Comfort Foods: Fish Head Bee Hoon; Creamy Pasta Soup
"Comfort Food" has become the ideal descriptor used by many in association to food that gives lasting satisfaction. Individually, we have our own preferences on the food items that rightfully fit into this culinary genre. Be it a heart warming soup, a nostalgic home-cooked meal, or a familial & authentic feast, all is a delight to a craving palate. In Singapore, it's no difficult to find a favorite of this kind. Surprisingly, I found one from the initially hard to appreciate "packed lunch" at work, the Fish Head Bee Hoon. It's a rice vermicelli soup added with tofu, seaweed, vegetables and fried fish cake all soaked in creamy, milky, rich broth. Ironically, despite it's delectable creaminess it doesn't turn out to be satiating nor overwhelming. Maybe because the ingredients are in right balance taste wise. Undoubtedly, this is a food that is pleasingly hearty.
At home, we have a similar version called Creamy Pasta Soup. Only, this dish uses meat instead of fish. This is an adaptation of another soup staple, "Sopas", in the Philippines. The typical Sopas is cooked using chicken broth and is added with sausage, vegetables and occasionally with hard boiled eggs. The dish featured in this post is the pork based type.
Creamy Pasta Soup
What you need:
250 g pasta spirals, 250 g lean, ground pork, 1/2 cup sausage or pork hotdog (cut into small, bite size pieces), 1 small carrots (julienned), 1 small onion (chopped), 3 cloves garlic (chopped), 4 cups water, salt and pepper to taste, 275 ml can of non-fat evaporated milk, 2 - 3 tbsp canola oil
How to make:
Saute onion and garlic in canola oil until fragrant. Add in ground pork and saute until it turns brown. Add water and allow to boil. Add pasta and cook until it's aldente. Add in sausage and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Adjust the amount of water if necessary. Pour in evaporated milk and mix well. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes and serve steaming hot.
It's truly comforting that either at work or at home, I am guaranteed to take one soothing sip and delightful slurp every once in a while.I'm sharing this to Presto Pasta Night which is happening this week at Pam's Sidewalk Shoes. Join us in our table hopping for great pasta dishes. I can guarantee, it's awesome!
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