Pasta with Bacon and Asparagus

Pasta with Bacon and Asparagus (serves 2)

Ingredients:

150g pasta

75g to 100g bacon

350g asparagus

60ml creme fraiche

1 egg

50g to 75g parmesan cheese

Black pepper

Instructions:

1) Dice the bacon, separating the fat and meat as much as possible. 

2) Cut the asparagus into bite-sized pieces, separating the tips and the stems.

3) Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet.

4) In a bowl, mix the creme fraiche, egg, cheese and some black pepper.

5) Heat up a frying pan, and add the bacon fat in first. When some of the bacon fat has been extracted, add the rest of the bacon in and cook until it starts to brown.

6) Add the asparagus stems and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, then add the asparagus tips and cook for another 2 minutes. Set the bacon and asparagus aside on a separate plate.

7) Drain the pasta, keeping a bit of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the frying pan, then add in the creme fraiche mixture. Add it slowly and mix it with the pasta at the same time. 

8) Now add some pasta water to help coat the pasta with the sauce. 

9) Add the bacon and asparagus back into the pan and mix well, then serve.

Steamed Duck Legs

Steamed duck legs

This is easy to make, and the process actually extracts most of the fat from the duck legs. 

Ingredients:

2 duck legs

1 tsp minced ginger

1 tsp five spice powder

2 tbsp cooking wine

1 tbsp light soy sauce 

1 tsp salt

Instructions:

1) Wash and dry the duck legs, and try to remove as much fat as possible. 

2) Marinate it with the minced ginger, five spice powder, cooking wine, light soy sauce and salt. Let it sit for 4 hours or overnight.

3) Steam the duck legs for 35 to 40 minutes. There should still be a thick layer of oil on top of the gravy, so try to remove as much as possible before serving.

Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables

Roasted chicken with root vegetables (serves 3 to 4)

This is again, another recipe from Thomas Keller's masterclass. I used two lemons instead of five though.

Ingredients:

For the brine

2 lemons, halved

6 bay leaves

100g parsley

28g thyme

0.25 cup honey

1 head garlic, halved through its equator

0.125 cup black peppercorns

3.8 litres water

300g salt

For the mains

1 whole chicken

Root vegetables in the amount and type that you desire (e.g. potatoes, carrots, turnips, onions, parsnips, leeks, rutabagas)

Clarified butter (optional, can be substituted with canola oil)

Salt

Instructions:

1) Add all the brine ingredients into a big pot and bring it to a boil, then let it cool.

2) Submerge the chicken in the cold brine for 12 to 24 hours.

3) Remove the chicken, truss it, and discard the brine.

4) Dry the surface of the chicken as much as possible, then leave it in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 2 to 3 days.

5) Leave the chicken at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes.

6) Prepare the root vegetables and spread it over the roasting pan. Season with salt, drizzle clarified butter or canola oil, and mix it well.

7) Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Celcius, and brush the chicken with clarified butter (or canola oil). Season all sides with salt.

8) Place the chicken on the centre of the vegetables (make a nest), and roast it for 20 to 25 minutes.

9) Reduce the heat to 200 degrees Celcius, and roast for another 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how big your chicken is.

10) Let it rest for 20 minutes. Squeeze a bit of lemon over the vegetables, sprinkle some gravy sea salt or finishing salt on the chicken, and serve.

Oven-roasted Lamb Rack #2

Oven-roasted lamb rack (serves 2 to 3)

This is slightly different from a previous entry, as it utilises dijon mustard and has a different cooking time.

Ingredients:

1 lamb rack (typically around 7 to 8 ribs)

3 tbsp of Dijon mustard

2 tsp of rosemary

2 tsp of thyme

4 tsp of garlic, coarsely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1.25 tsp salt

Pepper

Instructions:

1) Score the top side of the lamb rack with criss-cross cuts.

2) Mix the rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, and olive oil, then rub it over the lamb rack. Leave it in the refrigerator overnight or for around 4 hours.

3) Let the lamb rack rest at room temperature for around 20 minutes.

4) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius, then add the lamb rack in for around 40 to 45 minutes.

5) Remove the rack from the oven, cover with aluminum foil and let it rest for 15 minutes, then serve.

