Spaghetti Ulam

SPAGHETTI ULAM

Shopping list :

• Spaghetti
• Bunga Kantan (edible Ginger flower)
• Serai (lemongrass - use only the bottom fragrant purplish parts)
• Daun Kaduk (Piper sarmentosum similar but not betel/sirih leaf)
• Kerisik (grate coconut, slowly & constantly stir-fried in a pan with no added oil until brown & aromatic. Then pound in a stone mortar. Cool and store in fridge)
• Onions or shallots (small onions) - sliced thinly
• Lime  or Limau kasturi (calimansi)
• Black pepper (ground)
• Salt / Braggs Liquid Amino
• Chilli padi (small yet very spicy version) or spicy sambal / sambal belacan
• Carrots (cut in large chunks)

Boost protein intake (if you are working out at the gym) :  

- Add boiled beans (Green Love Mixed beans) or steamed chicken (breast, keel with no skin)

1. STEAM CARROTS (top level of steamer)

Skin your carrots (if they are not organic) and cut into chunks. Just throw into the top level of the steamer. Any juice from the carrots will fall into the lower level (where chicken is being steamed).

Is it me or do u notice that if carrots are sliced thinly, they become hard to chew (even when cooked) but if cut into cubes of large chunks & cooked, it turns soft and sweet? So this time i decided to steam the large chunks of carrot (was a bit old) and when eaten it tastes so sweet & delicious. I'm not a carrot fan, but in this way i can 'accept' the taste, as a colleague is fond of saying. it keeps well too. If u cant finish it, u can but in a covered container & eat it as a snack. I would recommend mothers to encourage their kids to eat this as a snack, maybe on a skewered like a lollipop. Kids will like the sweetness & its nutritious & convenient too.

2. STEAM CHICKEN BREAST-KEEL/RIBS (lower level of steamer)

People always complain that the chicken breast is tasteless and tough. I beg to differ! 

QUIZ time : Which part needs a longer cooking time - Chicken drumstick or chicken breast?

Many tend to say breast meat because it is the largest part of the chicken BUT it is actually the chicken drumstick. It is because of the different type of muscle fibre found in both parts. You would notice the breast is whiter when cooked. The drumstick is a little brown cause it's denser, to be able to support the whole body of the chicken. 

So u only need to put the breast meat in a bowl, sprinkle some salt (i use Himalayan salt) and ground pepper. Steam for 20-25 min. Here I'm using the ribs part (uncut). Just remove the skin & other visible fatty parts..

PREPARE SPAGHETTI :     Boil a pot of water (enuff water so that the spaghetti can swirl around). Tradition says to add some oil and salt to the water. I tried that when i first learned to cook it but i dont see/taste any difference. It'll just add more sodium and calories - so leave it out. Must wait for water to boil throughly before slowly swirling in the spaghetti  sticks. Impatient people will break it into 2. Cooks the same but you would'nt get to twirl it on your fork later when u eat it, like the Italians do. Confession time - I break it into 2 for practical reasons - so that it can fit into my IKEA jars, until i can find nice tall jars.

U can scoop it out when it is "al dente" or after reaching al dente, switch off the fire and let it sit in the pot for a while (for more softer, less chewy bite). It's not like our normal 'mee' which gets all mushy not strained out. U still get quite decent texture even if it's soaking there for some time.  

How to tell if its al dente? Look at the strands when occasionally stiring it around the pot so that it will not clump together. It should look a bit plumper. Take a strand, break it and observe the inside. If it has a hard centre, then its not done yet. 1 more minute. 

3. FINELY SLICE HERBS

While waiting for the chicken & carrots to cook, slice onions/shallots, bunga kantan, daun kaduk & serai. Also cut a wedge out of the lime and store the rest in a tight container for other recipes, other days. Chop the chilli padi, if u like it spicy.

Do the washing up so that u don't have a ton to wash later.

4. TEAR THE CHICKEN MEAT INTO STRIPS

Notice u have quite a bit of nutritious 'chicken soup' after steaming. Keep that. Use some to flavour your spaghetti and slurp up the rest. Hehe! (for vegetarians, add half a cup of mixed beans, instead).

5. ASSEMBLE THE DISH

In a deep bowl or the used spaghetti pot, put in the drained spaghetti, finely sliced herbs, chicken shreds and a little of the chicken soup (or Braggs Liquid Aminos, if u r a vegetarian)

Mix and taste.  Hmmmm... something missing?  For added oomph, sprinkle some kerisik and chopped chillie padi (tiny, very spicy chilli) or sambal belachan and a squeeze of lime.

6. SERVE !