Quick Lunch: Spaghetti with Soft Boiled Egg and Ebikko

Whenever I want a quick (healthy) lunch, I will grab a packet of pasta or noodles from the pantry. Today, I will share with you one of my favourite, most satisfying pasta creations - a fusion between Japanese (ebikko & seaweed) and Italian (spaghetti).

Spaghetti with soft boiled egg and ebikko

For this dish, I chose to serve it with a soft boiled egg rather than a poached egg, as soft boiled egg will coat the pasta more evenly (less hardening on the white). It also gives the pasta a nice creamy finish. If you follow my steps exactly, you can get these perfect soft boiled eggs everytime (which you can make for breakfast or anytime of the day!).

I love ebikko (you can also use tobiko) - I like how these little fellas give a little crunch everytime I take a mouthful of the pasta. I also love the umami-ness of the nori seaweed, something which I originally topped on for aesthetics of the dish.

Spaghetti with soft boiled egg and e! bikko
Preparation time: 2-3 minutes
Cooking time: 12-15 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients
200g spaghetti
100g grey oyster mushrooms, sliced thinly

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 eggs, direct from fridge

2 heaped tbsp ebikko (or tobiko)

Nori seaweed, cut into thin strips

1. Start by cooking the soft boiled egg since this takes the longest time. Firstly, put 450ml of water into a 18cm saucepan and bring to the boil. When water is boiling, remove from heat and place egg into the water. Please use eggs direct from the fridge (timing will differ for room temperature eggs). Using a cloth/dishtowel, tilt the pan slightly so that the egg is submerged 75% in the water. Cook for 12 minutes, then remove from heat. Perfect eggs everytime! (Note: This is for 2 eggs)

2.Bring another pot of salted water to boil and cook spaghetti according to pack instructions to al dente. Remove from heat and drain, run under cold water to stop from cooking further.

3. Heat olive oil in frying pan on medium high heat. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes until golden brown, then add the mushrooms and fry for 1-2 minutes until cooked.

4. Finally add the pasta, parsley and mix thoroughly, and then season with salt and pepper.

4. Remove from heat and divide pasta evenly in two plates. Top with soft boiled egg and ebikko. Garnish with nori seaweed sheets. Serve immediately.

Does the egg bear a slight resemblance to the one from JAAN? ;P

The soft boil! ed egg a cts as creamy sauce that coats each strand of pasta! YUM.

Saffron-Vanilla Snickerdoodles

I like to sit in the sun on the beautiful stone slab benches across from the Blue Bottle Coffee kiosk in Hayes Valley here in San Francisco. It's just a short walk from my house in an alleyway, a not-so-secret spot, slightly off the main strip. I also love to have lazy breakfasts beneath the tall ceilings, light streaking through the massive windows, in their cafe at Mint Plaza. I've known there was a Blue Bottle Coffee book in the works, and each time I go, I find myself uttering the same nine words, usually with my mouth full - I really hope this recipe is in the book. In addition to their coffee, which I'm more than happy to brave a line for, I have a list of go-to favorites from their beautifully concise and inspired menu. My hope was that all would be in the book: these Saffron-Vanilla Snickerdoodles, the Pickled Fennel Egg Salad, the Sesame Absinthe Cigars, and Catalan Eggs with Braised Greens. Check, check, check, and check! Every one is in the book. And like all things Blue Bottle, this is worth the wait.

The book will be released October 9th, but I've been hassling Ten Speed to get me an early copy for months. In part because I wanted to bump up my coffee know-how, but (no surprise) I was particularly excited about the recipes ! - the S affron-Vanilla Snickerdoodles were first up. In contrast to traditional snickerdoodles, Caitlin describes them as having "an unusual butterscotch flavor from the combination of saffron, brown sugar and vanilla." Now, I know these cookies well, and this recipe delivered a version that is a dead-ringer of the original - buckle in the middle, kiss of saffron, a thin golden crust that gives way to a fudge-textured center. Thank you. I made a double batch for a family trip to Lake Tahoe last week - baking half for the drive there, freezing the remaining pre-scooped dough to bake at the cabin. Everyone loved them.

I hope you like these as much as I do, make a double batch and freeze half of the pre-scooped dough for later baking. And be sure to measure the saffron carefully -it's easy to go too light/heavy. xo -h

Continue reading Saffron-Vanilla Snickerdoodles...

Sharone Hakman of Masterchef US Cooking demo in Mid Valley!

I had the privilege of interviewing Sharone Hakman when he came to Malaysia last week as part of his recent promotion tour. Out of all the chefs I have had interviewed, met and chatted with in my blogging life and as a foodie, the one thing that struck me hard about Sharone was hisgenuinity. That big guy is thoroughly REAL, and I could catch no pretenses from him throughout the duration of the half a day I spent trolling him from the interview room to the supermarket and till he finished his cooking demo on stage at Mid Valley.