Roasted Zucchini

Roasted zucchini (serves 2 to 3)

Taken and summarised from Thomas Keller's Masterclass. My pan wasn't large enough to fry the zucchini in its full length, so I had to cut it to smaller pieces.

This turned out amazing - wonderfully creamy and way better than how I have been preparing zucchini previously. 

Ingredients:

2 zucchini

Salt

Garlic (optional)

Herbs (optional)

Instructions:

1) Cut the zucchini length-wise and score it.

2) Add a light coating of salt on the zucchini and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. This will help remove some of the moisture from the zucchini, which will help in the cooking and caramelisation process.

3) Use some kitchen towels to absorb more of the moisture.

4) Add a layer of oil to a pan. Once it is hot, add the zucchini in, skin-side upwards. Cook it for around 5 minutes; the zucchini should be brown and caramelised by then.

5) Flip the zucchini. Add some herbs or garlic to the pan now if you wish, then put the pan into the oven at 230 degrees Celcius for 25 to 30 minutes.

6) Place the zucchini on some kitchen towels to absorb the excess oil, then plate it. Add some finishing salt, and serve.

Confit of Eggplant and Garlic

Confit of eggplant and garlic (serves 2 to 3)

Modified from Thomas Keller's Masterclass.

Ingredients:

2 eggplants

1 whole garlic, in cloves

2 teaspoons of thyme (optional)

2 teaspoons of parsley (optional)

Oregano leaves (optional)

Balsamic vinegar

Canola oil

Salt

Instructions:

1) Remove the ends of the eggplant (they tend to be bitter), then slice it to half length-wise.

2) Score it, then salt them liberally to help extract the water and remove the bitterness. Place them (skin-side up) on some kitchen towels, and let it rest for 20 to 25 minutes.

3) Place them (skin-side up) on a baking tray, add the garlic in and herbs in.

4) Heat up some oil (to around 120 degrees Celcius), then drizzle them over the baking tray, ensuring that you almost cover the eggplant.

5) Place the baking tray into the oven at 150 degrees Celcius for 1 hour.

6) Halve the eggplant pieces and place them on a plate. Add some of the garlic back, drizzle some balsamic vinegar, add some finishing salt, and some oregano leaves. 

Note that since the oil has not reached its flash point, it can be reused. 

Glazed Carrots

Glazed carrots (serves 2 to 3)

Taken and summarised from Thomas Keller's Masterclass. It is slightly different because he recommends using bunch carrots, which are quite difficult to find in Singapore. So I modified it using our normal carrots, which are much larger.

Ingredients:

3 carrots

1.5 teaspoon sugar

4 to 5 small cubes of butter

2 teaspoons white vinegar

Parsley

Finishing salt

Instructions:

1) Cut the carrots in an oblique shape by rolling the carrot and cutting it. It is crucial to keep every piece as similar in size as possible, so it will cook uniformly.

2) Place the carrots in a pan uniformly. Add the sugar in, add some water to barely cover the carrots, and finally the butter.

3) Turn on the fire to high and stir the carrots occasionally. After around 7 minutes, turn the heat down and monitor the carrots closely. Once there is little resistance in the carrots (use a knife), the carrots should almost be done. 

4) Now add the white vinegar in and cook it for just a short while more. You can add a bit more water if the carrots seem a bit dry.

5) Add some parsley, mix it well, then add some finishing salt. Serve.

Sautéed Salmon with Long Beans and Mushrooms

Sautéed salmon with long beans and mushrooms (serves 3)

Ingredients:

2 slabs of salmon fillets, cut into cubes

200g of long beans, cut into 2cm pieces

400g of button mushrooms

2 tsp minced ginger

3 tsp minced garlic

4 tsp sesame oil

4 tbsp light soy sauce

Cooking wine

Instructions:

1) Marinate the salmon with 2 tbsp of light soy sauce and 2 tsp of sesame oil. Leave it for half an hour or more.

2) Heat up some oil in a skillet, then fry 1 tsp of garlic and 1.5 tsp of minced ginger. Once it is fragrant, add the salmon cubes in and sauté for another 7 to 10 minutes. You can cover the skillet to let it cook faster.

