I must admit, I’m one of those who thinks that making fried rice is difficult and time consuming until last Monday, when I decided to wake up early and give fried rice another chance. I’m surprised because it only took me roughly 20 minutes to cook this complicated-looking dish. So, for those of you who are always in a hurry, feel free to try this recipe out.

Ingredients:

• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 cups of cold cooked rice, hand-mashed
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
• 1 cup of mixed vegetables
• 2 pieces of chinese chorizo, chopped

Procedure:

1. Beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a non-stick pan with cooking oil.
3. Saute the garlic until brown and then add the chorizo and mixed veggies.
4. Add the beaten egg and mix until the egg is cooked.
5. Add the rice, season with additional salt and pepper depending on your taste and stir often until cooked.

Timing:

• Preps: 3 minutes
• Step 2 to 4: 5 minutes
• Step 5: 12 minutes

If you’re running out of ideas for your luncheon meat, why don’t you try this =) Beautiful grill lines courtesy of my Dowell sandwich maker.

First post in this category naturally belongs to shrimp (you can also use prawn) because they thaw easily and because it is easy to spot when they’re finally cooked (changes color).

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup salted butter
• 1/4 cup leeks (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon spring onion (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon garlic (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon ginger (grated)

Procedure:

1. Heat pan and then add the butter. Turn off the fire once the butter has already melted.Tip: You can opt to add a little cooking oil to ensure that the butter does not burn.
2. Add the garlic and saute.
3. Once the garlic is already brown, turn on the fire again and then add the rest of the ingredients.
4. Cook over low heat for around 5 minutes or until the shrimps turn bright red.Tip: Mix constantly to ensure that all sides of the shrimps are cooked evenly. Do not overcook because the shell of the shrimp will stick to its meat.

 Is there such a thing as instant when it comes to cooking great tasting pasta? Actually there is, thanks to the makers of bottled sauces like Prego. If you are in a hurry and wanted to create a pasta dish that’s quick and hassle free, try this recipe.

This is actually my first time to cook Pasta Marinara and even though I didn’t have mussels to go with the shrimp and squid, the dish still tasted yummy.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 bottle of 737 grams of Prego Tomato Basil Garlic Sauce
  
• 1/4 cup of tomato paste (optional)
• 1/4 cup water (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped (optional)
• 1 piece of medium onion, chopped (optional)
• 8 pieces medium sized shrimps
• 1 medium size squid, chopped
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Procedure:

Performing step 3 is optional. You can go ahead and just heat pan with the Tomato Basil Garlic sauce.

1. Cook the spaghetti. For tips on how to do it, see the The Noodles post.
2. Heat pan with olive oil.
3. Saute garlic and onion until cooked.
4. Add shrimp and squid, saute until cooked.
5. Add Tomato Basil Garlic sauce.
   Tip: Use tomato paste as an extender. If you do decide to add the tomato paste, add the water as well. If not, you can opt not to add the water.
6. Bring to boil.

For different ways of serving pasta, see the The Noodles post. Happy cooking!