Testing: Italian meatballs in Coconut tomato sauce

OK, this thing doesn't look very appealing, I know. I was testing out different combinations and ended up adding things on the fly, causing some of the ingredients to overcook.. and then I forgot to take a pic until I was packing away the leftovers. But I wanted to post it just for my own future references because I tried a few things that I wasn't sure if they would work, but ended up working quite well. Hopefully I will have a clearer idea what I want next time and can finish cooking while the ingredients still look relatively fresh so I can take some proper photos =P

Ingredients
Meatballs:

1. Ground pork (supposedly and beef + veal, but I didn't have any of those and the purpose of this was to finish the pork from several wks ago so...)
2. Minced garlic
3. Minced chili pepper (optional)
4. Minced cilantro (was supposed to be Italian parsley.. close enough.)
5. Salt and pepper
6. Grated cheese (was supposed to be freshly grated Romano... I used month old store-bought pre-shredded mozzarella... again, cleaning fridge comes first!)
7. Mushrooms (it was on sale!)
   
8. Bread crumbs (was supposed to be stale Italian bread loaf crumbs... but I bought Dempster white bread last week, they're going expired, and I hate the ends... so I just peeled them by hand into small clumbs. Close enough.)
9. Warm water (I used cold, because I was a lazy bum and forgot to reread the instructions b4 dumping the water in.)

Sauce:

1. Shallots (was supposed to be onions. My grandma gave me shallots 2 wks ago and I haven't figured out how to use them. Might as well.)
2. Chili pepper (I had a lot left over, k? And I like spicy =3)
3. Tomatoes (singular in my case, because I only had 1 left.)
4. Tomato sauce (since I had a lack of tomatoes) + 1 can of water
   
5. Celery (it was dying)
   
6. Spinach (it was on sale!)
   
7. Mushroom (it was on sale!)
8. Bay leaves
9. Italian seasoning
10. Curry powder
    
11. Salt
12. Coconut Cream powder (secret ingredient!)

Methods:
Meatballs:

1. Combine all ingredients together. Mix well.
2. Start adding bread crumbs and water in a bit at a time. Play with the proportion of these 2 items until you get a good texture that would stick together as meatballs without being too dry and hard to spoon up.
3. Heat some oil in a pan. *Note* some people bake them instead. I didn't, so I don't know what temperature and time would be needed for that.
   
4. Make meat into little ball shapes and pan fry them on each side until firm enough to pick up with chopsticks. Brown the sides if you like them to be more fragrant.

Sauce:

1. Heat some oil in a pan.
2. Stir fry shallots and chili pepper until fragrant.
3. Add chopped tomatoes and meatballs.
4. Add chopped celery and mushrooms.
5. Add Italian seasoning, bay leaves, and curry powder.
6. Add tomato sauce + water.
   
7. Let cook for 10 minutes or so, depending on how long you pan fried your meatballs earlier. Just make sure the center of your meatballs are well cooked. Ground pork is the best place for bacteria to hide.
8. Add spinach and a small amount of salt. Stir well.
9. Now the unexpectedly good addition: add coconut cream powder and stir well. I'm sure coconut cream in a can works too, the powder is just so nice in that you don't have the use the whole pack at once =)
10. Turn off heat, add cilantro and dish out before all the greens become over cooked.

Serve this with some spaghetti. Top with a sprinkle of cheese if you have... Parmesan? Romano? Mozzarella? Or a sprinkle of coconut cream powder? Or better yet! Sprinkle of actual coconut shreds! =D

How to finish hotpot food Part II: Lettuce Udon topped with Satay Beef.. and things

This one really is nothing too special. The idea was supposed to be similar to a Satay beef macaroni at HK cafes or Satay beef bun at Viet restaurants. In the end, it turned out just like a quick and easy lunch.

Ingredients:

1. Udon
2. Lettuce
3. Fried tofu
4. Sliced beef
   
5. Beef balls
6. Pork skin
7. Cooking oil
   
8. Satay sauce (1 tablespoon)
9. Soy sauce (1 teaspoon or personal taste)
   
10. Sesame oil (optional)
    
11. Garlic (minced)
12. Cilantro (fine pieces)
    

Methods:

1. Put udon into boiling hot water. When it is almost done, maybe after 5minutes, put in lettuce. Turn off heat and drain into a bowl as soon as it boils again. Keep a bit of soup if you like a soupier noodle, but don't put it in the bowl with the noodles until you're ready to eat.
2. Heat some cooking oil in a hot frying pan. Stir fry garlic until fragrant. Put in the pork skin first, then the beef balls, and lastly the sliced beef and fried tofu. Spread out the beef and give everything a few stirs to make sure they're all cooked. Add the satay sauce and a small amount of soy sauce to the pan and stir to coat. Add the cilantro and turn off the heat, giving the whole thing a few more stirs. Once you're satisfied that everything has been coated with the sauces and cilantro, set it on top of your bowl of noodles.