3) Remove the salmon cubes. Now fry 1 tsp of garlic and 1.5 tsp of minced ginger again, then add the long beans and mushrooms, together with 2 tbsp of light soy sauce, 2 tsp of sesame oil, and a splash of cooking wine.

4) Saute for another 7 minutes or so, and similarly you can cover the skillet to let it cook faster.

5) Add the salmon cubes back, and serve.

Pan-fried Milkfish Belly

Pan-fried milkfish belly (serves 2)

I was a bit hesitant to prepare this again, because the first attempt resulted in a huge amount of oil splattering all around my kitchen. This time, I tried another method - putting zero oil. And it worked 

Ingredients:

1 milkfish belly

Salt

Instructions:

1) Clean the fish and dry it as much as possible. Salt both sides and leave it for a few minutes. Don't be too generous with the salt as the fish is quite thin.

2) Place a non-stick skillet on the stove and turn on the fire. Once it is hot, place the milkfish belly in, belly-side (with the fat) down. 

3) Leave it for 3 to 4 minutes, then flip it and leave it for another 3 to 4 minutes. 

Lu Rou Fan

Lu Rou Fan (serves 2)

I actually saw this from ieatishootispot, but it used a pressure cooker which I was unwilling to invest in (mainly due to space constraints). So I decided to modify it for a slow cooker instead.

Ingredients:

350g pork belly, sliced into strips

200g radish, sliced into small cubes

80ml cooking wine

50ml thick dark soy sauce

20ml light soy sauce

0.5 tbsp rock sugar

70g of shallot sauce, or 0.3 cup of fried shallots

2.5 tsps cornflour

2 bowls of cooked rice

Spring onion

Instructions:

1) Heat up some oil in a skillet, then add the pork belly. 

2) Saute it for a few minutes until it starts to brown, then add the cooking wine. 

3) Saute it again for a while, then add 70ml water in together with the dark soy sauce, rock sugar, light soy sauce, shallots and radish.

4) Mix it well, then add to a slow cooker. Turn it on low for 6 to 8 hours.

5) Remove some of the excess oil, then add the cornflour in bit by bit while stirring. Turn the slow cooker on high for just a few more minutes.

6) Pour it on your rice, garnish with spring onion, and serve.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cream of mushroom soup (serves 2 to 3)

Ingredients:

1.5 tbsp of butter

300g of button mushrooms, chopped roughly

200g shiitake mushrooms, chopped roughly

1 tsp minced garlic

400ml chicken stock or vegetable stock

50ml heavy cream

Salt

Black pepper

Olive oil

Instructions:

1) Heat up some olive oil in a skillet and fry the garlic for a short while. 

2) Add the butter. Once it has melted, add the mushrooms in and stir it evenly for around 7 to 10 minutes.

3) Add around 0.5 tsp of salt and the vegetable/chicken stock, then let it simmer (uncovered) for around 7 to 10 minutes.

4) Let the mixture cool, then blend it until it is smooth.

5) Add it back into the pot, whisk the cream in, and add some salt and black pepper to taste.

Spicy Carrot Salad

Spicy carrot salad (serves 2 to 3)

Ingredients:

2 large carrots, chopped to thin slices

2 tsps of minced garlic

1 tsp of paprika

0.5 tsp of cayenne pepper

Parsley

0.5 tsp of salt

Black pepper

Olive oil

Instructions:

1) Heat up some olive oil in a skillet, then add the garlic in. Fry it until it is fragrant, then add the carrots, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper in.

2) After a while, add some water such that most of the carrots are immersed. Let it simmer at low heat for 20 minutes. If the water dries up halfway, just add more.

3) Remove the carrots (there should be very little water left), garnish with parsley, and serve.

Oven-roasted Lamb Rack #1

Oven-roasted lamb rack (serves 2 to 3)

Quite an easy dish to prepare, especially since it can be marinated beforehand, and the rest is handled entirely by the oven. Taken from Simply Recipes. 

Ingredients:

1 lamb rack (typically around 7 to 8 ribs)

2 tsps of rosemary

2 tsps of thyme

3 tsps of minced garlic

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Instructions:

1) Mix the rosemary, thyme, garlic and 0.5 tsp of salt. Rub the rack all over with it, and add some black pepper. 

