Nothing too fancy here, just a meat sauce I made today to have alongside pasta, although I believe it wouldn't be too bad with some form of bread or rice...

Ingredients:

• 1 pound (~ 500g) Ground Beef
• 500ml (about 2 cups) Pasta Sauce with Mushrooms
• 1 medium or large onion, chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 bell peppers (I used about 2/3 of each, green and orange), diced
• 2-3 Tbsp Sambal Oelek (chili paste)
• 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning (oregano, basil, thyme, etc.)
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Coriander Powder
• Dried parsley flakes
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cooking oil

Method:

• In a wok, add butter and a bit of cooking oil. Turn stove on medium heat. Add chopped onions. Remove onions from wok when they start to brown.
• With wok on medium heat, add the ground beef and allow to cook.
• Once the beef starts losing its reddish color, add salt, pepper (to taste), garlic, chili powder, coriander powder and Italian seasoning.
• Once the meat starts to brown, add 2 Tbsp sambal oelek and mix thoroughly.
• Add the onions back into the wok. Add the bell peppers and allow to cook on low-medium heat.
• After the meat has lost all of its pinkish color, stir in the pasta sauce. (Optional: Add 1 Tbsp of sambal oelek and mix, if you, like me, think that the pasta sauce is way too sweet and should be spicier.)
• Allow the sauce to rise to a simmer. I allowed the meat sauce to cook on low heat for about 20-25 minutes (could have been more, time flies when you're in the kitchen...).
• Sprinkle parsley flakes before serving.

Serve with spaghetti (just a suggestion!).



Questions/comments are welcome!

Notes: Possible addition of shredded cheese to make the sauce richer (and heavier, for the calorie conscious folks!).

Update: Leftover meat sauce folded inside an omelette makes for an awesome meal!

Yesterday, I decided to experiment a bit with salmon, something I hadn't cooked myself before. Fairly quick to prepare and cook. Turned out pretty well, even if I say so myself...

Ingredients:

• 1/3-1/2 lbs salmon
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro (alternative: parsley)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or pressed)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• Lemon slice (optional)
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp cooking oil (olive oil will probably be better, I just used whatever I had on hand)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

• Prepare a marinade by mixing the cilantro, lemon juice, salt, pepper, butter and oil.
• Cut the salmon however you like. I had 3 smallish slices.
• Preheat oven to 450 °F.
• Place the salmon on a foil lined baking tray, skin-side down (the foil prevents the fish from sticking to the tray, and consequently, helps you avoid the intense scrubbing required to clean the baking tray).
• Pour and spread the marinade over the salmon. Make sure to also apply it on the sides of the salmon pieces. Place the lemon slice on top of the salmon
• Place in oven for about 10-15 minutes. Do not over-cook - salmon is awesome even if slightly under-cooked.

Enjoy with a side of veggies, mashed potatoes, boiled rice, or even on its own!

Tonight, I'm going test it out with a spicier marinade. May make a new post, or just add to this one...

Update: The spicier marinade was a lot more interesting. Made the following modifications:

• Replaced 1 Tbsp oil with a bit of extra butter and 1 Tbsp of Sambal Oelek (chili paste).
• Sprinkled a bit of paprika powder just before baking.

Here's the modified version, with a side of couscous:

Over the past year, I've made few variations of fried rice, using whatever was available to me. Made some this weekend. Allow your creativity to take over...

Note: This recipe is devoid of any "proper" measurements, since I cannot attribute a measurable quantity to the rice (I was basically emptying my bag of rice...) - the boiled rice by itself would amount to about 1 serving. Adjust other ingredients based on your amount of rice.

Ingredients:

• Boiled Rice (1-2 days old cooked rice will do just fine)
• 2 Eggs
• Vegetable Oil
• Frozen Vegetables (mix of peas, carrots, corn, green beans and lima beans) (slightly less than the amount of rice, in terms of volume...)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped/minced
• 2-3 Tbsp Soy Sauce (feel free to increase or decrease the quantity)
• Paprika powder
• Mustard paste
• Salt
• Pepper

Possible additions/modifications: chopped spring onion, cooked tuna.

Method:

• In a bowl, crack the eggs. Add mustard paste, salt and pepper. Whisk the eggs. Add 1 tablespoon of oil into a pan. Add the egg mixture to the pan and cook over medium heat. "Scramble" the eggs and remove from pan once a creamy consistency is reached. tl;dr: Make scrambled eggs.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the frozen vegetables. Remove and strain the vegetables after about 6 minutes.
• Add about 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan. Set stove to medium-high. Add garlic and sauteed for about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the vegetables to the pan. Sauteed for about 1-2 minutes and then move the vegetables to a side of the pan.
• Add the boiled rice to the pan. Stir in the scrambled eggs and soy sauce and mix with the rice.

• Mix the rice and the vegetables.
• Sprinkle a bit of paprika powder on top of the rice (optional).

Enjoy!

Shepherd's Pie - a dish I had only read about in what I remember to be Enid Blyton's story books (probably the Famous Five or one of the many other adventure books and series she wrote). A month or so back, I wanted to do something creative with the ground beef I had in my freezer, and decided to experiment with Shepherd's Pie, described by Wikipedia as "a meat pie with a crust of mashed potato".

Outlined below is my version of the Shepherd's Pie - the basics were developed by following the recipe here. This was my second attempt at it - the success of the first attempt encouraged me to give it another shot and add a bit more flavor to the meat.

Note: Any measurements are approximations, or could possibly be totally erroneous (especially when it comes to adding cooking oil or spices), since I pay very little attention to how much I'm putting in of each thing...

Without further ado,

Ingredients (for the meat):

• 1/2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 3-4 Cloves of Garlic, chopped
• 1/2 - 1 tsp Paprika powder
• 1/2 tsp Red Chili powder
• 1/2 - 1 tsp Coriander powder
• 1/2 - 1 tsp Black pepper
• 1/2 Tbsp Italian seasoning (oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary, etc.)
• Salt
• 300-350g Frozen Vegetables (mix of peas, carrots, corn, green beans and lima beans)
• Cooking oil
• Butter

Ingredients (for the mashed potato topping):

• 1 large potato, peeled, chopped and boiled
• Cream Cheese (I used Roasted Garlic and Herb Cheese)
• Butter
• Milk
• Pepper
• Shredded cheese

Method:
Doing the mashed potatoes and the ground beef simultaneously saves a lot of time, compared to doing one and then the other...

The meat base:

• In a frying pan, add cooking oil and about a tablespoon of butter. Sauteed the chopped onions and garlic, until slightly brown. Remove from stove.
• In a cooking pot/pan (I used a wok... ), add about 2-3 table spoons of oil. Add the meat, and starting cooking over medium heat. Break up the ground beef (with a wooden spoon) to prevent any lumps from forming.
• Add salt, paprika, red chili, coriander and pepper to the meat. Then add the sauteed garlic and onions. Finally, add the Italian seasoning. Keep cooking over medium heat until the ground beef loses its pinkishness. Turn the stove to low heat once it starts to brown.
• In a pot, add the frozen vegetables and enough water to cover them. Put on the stove on high heat. About 6 minutes after the water reaches a boil, remove the vegetables and pass through a sieve to strain any water. Add the vegetables to the meat. (I kept my wok containing the meat on the stove on low heat until I was ready to progress to the baking stage).

The mashed potatoes:

• In a bowl, thoroughly mash the boiled potatoes with pepper, cream cheese, butter and milk (until it forms a creamy texture).
• Add Italian seasoning and paprika (optional).

The baking stage:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. 
• Grease a baking tray or dish. I use a 9-inch square baking tray.
• Add the meat and vegetable mixture to the tray, and press down with spoon/spatula.

• Spread the mashed potatoes on top of the ground beef. Add some shredded cheese (optional).

• Put the tray in the oven. Bake for about 40 minutes (until the potato starts to brown).

• Cut into six or eight pieces (or more, depending on tray/dish size).
• Serve/Eat. Enjoy!

Questions are welcome!

Created this recipe about last weekend. Sources included asking my Mom, and incessantly Googling "baked chicken".

Note: Any measurements are approximations, or could be totally erroneous, since I'm recalling this from memory...

Ingredients (for the chicken):

• 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken breast (sliced into 3 separate, palm-sized pieces, in my case)
• 2 Tbsp chili paste (I use a Chinese brand that comes in a green-lidded plastic jar)
• 1 Tbsp mustard paste
• 1 Tbsp soya sauce
• 1 Tbsp barbeque sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp black pepper
• 1/2 Tbsp salt
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning (a mix of oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano, etc.)
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped

(possible addition: Worcestershire Sauce)

Method:

1. Mix the chili paste, mustard, the sauces, salt, pepper, butter, garlic and seasoning to form a marinade.
2. With a knife, slightly mark the surface of the chicken pieces with lines (don't cut too deep!); I am told this improves the absorption of the marinade.
3. Marinate the chicken pieces, ensuring that both sides are properly covered.
4. Place in glass bowl, covered with plastic. Place it in the refrigerator. (The first two pieces were taken out after 4 hours, the last piece was left marinated for about a day and a half.)
5. Preheat the oven to 375 °F.
6. Place chicken pieces in a baking tray and bake until chicken is cooked*. Turn the chicken pieces to ensure evenly baked pieces.

* I baked the first two pieces for about 30 minutes on the central grill in the oven (15 minutes for each side of chicken piece) and then for 10 minutes on the upper grill - result was pretty dry. The last piece was baked for 20 minutes on the central grill (10 minutes for each side) and on the upper grill for about 5-7 minutes - result was comparatively juicier.

Optional: Serve with potato wedges, cucumber and vegies.

Baked Chicken with Potato Wedges, Cucumber Slices and Other Vegies

Since I started university, at times I have found joy in cooking. As a student, I am the sole subject of my culinary experiments, so I can be rather liberal with my experimentation

Most of my recipes are combinations of recipes found on the Internet, along with additions/subtractions of my own. I thought it might be a good idea to document some of them, so amateur cooks like myself can get an insight into the wonderful world of cooking. Hence, I'm starting a new section in my blog, titled "Culinary Experiments".

Cheers!

Disclaimer: Follow recipes at your own risk. There is a lot of hand waving involved, since most (read: all) of the time, I'm not very precise with my measurements.