this is my first contribution here. i have been cooking for a year now, self taught. because there aren't many places in ipoh that provides good food (seriously) especially good italian based food (with pork), i decided to do it myself. and i found that there aren't any / many recipes for simple mushroom dish, so here it is.

portion for 4 people.
1 box of mushroom (usually got 10 pieces, preferably organic if u can find it) and preferably portobello, Aeon will sell them. slice thin

1-2 tablespoon of premium butter (unsalted) depending on how much u like butter (Lurpack if u can afford, don't use butter that is too cheap, around RM9-14 range will be considered premium)

1 red onion chopped fine

2 cloves garlic squashed and cut into small pieces

extra virgin olive oil, be generous

2-3 teaspoon salt (any salt, preferably organic if u can afford) depending on your tastebuds

1 chilli, any chilli depending on how spicy you like it, chopped fine (optional)

black pepper (any kind, preferably fresh grounded but dried also ok)

parsley, any kind, preferably italian (fresh, optional)

bacon (streaky, optional)

cooking method:

1a) if have bacon, use any kind of pan or wok, heat it (high heat) then add the good olive oil, few drops enough, then make sure the oil is hot enough, fry the bacons until crispy with medium heat. take them out when they are done, make sure u keep the oil and continue to use it in (2)

1b) if don't have bacon, be generous with the good olive oil (2-3 swirls) and heat it up.

2) turn to low heat, add garlic and onions and cook them for 1-2 minute, add a pinch of salt and just a bit of black pepper, then add all the mushrooms.

3) low heat, stir until the mushrooms are covered in everything, add 2 swirls of good olive oil, add the chilli, 2 teaspoon salt and some black pepper. continue stirring until all the mushrooms are covered in oil and all the ingredients

4) low heat, cover a lid over the pan / wok for 3 minutes or until the mushrooms begins to soften

5) switch off heat and open the lid and put the butter and parsley in then stir until everything is coated

6) put the bacon back in and serve.

i also only found ONE aglio olio pasta recipe and it's not even a proper one, here's mine:

New Age Aglio e Olio Pasta

portion for 4 people

cook the pasta (preferably angel hair) as instructed in the package (boil salted water etc), must do this first because water needs time to boil. put the pasta aside, don't be afraid it will be cold because u will have to reheat it with the mushroom recipe, for beginners. for people with experience in cooking pasta, u can do it side by side with the mushrooms.

use the recipe for the mushroom above but add in more of these

more garlic, 1 whole garlic also squashed and finely chopped, add them at the beginning (same time in the recipe above)

more onions, can have 1 red and 1 yellow onion for different flavors finely chopped, add them at the beginning (same time in the recipe above)

more chillis (i prefer chilli padi, 1 chilli for each person) finely chopped (add these after u put the pasta into the mushroom for mixing)

cheese (good parmesan preferably, optional)

after u have finished cooking the mushrooms as instructed above, don't switch off the heat after put in butter, pour the pasta into the pan / wok or u can do the opposite (pour mushroom into the pot where u cook the pasta) if you pan / wok is too small to fit everything. keep the heat low and add more extra virgin olive oil (be generous, it won't kill u), add a bit (1/4 cup) of pasta water (the one that u cooked the pasta), add the chillis and start mixing everything together for 1-3 minutes depending on how hard it is to mix it all with your skills

now this is important, don't be lazy and just serve the entire pot of pasta, separate it into portions so all the ingredients in each dish are balanced. make sure u pour the ingredients ON the pasta and not leave them at the bottom. add the bacon (optional) and cheese (optional) last.

if you serve in one pot, most of the ingredients will be at the bottom and your pasta won't taste good.

these recipes seems complicated but if you really like cooking, they are actually very simple. remember, the better the ingredients, the better your dish will taste. i always use the best and cost is no issue for me. actually a dish like this for 4 people cost less than what u pay for for 1 portion in a proper italian restaurant

This post has been edited by stormlcc: Nov 28 2014, 11:40 PM

Hunter's Meal

FYI this recipe can use all kinds of meat from chicken, pork, duck, lamb, beef or even meatballs

This recipe may LOOK ridiculously complicated but it is surely one of the EASIEST to cook. The most important part is following the steps correctly.

