, fresh ramen, air dried or even instant noodles. I used Long Fong mee tarik bought from 99 speedmart. Very versatile noodles.

2)Oil from canned fried sardines/dace/mackerel. Can use any oil, i used canned fried sardines because it has garlic and the fish taste boosts up umami. If you use plain oil, you can saute with some shallots, or you can totally leave out oil but wheat noodles without oil is pointless. Oil will make noodles chewy and help binds the flavor. How much to use it's up to you. How oily or... tasty do you want?

3)1 packet 30g Maggi sambal tumis. It has prevalent ginger taste, very appetizing. But if you don't like can use Maggi bihun goreng paste, or any sambal you like. Can use up a whole packet or half of it.

4)1 tbsp Samyang buldak hot sauce. You can use regular sweet soy sauce or kicap manis if you can't handle the heat. But you will lose its unique flavor.

5)1 tbsp oyster sauce. This adds volume as well as umami. Your noodles will lack a punch if you skip this. Cheaper brand has more filler, premium brand has more oysters. It won't be a big deal, but if you're making Chinese scallion oil noodles or Hong Kong oyster noodles yes it matters.

6)1 tbsp tomato ketchup. This plain old everyday ketchup adds tanginess and savory. A must have in mee goreng recipe.

7)1 tbsp honey or a dash of sugar. A bit of sugar balances everything. I used an equal amount of honey as the sauce because wanted to make sweet sambal. You can leave this out or use a little.

Method:

Mix oil with all the paste and sauces, saute until it is heated and releases flavor. Then toss in your cooked noodles and mix well. Done.

Verdict:

What does it taste like? Does it taste like mee goreng? Not at all, more like Arrabbiata i think! Because the sambal tumis has ginger and it's quite prevalent, it fused with oil from canned fried sardines to give off smell similar to the Chinese style steamed tilapia with fermented beans. Very funny. But tastewise it's more like the sweet prawn sambal with a hint of Samyang buldak sauce, for sure. This experimental recipe was a success and definitely a keeper. I will not hesitate to make this again.

You can also try to get creative with a dash of curry powder, or the Chinese 13 spices, or maybe some Italian seasoning? Make sure you add this while sautéing.

Stove top "cucur pizza"





Pizza base:

100g cucur Adabi flour (any flavor)
150ml-175ml water

Pizza sauce:

Maggi sambal tumis 30g
Tomato ketchup/Pasta sauce 2 tbsp
Samyang buldak hot sauce 1 tsp
Honey 1 tsp

Alternative: Any bottled sambal such as sambal penyet, sambal cili api petai or even tempoyak. Mix with equal amount of tomato ketchup.

Toppings:

Mozzarella cheese 50%
Cheddar or Colby 25%
Parmesan 25%
Italian herbs

Method:

Mix water with the cucur flour until it becomes batter. Pour into a non-stick pan, skillet or saucepan. Cover with lid then turn on lowest heat.

Meanwhile, prepare the pizza sauce simply by combining all the ingredients and mix well. Grate your mozzarella and parmesan or use shredded cheese, cut cheddar or colby into thin slices if you're using block.

If the cucur surface has become firm to the touch, no need to flip over. Just spread your pizza sauce then top with cheddar/colby first, follow by mozzarella and parmesan. Garnish with Italian herbs. Close with lid and turn heat to medium.

When your mozzarella melts beautifully it is done.

Verdict:

The idea is pretty simple, it's a no oven no bake easy to whip up stove top pizza. Instead of using pizza bread which can be quite time-consuming to make, i found that the cucur especially the anchovies flavor complements well with sambal-based sauce, with oozy cheesy goodness needless to say more.

And, you won't be eating a fluffy pizza bread. Think the cucur more like the okonomiyaki or Japanese pancake. There's no need to worry about burnt pizza base, if you're using a non-stick pan the caramelized cucur bottom is what we're after.