Month: April 2020

Eggplant Parmesan is a crowd-pleaser. My version of eggplant Parmesan doesn’t require frying breaded eggplant. I roast eggplant and then I make the breadcrumbs separately to sprinkle on. The result of this version is delightful. The tomato sauce is made with an amalgam of random vegetables, such as carrots, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and celery, and the result is excellent. I recommend making this recipe if you need to downsize your vegetable inventory. 

For the latest New Lifestyle Home Cooking Series:

Eggplant Parmesan
Serving: 4 portions

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 Hours

Ingredients:
For Soffrito and Tomato Sauce:
1 cup canola oil
2 cups finely chopped celery
2 cups finely chopped carrots
2 cups finely chopped onions
2 cups finely chopped mushroom
1/2 cup finely chopped red peppers
1/2 cup finely chopped green peppers
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups canned tomato sauce

For Breadcrumbs*:
3 cups Japanese Panko
1/3 cup EVOO
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
2 lemon zest

*This step is optional; you could use store-bought Italian bread crumb for this dish.

For Assembling Eggplant Parmesan:
2 cups tomato sauce, from the recipe above
2 medium sized eggplant, sliced and roasted
4 cups shredded mozzarella 
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1. Pre-heat oven at 450F
2. Slice eggplant to 1/2-inch thick and sprinkle salt on top and set aside for 1 hour. 
3. Meanwhile, make soffrito and tomato sauce. Cut vegetables to a fine size. Heat up a pot on high heat and add oil. When the oil is smoking, add vegetables and stir immediately. 
4. Cook the vegetables on high heat to evaporate the water content. Stir occasionally to avoid burning. Once most of the water is evaporated, season soffrito to taste.
5. To complete the tomato sauce, add tomato paste to the vegetable pot and roast it until fragrant and caramelized, and then add tomato sauce to combine. Bring sauce to a simmer and season to taste. The final sauce should be thick.
6. Going back to the eggplant. Dry eggplant surfaces with paper towels and brush them with EVOO or any cooking oil. Roast eggplant in 450F oven for 20 minutes, or until nice and soft. Turn oven down to 400F after.
7. To make breadcrumbs, toast panko with EVOO until light golden brown. Add parsley and stir it in. Parsley should start to sizzle in the breadcrumbs. Keep tossing the breadcrumbs until they are a little more brown and toasty. 
8. To assemble eggplant parmesan, layer in tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella, and eggplant, and repeat the steps until you finish the eggplant. My casserole is 10 x 3 x 3.5 inch in dimension, and it could fit 3 layers.
9. Bake eggplant Parmesan in 400F oven for 15 minutes until cheese is melted on top and the sides are bubbly and golden brown. Turn on broiler and sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top of the eggplant dish.
10. Melt Parmesan cheese under broiler until bubbly and golden brown. Let eggplant Parmesan rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting in. Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs and Bon Appétit!

Pasta alla Norma reminds me so much about Chinese Stewed Eggplant with Black Beans. An excellent “Norma” (as we simply call it in the restaurant) has a rich and umami-packed tomato sauce while the Chinese dish gets its flavor from stewing eggplant with fermented black beans. Both eggplant dishes are comforting and delicious. Though “Norma” is vegetarian, eggplant and cheese add substance and great taste. While savoring the pasta, I reminisced about the past when I devoured bowls of rice and hefty scoops of Chinese Stewed Eggplant.

For the latest New Lifestyle Home Cooking Series:

Pasta alla Norma
Serving Portions: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:
For Tomato Sauce:
4 tablespoons EVOO or canola oil
1 can (28 oz.) whole peeled tomatoes
1 head garlic, sliced
1/2 piece red onions, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon dried chili
1/2 cup water

For Roasted Eggplant:
4 cups diced eggplant
1/4 cup EVOO or canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili
2 tablespoons of EVOO or canola oil for greasing the roasting tray

To complete the dish:
2 tablespoons EVOO or canola oil
3 cups rigatoni 
2 cups roasted eggplant
2 cups tomato sauce
2/3 cup shredded mozzarella
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 cup chopped parsley