Portion for 4 people

Basic ingredients

1 whole chicken preferably organic free range (any kind of chicken will do) cut into individual pieces with the bone intact (by "individual" I mean the chicken wings, thigh, drumsticks, and torso that needs to be cut into 4 pieces so that the size of the torso will be almost similar to all other parts). If serving more than 4 people, can cut chicken into even smaller pieces.

unsalted premium butter (I always use Lurpak) 4-6 tablespoon

1 red and 1 yellow onion chopped into big pieces (or rings), another 1 red 1 yellow onions chopped into small pieces

3 cloves of garlic squashed and chopped into big pieces

5-6 sticks of celery chopped into small pieces (you can add more if you like it)

2 carrots chopped into small pieces

1 box fresh mushrooms (any kind, I personally like using brown button that has 15-16 in a box)

1 stick of rosemary, only the leaves will be used

black pepper (fresh grounded or dried)

2-3 teaspoon salt (any kind) to taste

parsley, any kind, preferably Italian (fresh as much as you like or dried 5 tablespoon , optional)

1 bottle of dry red wine (that is nice to drink, because you won't be using it all)

extra virgin olive oil

Sauce ingredients

Option 1

10-15 big fresh tomatoes (or 15-20 smaller sized ones) chopped fine. Must be enough to cover your chicken.

8-10 basil leaves hand teared into small pieces

Option 2

If you are lazy to chop up so many tomatoes, just use any pasta sauce from well known brand. You will have to use the whole bottle (350g).

cooking method:

1) Use a wide body pot or pan (that has a lid) preferably with thick underside, heat it up to high temperature, put 2 swirls of olive oil until the oil is hot, turn to medium heat and put in 4 tablespoon of butter and let it all melt and coat the surface of the pot

2) Right after the butter is melted and coated the pot, put in all the chicken pieces and distribute them evenly on the surface. Make sure they are not on top of each other, every piece must have it's own space. If your pot is not wide enough, do it in batches. Turn to high heat and start browning the skin of the chicken. Check them every minute by poking your spoon or shovel to try flipping them over, if they are still sticking to the pot it means they are not ready to be turned yet. Add a bit of butter (1-2 tablespoons) into the pot if it's drying out and keep trying to turn them over. When they are ready, they will not stick to the bottom any longer, turn them and continue browning the other side. Use same method to test readiness. After the other side is browned, pick them out from the pot and put it onto a plate. They will be put back into the pot later on. Note: if use non-stick pan you cannot use this method to test, just use your eyes and see whether the skin is brown or not.

3) After the chicken is out, put in all the onions, carrots and celery and let them brown for 3 minutes with low heat

4) Put in the mushrooms and let them absorb the flavours. Cook until mushrooms begins to soften then add in the rosemary and garlic (IMPORTANT step). This is because rosemary will absorb a lot of moisture and we want the mushrooms to do this first. Then add black pepper to taste (a bit is enough).

5) Stir until mushrooms are coated with everything, then add in the tomatoes (or pasta sauce) and basil leaves. Put in 3 cups of red wine.

6) Put 2-3 teaspoons of salt (depending on taste) and the dried parsley (if using fresh parsley you will have to put them in before serving). Turn on high heat to boil the sauce and keep stirring until the sauce is boiling.

7) Put the chickens back in, make sure it is submerged in the sauce. Turn to low heat and cover half the lid so that water vapor can escape to reduce / thicken the sauce. Cook for 1 hour (at least) or until the sauce is thick. Remember to stir occasionally so that the sauce at the bottom can replace the sauce at the top.

8) Remember to put in the fresh parsley before serving.

Balsamic Vinegar Peperone

Portion for 4 people

3-4 red and yellow bell peppers (preferably big ones, if small ones need to be a bit more) thinly sliced (half an inch in width)

3/4 cup Italian balsamic vinegar

2 red onions cut into big pieces

extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon black pepper

cooking method:

1) Heat up a pan / wok (I prefer a Chinese wok) to very high heat

2) Add large amounts of olive oil (3-4 swirls) and heat it up

3) Put in bell peppers and onions and coat them in the oil, high heat

4) Put in the 3/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, high heat

5) Put in the salt and black pepper and coat the bell peppers with some intense stirring / flipping with high heat

6) Reduce the balsamic vinegar until it becomes thick like sauce with high heat and occasional stirring to swap bottom ingredients to the top and vice-verse.

