Tag Archives: cooking

Nathalie Gourmet taught me how to cook pasta!

2 months back I attended my very first cooking class at Nathalie Gourmet and the experience was wonderful and fun.
I had such a great time in the entire four hours although I have to wake up real early.

And the best part besides learning how to cook is to have Nathalie Arbefeuille to taught me how to cook!
I was extremely nervous and excited upon seeing her!

I signed up for pasta class on a Sunday morning for Rm180 and what I get to learn was ‘Roasted Vegetables and Mozzarella Raviolis Tomato and Basil Emulsion’ and ‘Tagliatelles with Wild Mushrooms Porcini Emulsion’ pastas.

20130528-140136.jpg
#1 This is Nathalie the chef briefing us on both the dishes that we signed up for.

20130528-140202.jpg
#2 Initially I thought I will only be taught on how to make pasta sauces but turns out I get to learn how to make a pasta from scratch. Farina ’00’ is the type of flour you need to use for your pasta.

20130528-140221.jpg
#3 Fully equipped kitchen!

20130528-140240.jpg
#4 Cracking eggs for pasta dough.

Ingredients for pasta dough:

350g pasta flour typo 00
3 full eggs
4 yolks
10g salt

20130528-140321.jpg
#5 Whole peeled tomatoes.

20130528-140337.jpg
#6 Nathalie explaining to us what a bouquet of garni consists of.

20130528-140351.jpg
#7 Baking the eggplants for ravioli stuffing.

20130528-140428.jpg
#8 Sauteing mushrooms for tagliatelles pasta.

20130528-140443.jpg
#9 Sauteing onions with butter for raviolis.

20130528-140457.jpg
#10 This is a momotaro tomato which was used in the making of ravioli and why momotaro tomato is because they taste sweeter instead of the usual sour taste.

20130528-140527.jpg
#11 Handling 3 pots at once.

20130528-140543.jpg
#12 A bunch of basil thrown into a pot of tomato puree.

20130528-140602.jpg
#13 Getting a touch of the pasta dough so that we know if our pasta will be made right when we do it at home.

20130528-140617.jpg
#14 Pasta cant be done without a pasta machine unless you’re willing to use a roller which will not give you the same consistency. I bought mine at Rm65 at Hock Choon.

20130528-140632.jpg
#15 After the whole process, there’s a little drying to do.

20130528-140650.jpg
#16 Dry it for 5 minutes or so. A wet pasta dough is a no no!

20130528-140705.jpg
#17 Ravioli in the making.

20130528-140720.jpg
#18 Tomato paste for ravioli stuffing.

20130528-140733.jpg
#19 Nathalie explaining to us on how we should wrap our ravioli.

20130528-140755.jpg
#20 Tomato paste, baked eggplant, mozzarella cheese, and basil leaves. Yums!

20130528-140838.jpg
#21 Perfect! After it’s done, the raviolis have to be kept in the freezer for a while for it to dry.

I tried making the exact same dish on Fatty’s birthday and the reason why my ravioli was such a failure was because I kept the raviolis in the fridge instead of freezer!
In the end all those raviolis stuck together and were inseparable because the fillings were wet.
I learned my lesson the hard way, MUST PUT IN FREEZER!

20130528-140856.jpg
#22 While we wait for the raviolis to freeze, we prepared the tagliatelles.

20130528-140907.jpg
#23 Once the raviolis are dried up in the freezer, bring it to boil, seive it and coat with butter. The best butter in town now is Lescure, for only Rm10! That’s the butter Fatty raved about in Melbourne and now we have it here just starting last year. How great! :D

20130528-140921.jpg
#24 Giving our raviolis a final touch.

20130528-140935.jpg
#25 IT WAS SO GOOD! There isn’t any meat in this dish but still taste pleasantly well.

20130528-140949.jpg
#26 After savouring our raviolis, we went back to the kitchen and prepared duck liver. Easy preparation, no oil is needed. Just put it on a pan and that’s about it.

20130528-141026.jpg
#27 End product of Tagliatelles with wild mushrooms and porcini emulsion with foie gras.

There’re a few types of classes you can take at Nathalie’s Gourmet, cooking class, baking class, kids cooking class or demo class which is the cheapest because you won’t get to try.

I’d say the classes at Nathalie’s was absolutely worth it because for Rm180 I get two recipes (one which is from a three Michelin star chef!), I get to learn it from Nathalie the great chef and at the end of the day I get to eat both the dishes.
Both fine dine quality pastas! With a piece of foie gras!!
How is that not worth it!?

I’ll definitely be taking more classes in the future when I see any suitable classes and when I have the time.:)
I bet baking classes are just as nice but too bad I couldn’t go for it as I have no oven at home. Meh.

Do look into their website for a list of classes you can attend.

NATHALIE GOURMET
Block A4 – Unit A4-1-5 – Solaris Dutamas
Jalan Dutamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur
T: +603 6207 9572
contact@nathaliegourmetstudio.com

How to : Mushroom Risotto

Just another dish I learned to cook to feed Fatty and I during my stay in Melbourne.
Quite an easy dish but a little patience is needed.