1. To make the tomato sauce, cook red onions and garlic in EVOO over medium heat until soft. Add dried chilies to toast until fragrant. Add canned tomatoes, salt, and water, and bring it to a simmer. Use the back of a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to break up the tomatoes. Cook the tomato sauce until thickened.
2. Pre-heat oven to 400F and set a roasting tray in the oven during pre-heat.
3. Toss diced eggplant with oil, salt, and chilies. Once the oven is ready, add 2 tablespoons of oil to the roasting tray and swirl around to coat. Add eggplant immediately and put the tray back in the oven. Roast eggplant until soft and juicy, about 12 to 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil to cook pasta. Season water with salt until it tastes like the sea. Once the tomato sauce and eggplant are ready, add your pasta to the boiling water and set a timer for 8 minutes.*
5. To complete Pasta alla Normal, cook sliced garlic with oil in a skillet until fragrant and soft. Add tomatoes sauce and eggplant and stir to combine. Drain the pasta and reserve cooking liquid. Add pasta to the sauce and toss to combine. Add tiny scoops of pasta water to help with sauce consistency. Once the pasta is nice and saucy, add shredded mozzarella and chopped parsley. Keep tossing the pan to mix everything. Add more pasta water to adjust if necessary.
6. To serve, scoop pasta into a bowl and grate Parmesan over it, and sprinkle some more chopped parsley to garnish. Bon Appétit!

*In my experience, dried pasta (penne, rigatoni, spaghetti) takes about 8 to 10 minutes to cook, regardless of the brand, depending on your preference of the final texture.

Greek salad, hummus, and pita bread is one of my favorite combos when I want to make a simple, light, and healthy meal. Greek salad is packed with salinity from the feta cheese, brininess from the olives, and freshness from the cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onions. Pita bread is amazing on its own with olive oil and salt. But here, pita bread is a vessel to scoop up delicious hummus and wipe up the leftover dressing at the bottom of the salad. My Mediterranean meal is perfect for anyone who is looking for an alternative to eat more vegetables and still get his or her share of proteins.

For the latest New Lifestyle Cooking Series:

Greek Salad, Spiced Pita Bread and Hummus
Portions: 4

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Total Time 50 Minutes

Ingredients:
For Roasted Garlic:
3 heads garlic
3 tablespoons EVOO

For Hummus:
2 + 1/4 cups cooked chickpeas, drain and reserve liquid
1 cup EVOO
4 tablespoons tahini
4 tablespoons drained chickpea liquid
2 cloves garlic
2 lemons zested
3 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

For Spiced Pita
4 pieces pita bread, store-bought is fine
1/4 cup roasted garlic (from the recipe above)
4 teaspoon EVOO
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Za’atar
1 teaspoon salt

For Greek Salad:
2 cups diced cucumber, bite-size
3 + 1/2 cups diced tomatoes, bite-size
1 teaspoon salt, for seasoning cucumbers and tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced red onions
1/2 cup diced feta cheese, crumbled is fine
1/2 cup Kalamata olive, kept whole or hand-torn into pieces
1/4 cup parsley leaves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon juice from cucumbers and tomatoes
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2/3 cup EVOO
Salt to taste

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F
2. Drizzle unpeeled garlic with EVOO and cover them in tin foil. Bake the garlic in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes until fragrant and softened to the touch.
3. Once the garlic is done, peel or squeeze each clove into a bowl and mix in some EVOO. Use a fork to mash up the garlic roughly and set aside. 
4. To make hummus, use a food processor and blend everything while steaming in EVOO until nice and smooth. Season to taste. If not using a machine of any sort, put cooked chickpeas in a ziplock bag (32 oz. size or bigger) and bash them with a rolling pin. Add seasoning and all the liquids into the bag and keep bashing until it is nice and creamy. The result of using a ziplock bag will be chunkier.
5. To prepare the Greek salad, thinly slice red onions on a mandolin or with a knife. Soak sliced onions in cold water and store in the fridge for 30 minutes to get rid of the harsh taste.
6. Meanwhile, cut tomatoes and cucumbers and season with 1 teaspoon of salt and set aside for 30 minutes.
7. To assemble the salad, drain red onions and tomatoes and cucumbers. Save the liquid from tomatoes and cucumbers (you will end up with about 1 tablespoon) and mix it with lemon juice and sherry vinegar. To complete the dressing, add EVOO to the vinegar mix and whisk everything to combine, and season to taste.
8. Mix tomatoes, cucumbers, 1/4 cup of red onions, and olives. Toss the ingredients with 3 tablespoons of dressing. Add more dressing to adjust the taste.
9. To serve, brush pita bread with a thin layer of roasted garlic and its oil and sprinkle on seasonings, evenly divided into 4 pieces. Bake pita bread in the oven for 13 minutes. Cut pita bread to as many pieces as you wish. Create a pile of pita bread on a plate and scoop some hummus on the side. Drizzle olive oil to finish. Separately, scoop Greek salad onto a plate or into a bowl, top off the salad with feta cheese and parsley. Serve roasted garlic on the side. Bon Appétit! 