7) When the vinegar becomes a sauce, serve.

Cauliflower Pasta


This recipe can be made for vegetarians (just take out all the meat in the recipe, it will taste good no matter what).


Portion for 4 people

1 mid sized cauliflower, cut into florets, main stem discarded

1 box of mushroom preferably white button mushrooms (because they taste subtle), Aeon will sell them (usually 1 box is around 20 pieces) cut in quarters or sliced into 3 pieces.

4-5 tablespoon of premium butter (unsalted) depending on how much u like butter (Lurpak if u can afford, don't use butter that is too cheap, around RM9-14 range will be considered premium)

1 red onion and 1 yellow onion (big ones) chopped fine

3 cloves garlic squashed and cut into small pieces

extra virgin olive oil

salt (to taste)

black pepper (to taste)

parsley, any kind, preferably Italian (fresh as much as you like or dried 2 tablespoon)

bacon cut into small chunks (streaky, optional)

4-6 pieces salami depending on size (any kind that you like) cut into small pieces (optional)

2-3 chilli of any kind (do not use those that are too hot) chopped fine (optional)

grated Parmesan cheese (half a cup, optional)

1/2 fresh lemon juice and lemon zest (optional)

3 tablespoons smoked paprika (optional)

cooking method:

1) This is the same concept as making mash potatoes to cook the cauliflower. Boil half a pot of water (use big pot if possible), when it starts to warm, put in all the cauliflower florets and close the lid until the water boils, then turn to low heat.

2) Simmer for 15-20 minutes until cauliflower is soften (use a fork to test). When it's soft enough to be mashed (fork can go easily into the stems), get all them out of the pot, DO NOT throw away the water because it will be used to cook your pasta, all the sweet flavours are in the water now. Keep the water warm with very low heat.

3) There are 2 ways of mashing the cauliflower, by using a food blender (easiest) or if you don't have one, just use a fork. Put 1 tablespoon of butter into the blender with the cauliflower, 2 tablespoons of black pepper, 2 teaspoons of salt, paprika, lemon zest and start blending (or mashing with the fork) for a short while, test the flavour, this I cannot teach you because everyone's taste buds are not the same. If it doesn't have enough flavour, add a bit more pepper and salt, blend or fork it again then test it again until you like it (make sure it is not too salty or peppery because you still have to add other ingredients). For my personal preference, I like to use a fork because the texture of the cauliflower sauce will be a bit rough compared to blending, and I only add 4 tablespoons of pepper and 2 teaspoons of salt to a medium sized cauliflower.

4) Use another pot (with a handle), put the olive oil (2 swirls) and 2 tablespoons of butter into it then turn on the heat. Wait until butter starts to melt, put in the bacon and salami, stir and toss them, add more butter if it's starting to dry out.

5) When the bacon ready (depends on how you like them, crispy or not) the salami will be ready at the same time, take them all out (with a thong or chopsticks) to a plate and let them sit. DO NOT drain the oil, put the onions and garlic into the pot, use this opportunity to deglaze the pot, let them clean up the black residue from the bacon and salami under the pot, those are the flavours you WANT to keep.

6) Cook the onions until they are slightly golden (they will absorb a lot of the oil and butter), put in the dried parsley (if you are using fresh ones, wait until you throw in the pasta) chilli and mushrooms then add 2 swirls of olive oil, some pepper (1-2 tablespoons) and salt (1-2 teaspoons to taste). Stir until mushrooms are coated with everything then put on the lid for 3 minutes.

7) Start cooking your pasta (preferably Fusilli, Rotini, Macaroni, Rigatoni or any tubular pasta that can hold thick sauce well) with the cauliflower flavoured water you kept at the beginning (remember to add salt to the water).

8) After 3 minutes the mushrooms should be soft already, open the lid and add all the cauliflower sauce / mash and lemon juice into the pot. Stir until everything is evenly mixed with low heat. Add a bit of butter and olive oil if it's too dry (don't be afraid if you accidentally added too much as the pasta will soak everything up nicely).

