Everyday Chris & Ying

Lamb Pasta

Ying — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 00:53:20 +0000

As a general rule, I am not fond of lamb and thick pasta but this has made me a fan of both! I started off with a diced red pepper and lamb spaghetti with olive oil in mind but Chris objected to the diced red pepper and spaghetti. With his meddling this turned out amazing but I refuse to give him full credit! You may notice that the seasoning for the lamb is stolen from the moussaka recipe. Special thanks to Araceli for the blended red bell pepper idea.

4 servings or 3 Chris and Ying servings

1/2 pound linguini
1 lb lamb shoulder with bones
1/2 tsp all-spice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp masala wine/red wine
2 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion,diced
1 clove garlic, smashed
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Parmigiana-Reggiano
1/4 cup fresh basil or parsely, chopped
crushed red pepper for serving

Cook the linguini according to the directions on the package.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan and saute the onions, garlic and red bell pepper over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. Puree the mixture with a little water and leave aside.
Slice the lamb thinly, saving the bones. Season the sliced lamb with the all-spice, cumin, paprika, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, garlic powder, chilli powder and salt.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saute pan and brown the lamb bones before adding the chopped tomatoes. Saute for an additional 5 minutes then return the pureed bell pepper mixture to the saucepan. Simmer for about 5 minutes before adding the milk then simmer for another 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a large saute pan (everything is going to get in here!) and brown the lamb slices for about 5 minutes. Deglaze with the masala/ red wine, stir in the pureed bell pepper-milk sauce and simmer for another 5 minutes. Toss in the cooked pasta, basil or parsley and Parmigiana-Reggiano. Salt to taste. You can remove the bones but someone might enjoy them!
Serve with crushed red pepper and extra Parmigiana-Reggiano if desired.

This is also good chilled, for a nice lunch-box meal!

Moussaka

Ying — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 00:15:35 +0000

I first tasted this dish in a Mediterranean restaurant, Baklava. The spiced lamb tastes exactly like the A&W coney dog which has sadly disappeared from Singapore. If anyone knows where to get an A&W coney dog in the bay area, let me know! This version of moussaka is further from the “coney dog” flavor than Baklava’s but Im working on it! In the meantime, this work-in-progress recipe is still pretty good!If you have a large family or if you dont mind eating the same dish for several meals, feel free to double this rather time intensive recipe!

4servings

1 lb minced lamb
2 roma tomatoes,sliced thinly
1 large eggplant, sliced thinly
1 medium onion,diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups hot milk
1 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
3 tbsp all purpose flour
3 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp all spice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
4 tbsp tomato sauce
10 to 20 leaves fresh sweet/italian basil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
3/8 cup panko breadcrumbs
salt to taste

Slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick slices and soak in cold water for at least 10 minutes to draw out the bitter juices. Drain the eggplant slices well.
Heat the vegetable oil in a saute pan and brown the onions and lamb. If your pan is small, you may need to do this in two batches.
Add the all spice, cumin, paprika, black pepper, salt and tomato sauce to the lamb and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Leave to cool, then stir in 1/8 cup of breadcrumbs, 2 eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano and basil leaves .
Melt the butter in a sauce pan and fry the flour till brown and a nutty flavor develops. Whisk in the hot milk slowly. Pour a little of the milk mixture into the egg yolk, stir well and return the egg yolk mixture to the saucepan. Stir till the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, then stir in the feta cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the oven to 350 °F. In a baking dish, layer the lamb mixture, eggplants, tomatoes and remaining breadcrumbs. Start with the lamb and end with the eggplants, allowing for two layers each. Top with the roux and cheese mixture and bake for 45 minutes.

The butter can be replaced by vegetable oil but the flavor will be compromised. Trust me, I tried it.

If feta cheese is too strong for you (as it is for me), substitute with ricotta.

The baked moussaka can be refrigerated for up to 1 day and reheated in the microwave for about 3 minutes and then in the oven for 20 minutes, making this a good Monday dinner to prepare on Sunday!

Banana Walnut Brownies

Ying — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 04:51:31 +0000

This is a healthier version of One-bowl brownies. I came up with this when I was trying to use up the last super-ripe banana languishing on the counter. Believe it or not, the single banana enabled the amount of sugar in the original recipe to be cut by half!

makes 24 small squares

1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil (e.g. canola)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup sifted cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 mashed banana
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tbs dark rum (optional)

9 X 13 inch baking pan or equivalent, greased

Preheat oven to 180 °C or 350 °F.
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, adding the baking powder last.
Stir until just moisten.
Pour into the baking pan and bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until a satay stick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

This brownie will taste cake-like when freshly baked but becomes denser and more brownie-like on the second day!

Acknowledgment: This is a recipe adapted from Penzeys Spices Thanksgiving 2010 newsletter – “One-Bowl Brownies”.