2) Place the rack into a ziploc bag, and pour some olive oil into the bag. Leave it in the refrigerator overnight or for around 4 hours.

3) Leave the lamb rack at room temperature for around 20 minutes. Score the fat with criss-cross cuts, then add a bit more salt. 

4) Switch the oven to fan/grill mode, then preheat it to 230 degrees Celsius.

5) Place the lamb rack into the oven for 10 minutes. This first stage helps to char and sear the fat, making it crisp and delicious. 

6) Turn the temperature down to 150 degrees Celsius for around 18 to 20 more minutes.

7) Remove the rack from the oven, cover with aluminum foil and let it rest for 15 minutes, then serve.

Slow-cooked Lamb Shanks

Slow-cooked lamb shanks (serves 3 to 4)

Modified slightly from recipetineats. It used celery too, but being a big hater of celery I didn't use it. Also, remember to get the cheapest red wine you can for this. Mine was some obscure brand purchased from NTUC Fairprice for around $15 or so.

Ingredients:

2 lamb shanks

1 whole white onion, finely chopped

3 tsps of minced garlic

2 whole carrots, chopped into small pieces

0.5 bottle of red wine

1 can of crushed tomatoes

3 sprigs of thyme

2 dried bay leaves

250ml of chicken stock

Olive oil

Sea salt

Black pepper

Instructions:

1) Dry the lamb shanks as much as possible, then sprinkle it with salt and pepper.

2) Heat up some olive oil on a skillet, then sear the lamb shanks all over. It should take 5 minutes or so.

3) Remove the lamb shanks from the skillet, add a bit more olive oil, and fry the garlic and onion for around 2 minutes.

4) Add the carrots and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how large your carrot pieces are.

5) Add the red wine, crushed tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Mix well and let it simmer for a while.

6) Now place the lamb shanks in the slow cooker and add the mixture from step 5). Put it on low mode for 8 hours.

7) Now remove the shanks and carrots, and place them on a large tray. Transfer the sauce to a pot and reduce it over the stove until your desired thickness preference. 

8) Pour the sauce over the tray, and serve.

Oven-baked whole sea bass

Oven-baked whole sea bass (serves 2)

Sea bass is a great fish - cheap, and yet it tastes wonderful. 

Ingredients:

Whole sea bass

4 to 6 sprigs of thyme

0.25 lemon

Olive oil

1 tbsp of parsley

Salt

Black pepper

Instructions:

1) After the fish is cleaned, make two to three diagonal cuts across it. Rub the fish with some olive oil, and season with salt. 

2) Separate the thyme leaves from the stalks. Stuff the stalks into the fish's cavity, and the leaves into the cuts made on the body. Squeeze some lemon over the fish. You can leave the remaining lemon pieces inside the fish cavity.

3) Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celcius, and bake the fish for 25 to 30 minutes. 

4) Sprinkle some parsley on the fish, and serve.

Gyudon

 Gyudon (serves 2)

A simple recipe, modified slightly from here.

Ingredients:

1 whole white onion, sliced

250g of beef shabu shabu

1 tsp of sugar

1 tbsp of mirin

1 tbsp of soy sauce

150ml chicken stock

2 bowls of cooked white rice

Spring onion (for garnishing)

Instructions:

1) Heat some oil in a skillet, then cook the sliced onions until they are soft. It should take around 5 minutes.

2) Add the beef and sugar, and cook until the beef is slightly browned. The beef shabu shabu may be clumped together - so try to separate it a bit. 

3) Now add the soy sauce, mirin and chicken stock in, and let it simmer for around 10 to 15 minutes.

4) Pour the mixture onto each bowl of white rice, and serve.

Loco Moco

Loco Moco (serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 whole white onions, diced

450g minced beef

225g minced pork

6 eggs

4 tsps of Worchestershire sauce

200g of white mushrooms, sliced

600ml of beef stock

4 tbsp of milk

3 tbsps of corn flour

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp of light soy sauce

Cooked Japanese white rice, 4 servings

Olive oil

Sea salt

Black pepper

Instructions:

Preparing the patties

1) In a large bowl, add the minced pork, minced beef, half the diced onion, 2 eggs, oregano, milk, 2 tsp of salt, 2 tsps of Worchestershire sauce, and black pepper. Mix it well.

