Mushroom Creamy Pasta

I hope 2009 brings with me new recipes and motivates me further in participating in blog events I truly love and enjoy.

Well, cream-based pasta is not new, yes. But it is relatively new for me when it appears on my dinner table since I am definitely a tomato-based pasta person - Ragu sauce, Bolognese, Arrabiata...always my preferred.

So here I am, having a go at cream-based pasta.

Mushroom Creamy Pasta
Ingredients: pasta, butter, olive oil, onions, fresh mushrooms, herbs (oregano), freshly ground black pepper, whole milk, cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Butter and oil saute pan
2. Add onions and saute till soft
3. Add in mushrooms and saute till onions caramelize and mushrooms before soft
4. Add in some freshly ground black pepper and herbs
5. Before adding in cooked pasta to mix with, add in milk. Simmer, then add in cooked pasta and stir till sauce reduced
6. Top with cheddar cheese (or any melting cheese)


As you see, I like to serve my pasta with Chinese vegetables. Ha ha!

Now I have overcome my fear of cooking cream-based pasta. I used to think it will always turn out lumpy and dry because of the milk and cheese but no, I am wrong. It can be moist and saucy too! Yay! Just make sure to serve immediately and don't leave it to cool down.

Tag: pasta, mushroom, cream based pasta

Buttered Mushrooms with Onion and Herbs

Anyone dislikes mushrooms over here ? Ever since I started buying and using fresh mushrooms in my cooking when I was in the United States, I find it hard to resist fresh mushrooms while I was in Taiwan or now when I'm back in Singapore. Not as if I have not eaten fresh mushrooms before since birth in Singapore. It's just that my association with mushrooms when I was younger was either dried shitake mushrooms or canned button mushrooms. Dried shitake mushrooms are still good for flavoring broths and braising with chicken while canned mushrooms can really come in handy when putting up a dish such as Mui Fan or Braised Noodles or when you really do not have the time to wipe-clean the mushrooms and slice or cut them.

Fresh mushrooms are really what I love when I cook pasta and stir-frys.



Buttered Mushrooms with Onion and Herbs
Ingredients:
some butter, olive oil, 1 red onion thinly sliced, fresh mushrooms(I used a mixture of white and brown), oregano, salt, freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Butter and oil saute pan
2. Add red onions and saute till soft, dash some salt
3. Add in mushrooms and saute till onions caramelize and mushrooms turn soft
4. Add in freshly ground black pepper and herbs



Tag: mushrooms, buttered mushrooms

Beef and Mushrooms in Light Curry Sauce

Remember I had these mushrooms? I transformed them to a lightly spiced dish using curry powder! WT *...*...(muted) ?! Curry powder ?

Yes...yes..I'm so excited to share this with you. I found that by adding some curry powder to this stir fry, it simply became a new dish for me.


Spiced Beef and Assorted Japanese Mushrooms
Ingredients: Ground beef, half a onion- sliced and chopped finely, assorted mushrooms, 1tbsp oyster sauce, 2tsp curry powder (Note: depending on how strong a curry flavor you want but do not use too much or it will become a full-blown curry beef dish- as in...too much goopy gravy)

Directions:
1. In lightly oiled pan, add in onions to saute and when slightly softened (half way to "translucence"), add in beef and the mushrooms and fry them in the pan (low-medium heat)
2. Add 1tbsp oyster sauce, then ~2 tsp curry powder and mix well
3. Add some water(not too much), let it simmer on low heat till the mushrooms become more tender and till the sauce reduce (Note: Since this is intentionally not a curry beef dish that will have lots of gravy, I was mindful about just keeping the dish...moist. In addition, the curry powder is supposed to add just that hint of curry spice flavor but not to overpower the taste of beef and mushrooms)


Isn't that simple? Delicious. Simply delicious.

Tag: mushrooms, beef

Stir Fry Pasta or Warm Pasta Salad - vegetables and mushrooms version

If you have some mushroom and vegetables leftovers, you can boil some pasta the next day, and toss them into a warm pasta salad sans the cheese or other garnishes. It should be fine when the vegetables (leftovers) are typically the non-leafy variety such as celery and carrots.

Or if you intentionally want to have leftovers so that next day is an easier day, try not to have this intentional action with green leafy vegetables overnight since they all lose its charm and appeal the next day. Leftover greens will only turn out mushy the next day. Yucks!

When you do not have leftovers...good for you! I cooked a similar mushroom and vegetable dish before. I did it again and this time, stir fry pasta in them. Call it a warm pasta salad, if it fits to be one. It is a one-dish meal, for sure.