Ladyfingers/savoiardi

Ying — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 20:43:30 +0000

I made these because I could not find any of these in the 3 supermarkets I visited in Mountain View. Compared to the ones I found in Singapore’s Cold Storage, these are way better so I think I would be making them from scratch from now on!

makes 24 large fingers

2 eggs, separated
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup and 3 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

9 X 13 inch baking sheet or equivalent, lined with baking paper

Preheat oven to 205 °C (400 °F).
Beat the egg whites in a electric mixer with 1 tbsp of sugar and till stiff and shiny.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, remaining sugar till pale and thick. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
Sift together the flour and baking powder.
Fold in half the egg white foam into the egg yolks, follow by the flour mixture, then the remaining egg white foam.
Pipe onto the baking sheet with a pastry bag(or plastic bag) fitted with a 1/2 inch round tube.
Bake for 7 to 9 mins, till a toothpick inserted into the middle of a ladyfinger comes out clean.

For tiramisu, the ladyfingers can be shaped to fit the containers you are using or just spread the whole mixture onto the sheet and cut into the desired shape later.

Acknowledgment: This is a recipe adapted from allrecipes.com.

Individual Tiramisu

Ying — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 20:04:56 +0000

These tiramisu are made in individual ramekins because I do not trust my cutting and serving skills. If you wish to show off the beautiful layers, make the tiramisu in one 28 oz rectangular container and serve onto plates carefully!

makes 4 7 oz portions

2 eggs, separated
4 oz mascarpone cheese
½ cup whipped cream
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup strong black coffee, cooled
3 tbsp dark rum/brandy
about 12 large ladyfingers
2 teaspoon cocoa powder/shaved chocolate

Add 1 tbsp of rum/brandy to the cooled coffee.
In an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on high till soft peaks are formed but not dry.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a separate bowl till pale and creamy. Whisk in the mascarpone and 2 tbsp of rum/brandy.
Use a rubber spatula to fold the whipped cream into the egg yolk mixture, then carefully fold the egg white foam into the cream mixture. Try not to lose too much volume.
Dip each ladyfinger into the coffee mixture for around 3 seconds. Allow the excess coffee to drain off before lining the containers. Do not soak the lady fingers in the coffee or the lady fingers would disintegrate when you try to life them out.
Using half of the cream mixture available, top each container with the cream mixture.
Repeat with the ladyfingers layer, then with the cream mixture. There should be a total of 4 layers. Sprinkle with cocoa powder or shaved chocolate.
Chill for at least 2 hours before serving but the tiramisu is at its best after at least 12 hours in the refrigerator, making this the perfect make ahead recipe for dinner parties.

Take care to drain each ladyfinger carefully before lining the containers to avoid unsightly liquid pooling in the containers.

The ladyfingers and whipped cream can be homemade easily for even better results.

Acknowledgment: This is a recipe adapted from Cooking: a common sense guide and The New York Times Cook Book.

One-Bowl Brownies

Ying — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 19:33:20 +0000

These are called one-bowl brownies probably because all the ingredients are mixed in one bowl. No “mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients”

makes 24 small squares

1 cup melted unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup sifted cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract

9 X 13 inch baking pan or equivalent, greased

Preheat oven to 180 °C.
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, adding the baking powder last.
Stir until just moisten.
Pour into the baking pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a satay stick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Acknowledgment: This is a recipe adapted from Penzeys Spices Thanksgiving 2010 newsletter – “One-Bowl Brownies”.

Pumpkin Muffins

Ying — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 03:30:19 +0000

In the spirit of halloween…pumpkin muffins! This was inspired by Steffiana’s wonderful pumpkin muffins in the Food Science and Tech Society halloween party!

16 small muffins

110 mL vegetable oil
110 ml milk
200 g pumpkin flesh, cut into 2 cm cubes
2 tbsp olive oil for pumpkin
2 small eggs, lightly beaten
200 g all purpose flour
100 g castor sugar
100 g brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon or apple pie spices
pinch of salt

muffin/cupcake paper and muffin tray
around 16 muffin paper

Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 180 °C.
Coat the pumpkin cubes in olive oil and bake for 20 mins or till slightly brown. Leave the oven on for the muffins.
Meanwhile, mix the sifted flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
Beat the eggs with the milk and vegetable oil.
Mash the pumpkin and when it is sufficiently cool to the touch, mix well with the wet ingredients.
Using a rubber spatula, slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Do not overmix or the batter will become lumpy.
Fill each muffin paper to 2/3 of its capacity.
Bake for 20 minutes.

If the brown sugar is granulated instead of fine-grain, use a metal spoon to ensure that there are no lumps in the batter before filling into the muffin papers

If pressed for time, the pumpkin can be blended raw instead of baked and mashed. However, the pumpkin flavour would be milder.

Acknowledgment: This is a recipe adapted from http://www.noobcook.com/pumpkin-muffins/

Salmon and Leek Fish Pie with Fluffy Potato

Ying — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:18:07 +0000

This is similar to the Fisherman’s pie, but much simpler and faster. The mashed potato has also been replaced by a rosti-like topping for a different texture. Note: I have not seen Chris consume so much fish in a long time.

