FOR THE LOVE OF LASAGNA

pork, it’s really no problem.

Another important thing is that you should never attempt to make your sauce with fresh tomatoes. Sadly, we’re not a country that grows the best tomatoes and unless you intend to buy imported ones, use canned tomatoes instead. The reason behind this is that canned tomatoes are ripe international tomatoes that have had time to develop flavour, which means that you’ll already have a great base to start your dish with — at a fraction of the cost. All you need to do is add a little sugar in to bring out a tad more flavour — not enough to make it sweet but just enough so people think you’ve used the ripest tomatoes you can find. Just a tablespoon for a large stew pot will be sufficient.

Now, the pasta. A lot of people believe that you need to make your pasta from scratch. But most Malaysians do not have the right tools or know-how to make pasta dough. To top it off, who on earth has the time? So, forget it. Just use the dried stuff. Make sure that your sauce isn’t too thick. Making your pasta sauce a little watery ensures that your pasta gets boiled in the oven. As the water is going to evaporate anyway, it’s really not an issue.