Stir Fry Pasta with Mushrooms and Vegetables/Warm Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
- 2 stems of celery, washed and cut into small pieces
- 1 carrot, washed and cut into small pieces or into very thin shreds
- 1-2 sliced red chili, cleaned with seeds removed
- Fresh mushrooms (I use king trumpet, shitake, honshimeiji), cleaned and cut close to size/shape of the vegetables
- 1-2 garlic gloves, sliced thinly
- some ground pork ~ option (Note: If you are vegetarian, you can omit this)
- some white pepper
- pasta, cooked according to instructions (reserve some pasta water for later)

Seasoning:
-2 tsp soy sauce
-1 tbsp oyster sauce (Note: If vegetarian, opt for vegetarian alternative)
- water/stock, adjust accordingly

Directions:
1. In a lightly oiled pan, fry the garlic till fragrant, then add celery, carrots and red chili, followed by mushrooms and meat
2. Fry and mix well in the pan (~5-7mins) then add water and seasoning. Allow it to simmer till vegetables and mushrooms are tender and cooked
3. Dash in white pepper to enhance the aroma
4. When ready to serve, add in pasta, mix well and add in a little pasta water if too dry (Note: this dish does not have much gravy/sauce, similar to Chinese stir-fry noodles...moist but yet not too wet)


Tag: noodles, stir fry pasta, one dish

Beef and Oyster Mushroom Fusili with Bok Choy - western with a pinch of Chinese

Beef and Oyster Mushrooms Fusili
Ingredients:
Carrots, onions, can of tomatoes, oyster mushroom, ground beef/pork, salt and pepper to taste, bok choy (blanched), pasta cooked according to instructions

Directions:
1. In a lightly oiled pan, sauce the onions and carrots, and when they are partially tender(soft), add in meat and mushrooms, followed by tomatoes (Remember?...some good oil is good for carrots and tomatoes)
2. Let this cook at medium heat and when start to simmer, turn to low heat and continue to let it simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Note: For a little variation, you can add in some curry powder so you get a light curried tomato-based sauce)



3. When the sauce and gravy partially reduced and all the ingredients are cooked, add in pasta and mix well
4. Before serving, turn off the heat, you can add in bok choy(already blanched) and mix into pasta or just serve the bok choy around the pasta.


Instead of using broccoli or spinach often seen in Western pasta dishes, I think alternating with bok choy is a great idea. At least, it works for me. Now, I can have tomato-based pasta with Chinese vegetables! Yay!


Tag: pasta, one dish

Pasta with Mushroom and Beef in Lightly Spiced Sauce

"Fusili with Mushrooms and Beef in a Lightly Spiced Sauce " sounds like a traffic throng in the tongue, but the ingredients and cooking are SIMPLE, really. Finished by a unique touch of spice - Asian curry powder. Now...that's even crazier than adding oyster and Japanese mushrooms into a pasta dish.


Fusili with Mushrooms and Beef in a Lightly Spiced Sauce
Ingredients: Ground beef; half a onion- sliced and chopped finely; assorted mushrooms; can of diced tomatoes; 2tsp curry powder (or more depending on how strong a curry flavor you want but note: do not use too much or it will become curry beef - as in with too much gravy); fusili, cooked according to instructions


Directions:
1. In lightly oiled pan, add in onions to saute and when slightly soften (half way to "translucence"), add in tomatoes, then ground beef and mushrooms. Will take about 3-5mins for things to "soften" a little (to be cooked)
2. Add ~2 tsp curry powder and mix well
3. Add some water/stock, allow it to simmer on low heat
4. Before serving, add in boiled/cooked pasta in the pan of sauce and mix well


Crazy but simple, isn't it? :D Not too fiery...just mildly spicy.

Tag: pasta, one dish

Cooking tips - tender juicy minced meat

Tips on getting juicy tender minced pork:
1. The technique is almost similar to twice-cooked pork 回锅肉. If there are other ingredients to be cooked with the pork. Fry the pork first to just partial cook them and release the "oils and flavor"
2. These "oils and flavor" will then be absorbed by the other ingredients and these ingredients will be infused with pork flavor
3. For a dish that needs lots of gravy and juicy tender pork bits like the above, add in desired seasoning + water, and allow low simmering heat + steams of water to actually cook/braise the pork. Cooking minced/ground pork over high heat (hot oil) for an extended period will overcook the pork and make it tough (not juicy anymore)

Read more here.

Confessing a Mushroom Love - room for mushy love

Mushrooms, mushrooms....mushh....Vrrrrrooooooooom!