#1 Ingredients.

A can of campbell chicken broth
1/2 cup of Arborio rice
Garlic
Cuttlefish
Mushroom
1/5 cup of White wine
Mixed herbs
Butter
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste


#2 First, you melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in garlic and saute until fragrant.


#3 In a saucepan, warm the chicken broth.


#4 Add in cuttlefish…


#5 and mushrooms and cook until soft.


#6 Add in Arborio rice and coat it with olive oil for about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in the white wine and constantly stir it until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup by 1/2 cup of broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Stir continuously the entire time until the rice is al dante or for about 20 minutes.


#7 Stir in mixed herbs and parmesan cheese if you wish. Finally season with salt and pepper to taste.


#8 Final product of my mushroom risotto.

I would prefer using chicken than cuttlefish but that’s what I’ve got in the fridge at that moment, so cuttlefish it is.
I was also stingy on my mushrooms and next time I’m gonna try mixing different types of mushrooms.

Chopped garlic, mushrooms, meats, or even shallots, you can add in base on your preference.
Have fun cooking! :)

How to : Japanized Pasta

This was one of the first few dishes that I learned when I was at Melbourne.
This is also one of Fatty’s favorite dish, he loves it. :D

Think of Japanized pasta as Pasta Zanmai’s pasta and you will get the picture.
Taste incredible while it’s incredibly easy to make, this is a winner.


#1 Ingredients.

Minced garlic
Spinach
Matsutake mushroom or you can use mix mushrooms depending on your liking
Mussels
Mentsuyu sauce
Japanese sesame dressing
Spaghetti


#2 Bring water to boil, add in vegetable oil, salt, and spinach. Do the same for spaghetti on another pot.

Was supposed to use bacon but since I had mussels around, so I substitute it with mussels instead.
When spinach is soft, bring it out from the pot.
Cut spinach and bacon equally.


#3 Add in olive oil into pan, follow by minced garlic, mussels (bacon), mushroom, and spinach.


#4 Saute for a while before pouring pasta into the pan. Next add in mentsuyu, probably about half a cup.

It is entirely up to your preference as to how much mentsuyu to add in but do it the wet style and pour in more.
Finally add in Japanese sesame dressing as per your liking too.


#5 Boil yourself a hard boiled egg and add it on top of your pasta.

Feel free to add in chili flakes and dry seaweed if you wish, definitely taste better in my opinion.

So if you’re wondering what Mentsuyu is, it is a soup base or soup stock mostly use for udon or soba.
Buying Mentsuyu in Melbourne was as easy as pie, I could easily grab one from Asian grocery store.
But back here, it took me awhile to finally found it. Forget about supermarkets like Giant and Jusco unless I carelessly skipped the bottle of sauce.
I’m not sure where else have it but I bought mine from Empire Shopping Gallery’s supermarket for about Rm15 per bottle.

If you ever try it, let me know if it’s good. :)

Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce and Garlic Chicken with White Wine Sauce.

Just a quick post to share the recipes which I’ve mentioned earlier on.

Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce from Martha Stewart.

Poached eggs in tomato sauce.

Poached eggs in tomato sauce.

Ingredients.

  • 1 can (28 ounces) whole plum tomatoes – I bought one can diced tomatoes. 
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes – Skipped this. 
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 4 large eggs
  • 4 slices toasted country bread, for serving
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving – And this too because Fatty is on diet. 

 Directions directly from Martha Stewart’swebsite.

1. Transfer tomatoes and their juices to the jar of a blender. Blend until tomatoes are coarsely chopped; set aside.
     ( I skipped this first step because I do not have a blender at home and I don’t mind eating chunkier tomatoes, so it’s entirely up to you on how you wanna cook your meal.)

2. In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add tomato sauce and bring to a boil; season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

3. Gently crack eggs into tomato mixture, cover, and let cook 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, uncover, and let stand 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Transfer each egg to a piece of toast. Spoon over sauce, garnish with cheese, and season with salt and pepper; serve immediately.

I cant seem to turn my eggs into poached eggs, as usual and I dislike this fact!
So I didn’t really take the effort to even poach it this time, I just want my lunch that’s all. Hah.

A very very simple dish that’s healthy, fuss free, and not to mention that it tasted good.
Try this if you’re planning to impress someone or if you’re mad hungry. You’ll prolly get the same satisfaction. :)

Garlic Chicken with White Wine Sauce. 

Garlic chicken with white wine sauce.

Garlic chicken with white wine sauce.

Ingredients. 

  • 1 4-pound whole chicken, cut into eight parts
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2-3 whole heads of garlic, cloves separated (40 cloves) but not peeled
  • Olive oil
  • 1 1/4 cup dry white wine, such as a Sauvignon Blanc
  • 3 large sprigs of fresh tarragon
  • 3 large sprigs of fresh thyme

Directions from Simply Recipes.

1. Lightly smash the garlic cloves with the side of a heavy chef’s knife, just enough to break the cloves. Leave peel on.