6 servings

600 g potatoes, peeled and quartered
500 g salmon steak/salmon belly
90 ml milk
200 ml vegetable or fish stock
40 g salted butter
40 g plain flour
1 small leek, sliced
1 tsp english mustard
1 tsp dried or fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Add the potatoes to a pot of salted water and bring to boil. Remove the pot from heat but leave the potatoes in the water for another 5-10 minutes before draining the water. The water can be used to make the vegetable stock if desired.
Put the salmon, stock and milk in another saucepan and bring to boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the salmon and flake it, taking care to remove any bones. Leave the liquid to cool.
Melt the butter in a frying pan, fry the leeks till soft and stir in the flour. Stir in the liquid slowly to incorporate the flour mixture. More stock can be added to achieve a pouring consistency. The final mixture should be a very thick liquid, but not a solid lump.
Add the mustard, parsley and fish flakes, stir well. Add pepper and salt to taste.
Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Place the fish mixture in a baking dish and grate the potato coarsely over the mixture. Bake for 20 minutes or till the tips of the potatoes are brown.

For a non-dairy version, the butter and milk can be replaced by soy margarine and soy milk respectively as in The SOY for Health cookbook. I, however, am a big fan of butter.

The potatoes should be cooked and drained early to ensure that they are dry before grating.

Salmon bellies are cheaper but oilier than salmon fillet steaks. Some people love the smoother texture and stronger taste of the bellies, some prefer the drier and flakier texture of the fillets. Experiment!

Singapore-style Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Ying — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 05:54:53 +0000

This is supposed to be Vietnamese style. But after more than 10 years of abuse in my mother’s hands, I doubt the Vietnamese can recognise this.

80 spring rolls/ 20 servings

1 kg minced pork/chicken
800 g prawn, peeled, cleaned and diced
6 egg yolks (Singapore eggs sized)
6 egg whites
3 turnip, peeled and julianned
2 large carrots, peeled and julianned
300 g glass noodle, soaked and cut into 5 cm pieces
8 jew’s ears, soaked and julianned
80 Spring Roll Pastry
3 tsp salt
3 tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp ground white pepper
80 leaves lettuce
80 stalks corriander

Mix the minced pork, egg yolks and prawns, followed by the salt, pepper and sesame oil.
Add the vegetables and glass noodle into the meat mixture one at a time, mix well after each addition with your hands.
Place about 2 heaped table spoon of filling on each pastry skin.
Wrap the springrolls according to instructions here. Use the egg white to seal the pastry skin.
Heat vegetable oil in a wok/deepfryer and deep fry the springrolls till golden brown.
Drain and pat with paper towel to absorb excess oil.
Serve with the (Vietnamese Chilli Dipping Sauce), lettuce and corriander

Try to ensure that all the ingredients are as dry as possible to avoid the pastry skin from tearing during and after the wrapping. Allow all the cut vegetables and glass noodle to drain well and pat dry with a tea towel. Do not add any soy sauce into the meat mixture.

To test if the oil is sufficiently hot before frying, drop a small piece of pastry skin into the oil. It should float immediately.

Chocolate Charlotte

Ying — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:33:27 +0000

This flourless dessert is similar to our Chocolate Pudding, but firmer and creamier. The taste and texture improves drastically if left in the refrigerator for more than 24 hours.

8 servings

20-24 lady fingers, halved crosswise
2 cups whole milk
6 egg yolks (Singapore eggs sized)
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp gelatin powder
1 cup heavy cream
175 g bitter sweet chocolate, finely chopped
chocolate curls for decoration

1 cake pan greased with butter

Line the bottom of the pan with baking paper and grease the baking paper with butter lightly.
Arrange the lady fingers around the side of the pan, sugar side out and flat side down.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a heat resistant bowl till the mixture is almost white.
Bring the milk to a simmer over low heat, then whisk the milk into the egg and sugar mixture.
Return the mixture to the sauce pan and stir in the chocolate. Heat over medium heat, stiring frequently, till the chocolate melts and the custard is thickened enought to coat the spoon. This should take about 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, soak the gelatin in about 5 tbsp of water for at least 5 minutes, then place the bowl in very hot water and stir till the gelatin dissolves.
Pass the custard through a wire sieve into a clean bowl.
Stir the gelatin into the hot custard and place the bowl of custard in ice cold water. Stir often.
Beat the cream with an electric beater till soft peaks form, then fold the cream into the custard gently when the custard is almost set.
Spoon the mixture into the cake pan and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Decorate with the chocolate curls before serving.

Do not worry if the lady fingers do not stand up right on the cake pan before the custard is poured in. As long as the incline from the base of the pan is more than 45 degrees, the custard will push the lady fingers outwards, towards the side of the pan.

Acknowledgment: This is an recipe adapted from The Illustrated Kitchen Bible.