Pad Thai Simplified

Noodles is one of my stomach's favorites. And it is so easy to cook and can be varied in so many ways. Can there be a better dish? I really like noodles when I am in Asia, but when doing it at home I think the dish has to be simplified - in the original recipes there are far too many obscure ingredients you can only use for ten or so dishes - that you anyway will feel taste more or less the same. So here comes a simplified version of veggie pad thai.

I used:

• 2-3 packs of egg noodles
• sesame oil (~1 table spoon)
• some other oil (~2 table spoons - I used sunflower oil)
  
• Sambal Oelek (~1 tea spoon)
  
• 1 green chili
• 1 yellow onion
  
• 3 spring onions
• mushrooms (~100-200g)
• soy sauce (~1-2 table spoons)
• 100 ml of coconut milk (preferably low fat)
  
• 1 lime
• 1 red pepper
• peanuts
  
• alfalfa seeds
  

It takes less than 20 minutes from start till stop, so start when you are hungry:
As usual start with putting some water to boil. Pour some sesame oil and some other oil in a wok (or frying pan if you don't have a wok) and add the Sambal - turn on the heat on more or less max.

While the stove is getting warm (if you have gas, you'll have to wait with turning on the heat). Now you chop some vegetables: start with the chili, then the onion and now the spring onions. As soon as you are done with one, add it to the wok (if it is on). If you want you can add some garlic (~2 cloves).

Then it is time for the mushrooms. Make sure they are clean (and if they are not, brush them clean) and add them to the pan. Give it all some color. Now is a good time to put the egg noodles into its boiling water with some soy sauce and some oil.

When you think your poor vegetables had enough of brown/golden-style, add the soy sauce and the coconut milk. Chop the lime into eight pieces (that is half, and then half, and then half) and squeeze into the wok - save one per plate to be served (this recipie is intended for 2 people, so that means saving two "slices"). When the noodles are finished, rinse it and add some soy. Now add the chopped red pepper into the wok and mix it all into the noodles.

Serve by putting some noodle and sauce-mix on plates and then add alfalfa, some peanuts and a slice of lime on top (preferably with washed peel).

Blood Orange and Chili Marmalade

I love some marmalades to have with bread, cheese and tea in the evening. And cooking marmalade is fun, if you have built a playlist with a bit over 25 songs and have some nice book or good articles to read, 'cause it takes a good hour.

So what do you need? Well, the thing I like about cooking marmalade is that there are no rules. What I did was three cans of Blood Orange and Chili Marmalade.

I used:

• 4 blood oranges
• 1 carrot
• 2 green chilies
• sugar (3-5 dl)
  
• bag of pectin (1-2 table spoons)
  
• some green tea leaves (for 3-4 tea cups)
  
• some Sambal Oelek (~tea spoon)
  
• some lemon juice (~ table spoon)
  
• some honey (~ table spoon)
• 3/4 - 1 liter of water

But remember: there are no rules in cooking, except that you should wash your hands. The items with parenthesis after are typically variable after taste. If you like your marmalade stiff as a corpse, well put 2.5 table spoons then, if you like it sweet then use 5 dl of sugar. You get the point!

Now for some action:
Put the water to boil (preferably in a water boiler). Wash the oranges thoroughly - the peel is more or less poisonous.

Chop the oranges finely.

Put the Sambal Oelek in a large sauce pan on mid-heat and when it sounds like it's getting hot, get the oranges in there and pour 1/4 liter of water on top. Now this little brew has around 30 minutes of mild boiling to do.

While waiting grate the carrot and chop the chilies finely. When these are finished put it in the pan. Don't forget to stir sometimes.

Make green tea of the other 1/2 liter of water. When finished - yes - pour it in the pan!

When this mixture starts to look like marmalade, but too wet and juicy (after about 30-40 minutes of boiling that is) it is time to harden it. Mix the pectin and sugar and stir in bit by bit. Pectin has the nasty habit of showing its effect after the marmalade cools off so you have no chance of knowing if you have the right amounts - but calm down - worst case you have jelly and can use it as dessert or thick lemonade and can serve it with tequila :)

Let this boil with some more heat for 10 minutes. Add honey and lemon juice. And let it boil for a minute or two. (If you like add this with the sugar, it doesn't matter.)


Time for some creativity - or saving what can be saved:
Now here comes a crucial moment: Taste. What did you think. Yak - so sweet! Hmmm... Not too good, hard to fix, but you can try to add some more fruit, water and lemon juice. Not sweet enough - eeeaaasy! More chilies - probably since you chickened out and only took one and skipped the Sambal Olek, right? Keep tasting until you like it...


Serving:
Take 3-4 cans that you have washed (and maybe even had in the oven >100 degrees if you like) and pour the marmalade in. This needs to cool for an hour or so, but I recommend to cut yourself a slice of bread, put some butter and cheese on and taste your hot marmalade right now! BTW - after a day or two it gets it right consistency.

Pasta with Carrot-Soffritto

Pasta is one of my favorite dishes and also a dish that you can make so many variations of that only imagination is the limit! This time I did a super simple soffritto - or for us mortals: a veggie bolognese - based on carrots and tomatoes. And I didn't have too much time so this time I minimized the work but without compromising too much on quality.

Without further ado (serves 2 people):

• olive oil (~1-2 table spoons)
• 3 shallots or 1 yellow onion
• garlic (1-3 cloves)
• some chili or Sambal Olek or Cayenne pepper
  
• 1 pkg of crushed tomatoes (250 g)
  
• some tomato purée (~2 table spoons)
• 1 cube of vegetable stock
• spices (1-2 table spoons of ground basil + 1/2 table spoon of oregano + maybe some time)
  
• 2 dl of crème fraîche (or cream)
• salt and pepper
• 3-4 carrots
• some leek + cheese at serving
  

And action:
I started by chopping the shallots finely (I love my onions/shallots chopped minimalistica) and give the carrots the grater love. Put some water to boil for the pasta - the soffritto takes around 10 minutes to do so time the pasta (fresh pasta = put in boiling water at the same time as you add the carrots, dry pasta = put in boiling water as soon as the water boils).

Heat a pan on medium heat with the olive oil and then add the shallots. After a minute or so add the garlic. If you like it spicy this is where you add the chili /Sambal. Stir while this gets some heat, but no color - when the shallot/onion is semi-transparent but not burned/brown don't give it more heat and time.


Ok. Now add the crushed tomato and tomato purée. Give it a minute or two to acclimatize and then add the vegetable stock. Now for the spices (typically basil, some oregano and time - preferably fresh - but what the hey!); grind them first to get the taste out of them (either with a mortar or just between your fingers - don't over complicate things), then just add to the sauce.

After the spice add the crème fraîche (or if you like the fatty taste do cream). Stir and wait for another minute or two.

Now for the grand finale - add the carrots. When the soffritto is warm again, pour on top of pasta. Then add something green and nice - I had a leek in my kitchen so I used that. Then some Parmesan or other cheese always put some nice spice to it.