It's really difficult writing a post during this fasting season, especially since A Tale of Two Superheroes is a foodie blog. Haha. Even though Superhero S is not officially required to fast, she still decided to do it along with Superhero W since he's the one who is officially fasting (I'm cheating anyway, 'cos I still drink water! Shhhh.... Haha.) Anyway, here goes yet another foodie experiment by the two superheroes.
On one fine day, Superhero S had this craving for spaghetti and really wanted to have some Spaghetti Carbonara. Since she has not tried cooking spaghetti dishes before this, she decided to play it safe and go with the ready-made sauces first before exploring any further. Haha. And so, we went over to a nearby mini mart and bought the necessary ingredients. Nothing much, just the packet of spaghetti, the big bottle of carbonara sauce and a pack of Ayamas chicken sausages.
We went for Campagna "Pasta of Durum Wheat" and this big bottle of Leggo's Alfredo Pasta sauce "A traditional creamy Italian style sauce with fresh cream and cheese".
Only half of the packet of the spaghetti is used at one time, and off they go, straight into the boiling water. I still remember our good friend, Ting used to say that if we want to know whether or not the spaghetti is cooked, just take out a small strand and throw it onto the wall. If it sticks, it means that the spaghetti is ready. Otherwise, you can also sample it bit by bit, biting on the strand to see if it's cooked well enough. Once it's done, just drain the hot water.
As for the sauce, all that was needed to be done is to heat it up. Decided to add a little water since it looked pretty thick. Almost like something out of a Campbell cream of soup. Haha.
In the meantime, boiled some sausages, cut it into smaller pieces (which we didn't the first time around). The packet of spaghetti and the bottle of sauce is actually good for 4-6 servings. But since there were only the two of us, we cooked twice on separate occasions. *grins*
first try...
second try...
But, anyone can tell me the difference between the many different brands of spaghetti? Are they all the same? Because the price surely isn't. Haha. :p
8 comments:
True carbonara is made from raw egg, lots of Parmesan cheese and cream. You beat it all up, cook the pasta (traditionally you use Penne) and then when you drain it and it's cooled down a bit, you toss it into the raw egg mix.
At the same time you add a fried diced bacon to the mix as well (which is salty) and a lot of pepper. That's your classic carbonara which is tricky to make.
Most pasta you get from the stores are the same. The coloured ones add things like spinach to give them colour. But they all add a different dimension to the pasta dish (eg. spirals are good for soups and pasta salad, fettuccine and pappardelle for creamy sauces, etc).
Hi guys,
I'm a big fan of Carbonara and used to order it whenever I was out but recently I've actually learned how to cook a pretty decent version of it and it really is rather simple. The key is just timing.
Having said that, you need some good bacon, thick cream and powdered cheese (shredded doesn't blend as well with the egg mixture) along with the standard ingredients. I find that fettucine works best though. And some parsley too.
I believe there is an instructional video on Videojug which is very clear and easy to follow, just type "carbonara". You'll never resort to using bottled sauces again, trust me.
B.H.
Hi Kamigoroshi, thanks so much for the great tips! Will observe them when I make my next carbonara.. but probably going to have to skip the bacon because Superhero W can't take porky. Haha.
B.H., thanks to for your tips as well! Will try adding parsley too the next time.. :p
OMG...this is my favorites la. Im drolling now, havent even take my lunch yet and its already 4PM! Ive always wanted to make one myself but i dont know how to make the sauce. Maybe i can look for this in the supermarket now
Haaaa! cheating, use pre-made sauce! :P
oh no...haha...it seems like we're setting a bad example for ah kiong! The best way is still to try cooking the sauce. Haha. But I suppose it's okay if you're first timers like us! :p
Haha...dun say like that, KY. Very paiseh! Don't worry, next time we will cook the sauce ok? :p
Wow! You guys can really...MAKAN hoh! Then after that did you guys do exercise? Ha =)
Carry on: Perhaps next time I could try cook spaghetti too.. Must ask my wife 1st. =)
You can always cook to surprise your wifey! Haha.. :p
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