9) When your pasta is cooked, you either drain the water and pour in the pot of ingredients or you do it vice verse (put your pasta into the ingredient pot). Put in the and Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley and stir with low heat until everything is mixed and pasta is coated with everything. Serve.

Side note: This dish can be kept overnight in a fridge and can be eaten as a cold dish or you can warm it up with a pan with some olive oil. Just make sure it is in room temperature before you store it in a container and put into the fridge.

This post has been edited by stormlcc: Aug 28 2014, 07:20 AM

y not both?

no, u can easily balance the taste of both, it really depends on experience and taste. chinese sausage is sweet, roast pork is usually salty, so they compliment each other very well

shouldn't need to add any particular spices or herbs for a basic chinese fried rice that you should master first before implementing more complex / your own recipe, there really are dozens of different ways to do it.

basic (sausage & roast pork) fried rice only need to add a pinch of white pepper, a pinch of salt (since the roast pork is already salty), some chinese rice wine (depending on portion), some stock (any stock) or water (if don't have stock) to the rice when it's too dry, some greens (green beans or celery or lettuce), some reds (small carrot cubes or cherry tomatoes), egg(s).

and after the rice is done, add some green onions and fried shallots. just don't cover the wok when you are frying or else it'll become soggy. note that these ingredients are not in their order, you should know when to put in which ingredients first and later.

my favourite is spicy chinese roast pork fried rice, u basically use leftover chinese roast pork, add onions (any kind), chilli (volume depending on how spicy u like) and thick soy sauce (or black soy sauce which is the same thing) at the end (with or without rice). it can be eaten with white rice also. cooking time is only 5 minutes (without frying the rice), it's super easy and you won't waste leftovers.

This post has been edited by stormlcc: Nov 6 2014, 06:26 AM

any good quality rice (fresh or overnight) will do. using overnight rice is a good means to add a bit of firmness so it won't easily overcook and prevent wastage, but since we Asians almost always finish our rice in every meal, we tend to just use fresh rice.

any Shaoxing wine will do

i never tried it before. u don't have to use a lot of it, so i don't think there's a problem, give it a try

Traditional Aglio e Olio Pasta

Portion for 4 people

Cooking Time (from preparation to completion) 30 minutes max for an amateur. For an experienced cook only 10-15 minutes is needed. If you exceed this time frame, you are doing something wrong! Remember: KEEP IT SIMPLE

Capelli d'angelo (a.k.a angel hair pasta) or Linguine (because these kinds of pasta will soak up the oil nicely)

8 cloves of garlic (basically 2 clove for each person), crushed and coarsely chopped

parsley (fresh or dried)

black pepper

chilli (I prefer fresh bird's eye chilli because they are hot and amazing but you can use any kind, even dried ones). For bird's eye chilli I will use 6 (basically around one and a half per person) but the amount depends on how hot you want this dish to be

extra virgin olive oil (the better the quality, the better this dish will taste. if you can afford premium, go for it)

grated Parmesan cheese (the better the quality, the better it will taste) (optional)

cooking method:

1) Prepare a pot of water and start to boil it.

2) When you are waiting for the water to boil (BEFORE putting in the pasta), start preparing your ingredients. Crush and chop the garlic. Finely chop your fresh parsley. Chop the chilli. Grate your cheese into a bowl or plate if you still have time (you can also grate it directly into the pasta after your it is done).

3) When the water is boiling, add salt to it, stir. Then add in the pasta. The amount of pasta will depend on personal experience, too much and your sauce is not enough, too little and you won't have enough to feed all your "customers". Usually one standard pack of pasta is enough for 4 people.

4) After you add in the pasta to the water, wait for 2 minutes, then heat up the pan, add in the olive oil (lots of it. for 4 people you will need around half an inch in a medium sized pan). With high heat, dump your garlic, dried parsley (if you are not using fresh ones), and chilli all in one go. Switch to LOW HEAT IMMEDIATELY because you don't want to burn the ingredients.

