Easy Peasy Ginger Garlic Pasta

I thought you would enjoy this super easy yet incredibly tasty pasta dish that we had when my boys were visiting. My son, Andrew added his twist to an old recipe I used to make many moons ago. I hope you will enjoy it as much as we did. The cool thing is that this dish takes less than 20 minutes to prepare.

Easy Peasy Ginger Garlic Pasta

Ingredients

Handful parsley finely chopped

A generous glug of olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic minced

¼ teaspoon chilli flakes – can add more to taste

1-2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger

500g wholewheat spaghetti or pasta of choice

1-2 cups broccoli cut into small florets

2 cups pasta cooking wáter

Dash of red wine (for the exotic in us!)

Sea salt

Lemon for garnish

1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

Break the pasta in half and cook in plenty of salted boiling water until al dente.

pasta cooking water

Drain, reserving some of the cooking water.

Place the oil, garlic, chilli and ginger into a pan that's large enough to hold the pasta later. Lightly saute over a low heat for a minute and then add enough of the pasta cooking wáter to cover the bottom of the pan. Simmer for a few minutes.

Add a dash of red wine if you want a richer flavor and simmer for another minute or so.

    

Add the parsley and broccoli and mix gently. Season with sea salt.

Add the pasta to the fragrant mixture.

Make sure there is enough of the pasta cooking liquid to cover the bottom of the pan.

Cover with a lid and cook for 2 minutes on a high flame.

Remove lid and mix gently.

Serve garnished with fresh lemon and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.

Enjoy Love Chef Mel xx

Pan Fried Tofu with Spicy Garlic Sauce

 This is probably the best pan fried tofu you will have ever have. The secret is soaking the tofu in boiling salted water before frying. It makes for the most delicious and crispy dish which is light and nutritious. I have added a Korean style sauce with garlic for a zip and zing. 
By the way these recipes are teasers from my upcoming book.
Enjoy and happy holidays! Love Chef Mel x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pan Fried Tofu with Spicy Garlic Sauce

Ingredients

½ block firm tofu cut into rectangles – about 10

½ cup water

½ teaspoon sea salt

Sauce

1 clove of minced garlic

1 scallion finely sliced

Shichimi

1 teaspoon rice syrup

1 tablespoon shoyu

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 heaping teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

Place the tofu into a bowl and add the salt.

Mix gently with hands.

Bring the water to a boil and pour over the tofu. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.

Remove the tofu from the water and place on a plate. Dry each piece of tofu with an unbleached paper towel.

Heat 2 tablespoons of sesame oil in a pan. When hot, add the tofu.

Fry on one side for about 3-4 minutes.

Turn over and repeat on the other side for another 3-4 minutes.

Remove and place on a serving dish.

Place garlic, rice syrup, shoyu and sesame oil into a bowl and mix together.

Add a generous shake of shichimi. Let sit for about 5 minutes and then put through a small strainer to remove the garlic pieces.

Add the scallions.

Pour the sauce over the tofu and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.