From left: oyster, velvet pioppino, cloud ear or wood ear(black fungus), coral

I was pleased - first, it came in an assortment; second, it looks "special". In face of new, unfamiliar stuff, I tend to be very fickle. That is why I go for sample brews when visiting a brew house and precisely for the same reason - this pack of pre-selected mushrooms variety. Now I do not have to decide - which variety, which pack, which one...I can try all at the same time!

Mushrooms are often meat substitutes for vegetarians partially due to its inherent woody and earthy flavor, being a good source of protein.

Golden Oyster - 珊瑚菇 (pronounced ShanHu Gu, literally means coral mushrooms)

Also known as Golden Oyster Spore Syringe (botanical name: Pleurotus citrinopileatus) or jade emperor mushrooms. These mushrooms grow in clusters of small, thin fleshed, funnel-shaped bright yellow caps. The flavor improves with thorough cooking

Velvet Pioppino or cinnamon cap mushroom - a Matsutake variety. Other names: brown swordbelt. Chinese names: 松茸 or 松菇

These mushrooms have intense rich flavor and maintain slight crisp texture in the stems and caps after cooking.

Tree oyster mushroom (botanical name: Pleurotus ostreatus) or sometimes known as abalone mushrooms.

These oyster mushrooms have a fleshy texture with mild delicate earthy flavor.

There is more mushroom reading at Dried Mushrooms, Food Subs and Wiki. In addition, a few WHB weeks ago, I posted on mushrooms - shitake, trumpet, beech and had a few good mushroom recipes for you. Do check them out.

Now, do you have any more room to confess your mushy love for mushrooms ? Which variety do you like best ?

Tag: mushrooms

One pot rice with chicken and shitake mushrooms

Dinner! ...It's oyster sauce-flavored chicken

A countable few slices of abalone

plus mini-shitake mushrooms (added while braising oyster sauce chicken wings)

Shitake mushrooms as cute and mini as raisins

then cooked (and warmed) just like another dish (the next day)

Rice-cooker meal for the busy executives

In short, I make oyster sauce chicken quite often. Sometimes, I will add shitake mushrooms to this recipe, cook double the quantity and keep the leftovers to be re-heated with rice the next day. This is usually what I do - whenever I steam ginger chicken, braise sesame oil and ginger chicken or chicken with assorted mushrooms. Ahhh...and the miracles of the rice-cooker. If you have followed my blog, you should also have noticed that I seldom do fried rice on a wok/pan. Rice cooker - one of the most basic kitchen appliances - allows me to have "fried" rice the easy peasy way. These Tom Yum Fried Rice, or Cabbage and Char Siew Fried Rice, are miracles from a basic (2-button: cook and warm) rice cooker.

I kid you not.

Tag: chicken, mushroom, rice

Shitake, trumpet, beech, mushrooms in triple colors

I felt like this dish today. Something light and familiar. Familiar because I've always had the "privilege" to just sit down and enjoy this simple and tasty dish back home. Now, I need to do all the work, from the vegetable preparation (cleaning, slicing, cutting - this takes the most time!) to the "wokking".


It is homely satisfaction to be able to pick up each bit-and-piece using the chopsticks and nibble greedily; or using a spoon to devour by the scoop-fuls :D

A healthy colorful combination of celery, carrots, sliced red chili...


and mushrooms (a variety of fresh king trumpet, shitake and honshimeiji mushrooms)

Cut the king trumpet mushrooms and shitake into smaller pieces

Mushrooms Medley with Triple-Colored Vegetables
Ingredients:
- 2 stems of celery, washed and cut into small pieces
- 1 carrot, washed and cut into small pieces or into very thin shreds
- 1-2 sliced red chili, cleaned with seeds removed
- Fresh mushrooms fresh (I use king trumpet, shitake, honshimeiji), cleaned and cut close to size/shape of the vegetables
- 1-2 garlic gloves, sliced thinly
- some ground pork ~ option (Note: If you are vegetarian, you can omit this)
- some white pepper

Seasoning:
-2 tsp soy sauce
-1 tbsp oyster sauce (Note: If vegetarian, opt for vegetarian alternative)
- water/stock, adjust accordingly

Directions:
1. In a lightly oiled pan, fry the garlic till fragrant, then add celery, carrots and red chili, followed by mushrooms and meat
2. Fry and mix well in the pan (~3-5mins) then add water and seasoning. Allow it to simmer till vegetables and mushrooms are tender and cooked, mixing well in the process
3. Finally, just a dash of white pepper to enhance the aroma

Good with rice and even as-is!