Black bean soup is hearty and comforting, and it’s packed with flavors. I adapted a salsa making technique for this recipe; I roasted onions, jalapeños, garlic, and tomatoes until dark brown, and then I blended them with spices to make a base for the soup. Sounds complicated, but once you commit to the recipe, you’d be done in less than 40 minutes, I promise!

For the latest New Lifestyle Cooking Series:

Black Bean Soup with Yogurt
Serving Size: 4 Portions

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Total Time: 40 Minutes

Ingredients:
For the Soup Base
5 tablespoons canola oil, split in half
1 medium sized onion, cut into wedges
1 head fresh garlic
1 piece jalapeño, seeded
2 Roma tomatoes (any tomatoes will do), halved
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon chipotle puree
2 cups water (or chicken stock)

For Completing the Soup:
All the soup base
1 can (28 oz) black beans*, about 3.5 cups
1 + 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cups water (or chicken stock)

*If you choose to use dry black beans, please soak 1 cup, for this recipe, in cold water overnight.

For the Condiments:
1 roasted pepper, medium dice
4 lemon or lime wedges
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons sliced jalapeños,
2 tablespoons yogurt, per serving
1/2 teaspoon chili oil, optional

1. Make the soup base first. Pre-heat oven to 450F. Toss onions, garlic, jalapeño, and tomatoes with two-and-half tablespoons of canola oil. Slide the vegetables on to a roasting tray and roast for 25 to 30 minutes in the oven until nicely browned.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium pot, heat up the rest of the oil and toast ground cumin, dried oregano, and chipotle puree on medium heat until fragrant. Deglaze the pot with 1 cup of water to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom.
3. To roast a pepper, using medium heat, directly char a red bell pepper on the flame. Rotate it to char evenly. Once the skins are blackened, cover it with a lid in a mixing bowl until cool enough to handle
4. To peel the pepper, set up a bowl of warm water, dip your fingers in and use your wet fingers to peel off the charred skins. Dice up the pepper to the desired size.
5. Once the vegetables are caramelized, add them to the pot and add 1 more cup of water. Turn up the heat to medium high and cook the vegetables until softened. At this point, either use a blender to puree the vegetable mixture or use the back of a spoon to mash it up. The is the soup base.
6. Add the soup base, black beans, and water back in the pot and bring it up to a boil and turn it down to simmer. Season with salt.
7. To serve, ladle soup into a bowl, garnish with any condiments that are suggested in this recipe. Bon Appétit! 

Moussaka is a lovely dish for getting more veggies into your meal. Moussaka is a nice deviation from lasagna. I make my moussaka the way I make lasagna; instead of using pasta, moussaka is layered with eggplant and potatoes. Once baked…moussaka offers the same comforting and cheesy taste. I decided to skip on the meat because I think it’d be nice to have a vegetarian meal once in a while.

