Pasta Dough

It's easy. Anybody can do it, and it's so versatile you can use it for anything not just pasta. You can definitely use it for egg rolls as well. Ever since I started learning how to make pasta dough it has been so life changing. All the pasta meals I make tastes so much different from the dry pasta you buy in a box. I'm not hating on the ones that come in a box those are great as well; but it just feels different when you can tell yourself "I literally made this, with my own hands" and then you can feel proud about yourself. 

 Ingredients
1. 1 egg

2. 100 grams of flour 

3. 2 tablespoons of olive oil

4. Pinch of Salt 

Prep Time: Depends on you







Directions
1. Now you want to start off beating your egg. Just beat it up like you were gonna prepare scrambled eggs or something. Next get a bowl and together your flour and your egg

2. Before you mix those two together, add in your olive oil and your salt. Now you can give it a good mix. You can use a wooden spoon if you don't wanna deal with sticky dough getting all over your hands. Just keep giving it a good mix until it forms into a nice yellow dough. 

3. This is the part where you gotta get handsy. Get some flour and dust it onto your board. Put your dough on the board and have it gather up all the flour that's been spread onto the board. You might want to gradually add flour from time to time in case it gets sticky again. Knead for a good 5 to 10 minutes until its a bit firm

4. If you wanna make it or shape it into the ball like you see on the tv, just grab the two ends of the dough and fold it together. Imagine you're looking at a rectangle. Grab the horizontal ends and fold them together, and just keep doing that. The bottom is going to be given a twist so it maintains that circular ball like shape.

                       And there you go. You just learned how to make pasta dough. This is for one portion, meaning 1 egg and 100 grams of flour serves 1 person. If you want to serve more than just one, just double the amount or multiply it by how many people you're serving it to. The great thing about making your own dough is it cooks in under 2 minutes! It's so freaking fast you're gonna love it. Hope this helps and happy new year! 

Dim Sum Style Pork Buns

Errrrbody LOVES dim sum, and If you had a bad experience with it; let me take you out to show you what it's really all about. I grew up on these oven baked Cha Siu buns my whole life. My grandparents would constantly take me out in the morning when I didnt have school and we'd just sip up some tea and order a crap ton of chinese food. I grew up on these lovely buns but I'm going to make the steamed version this time because I haven't figured out how to make the baked version ones. With the left over pork meat that I had from my pork belly you can make a whole variety of stuff. This recipe is easy, even making the dough is easy. 

Ingredients
1. Left over pork meat
2. 1 cup of flour
3. 1/2 cup of milk
4. Pinch of salt
5. 4 tablespoons of hoisin
6. 4 tablespoons of chili sauce 
7. 2 tablespoons of black bean sauce

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 - 14 minutes








Directions

1. Get your cup of flour and your milk and just mix it well until it forms into a dough. Like all other doughs you need to knead that chunk of sticky dough so knead it until it's elastic enough and not sticky to form into small patches. As you're kneading the dough remember to add a bit of flour each time you knead otherwise it'll stay sticky and wet


 2. Once you've kneaded the dough, roll it out until it looks somewhat like a sausage. The diameter of the dough was around 2 inches for mine but as long as you make enough to wrap around your meat it's find. I got my left over park and I added the hoisin, chilli, and black bean sauce to give it that tangy asian flare of flavor. Get a spoonful of that pork and put it in the rolled out dough. Once you put it in, wrap around it. Don't be afraid if its not a perfect balls, that takes a bit of practice


3. Once you're done forming your balls of delicious, that didn't sound right at all. Once you've made your pork buns, get a wok or a  pot. Put in a good amount of water. You're going to be using the water to steam the buns of course. Now I had this sort of tool which allows plates and other stuff to sit on so it can steam properly. If you don't have that, get a bowl facing up and put a plate on top. It works just as good, I've tried.

4. After All that's been set up you're read to cook those buns! Bring the water to the boil and cover the top of your pot/wok. Steam for about 15 minutes. Just in case. And you're ready to eat! Serve it with some hoisin sauce on the side and some crunchy vegetables and you're good to go! It's so good and you can do this with any meat you want. It's just thinking of stuff you can make with the left overs you have.

SuperDelicious. 

Pork Belly Sliders

I had some pork belly at home that was just waiting to be braised and served up but I didn't want it to be served just by itself. At the same time I was really craving something starchy so I found these chinese white sliders that my mom bought from the grocery store. I'm pretty sure they make these little sliders on the streets of Taiwan, they're super popular, and what I've been told from my aunt that every Taiwanese family has their own secret recipe for cooking pork belly. Alright lets go

Ingredients

1. Pork Belly

2. White Wine 

3. 2 Heads of Garlic, Seriously

4. White Steamed Chinese Buns

5. Salt and Pepper

6. Hoisin Sauce 

7. Cilantro 

Prep Time: 5 Min

Cook Time: 3 Hours  

I know, 3 hours is a freaking long time, but as its braising in that white wine and that lovely meaty juices, within those three hours its gonna be so tender, it'll melt in your mouth. It is so worth it just wish there was a faster way to cook this haha. 