5) Add 4-5 teaspoon black pepper (to taste) and 1-2 teaspoon (to taste) of salt then stir for 1 minute

6) By this time your pasta should be ready (al dente), make sure to test it out by selecting one strand and chewing it. If it's still not ready yet, you can switch off the heat on the ingredients. If the pasta is ready but your ingredients are not, you can switch off the heat on the pasta. It takes some practice to time both sides correctly.

7a) When both sides are ready, make sure you have low heat on the ingredients pan, transfer the pasta (using a thong) directly to the ingredients (with pasta water dripping into the pan also, this is very important). Don't be afraid to transfer some pasta water also because the ingredients pan will easily dry out. Put in the fresh parsley. Use the thong to mix all the ingredients and oil with the pasta (still with lowest heat). Add some more pasta water and olive oil if it's too dry.

7b) If you are cooking for a big group of people and the pan is too small, do it the other way (transfer all the ingredients with the oil into the pasta pot after you have drained it, but don't drain all the water, leave some in there).

8) After everything has been mixed, switch off heat and transfer pasta portion by portion into separate plates and make sure they have equal amounts of ingredients especially the oil and garlic. Don't be lazy, this is an important step.

9) Add in the cheese. Add a tiny bit of black pepper on top. Then add some olive oil on top of that. Serve.

Important note: After the dish is done, the olive oil should be clear and gold coloured. The garlic should look almost raw / uncooked with a bit of gold colour and NOT brown.

This post has been edited by stormlcc: Dec 1 2014, 11:37 PM

it's chinese rice wine used for cooking

tiramisu

but u have to practice a lot to make it right or else it'll be disgusting, and u HAVE to use Kahlua

i'm looking for a new peppermill but i can't find any good quality ones in ipoh. i tried to find one online (delivered within malaysia) but all of them are poor quality. anyone knows where to find one that is good? thanks

Simple & Best Eggplant Recipe

This recipe is the simplest and most delicious recipe in the world, you have to try it to realize how good it is. It's best served accompanied by rice or plain porridge (which I prefer).


Portion for 4 people



2 big eggplants / 4 small ones, you can use any kind but I prefer the long ones. Do NOT do anything to them and just wash them


20 shallots, you can use more, it depends on how much you like them. Sliced thinly


1-2 big red chili, sliced thinly


2 garlic cloves finely chopped


black pepper



Any kind of mild tasting oil, I prefer extra virgin olive oil just because I use it on everything


soy sauce


cooking method:


1) Prepare a large pot of slightly salted water that can fit all the eggplants in and start to boil it, or use a wok (easier). Put all the eggplants in it (DO NOT CUT them, put them in whole including the stems). Boil them until super soft. What I mean by super soft is that usually when they are 'regularly' soft you will still feel some resistance when you poke them with a fork. Super soft means NO RESISTANCE at all when you poke them and the fork goes straight in without any effort.


2) When you are boiling the eggplants you can prepare your shallots, chili and garlic. After slicing and dicing, prepare a pan / wok, put a good amount of oil in (generally just enough to cover the pan) and make sure it's hot before putting in the garlic and shallots. Use medium heat to fry them until brown. If you see the oil is drying out, put in a bit more, we need the oil.


3) By the time you start frying the shallots, your eggplant should be cooked by now, take them out to cool. Continue to stir your shallots and make sure they are frying on all sides. It will take around 10 minutes (depending on the amount) to fry them until golden brown so your eggplants should be cool when your shallots is almost ready. If it's not cool enough to handle, turn to low heat on your shallots and wait until the eggplants are cool.


4) When the eggplants are cool, slice them into long shapes, not too thin (looks like french fries). Do NOT squeeze the water out of them, do your best to keep the water in the eggplants when you are slicing them up.


5) After slicing the eggplants, put the chili into the pan first (with the fried shallots), turn to medium high heat. When you hear some sizzling you can put in the eggplants, then some soy sauce (to taste, usually 3-4 swirls around the pan / wok should suffice) and some black pepper. Stir-fry a bit (no longer than 1 minute) until everything is coated in oil and soy sauce then you can plate it.


6) You can add more soy sauce if the taste is not up to par but be aware that the longer you wait, the more salty the eggplants will get because it will soak up the soy sauce.

This post has been edited by stormlcc: Apr 11 2016, 09:02 AM