For the latest New Lifestyle Home Cooking:

Moussaka
Serves: 6 Portions

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Total Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes

Ingredients:
For Vegetable Ragu:
4 tablespoon canola oil
2 cups diced onions, medium dice
2 cup diced carrots, medium dice
2 cup diced celery, medium dice
1 head garlic, sliced
2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 cups crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoon thyme
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried chilis
1 teaspoon black pepper

For Moussaka:
2 medium sized eggplant, cut to 1/2 inch thick
2 cups sliced potatoes, 1/16 inch thick
2 cups ricotta, seasoned with salt + black Pepper
4 cups shredded Mozzarella

1. First, slice eggplant to 1/2 inch thick, lay them on a tray with a parchment paper or on a rack, season with salt on both sides and let sit for 1 hour to extract moisture.
2. Toss eggplant with about 2 tablespoons of EVOO and roast in 400F oven until soft. Set aside
3. To make the veggie ragu, heat up oil in a pot on medium-high heat, cook onions, carrots, and celery until soften. Season with salt, black pepper, and dried chilies. 
4. Add thyme and cook until fragrant, and then add chickpeas and crushed tomatoes. Bring the ragu to a simmer. Set aside
5. Pre-heat oven at 400F
6. Meanwhile, slice potatoes and gently poach potatoes until soft, but not falling apart.
7. Season ricotta with salt and black pepper until tasty.
8. To assemble the moussaka, brush the casserole with EVOO.
   Assemble moussaka in an orderly fashion; layer ingredients in order of eggplant, vegetable ragu, ricotta, mozzarella, and cooked potatoes. Finish the top layer with ricotta and mozzarella. Bake the casserole in 400F for 30 minutes to 1 hour until nice and bubbly. 
9. Rest the casserole for another 15 minutes and serve…Bon Appétit!

I came across a fried rice recipe with anchovies and parmesan in a cookbook. I decided to try this dish because both anchovies and parmesan have tons of umami flavor and could perhaps replace soy sauce in a pinch. The result of this dish is satisfying. Although this dish is far from being Asian, anchovies and parmesan provide delightful flavors to make this dish sing. In the end, you’d end up with something deep, salty, garlicky, and earthy with a handful of parsley. I have made a lot of fried rice in my life…and this recipe is definitely on the top five.

For the latest New Lifestyle Home Cooking:

Anchovies Parmesan Fried Rice
Serves: 2 adults

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Total Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients:
5 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons EVOO
1 can (2 oz.) anchovies fillet
4 + 1/2 cup cooked long grain rice, at least 1 day old
1 cup grated Parmesan, split into 2 parts
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon crushed black pepper, adjust to season
1 teaspoon dried chilies, adjust to season
6 fillets of Boquerones (marinated white anchovies), optional
1/2 cup grated Parmesan*, for making a chip (see note)

1. Using a non-stick skillet, heat up EVOO on medium heat, sauté garlic until golden brown.
2. Add anchovies and rice at the same time. Spread out the rice in the skillet and leave it untouched for a minute to warm up. Once the rice is warmed up, it’d be easier to handle
3. At this point, anchovies should start to disintegrate into the rice. Gently stir up the rice to mix it in. Season the rice with black pepper and chili.
4. Add 1/2 cup of grated parmesan and chopped parsley, toss or stir to combine.
5. To plate, spoon the fried rice onto a plate and sprinkle the rest of the 1/2 cup parmesan on top. Add a few fillets of white anchovies, but that’s optional.
6. If you are not squeamish about raw eggs, stir in a raw yolk. Bon appétit!

Note: To make Parmesan crisp, add the 1/2 cup grated Parm into a clean non-stick skillet and melt the cheese over medium heat. Keep the Parmesan on medium heat and it will become brittle. Flip Parmesan over and cook the other side for less than 20 seconds, and then you’d end up with a piece of crispy Parmesan.

Creamed Corn Egg Drop Soup is one of the first dishes I learned to make when I was young. Creamed corn gives the soup a nice velvety texture while adding some sweetness. I added extra corn kernels, from a can, to give the soup some texture; each bite of the soup has a nice crunch of the corn. The result of this egg drop soup has a porridge consistency, and the texture of the egg curds are soft and pillowy. My nanny added ham, and my mom added chicken. I added peas to keep it vegetarian. You could enjoy this dish on its own or add to rice or noodles.