Is there anyone who does not like celery ? I like to use them in soups and stir fries. And how do you describe the taste of celery ? It's unique, isn't it ? Now, this dish has got a taste of fresh vegetables and light earthiness of mushrooms. It's a mildly sweet dish combined with savory seasoning, and celebration of wonderful textures ~ from light crisp of perfectly-cooked celery bits to the tender of mushrooms.

More mushrooms bits at Teczcape - An Escape to Food, and more mushroom recipes ...


Fresh shitake mushrooms - Chinese Stuffed Mushrooms

Honshimeji/Beech Mushrooms - Braised Tofu with Pureed Spinach and Mushrooms

Fresh Shitake and Oyster Mushrooms -Simple Chinese Stir Fry Mushrooms

Enoki Mushrooms - Steamed Cold Fish Rolls



Tag: mushrooms

Pork with Tofu, Shrimps, and Mushrooms

Imagine. Dream. Fantasize...the juicy texture of perfectly cooked ground pork, the springy bite in those shrimps, and soft silky tofu - oh, will they ever fight for "who's best" ? Their co-existence goes far without much elaboration. A burst of flavor and texture nuances that are never in conflict - that's a home-kept recipe of Pork with Tofu, Shrimps, and Mushrooms.


There are many ways to cook and vary this dish and this is my homemade version of Pork with Tofu, Shrimps, and Mushrooms. Using the essence of pork, earthy flavor of mushrooms, and that seafood unami in shrimps, combined with the soft silky texture of tofu - multiple flavors and texture profiles but never a single misfit.

Pork with Tofu, Shrimps, and Mushrooms
Ingredients:
-1/4 lb minced/ground pork
-4-6 medium size shrimps/prawns, diced to small pieces, as shown
-2-3 shitake mushrooms, diced to small pieces, as shown
-1 small box silken tofu, cubed to bite size
-2 stalks scallions, cut to small pieces (Note: separating the bottom "white" harder scallion -portions and the "remaining green")
-1tsp dried shrimps (Note: secret ingredient for this dish)
-3 gloves garlic, sliced thin
- 1tsp crush ginger
-1tsp oyster sauce
-salt and white pepper
-water, adjust accordingly

Directions:
1. Heat 1tbsp oil in frying pan. At low-medium heat, add sliced garlic, ginger, white portions of the scallions and fry quickly till fragrant (爆香有 三 宝: 葱 , 姜, 蒜 一 样 都不能少). Then add dried shrimps and fry till fragrant. Once fragrant, add pork - using the frying ladle to "disintegrate" the pork (Note: prevent clumping) and turn down the heat so that the pork will not toughen and become rubbery under high heat. (Tip: to prevent overcooking in pork, you can also dish up pork and set aside)
2. Add in shrimps and mushrooms, mix well. Pinch of salt. Once the shrimps turn color (to pink), add in tofu, oyster sauce and water that sufficiently covers the 3/4 of the ingredients mixture in the pan
3. Allow low heat simmering for about 5-8mins. (Note: If you have set aside the pork earlier on, add in halfway during this simmering process and continue to let it simmer for the rest of the duration. The pork will be cook through in the entire simmering process)
4. Once the sauce starts to reduce, generously dash in white pepper
5. When almost ready to be dish up, add in green portions of the scallions, mix well, turn off heat

Serve immediately...best with steamed rice.

You may have never thought...pork and shrimps can harmonize so well!

Also check out shrimps mixed with ground chicken in these fried beancurd skin rolls, and fish mixed with shrimps in these cabbage rolls. Shrimps are so sociable, are they not? :P

P.S I did not cook this over the weekend but I wrote this post over the weekend - makes it a Weekend Snapshot for me :P It was voting weekend in Taiwan and we wanted to stay at home in the event of any protests or riots happening along the streets!

Tag: prawns, shrimps, tofu,pork

Stuffed mushrooms

Tips on mushrooms: I used fresh shitake mushrooms for this recipe. Dried shitake mushrooms would not work so well since the dried version usually have a strong pungent smell (even after soaking). When shopping for fresh shitake mushrooms, I make sure there are minimal blemishes on the mushroom caps. If you buy them loose, one way to store them (if you are not using them on the same day) when you reach home is to put them in tall brown paper bags with a few small holes intentionally created on the paper bags. The mushrooms needs to breathe. Do not keep for too long (maximum a week for me) as the inherent moisture in the mushroom tend to evaporate and completely dry out the freshness in the mushrooms. That's why mushrooms grown in a mushroom farm need to be grown in the dark, and maintained at a cool temperature with suitable humidity.



Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients:
- Fresh shitake mushrooms (Note: get medium or large size mushroom to allow room for stuffing), wipe clean with damp paper/kitchen towel. Remove stem, keep the caps
-1 lb or slightly less of minced pork
- 1tsp grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced finely
- 1 stalks scallions/spring onions, chop into small bits
- 2tsp oyster sauce + 2-3tbsp water (pre-mixed)
- some sugar, salt and pepper to taste

Stuffing Seasoning:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2tbsp corn flour or 1/4 of beaten egg
- 1tsp grated ginger + its juice
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp cooking wine
- 1-2 stalks scallions/spring onions, chop into small pieces
-salt and pepper, to taste
(Note: The seasoning used is almost similar to the one I used in Stewed Lions Head-狮子头)

Directions:
1. Mix pork with seasoning ingredients, make into meat balls (~3cm diameter for each). You can also use a tablespoon (Note: best you have a Chinese porcelain soup spoon) to make the stuffing
2. Place/stuff the meat mixture onto the mushrooms caps, and coat the surface of the stuffing on mushroom with some cornflour (Note: this will keep the stuffing intact on the mushroom, and give a "protective" coating on the stuffing when frying. Also, the meat mixture will not "disintegrate" while frying)
3. Add oil to pan, and at medium heat - with the stuffing-meat mixture facing down, add the mushooms(remember - stuffing face down!) into the oil (Note: the stuffed mushroom should be just partially submerged in the hot oil. This is not pure deep-frying) and fry for ~2mins. *The meat is still not cooked
4. Set side the partially fried stuffed mushrooms

















5. Discard frying oil, just keep one tbsp remaining for further cooking and simmering later
6. To the oil, add some garlic, green onion and ginger and fry till fragrant
7. Add oyster sauce + water to make the gravy/sauce. Add a little brown sugar, salt and white pepper, add in the stuffed mushrooms (Note: slowly and stuffing face down), and allow the stuffed mushrooms to simmer and cook. After ~5 mins, flip them to the other side. Make sure the mushrooms are submerged in the simmering gravy/broth
8. Allow the gravy/broth to reduce and after about 8-10 mins, the stuffed mushrooms should be cooked through
9. You can serve them with steamed rice; and especially when done this way (fry+slow simmering), you can even serve them as a warm appetizer or a light entree main course

Alternatively, you can absolutely steam these "precious" after steps (1)-(2), without going through the hassle of (3)-(8).

However, it's a different texture and taste you are going to get. Whichever way you choose, these savory stuffed mushrooms would be such a delight on the dining table when it's so flavorful and juicy.



A protein-packed and delicious entree main course! So juicy, succulent, and yummy...

Tag: mushrooms, stuffed mushrooms

Braised Tofu Beancurd with Spinach and Mushrooms - Three Storey Tofu

Braised Tofu/Beancurd with Pureed Spinach and Bumashimeiji(Honshimeiji) Mushrooms

Ingredients:
-1 block tofu (medium or silken),
-1cup chopped spinach, blanched
-1.5oz bumashimeiji(honshimeiji) mushrooms

Sauce:
-1/2cup water
-2tsp oyster sauce
-1tsp dark soya sauce
-1tsp brown sugar

Directions:
1. Place chopped spinach on top of tofu blocks and steam of 5 minutes (Note: drain off some moisture in the tofu after steaming)
2. Cut spinach topped tofu cut into serving size (and gently fry in hot oil till golden brown. Drain well, set aside


3. With a little oil, add mushromms and fry.
4. Mix ingredient for sauce together and add to mushroom mixture, adjust amount of water (add more) if too salty (adjust to taste), then allow sauce to reduce
5. Add a little cornflur to thicken sauce, and pour over spinach tofu
6. Serve immediately



Even the sight of this pleases me....


Tag: mushrooms, vegetarian

Minced Pork Soba with Wontons

Soba

+


Wontons

+

Minced pork with black vinegar


= y

Let me score that for you...Minced Pork Soba with Wontons !


Maths is straightforward. 1+1 = 2 and nothing else (don't tell me it's eleven, please?)
Don't agree? Give me your answer for y then.


It was such a pleasant surprise. The nutty flavor of soba blends well with the minced pork sauce concocted here. Check out that recipe. For making wontons, you can check it out here.


Tag: wonton, boiled dumplings, minced pork, linguine

Shitake and oyster mushroom medley stir fry

Mushroom medley stir-fry
Ingredients: Mushrooms, garlic, vegetarian oyster sauce
Directions: Heat some oil and saute minced garlic till fragrant. Add in mushrooms, and fry till soften. Add in some vegetarian oyster sauce, mix well and dish up to serve.


Tag: mushrooms, vegetarian