Directions

1. First what you want to do is score your meat, meaning use a knife and make diamond shape patterns on your meat. REASON being is that when you season your meat with salt and pepper or whatever seasoning, it'll penetrate the skin easier and flavor the meat inside as well. Remember to Season the top and bottom with Salt and Pepper 

2. Cut 1 head of garlic in half, get a roasting tray or some type of casserole dish and place your garlic heads across from each other or diagonally to each other. What you're going to do is set your pork belly on top of your garlic cloves so that its somewhat above water level, or what we're going to be using is white wine. 

3. After your pork belly on top of your garlic cloves, add in your white wine. Now I really don't have a exact measurement on this but you know, just eye the damn thing. Cooking doesnt need to follow exact measurements, have some fun with it! Don't worry if the white wine is touching the bottom part of the pork, it's totally fine. 

4. Next get some aluminum foil and wrap around the whole thing. Get your oven to 350 degrees F and let it braise for a good 3 hours. If you braise it for even longer it'll be so much flavorsome.

Just steam up those white baos for just 10 minutes and pull off that succulent, melt in your mouth pork belly and stuff it in those sliders. Top it off with some Hoisin Sauce and Cilantro and you are ready to dive in into a taste of heavenly delicious. At the same time I was able to make some gravy on the side with just the left over juices that came off from the pork belly

So there you have it, Pork Belly Sliders with a Side of Gravy. It is not the fastest thing to make i'll be honest, but if you put some love and care into that piece of meat, it could really do wonders you know? It's 2014, and my new years resolution will probably just be cooking more and more...exploring different cultures of food and just see what's out there. Happy New year and hope ya'll are having fun 

Thistakesafreakinglongtime.Easy.Delicious 

 

Chicken Stir Fry

This is by far the cheapest and fastest dish you could ever make in your life. It is so freaking easy and at the same time super cheap. It's only costing you 2 dollars every portion you eat. Everyone wants to order a meal, go back home and relax for the rest of the night, but spending money on a take-away can be 6 dollars or more. You can find egg noodles in any Asian supermarket for a buck fifty, and you can put whatever protein and veggies you want as well, alright lets get started

Ingredients
1. Egg noodles
2. 1/2 Yellow Pepper
3. 1/2 Red Pepper
4. 1 tablespoon of Honey
5. 4 tablespoon of soy sauce
6. 2 teaspoons of sesame oil
7. Lime Juice ( one lime )
8. 2 garlic cloves and cilantro

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 5 - 8 min





Directions
1. First off, mince up your cilantro and your garlic
2. Get your bell peppers, and cut them into strips, remember you're only using half of each
3. Cut your meat into strips, any kind of meat is fine; in this recipe I used chicken
4. Boil up some water and pour it over your egg noodles
5. Get a pan and get it nice and hot, drizzle your olive oil and throw in your minced herbs
6. Throw in  your meat, and cook them off for a good 2 to 3 minutes or until tender
7. At this point throw in everything, your noodles, peppers, soy sauce, honey and sesame oil
8. Toss and cook for the next 6 minutes, in the end add your lime juice and you're ready to serve!


This dish is super easy, it is the best money saving meal you could ever have. Most of the stir fries that I've had all come oily and just bathed in it. When you cook it yourself you actually know what's in it and you have control over it.

Fast.Easy.FreakingDelicious 

Herb Crusted Swai with Tomato Salsa

                Fish can be quite boring, but here's a trick to spice things up and make a cheap cut look and taste expensive. Swai is one of the cheapest white fishes you can buy in the market. They go for 2 to 3 dollars per pound and its just perfect for cooking in college or if you're on a budget. This type of fish doesn't have the fishy taste like most cuts do but this is very low in calories as well as cholesterol. If seasoned properly it can taste wonderful, you can get frozen packages of in most asian markets as well as your local supermarkets, alright here we go!

Ingredients
1. 1 Fillet of Swai
2. 1 cup of cherry tomatos
3. 2 tablespoons of balsamic
4. Parsley
5. Bread crumbs/ Panko Crumbs
6. Parmesan Cheese 
7. Olive oil
8. Salt and Pepper for seasoning

Prep Time: 8 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes





Directions
1. Get your Swai and cut in into whatever size fillets you want. Set that aside and cut in halves your cherry tomatos. Chop up some parsley, and put it in a blender with your bread/panko crumbs with some grated parmsesan cheese. Blend it together and now you've got your green herbed crust ready, not that everything is prepped get your pan to medium heat and drizzle in some olive oil.

