Friday, September 26, 2014

Beef and mushroom lasagne

A recipe that takes a bit of effort, but the results are well worth the time 'cos you can tweak the ingredient amounts to your liking. More mushrooms and more cheese, please!


Serves 4-6 with a simple side salad 
Ingredients:
For the ragu/meat sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
300g ground beef
250g fresh white button mushrooms, sliced
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning 
4 tablespoons tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste

For the white sauce:
50g butter
50g flour
600-700ml milk
2 bay leaves

Etc:
150-200g grated cheddar cheese (I like lots of cheese)
Uncooked lasagna sheets 

Directions:
Ragu/meat sauce:
1. Heat olive oil in pan. Fry minced garlic till fragrant. Add in ground beef, season with salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning. Cook till browned, about 5 mins. Remove beef from pan, draining any excess liquid.
2. Fry mushrooms in pan with remaining tablespoon of Italian seasoning. Add beef, drained tomatoes and tomato paste to pan. Cook until liquid has reduced to a thick sauce.

White sauce:
1. Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour and mix till you get a thick paste. Gradually add milk, stirring frequently as mixture thickens. This will take a while, but it will happen as the flour cooks.

Assembly:
1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Lightly oil a 18x24cm deep dish pan. 
3. Add alternate layers of meat sauce, white sauce, grated cheese and lasagne sheets. You should be able to get in about 3 layers of lasagne sheets. Finish off with a final layer lasagna sheets, white sauce and cheese. (See photos below)

Bake in preheated oven for about 30-40 mins. The cheese should be golden brown and bubbling slightly, mmmm...




Monday, September 22, 2014

Friday, September 19, 2014

Burgers on wheels

For homemade patties that are a happy medium between Ramly Burgers and pricey hipster burger joints. Don't even think about fast food chains!


Tip: Try something different, go for their crab burgers.

Address: Along Jalan 14/9, Section 14 Petaling Jaya. 
Operating hours: 11.30am-5.00pm, off days not specified.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Friday, September 12, 2014

Steamed chocolate cake


Since many people have asked, the texture is between a very light sponge cake and steamed pudding, with a finer crumb than baked cakes. Difficult to describe but try it, it's addictive!

Google explains why: When steamed, a cake never gets hot enough to caramelize (go through the Maillard reaction), contrary to when baking which will brown a cake. Also, where baking dries out a cake, steaming will keep it moist.



Recipe edits: Reduced sugar to 150g, used melted blackberry jam as a simple glaze on cooled cake.

Verdict:  I love these two-bowl recipes. One bowl for wet ingredients, one for dry. Takes about half the time of a regular baked cake to prepare. Which also means can eat cake sooner.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Myburgerlab

My usual order: The A+ burger (beef, cheddar cheese, mushrooms, grilled onion, grilled tomatoes, lettuce, secret sauce) with a side of portobello mushroom fries. 


Address: 
OUG: 8, Jalan Awan Hijau, Taman OUG, 58200 Kuala Lumpur.
SeaPark: 14, Jalan 21/22, SeaPark, 46300 Petaling Jaya
Website: http://myburgerlab.com 
Operating hours: Tuesday-Sunday 5pm-10.15pm



Tuesday, September 09, 2014

Ah-Ehsan Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng, Paramount Garden

RM5.50 late night comfort food. Remember to ask for the freshly fried batch of chicken, and extra spicy-sweet sambal.


Oh, and the Indomee ayam goreng is pretty good too.

Address: Jalan 20/14, Paramount Garden (Taman Paramount), 46300 Petaling Jaya.


Friday, September 05, 2014

Sweet and savoury mixed nuts


Hooray for healthy snacking! Double the recipe, these will go quick. 

Roasting fresh herbs and nuts will fill your home with an amazing aroma.

Recipe tip: Add a dash of cayenne pepper for a spicy kick!

Put them in a pretty jar and these nuts also make impressive homemade gifts.