Braised Lamb Shoulder with Parmesan Crust and Creamy Mash

Braised Lamb Shoulder with Parmesan Crust and Creamy Mash

As the weather gets colder, I crave for warm comfort foods such as stews and casseroles. So for dinner tonight, I made braised lamb shoulder with Parmesan crust served with creamy mash. It's so delicious! 

So this is what you need to make this dish:

• 1 lamb shoulder meat (about 1.5kg), cut into 3cm piece (remove access fat, not all fat!)

• 2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped 

• 2 onions, finely chopped

• 3 tbs dried parsley

• a bunch of thyme sprigs

• 2 tsp dried rosemary

• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 cup (250ml) dry white wine

• 1 cup (250ml) Lamb Stock (I use Essential Cuisine brand)

• 200g Panko breadcrumbs (Japanese style breadcrumbs)

• 100g finely grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper or chilli flakes

How to cook this dish:

1. Preheat oven to 180°c. 

2. Place lamb in a large roasting pan, scatter over tomato, onion, herbs and garlic, season to taste

3. Pour over white wine and Essential Cuisine Lamb Stock

This lamb stock is amazing! I have not seen any other product like this. It is an all-natural lamb stock and it is chilled because it contains no preservatives. I tried Essential Cuisine's chicken stock this week in my roast chicken gravy and couldn't resist to try the lamb stock today. I got this from Thomas Dux at Hornsby Westfield mall for $4.49 a pack. You can find this at the meat section. Awesome stuff!!!

4. Then bake for 1 ½ hours.

5. Meanwhile combine breadcrumbs, parmesan and chilli in a bowl. 

6. Add crumb mix and cook for a further ½ hour until golden.

Optional: Creamy mashed potatoes

1. Potatoes, boiled and mashed

2. Add cream and chopped parsley

3. Season with sea salt & cracked black pepper

Hope you enjoy this recipe!

Cheers.

Azuma Cafe, 501 George St

Azuma Cafe

Babs introduced me to Azuma Cafe's black sesame chiffon cake and I was hooked. We were both in the city yesterday and decided to have afternoon tea there.

We had the black sesame chiffon cake again - ohhhhhh so fluffy and light!!!! This is how a chiffon cake should be. The black sesame flavour was subtle but enough.

Black Sesame Chiffon Cake

This is the mini green tea tart (they have it in standard size as well). Oh my! The green tea filling was to die for. It was so smooooth and soft and delicious! The green tea flavour was perfect! The green tea filling reminded me of chocolate truffles where it just melts in the mouth. The pastry shell could have been better but overall, 8/10!

Mini Green Tea Tart

And beautifully made coffee which was perfect as well.

If you are wondering in the city and looking for a place to have coffee and pastries, I highly recommend this place. It's delicious and interesting all at the same time, just like East meets West.

Azuma Cafe
501 George St, Sydney
(The entrance behind KFC on George St)

Cheers.

Mamak @ Chatswood

I have been in Sydney for nearly 3.5 years and have not had Mamak until last week. To most people, it's quite shocking since I am Malaysian, and Mamak is one of the most popular Malaysian restaurant in Sydney. You will never fail to see a long line of people waiting to get into the restaurant at any time of the day, and that was one of the main reasons I had not eaten there until recently.

Last week, M, C, babs and myself met at Mamak in the Chatswood branch (original branch is in Chinatown) for M's belated birthday lunch. Surprisingly, there wasn't a queue. It was a easy stroll into the restaurant at about 12.15pm. As soon as we ordered, the restaurant filled up almost immediately and the queue which was not there, appeared almost too quickly. Phewwww we were lucky!

I can happily say that Mamak is now my favourite Malaysian restaurant for Nasi Lemak and Maggi Goreng. I felt the Roti was so-so (meaning average), the Chendol was acceptable (could be better if the green noodles were thinner) and the Rojak (mamak style aka Pasembur) was not very authentic (mainly because of the sauce). Don't get me wrong, overall, the food was really tasty. A few components of some of the dish could have been better, that's all. 

The Nasi Lemak with Sambal Sotong (spicy cuttlefish) is the best I have had in Sydney. The heat level was perfect, spicy and sweet! Oh so delicious!!! The cuttlefish was crunchy and I absolutely love its texture. The coconut rice was flavoursome and had just enough coconut milk - the way I like it. The condiments of fried peanuts, hard boiled egg, fried anchovies (ikan bilis) and fresh cucumber was just the way it would be served in Malaysia. Thumbs up Mamak!!

Nasi Lemak with Sambal Sotong (MY FAVOURITE!! YUMMMM)

The curry chicken was tasty. The gravy was thick enough that I could drink it! hahahaha

Nasi Lemak with Curry Chicken

I love that they had all the important components for this dish - the julienne vegetables, fried prawn crackers, fried prawn/anchovy dumplings and the hard boiled egg. The sauce was slightly different the what I am used to back home, but nevertheless, good try. A very tasty dish - good for sharing.

