Spaghetti with Asian Mushrooms

I love making pasta dishes. Besides pasta being an easy one plate meal, I especially like how simple and versatile it is.  As long as you have fresh ingredients and a bottle of really good olive oil, there's no way you can go wrong.

Here's a pasta recipe that melds east and west. It isn't always practical making a pasta dish just like how the Italians do it when those wonderful mediterranean ingredients just aren't available here on the Asian side of the planet (well, there are, but it's way too expensive), so why not make it with the delicious vegetables we already have?

Spaghetti with Asian Mushrooms Recipe

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• 1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
  
• 1 cup chopped oyster mushrooms
  
• 1 cup finely chopped cilantro
  
• 1 small tomato, diced
  
• 1 large green chili, diced (or bell pepper)
  
• 2 stalks of elephant garlic, finely chopped (can be substituted with leeks and/or garlic)
  
• Spaghetti for 2 people
  

Seasoning and oils

• 2 tbsp of ghee (clarified butter)
  
• 5 tbsp of olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  
• salt and black pepper to taste
  

Directions

1. Put a pot of water to boil for cooking spaghetti.
   
2. Place pan or wok over high heat and heat ghee until hot. Toss in elephant garlic (reserve some for later use) and mushrooms and stir-fry/sautee.
   
3. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper and cook until liquid from mushrooms have evaporated. Dish up mushrooms and set aside.
   
4. In the same pan or wok, lower heat to medium-low and add olive oil (do not allow oil to burn).
   
5. Toss into pan or wok diced tomatoes, chili peppers and the remaining elephant garlic. Cook until tomatoes have soften and chili peppers are fragrant. Season with salt and pepper.
   
6. Turn off heat and add the cooked mushrooms and chopped cilantro to tomato mixture. Stir and combine well.
   
7. When spaghetti is al-dente, drain and pour the cooked pasta into the pan and give a good stir.
   
8. Serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil.
   

Serves about 2 people.