2) From the patty mixture, make 4 patties. To release the air inside each patty, toss it from hand to hand several times. Leave the patties in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.

3) Heat some olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, then place the patties inside. Make a slight dent on the centre of each patty, as it will expand later. 

4) Cover the pan and cook the patties for 5 to 6 minutes, then flip them and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes while covered.

Preparing the gravy

1) Heat some olive oil in a large pan, then saute the rest of the diced onion.

2) When the onions are soft, add the mushrooms in and saute again.

3) Add the beef stock, 2 tsps of Worchestershire sauce, and 2 tsps of soy sauce in. Season with some salt and black pepper.

4) In a small bowl, mix the corn flour with around 3 tbsps of water. Whisk the mixture, add it into the beef stock, and mix well again. Let it simmer until the gravy is a bit thicker, then turn off the heat and set aside.

Final steps

1) Heat up the gravy, cook the rice, fry 4 eggs.

2) Serve the Japanese white rice on each plate, place the patties at the side of the rice, pour the gravy over the patty and rice, and top with a fried egg.

Simmered Radish

 Simmered Radish

One radish can easily make several portions, so you can estimate how much you want. Typically, one to two discs should be enough for one person, depending on the thickness of the radish.

Ingredients:

1 medium radish

Vegetable broth or dashi

Soy sauce

Mirin

Salt

Wasabi

Instructions:

1) Slice the radish into discs, each around 2cm to 3cm thick. Trim the sides of each disc, such that there are no 'sharp' edges. This prevents the sides of the radish from breaking apart after it has been cooked for a long time.

2) Make two incisions (cross) on one side of the disc (the part that will be facing downwards in the pot). This will allow the radish to soak up more flavour. Each incision should be deep enough to cover around a third to half of the thickness of the radish.

3) Boil the radish in water for around 15 to 20 minutes. 

4) Now boil some vegetable broth or dashi, and add some soy sauce, salt and a bit of mirin. The amount can be determined by how strong the vegetable broth is, and how flavourful you want the radish to be. The amount of broth should be enough to just cover all the radish discs.

5) When it has boiled, place the radish in and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

6) Put a dab of wasabi on each radish disc, and serve.

Claypot Yee Mee

Claypot Yee Mee (one serving)

I don't have a claypot at home, so I used a small pot instead that was just nice for one portion.

Ingredients:

300ml of chicken stock

50g minced pork

2 meat balls, can be substituted with fish balls, sotong balls etc

1 serving of yee mee

3 stalks of bok choy

1 egg

Spring onion

Light soy sauce

Sesame oil

White pepper

Instructions:

1) Marinate the minced pork with some light soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper. Leave it for around 30 minutes, or even overnight in the fridge.

2) Heat up the chicken stock in a claypot or small pot. Once it boils, add the yee mee, minced pork and meat balls in. Remember to scatter and mix the minced pork once it goes in so that it doesn't clump together. 

3) Add the bok choy around a minute later. Once everything is cooked, crack an egg in and turn off the fire.

4) Serve with some spring onion on top.

Pan-fried Salmon

Pan-fried salmon fillet

Ingredients:

Salmon fillet

Salt

Pepper

Butter

Instructions:

1) After cleaning the salmon, dry it as much as possible.

2) Cut some slits, length-wise, across the salmon skin. This will prevent the salmon from curling up during cooking. Don't slice too deep though, or the salmon may get overcooked.

3) Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper. You can add some other spices here if you wish, like paprika.

4) Ensure that the salmon is near room temperature, then heat up a frying pan over medium heat. When it's hot, add some oil in.

5) Add the salmon to the pan, skin-side down. Use a spatula and press the salmon down gently to ensure that the skin is flat.

6) After a minute or so, add some butter in and turn the fire down. Let the salmon continue to cook for around 6 to 7 minutes. Scoop some of the butter and oil and drizzle it on top of the salmon just to cook the flesh a bit more.

7) Flip the salmon over to cook the flesh side for a short while, then serve.