2. Trim the chicken pieces of excess fat. Pat them dry and sprinkle pieces generously with salt and pepper. Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a Dutch oven (or a large thick-bottom pan with a tight fitting cover) on medium high. Working in batches, brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Lay the chicken pieces on the hot oil, do not move until browned, then turn over to other side using tongs. Remove from pan when browned.

3. Add a little more olive oil to the pan if necessary. Add the garlic and sauté until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add the wine and the herbs. Bring to a boil. Add the chicken pieces. Reduce the heat to medium low. Cover the pan and simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Move the chicken pieces from top to bottom every 5 minutes for about 20 minutes. Chicken is done when a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part reads 180°F for thighs and 170°F for breasts.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken pieces to a platter; spoon garlic sauce over the chicken.

I tried this dish once in Melbourne and it somehow tasted different when I cooked this dish again that day.
It tasted better in Melbourne. :(

What was different in both the garlic chicken is that the first time I used dried mixed herbs and the second time I used fresh herbs that I bought from supermarket here.
And also I used different wine and it tasted a little too sweet this time.

Next time, I’m gonna stick to normal white wine.
If you love garlic, you’re gonna like this dish.

Do enjoy the cooking if you’re trying these dishes out and enjoy your Friday too. :)

i is can cook too.

I wonder how long it’ll take to finally have internet in the house again.
It’s taking ages and it makes it so hard for me to blog ):

Plus I just transfered some pictures into the computer, it’s such a mess now.
Meanwhile, I’ll just bombard my post with some of my cookings (:


* tried to make ‘bak zam gai’ like how my mom cook it at home. was suppose to buy drumsticks only but I figured that it’ll be more worth it if I buy a whole chicken and that whole chicken almost killed me wtf. I thought they’ll clean all the intestine and everything else for me. I’m never buying a whole chicken again, damn hard to chop some more damnit.


* ben’s the chef, his chicken ala king. too much potato and not creamy enough :X


* mushroom minute steak. he claimed that his is too raw and for me, mine isn’t raw enough but other than that it taste pretty good too.


* why the face like that?


* tell me this looks good!! japanese pasta, ben said it taste a little like pasta zanmai. i is happy :D and it’s really easy to make.


* our dinner for tonight.


* black pepper beef


* green curry chicken, a little too spicy. other than that it’s pretty good.

i’m happy every time he tells me my cooking taste good.
i didn’t know i can actually cook cause as i remember my cooking taste like shit.
oklah not shitty but it doesn’t taste as good.
i love youtube, i learned almost everything from youtube itself.
my saviour, bwahaha.

cant wait to show mom i cooked all these, she wouldn’t believe it.
she must have miss me, she called last night but i was sleeping. ):
must talk to her tonight.

cooking is so fun omg omg omg!
ben asked why your life in melbourne only about cooking. haha

Second attempt cooking carbonara

So, this is my second attempt cooking carbonara spaghetti.
The first time was quite a failure.
I cooked it with potato campbell soup which I at first do not intend to let anyone find out about it.
The boys went to my place for mahjong (midnight) and I cant wait till the next morning to cook.
I rather cook than play mahjong, imagine that.
Three boys playing mahjong while I try my very best to produce a plate of fail carbonara spaghetti.
They asked me how I cooked it. Of course I’m not gonna tell them that I used campbell soup.
But Alvin found out when he went to toilet, he saw my campbell soup’s can and that expression on his face is unforgettable.
He’s kind of shocked and gave me the wtf face, hahaha.
It’s edible but doesn’t taste nice, plus my spaghetti isn’t cook enough.

Tried cooking it the real way the other day and I guess it kind of work.
I just followed step by step from youtube.
Wanted to surprise the boyf (I told him I’m bring him out for dinner) but while I was cooking halfway I realised the parmesan cheese at home cant be use anymore.
Lousy! Have to called him and asked him to help buy parmesan cheese. There goes the stupid surprise.

Ingredients:
spaghetti.
2 eggs.
parmesan cheese (grated).
pecorino cheese
blackpepper.
bacon.
olive oil.

1# cooked the spaghetti.
2# fry (or whatever you called it) the bacon with olive oil.
3# beat both the eggs.
4# add cheese and mix it with the eggs.
5# dry the spaghetti and put it into the pan where you fried the bacon.
6# add in a little bit of water and the bowl of eggs.
7# add in more cheese.
8# add blackpepper.

that’s about it.
2 eggs for 2 portion. one egg for one.
what a fail instruction, I know.
I don’t know how the measurement goes, just put as you prefer. More cheesy or less cheesy.
I actually did not use parmesan cheese cause I figured that’s a little too hassle for him to buy me the cheese.
I use some other cheese powder that I bought earlier.

Ben thinks it’s nice, I’m not sure if he said that to just make me happy or what.
It’s only cheesy but not creamy as I did not put in any cream and he likes it that way because he said he always feel bloated after eating really creamy carbonara.
Maybe it’ll taste better if I use both the right cheese.

I tried making unbake lemon cheesecake too but fail max as it was too watery and sour. :(
I shall try that again!!

It’s time for me to learn how to really cook a good meal. (: