Alice will prepare stir-fried pasta with vegetables for her future parents-in-law. She believes the recipe is simple enough for her, but it is also appetizing and can appeal to any person regardless of the state. Alice will use the Barilla pasta, as she does not feel confident about making the dish from scratch. Thus, her goal is to buy a spaghetti box together with other ingredients and follow the instructions carefully.
Ingredients
- 1 pack of the Barilla pasta;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 2 big spoons (like those that one uses to eat soup) of olive oil;
- 2 big spoons of vinegar;
- 1 onion;
- 2 carrots;
- 2 big chunks of broccoli;
- 2 big heads of cauliflower;
- 2 big spoons of soy sauce;
- 1 teaspoon (like that one uses to add sugar to tea or coffee) of ginger;
- 1 teaspoon of salt;
- black pepper to taste.
Steps
Step 1. Preparing the ingredients before they can be used for further instructions
The garlic:
- Take the chopping board and place it on the table.
- Then put one clove, which should be washed beforehand, on the board and take a heavy knife.
- Place the blade flat on the garlic (WARNING: the tip should be facing either your left or your right) and use your hand to press the knife.
- Do not forget to repeat the same process with the second clove.
- Put the crushed mass in a container and store it in the refrigerator for the time being.
The carrot.
- Scrape the carrots with a knife if they have black patches.
- Then put the carrots on the board and chop it into similarly sized round pieces.
- Put the chopped pieces on a separate plate and let it be until needed.
Step 2. Cooking the pasta.
Finding the instructions.
- Search the box cover from all the sides for the instructions.
- If the cover is rectangular, they are likely to be on the top or the back side.
- If it is square-shaped, it is probably on either the left or the right side.
Follow the instructions from the cover.
- Add about 20 cups of water to a large saucepan.
- Add salt to the water either before or after boiling it.
- Cover the saucepan with a lid and boil it by turning the burner to the high option.
- WARNING: use the mittens to proceed with the following steps.
- Once the steam is so intense that you cannot see the contents, turn off the burner, open the lid, and add the pasta.
- If you cannot fit the whole package immediately, wait until it softens in the water and push the rest with a spoon.
- Set the burner to the high option and boil the pasta uncovered for about 9 minutes.
Step 3. Preparing the mixture.
- Follow this step and the next ones while the pasta is boiling.
- Take a small bowl and mix vinegar, soy sauce, and hot water inside it.
- Set the bowl with the mixture aside until it is required.
Step 4. Cooking the vegetables.
- Take a large skillet, pour the olive oil into it, and put it on the burner.
- Turn on the medium-high heat and let the oil warm.
- Add the crushed garlic and ginger, stir them, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the onion and fry it in the oil until it becomes soft.
- Mix in the carrots, the broccoli, and the cauliflower; keep stirring while the heat is on.
- WARNING: the process of cooking vegetables in this way is called stir-frying, so it is essential to do it properly.
- Cook the vegetables for no more than 5 minutes until they become tender.
- WARNING: tender means that a knife can easily slip through.
- Turn off the burner and wait for some time, then use a knife to check any of the vegetables on their “tenderness.”
- If the knife goes swiftly, proceed with the next step; if not, cook for 1 or 2 more minutes.
Step 5. Adding the mixture.
- Switch the burner to the medium-low function and add the soy sauce mixture.
- WARNING: by this time, the pasta should be ready, so prioritize it.
Step 6. Draining the pasta.
- Set a colander (a pan with holes in it) in the sink for draining.
- Turn off the burner and carefully remove the saucepan from heat.
- Carry the saucepan to the sink with caution, as not to spill anything (Rao, 2017).
- Pour the contents of the saucepan into the colander set in the sink beforehand.
- Raise the colander and let the remaining water leave.
Step 7. Combining the pasta with the vegetables.
- Once the pasta looks dry enough, take it to the cooker and add it to the vegetables.
- Bring them to boil, which is 212°F, then lower the heat cook until pasta is thoroughly warmed.
Step 8. Turn off the burner and move the skillet to the table.
Step 9. Take three bowls, in which you will serve the dish, and the necessary utensils.
Step 10. Put the pasta into the bowls and season it with salt and pepper.
Step 11. Serve warm, meaning that the cooking process should be done after the guests arrive.
Reference
Rao, V. (2017). Why you shouldn’t try that pasta-draining ‘hack’ that’s going viral. Today. Web.