For the latest “New Lifestyle” Home Cooking:

Creamed Corn Egg Drop Soup 
Serves: 2 adults & 2 children

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time 30 Minutes

For Ingredients:
For Veggie Stock:
2 quart (or 8 cups) water
2 tablespoons sliced ginger
3 stalks of scallions, white parts only
4 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of black peppercorn
4 cups diced cabbage

For Egg Drop Soup:
5 Cups of Veggie Stock
2 cans (14.75 oz can) creamed corn
1 can (15.25 oz can) corn kernel
5 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried chilis
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 bunch dried noodles, about 4 oz. (optional)
Thinly sliced scallions, the green parts
Sesame Oil, to season at the end

1. Make veggie stock before making egg drop soup by combining everything in a pot and bring it up to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Use only 5 cups of the veggie stock and reserve the rest for another use.
3. Bring 5 cups of veggie stock to a boil and turn down to simmer, add creamed corn and cook until the soup thickens a little. Add corn kernels and seasoning.
4. Turn the stove to medium-low and slowly pour in the eggs in a steady stream, leave the eggs to cook for 5 to 10 seconds and break up the curds gently. Keep the fire on medium-low to finish cooking the eggs. Add the peas and warm them through.
5. To serve, ladle a generous amount of soup into a bowl and pile on some noodles or rice. Drizzle some sesame oil and garnish with scallions. Bon Appétit!

Oyakodon mean “chicken and egg rice bowl”, and it is a popular dish at home or at restaurants in Japan. In Japanese, “oya” means parents, and “ko” means child; therefor, oyakodon means “parents and child rice bowl”, which also makes perfect sense because chicken is cooked with eggs. Oyakodon is easy to prep and simple to cook. You don’t have to stick to the script, by following a traditional recipe, when making oyakodon. To me, oyakodon is cooking chicken and eggs with care, and adding flavors and ingredients that’d make this dish soulful and comforting.

For the latest (New Lifestyle) Home Cooking Series:

Oyakodon
Serves: 2 Adults & 2 children

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients:
For Oyakodon
1 + 1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt, and adjust to season
2 teaspoon crushed black pepper, and adjust to season
1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes, and adjust to season
2 + 1/4 cup sliced onions
2 cups chopped kale
1 + 1/4 cup diced chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
(1 large or 2 small thighs)
3 Eggs, beaten
1 Yolk (optional)
Few sprigs of cilantro for garnish (optional)

For Rice:
1 + 1/2 cup long grain jasmine or basmati rice
2 + 1/2 cup water

1. Wash your rice until water runs almost clear (it won’t be 100% clear). Let rice drain over a colander until dry, in about 20 to 30 minutes
2. Cook rice using a rice cooker or a pot (pot should be big enough to fit both rice and water and still have at least 4 to 5 inches of space above the water line). If using a pot, bring rice and water to a boil and turn to simmer with a lid on. Cook until water is completely absorbed and leave the lid on for extra 10 minutes before opening it.
3. To make oyakodon, in a non-stick skillet, bring stock to a boil on medium high heat and season with salt, black pepper, and chilies. Add onions and kale, and reduce the heat to medium and cover with a lid. Cook onions and kale until soft, in about one and half minutes.
4. Once the onions and kale are soft, add chicken and put the lid back on. Cook the chicken until done, in about 4 minutes. Open the lid and slowly pour your eggs in in steady stream. Adjust the heat to keep the soup bubbling. Cover the skillet and let eggs cook for 15 seconds. Depending on your preference for the eggs, cook them longer if you want them well done.
5. To serve, put rice in a bowl and ladle a generous amount of oyakodon over it. If you are not squeamish about raw eggs, add a raw yolk for extra richness. Garnish with cilantro, and Bon Appétit!

Crispy noodles are great for stir fry. The noodles soak up the sauce and give a nice texture contrast to the rest of the ingredients. To me, each bite is a delightful surprise; some parts are crunchier and some parts are saucier. Being patient with frying noodles is the only hurdle to overcome in this simple dish.

