Some dishes are meant to be created. Such dishes are what I call accidental dishes which are prepared for a reason without prior planning. To cut a long story short, I recently prepared a dish which tasted far better than the original aglio olio I had in mind. The only difference I wanted to add was a dash of sweet Hungarian paprika to the caramelised onions. Being the creative cook I am, I decided to add a dash of chilli flakes for some heat on a spur of the moment. The dish was far too hot and I had to think of a way to counteract the heat. Sweet soy was the answer. The result was a tasty dish with the right balance of flavours.
Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
1 packet spaghetti
2 small onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp sweet paprika
a dash of chilli flakes
1 tbsp sweet soy
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
pepper
roasted pine nuts
cheese and fried shallots as garnish
Method
1. Boil half a pot of water and add a dash of salt and a dash of olive oil.
2. Add spaghetti to boiling water and drain it when al dente.
3. Heat olive oil in a pan.
4. Fry onions over medium heat till caramelised.
5. Add garlic and fry for another 2 minutes.
6. Add mushrooms and let them sweat.
7. Add mushrooms, paprika and chilli flakes.
8. Stir mixture till well combined.
9. Add Italian seasoning and sweet soy and stir mixture well.
10. Pour in some roasted pine nuts into the mixture.
11. Add cooked spaghetti to the mixture.
12. Stir spaghetti till mixture is well combined.
13. Add olive oil if mixture is dry.
14. Add pepper to taste.
15. Serve spaghetti and garnish with shredded cheese and fried shallots.
The original aglio olio has been turned into something more tasty and wholesome. There is a right balance of sweetness from the caramelised onions and sweet soy, the tanginess of the tomatoes, the earthiness of the mushrooms and saltiness from the cheese. The roasted pine nuts and fried shallots bring in more excitement to the palate in the form of added crunch. This dish is easy to prepare and can be a quick fix for a weekday meal provided the ingredients have been prepared in advance.