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| So much for my food presentation skills. Tastes yummier than it looks! |
I'm making my family's all time favourite meal for dinner tonight - spaghetti bolognaise. If I am asked what I'd pick as my last meal - it'd have to be spaghetti bolognaise...heck, if I am asked what last meal I'd cook, I'd still pick spaghetti bolognaise. Ever notice that no two spaghetti B ever tastes the same? Everyone's got their own version of spaghetti sauces and mine's called Spaghetti Mamma Mia, Ipoh Mali which literally means, My Mother's Spaghetti , From Ipoh. (I'm from a small town in Malaysia, called Ipoh. And if you're from Ipoh, people in my country like to use the term 'Ipoh Mali' on you, which literally means "Ipoh come" or "from Ipoh"). My mom taught me how to cook this easy, wonderful and wholesome meal and got us to love it (ironically, she hates it). If you'd like to make Spaghetti Mamma Mia, Ipoh Mali; here's how....
Ingredients (makes 6-8 servings)
Minced Beef (300gms)
1 medium-sized Carrot (diced) - great way to get your kids to eat their veggies
1 Capsicum or Green Pepper (diced)
1 big onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 can of Tomato Puree or Tomato Paste
3 fresh tomatoes (skin removed, chopped roughly)
Herbs - oregano, basil, bay leaf, thyme, whatever you have in the kitchen.
1 tbsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Heat some oil in a pot over medium heat. Saute chopped onions and garlic till fragrant. Throw in the minced beef. Stir and mix till the beef changes colour. Then add in the diced carrot, capsicum and fresh tomatoes. Stir to combine. Add in the herbs, sugar and pepper. Last but not least, throw in the can of tomato puree with half a can of water. Let the sauce simmer over low fire for 45 minutes to an hour. Remember to stir occasionally. Serve with whatever pasta you like.
I like to make this huge batch and freeze half for another day. So when you don't have time to cook dinner, you have homemade frozen food to stand in! What convenience for busy moms!
*If you're wondering how to skin fresh tomatoes, just drop them in a pot of boiling water for a minute or so. You'd start to see cracks on the skin. Dish them out and peel them off.
