Mamma Mia! An Easy, Authentic Italian Pasta Sauce!

Authentic Italian Pasta Sauce:

A good marinara sauce is hard to come by if you do not have an Italian grandmother to whip one up in the kitchen! Instead, you are left to your devices. However, it is not difficult to make an authentic Italian pasta sauce. All you need are fresh ingredients, and a little bit of time to make the perfect sauce. First of all, you will need to get the following:

• 2 small cans of pureed tomato
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 small can of crushed tomatoes
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1 small can of skinless tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 2 tablespoons of basil
• 1 tablespoons of oregano
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup of milk

Now, of course, you can always add more spices or take away the cheese depending on how you want to tailor your recipe. If you want to add meat, then buy one pound of ground beef to add to the sauce once it is nearly done. This will make the sauce rich and satisfying to any bolognaise lover! However, the following instructions will teach you how to make a basic marinara.

Getting Started

First of all, the key to a great marinara sauce is having the patience to water it down and wait for it to reduce several times. However, more on that later. The first thing you need to do is peel your tomatoes, and crush their them in a separate bowl.

Next, you will need to dice the onion and garlic into little pieces. Sauté them with a little of butter. Once they are nice a brown along the edges you can add in your spices and the rest of the tomatoes. You will need to stir this continually as the sauce comes together. It is best if you use a non stick pan on a low heat setting. Add a cup of water if it looks to dry. Keep adding water as it starts to simmer down low. You will need to do this continually for at least an hour.

Your sauce should be a rich red and thick to touch. Now, the trick that my nonna use is to add a little bit of milk at the end and a sprinkle of sugar. This will make your pasta sauce a little creamier, and ultimately Italian. Finish it off with a little sprinkle of cheese of Parmesan, and it is good to go!

King of Nyonya Food - Kapitan Chicken

Not all curry dishes are similar. Here is one of the most yummy curry I ever made and yet is not as spicy as many people believed. It is called Kapitan Chicken.

Most westerners who find the taste of oriental cuisine is just too strong for them, and hence reluctant to try. Here is a superb Malaysian dish that's not so spicy and should be more appropriate for those who are not ready to try the hot and spicy Indian and Thai cuisine.This dish is called kapitan introduced by the localized Chinese immigrants in Malaysia.

The name is resulting from a fun story during the British colony time.Based on the Malaysian history, Legend has it one of the Chinese cook of a ship owned by the British was keen to learn how to cook the local cuisine.He knew that there was another Malay woman who can cook very well in the same ship. He decided to ask from the lady on how to cook the dish that she was preparing for dinner. The Malay woman said she was preparing a traditional curry dish, and show him how to cook.

The best kapitan chicken can be found in Penang and Malaka which were colonized by the British and Portuguese from 15th to 19th centuries.The Chinese and Malay who stayed here have developed many western cuisine with a touch of Asian influence.For example, kapitan chicken is based on a Malay curry dish but has been improved by the Chinese and cooked by using a unique set of herbs and spices. The chicken used must be fresh and marinated overnight to make sure it is soft and succulent. The trick is to marinate and deep fried the chicken before it is simmered in a pot of bubbling hot coconut milk.

The major characteristic of chicken kapitan is the use of the traditional Malay spices and herbs but less spicy as compared to the traditional Malay curry.It has a distinct Nyonya flavor as a result of the combination of lemongrass, galangal (a kind of ginger, also all blue ginger ), turmeric ( the regional terms it as yellow ginger ), coconut milk and belacan (local shrimp paste).It is different from the Malay and Indian curry as not only it is cooked with less chili, but is also the mix of spices used.The common spices utilized in Malay and Indian curry for example cumin, fenugreek and fennel are hardly used.Rather, belacan is added in a small amount with large quantity of coconut milk.

Please click here for Traditional Peranakan Food.

A Quick Guide on the Cuisines of Singapore

Few cuisines in the world can claim to be as cosmopolitan as the culinary traditions of Singapore and although a small country; Singapore offers you an incredible variety of colourful and multicultural dishes.

 

Whether you are looking for a good restaurant, market or food centre, Singapore has it all.

You can see a reflection of the country's cultural diversity in the array of local cuisines on the menu across Singapore. You can find, in food centres and local restaurants, Malay food, Indian vegetarian thali, a range of naans and briyanis. Cantonese dim sum, Hainanese chicken rice, Peking duck, Fujian Hokkien mee (fried noodles) and popiah (spring rolls). The abundant hawker centres are also the most popular destinations for people in search of variety in tastes available at low prices.While there are a number of cuisines available in Singapore, some of them are particularly associated with this culinary destination.

Here is your quick guide to the flavours of Singapore before you decide you're definitely going to jump in and start your holiday:

Chinese Cuisine
One of the main players in the country's gastronomic array is the Chinese cuisine. You can enjoy the delicious dim sum, roasted meats and double-boiled soups brought by the Cantonese immigrants, the spicy dishes from Szechuan and the flavourful chicken rice with its roots from the Hainan province. Hearty meat dishes and appetising noodles are a part of Hokkien meals while Teochew dishes include lighter items such as steamed seafood, comforting porridge and clear soups.

Indian Cuisine
If you're a fan of Indian food, you'll be spoilt for choice! Fancy vegetarian thosai, seafood dishes and fiery curries enriched with coconut milk or why not try tandoori offerings and fluffy naan breads. You can also get a taste of popular local Indian-Muslim dishes such as roti pratas, murtabak - (prata stuffed with minced meat, eggs and onions) and nasi biryani, a saffron rice dish with spicy chicken or mutton. You can also taste the popular local Indian-Muslim dishes such as roti pratas, murtabak - (prata stuffed with minced meat, eggs and onions) and nasi briyani, a saffron rice dish with spicy chicken or mutton.

Malay Cuisine
Next on the culinary menu is the Malay cuisine in Singapore which will give you a chance to savour an array of spices. You'll find the cuisine spicy without being unbearably hot, thanks to its generous use of coconut milk and local spices. Peanut sauce occupies a pride of place in dishes like gado gado, an Indonesian salad of lettuce, bean sprouts and fried bean curd and satay - skewers of meat grilled over charcoal served with raw onions and cucumber. Try the nasi lemak for its flavourful coconut steamed rice, or nasi padang, where you can select from a wide range of dishes on display.

Peranakan Cuisine
Dishes such as the Peranakan or Nonya food offer a blend of Chinese, Malay and Indonesian flavours, combining aromatic herbs and spices such as lemongrass, chillies, tamarind paste, shrimp paste and coconut milk to create a rich cuisine of braised dishes, stews and curries. You'll have to try the ayam buah keluak, a chicken dish mixed with earthy-tasting buah keluak nuts and the laksa, a famous Nonya dish made with rice vermicelli and coconut milk and garnished with seafood or chicken.

Singapore also offers you a wide range of international cuisines - from Thai, Korean, and Vietnamese to Mongolian food. Whether you're in the mood for Japanese, a hearty Italian meal, or a casual French bistro experience, you'll find it all. So, no wonder that going out for food is one of the most popular pastimes in Singapore. Food is a constant subject of conversation among locals who like to comment on the dishes they have eaten and the restaurants they visited. Among the ethnic Chinese in Singapore, it is also common to ask a colleague or friend whom you bumped into casually in the streets or in the corridor `Have you eaten yet?' regardless of the time of the day.

Singapore is a foodies paradise and for us at vacation and cuisine Southeast Asia's food capital, Click here for peranakan dishes.