Below: Paying for his groceries he even joked with the cashiers.

While with other chefs I caught a sense ofreservedness, or maybe even a touch of arrogance (the I dont think you know food, or what youre talking about but since youre writing about me, Ill give you some time), Sharone treated everyone and anyone with the same boyish charm and easy attitude.

He was tired and that is undeniable. By the time he hit our Malaysian shores, he has been ! on the r oad for cooking demos, interviews and media appearances day after day for weeks and yet I saw him light up and all re-energised when the topic of cooking and food came about. A chef can say he loves food and cooking, but its when they talk about it that youll catch that glimpse of TRUE passion, and in Sharone, it wasnt just in his WORDS (he did as all chefs, said he lovesssssss cooking), but in all muscle fibres of his body.

Yes, Im totally smitten.

Of course he could be putting on a show; being on TV and now making his media appearances. We all know they (TV chefs, reality shows finalists) might put up a front for the camera. But Sharone, Ill like to think hes as affable and charming as he was during media sessions when hes alone and at home.

Oh, it helps too that he gave me a bottle of his Hak BBQ sauce! Bribery! Hahah, just joking!Find out more about Haks BBQ sauce here:http://www.haksbbq.com/

Haks is his very own creation and brand of BBQ sauce. Being a firm believer in health and good food, Sharone had spent a great deal of time and eff! ort in t heresearchand production process of Haks. The sauce contains no preservatives, artificial flavourings or chemicals. During the interview, he revealed that hes a go by instincts kind of person, and the same principle goes into his way of cooking. Thus to formulate the recipe for his Haks sauce, a process that has to be documented strictly since its setting the standard for all future bottles, Sharone admitted that he had a hard time.

He said it was really difficult for him to be so methodical and calculative; to have everything measured by exact miligrams, so much so that he needed a team of scientists right behind him as he cooks to help him lock down the recipe!

Ah cool, hes my type pf chef! Remember those olden days of cooks our grandmothers and mothers? A pinch of this and a shake of that? Yes, all that agak-agak recipes! Instincts are best, and great chefs have them in the fibres of their being!

There were some questions that we asked during the media interview; one of which What Malaysian food have you sampled so far? . His reply Nasi Lemak . Oh yea! *Fist pump in the air!*

In fact he liked it so much that one of the dish he cooked during the cooking demonstration that day was black rice infused with coconut milk. Black rice was used because it is healthier and also for the aroma and taste. He tried to use as much local ingredients as possible and another of his dish was ! our loca l squid fried with a concoction of our spices that he picked up from the spice section of Carrefour, Mid Valley.

Below: Dish Number 1 -Fried squids. (Ok, theres a better name for it but I didnt manage to ask Sharone!)

He added chilli padi (bird eye chilli) to his sauce for his duck dish!

Below: Dish Number 2 Duck Breast with Coconut Milk Rice.

I got a piece! Yay! I snucked up to the stage real close and he cut me a piece! :P

Below: Pink juicy duck breast!

And oh, he came up with the ideas of these 2 dishes on the go, literally as he walked through the aisles of the Carrefour at MV. As usual Sharone selects and cook his ingredients based on instincts, which at most times turned out favourably. Another thing he joked about during the interview was how much he had messed up in his cooking journey, but hes a firm believer that it is all a good lesson and it enhanced his overall life experiences greatly. He opined that one should alwaystake risks and never regret the outcome.

I loved how he was all smiles and incredibly engaging throughout his whole cooking session. He made sure everyone in audience was given attention and even tried to speak to the audience of the upper floors. Generously sharing tip after tip; such as how to cut a duck, and so forth Sharone was delightfully to watch.

Thanks again Sharone for giving us your time! Im definitely going to try the burger recipe you shared with the Haks sauce bottle and Im looking forward to your new upcoming 2 flavours chilli padi (bird eyes chillies) and honey as well as the pineapple and jalapeno. Sharone, please come again!

For more information, visit hisofficial website. Or even better, stalk him on hisFacebook page!

Healthy Breakfast Foods for Losing Weight

Regularly eating breakfast activates your metabolism which makes digestion faster and easier. It is recommended to not skip breakfast and to eat healthy breakfast foods with lesser calories to promote weight loss.

Eating healthy during breakfast does not mean that we need to stick only to fruits and vegetables. There are a lot of delicious low calorie foods that we can consume during the most important meal of the day. The key here is to limit your food intake to control calories.