2. You want to color your fish not boil it so make sure your pan isnt drenched in a ton of olive oil. Lay the fish away from you so that the oil doesn't bounce up to hit your hand. Cook each side for 2 minutes. Set aside your fish and in another pan throw in your tomatoes and cook em for about 2 minutes, add your balsamic vinegar and reduce

3. Put together your swai and add the tomato salsa on top of it. Add your herb bread crumbs on top and set it in the oven for around 5 minutes at 350 degrees. Once your five minutes have past your fish is cooked and ready to serve!

Such a cheap piece of fish but still anybody is able to turn it into a great dish with just a few simple ingredients. Hope this helps you save time cooking as everyone is going through finals week!

Fast.Easy.SimplyDelicious 

Arancini

              I had some risotto rice left over from the other day as well as some mozzarella cheese left from pizza as well. Arancini are basically fried rice balls that are coated with bread crumbs. They're usually filled with meat sauce, tomato sauce, mozzarella or peas. You can easily make this if you have some left over fried rice or just regular rice as well. It's a very carb based meal and great when you're stressing balls out through finals week. Alright so here we go!

Ingredients
1. Left over risotto rice
2. Grated parmesan cheese
3. 1 egg
4. Bread crumbs/Panko crumbs
5. Left over mozz cheese
6. 2 cloves of garlic
7. 4 tbspns of tomato sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes 






Directions
1. Lay out your rice onto a plate. Crack and whisk one egg. Pour the whisked egg into the layed out rice. Next grate some parmesan cheese and put it into your rice. Now time to get dirty and mix it all together. Using your hands will probably be more effective than using a fork to do the work. You can put in some chopped parsley as well but that's optional 

2. Next get your mozerella cheese and roll them up with  your rice. You want to form golf or ping pong sized balls. Give them a good roll and set them aside. Get your bread crumbs/panko crumbs and give them a nice coating. One you got your coating done, get a pan and put it on medium heat. Get your olive oil and fry them on each side for 2 minutes or until they're to a color to your liking

3. Once you've got that nice golden color, put them in the oven for a good 10 minutes at 350 degrees. As they're in the oven you can make the sauce that can go with this dish as well. 
In another pan over medium heat, and drizzle in some olive oil. sweat off your garlic and add your tomato sauce together. Now you got your sauce done! So simple....

So there you have it, one of the most delicious italian dishes you can make with your left over food! Saves you plenty of money and you get to do something with your left overs, which a lot of people normally don't do. 

Fast.Easy.SimplyDelicious 

Spaghetti bolognese

                    Spaghetti bolognese is one of the classic Italian dishes. It's a pasta dish that's just smothered in this delicious meat sauce. I wanted to add some things in this sauce in order to make it a bit finer than the original taste of bolognese. This was such a great comfort food that you can make. I feel like pasta is one of the best things you can make on a cold winter day. Normally bolognese will use red to make the sauce but instead, i'm going to replace red wine with white wine as well as adding something you would normally NEVER add to a italian sauce, fish sauce! That's right, fish sauce is a condiment that's used in a lot of asian cuisine. This type of condiment will help boost the meaty or umami flavors that comes from this meat sauce! Alright lets begin

Ingredients
1. Beef Mince 0.4 pounds
2. 1 onion grated
3. 2 carrots grated
4. White wine
5. 3 tablespoons of worchestor sauce
6. 3 cloves of garlic
7. 3 tablespoons of fish sauce
8. 1/2 cup of milk
9. Salt and Pepper to Taste








Prep Time: 8 minutes
Cook Time: 10 - 15 minutes

Directions
1. First grate your onion and your carrot. If you don't have a grater it's okay, just finely dice up your carrots and your onions. Next chop up your garlic and put all those veggies in a bowl. Remember when you cook you want to have a clean top. Don't forget to season with salt and pepper. Now get your skillet on medium heat and throw in your veggies. At this stage you want to just sweat out your onions and carrots not brown them. 

2. Next throw in your beef mince. Honestly you can use however much you want, I just used around half a pound because my friends took some of my food...anyway. Throw in your meat and season with salt and pepper. Next season with worchestor sauce. 

3. After 5 minutes of cooking, deglaze your pan with some white wine. Deglazing means just you're diluting the vegetable and meat juices that are stuck in the pan so you get more flavor. Next add in your fish sauce, this will give your beef an elemental boost of flavor. Cook that out for about 3 minutes and let the alcohol reduce. 

4. Once the alcohol has been reduced add in your cup of milk and give it a mix. The milk with give it just a little lift and make it a bit creamier. You can add a can of tomatoes if you want but thats optional and for me I didn't have any at the time. If you want to cook your sauce a bit longer you can. The longer you cook your beef, the more softer when you bite into it. 

Now just serve that sauce up with your favorite pasta and then you're done! Actually nevermind. This dish might need a bit more umpf. Get that parmasean reggioano and grate that shiz over that pasta sauce. It just goes hand in hand. It's like a perfect marriage. Well there you go, my version of Spaghetti bolognese with some stuff taken out/added into it

Fast.Easy.Absolutely Delicious