For the latest COVID 19 Home Cooking Series:

Cantonese Crispy Noodle Stir Fry with Fried Egg
Serves: 2 adults & 2 children

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 40 Minutes

Ingredients:
4 servings of dried Asian dried noodles
*Could substitute with angel hair Italian dried pasta
8 cup quartered Button Mushrooms
2 cup thinly sliced Carrots, on bias
10 cup (2 + 1/2 quart) medium diced Savoy Cabbage
4 cup sliced onions, in strips
6 cup sliced celery, on bias
5 t Salt, or to taste
1 Tablespoon crushed Black Pepper, or to taste
2 teaspoon dried chilies, or to taste
4 Fried Eggs
1 cup Chicken Stock
1 tablespoon Corn Starch Slurry (mix 1 teaspoon corn starch with 2 teaspoon water)
Few springs of Cilantro, for garnish

1. Using a medium pot to bring a pot of water up to a boil and cook noodles until al dente. (Took me about 2 minutes and 30 seconds) Drain and toss in some canola oil. Set aside and cool. Portion noodles to 200g per portion
2. Stir fry each individual vegetables separately or together depending on the size of your skillet. Season the vegetables as you go. Mix everything at the end and adjust seasoning to taste
3. Reduce chicken stock by almost half and add corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce. Add stir fried vegetables to the sauce and stir to combine
4. To make crispy noodles, use a non-stick skillet and pour enough oil to form a thin layer. Turn stove to medium high and heat up the oil until it shimmers. Form each portion noodles into a disk on a serving plate. Slide the noodles from the plate into the skillet and shallow fry them on medium heat. After few minutes, you should be able to move around the noodles in a disk. Flip noodles over when the first side is nice and golden brown. Cook the other side until golden brown as well. Drain the noodles on a rack or tilt it on the side in a tray. Season with salt.
5. To make fried eggs, add 2 tablespoon of oil for every egg. Crack the eggs into the skillet on high heat and cook until the sides are crispy. Spoon hot oil over egg whites to make Sunny Side Up Eggs. Spoon hot oil over both yolks and whites to make Over Easy Eggs
6. To serve, place each crispy noodles in the center of the plates and pile on the stir fry on 1 side and place the eggs on the other side. Garnish with cilantro. Bon Appétit! 

We are going to focus on using only salt, black pepper and chili flakes this week. Since we are going to be wfh for a little longer, practice using these three seasonings could help you keep the cooking simple and fast, without feeling committed to doing a chore. Our first dish is Black Pepper Onions and Sausages. Black pepper and onions are best friends and they compliment sausages really well. This dish is my homage to fried rice, a version of it I ate growing up, with black pepper onions and Chinese sausages, which in my opinion, is the Queen of All Sausages!

For the Latest COVID 19 Home Cooking Series:

Black Pepper Onions and Sausage
Serves: 2 adults & 2 children

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 40 Minutes

Ingredients:
For Onions and Sausages
5 Italian Hot Sausages
3 cup sliced onions, about 2 medium size
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Dried Chili Flakes
1/3 cup Chicken Stock, or water
1 tablespoon chopped Parsley, for garnish, optional

For Olive Rice
450g (2 + 1/4 Cup) Long Grain Rice (Jasmine or Basmati)
45g (4 Tablespoon) Canola Oil
1 tablespoon minced Ginger
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata Olive, roughly chopped
700g (approximately 3 cups) chicken stock or water

1. Use a skillet, add 1 tablespoon of oil and heat it up on medium heat until shimmering. Add sausages and cook them until nicely browned on the outside. Take the sausages out of the skillet and add the onions. Season onions with salt, black pepper and chili.
2. Cook onions until they are golden brown and deglaze the skillet with chicken stock or water. Bring the liquid to a boil and turn down to simmer.
3. Put the sausages back on top of the onions. Cover the skillet and let the onions and sausages stew until they are cooked. Once the sausages feel bouncy and stiff, then they are done. Alternatively, insert a thin metal skewer into the middle of a sausage and then feel the temperature of the skewer. If the skewer is hot, then sausages are done.
4. Meanwhile, cook rice. Using a medium size pot, heat up the oil on medium heat and cook ginger gently until fragrant. Add rice and olives to toast until fragrant. Add water and bring it up to a boil and then simmer, with a lid on.
5. For this recipe, rice will take about 10 to 15 minutes to cook after the liquid has come to a boil. Once the liquid is gone, turn off that heat and let the rice steam further with a lid on.
6. To finish, you could either serve onions-and-sausages separately from the rice, or together over rice. Sprinkle some chopped parsley for garnish and flavor. Bon Appétit!