Aglio Olio ala Jade

He he he... Suka2 jer bagi nama eh...? Anyway, this is how I prepared my Aglio Olio...

Bahan2 A
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Chicken or prawns as much as you want
Red chili flakes (if you normally ordered Dominos Pizza.. you'd have some chili flakes with you already; that is if you haven't eaten them all...)
Garlic (lots of 'em... about 8-10 cloves, depending on the size of your chicken/prawns) - crushed
Olive Oil
Salt to taste
Italian herbs (I bought this in a bottle from the supermarket. It already has a combination of basil, dill and thyme)

Bahan2 B
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Angel Hair Pasta (boiled and dried)
Garlic 4-5 cloves - crushed
Olive Oil
Fresh Basil Leave (boleh potong atau biar sekeping2 macam tuh, asal boleh kunyah...)
Italian herbs (same as above)
Parsley (get the one in bottle too)
Crushed pepper
Salt to taste

As you've guessed it I supposed, I cheated with the bottled herbs. Fresh herbs are preferred, but well. I'm sure the Italians can forgive me for it. Or not? He he he...

1. First, combine all A ingredients in a bowl. Mix and mix. Stir and stir.
2. Heat the pan. Put everything in the bowl into the pan. Half them if your pan is small (like mine) and the mixture is huge. If you're using prawns, fry until they are salmon-coloured. If it's chicken, then until it's white. Don't over fry (is there such term by the way?) because then they will lose the juiciness. Once done, take them out and put it aside.
3. Using the same pan, heat the oil, throw in garlic, low fire, you don't want them to turn black... Golden is just nice although half cooked is preferred.
4. Put in the herbs, and pepper and salt. Do not leave it too long before you put some water in. Remember, this is a halal recipe, so use water or if you're diligent enough to run around for white wine substitute, please do so. Put just enough so that the pasta will be covered nicely.
5. Put the pasta in. Followed by the fresh basil. Mix and stir gently. Wooden spatula is preferred as opposed to metal. One, because you won't crush your pasta and two, well... it's au natural, eh...
6. Essentially, you're done. Serve the pasta with grated cheese on top and the Bahan2 A mixture at the side/top. OR... you can do what I did, mix the whole lot together in the pan if serving many people. Put in a large serving dish. Grate a truck load of cheese. Cut some fresh cherry tomatoes and pour on top of the serving.
   
   But if you're cooking for two or four then maybe you would want to get a little more creative on the presentation, eh?
   

Now, you can be adventurous and add other ingredients to Bahan2 B. Like capsicum for example. Remember, cooking is not just about the taste, it's also about presentation. So mix different colours of capsicum; red, green and yellow.

Also, aglio olio is a simple dish. What it needs most is olive oil, garlic, salt and some herbs. Be adventurous, but don't lose the originality of the dish.

You can also prepare a simple salad as a side dish. I made a "cherry tomato with onion" salad. A little olive oil and salt. Mix together. And you can toast (or not) crusty bread. Here again, either plain or with garlic spread (from the supermarket again...). The bread is for you to wipe the plate clean off the oil and gravy. Just yummy!!