Here are some Healthy Breakfast Foods that you can try:

Spicy Sausage and Eggs (300 calories)

Take 2 inches of Mexican or spicy pork sausage, 2 beaten eggs and 1 tbsp olive oil. Slice the sausage and cook under a hot grill, or roast in the oven at 375F. Cook the eggs in a frying pan using the olive oil, stirring frequently so scrambled, adding salt and pepper to taste. Add the sausage pieces and serve warm.

Cheese and Ham Mini Frittatas (180 calories per serving)

Makes 48 portions of healthy breakfast foods, and they can be frozen so you can have a good breakfast quickly every day. Beat 8 eggs, add cup skimmed milk, 4 oz chopped ham, 1/3 cup shred low fat cheese, and 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley. Lightly grease 2 x 24 mini muffin trays and fill each hole with the mixture, bake for 10 minutes. Serve with grilled bacon. The fillings can be your choice and this is a great way to use up leftovers, for example: broccoli and cheddar, spinach and roasted peppers or mushrooms, sausage and/or bacon, tomato and mozzarella, chicken or turkey and mozzarella, Parma ham and Parmesan, chorizo and onion.

photo credit: flickr.com/mccun934

Cream cheese muffins (110 calories each muffin)

!

Prepa re this a day before so its just a case of getting them out the refrigerator in the morning breakfast doesnt have to be a big hassle, so long as you use a little preparation. Make with 16 oz low fat cream cheese, 1 oz grated parmesan, 2 beaten eggs , cup chopped bacon , cup diced onion. Grease a muffin tray and heat the oven to 350F. Mix everything together and spoon in the holes, bake for 20 minutes, and sprinkling on additional Parmesan if you like extra cheese. Eat warm or cold. They keep well in the refrigerator for a few days.

Chocolate for Breakfast (180 calories)

Satisfying for chocoholics, or if you are just missing a choice hit, this is a sweet start to the day but still counts as healthy breakfast foods. If you prefer you can leave out the almonds and protein powder, but they do help to satisfy your appetite and keep you going until your lunch. Mix together 2 oz low fat cream cheese or ricotta (zap in microwave for 20 seconds first), 1 beaten egg, 1 tbsp splenda or similar sweetener, 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 tbsp protein or egg white powder , 1 tbsp ground almonds. Put in the microwave for 40 seconds to create a soft chocolate sponge.

Hot Cocoa

If you like a home-made hot chocolate drink in the morning but without the calories, try this healthy breakfast foods recipe. Mix 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp stevia and 1 tsp sweetener powder, cup boiling water and 1 tbsp skimmed milk to make a paste. Top up your cup with skimmed milk and put in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add a pinch of cinnamon to serve.

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DV Ristorante Pizzeria @ Bukit Damansara

All it took was one meal: DV is now one of our top twenty favorite Italian eateries in KL.

It's a simple set-up here, comfortableand inviting enough to be a casual neighborhood hangout, helmed by the friendly Frankie Ferrarese of Decanter.

The menu nails the essentials: eggplant parmigiana,bruschetta and beef carpaccio for starters, plus plenty of pastas, salads and meat and seafood main courses.

But what we love best: DV's asparagus risotto (RM24+), a recent special of the week. It looks unassuming, but this is the most memorable risotto we've had in months, supplying a confident crunch in each grain and a crush-worthy creaminess. Perfect, in our book.

Ossobucco (RM52+), Milanese braised veal shank with killer-tasty marrow and life-affirming tender meat that not only falls off the bone but takes a flying leap off it, piled high over polenta.

Can't leave a pizzeria without having pizza: try the white, tomato-free one (RM24+) with gorgonzola and walnuts. Crispy-doughy and cheesy-nutty.

Another special that might still be available: whole monkfish with white wine sauce (RM60+).

Fresh and firm, this makes us wish that monkfish were more common on Malaysian menus.

Bellini and Apricot Prosecco, RM15+ daily 3pm-7pm, RM20+ before and after.

Spritz (RM15+) and Strawberry Daiquiri (RM12+). Great prices here.

A 500-ml carafe of easy-drinking Cab Sauv costs RM50+, also excellent.

Complimentary limoncello, very strong, to wrap up a more-than-satisfying feast.

DV also offers Sunday brunches, 11am-2:30pm, at RM150+ with a free-flow of prosecco and wine, or RM70+ without. Worth checking out sometime.

As word of mouth spreads, DV could cultivate a significant fan base. We hope it'll be around for years to come, and we look forward to returning.

Fuss-free Italian food at its ! best. Al ways welcome in KL.

DV Ristorante Pizzeria,

77 Jalan Setiabakti, Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.

Same row as Decanter.

Tel: 03-2098-2001