Rojak (mamak style aka Pasembur)

The Mi Goreng was yummmy. Had all the right flavours of salty and sweet. The sauce coated the noodles well, and it wasn't too wet nor too dry. Generous amount of prawns as well.

Mi Goreng

Then, a few days ago, craving for the Nasi Lemak, babs and I went to Mamak in Chatswood again, but this time, we had to queue up and we did (OMG, yes I actually queued up!! LOL)

I ordered the Nasi Lemak with Sambal Sotong again! Delicious!! Was definitely worth the wait! And babs ordered Maggi Goreng with extra fried egg. It was superb!! I haven't had Maggi Goreng in Sydney since I came here and this dish is sooooooo tasty. Again, thumbs up!!!!!

Maggi Goreng with Fried Egg (the fried egg was extra, we requested to add for $1)

We finished off the meal with the ever so familiar Chendol. Perfect dessert to cool down my tummy after the spicy hot sambal sotong.

Chendol - Shaved ice with green rice noodles served with coconut milk & palm sugar syrup

Well Mamak, you got yourself a new fan! :) Dear readers, do you like to eat at Mamak as well?

Mamak Chatswood
Address: Shop P9, 1-5 Railway St, Chatswood 2067

Opening Hours: Lunch 11:30pm - 2:30pm / Dinner 5:30pm - 9:30pm 

Note: Open till 10:30pm (Friday & Saturdays only)

No reservations, walk-in only

Tel. No.: (02) 9411 4411

Mamak Chinatown

Address: 15 Goulburn St, Haymarket, Sydney

Opening Hours: Lunch 11:30pm - 2:30pm / Dinner 5:30pm - 10pm 

Note: Open till late 2am (Friday & Saturdays only)

No reservations, walk-in only

Tel. No.: (02) 9211 1669

Cheers.

How to cook like Heston - Roast Chicken with a twist

I caught "How to cook like Heston" on SBS last week and was really impressed by his Roast Chicken recipe. During my grocery shop on Sunday, I bought a free range chicken, thinking I might try his recipe today because it is a public holiday in Australia (Anzac Day). This recipe is like no other roast chicken recipe, I assure you. You would need a day off to try this at home!

I woke up this morning and was in the mood for experimenting, so here I am recording every step of my experiment (the chicken is in the oven as I 'speak'). I have made a few changes here and there to Heston's recipe (I think it's better LOL!) but if you are after his original recipe, please refer to "How to cook like Heston" on SBS website.

Ingredients for the Heston's roasted chook:

• 6% brine (60g salt dissolved in 1L of water)
• 1.5-2kg free range chicken free range (mine is 1.6kg)
• 1 lemon
• 1 bunch of thyme
• 125g unsalted butter (some to rub onto the chicken, and the rest for the basting liquid)
• 30ml dry white wine (I just got the cheapest white wine in the store!)
• 2 tbs plain flour (for the roux)

Trim the fat around the chicken bum and save it for later (you'll find out later). Then soak the entire chicken in brine (60g of salt for every Litre of water). According to the recipe, the chicken should be soaked over night for optimum results but hey, I didnt plan well enough, so the chicken got into the brine solution at noon today. I am sure it will be fine....*fingers crossed* 

Chicken in Brine

According to Heston: "A firm family favourite made extra juicy by brining the chicken before roasting it then cooking it for a long time at a gentle temperature. Brining is a fantastic technique for keeping moisture in food and it is incredibly simple to do. It involves a little forethought but minimum effort and it will guarantee a juicy and succulent bird every time." --- now you know!

Anyway, I left the chicken soaking in the fridge whilst I went out for lunch and did some shopping. Got home at 4pm and removed the chicken from the brine and dried it with kitchen towels. Line the roasting tray with aluminium foil so that you dont have to scrub the tray - just remove the foil and chuck it. This is called planning! haha. Then, place the roasting rack on the lined roasting tray.

Aluminium foil lined roasting tray

Ensure the chicken is not dripping wet, and it's properly dried with the kitchen towels. Place the chicken on the roasting rack so that you can continue to prep the chicken for roasting. The recipe did call for a bunch if thyme to be stuffed into the cavity, but I accidentaly bought a bunch of rosemary, so I used rosemary instead. 

Rosemary sprigs

Place the rosemary into the cavity

Also, stuff a whole lemon into the cavity (after you have pierced the lemon with a fork - this helps the juices to be released). The chicken with a lemon stuffed into the cavity was so funny because the lemon that I got was too big!! Here, look:

Chicken says "I feel so violated"!! LOL           

Then, spread some unsalted butter all over the chicken - if the butter is at room temperature, rub it all over the chicken; if not, just cut up small pieces and place them all over the chicken like I did. The chook is now ready to be roasted. Make sure the oven is pre-heated to 90deg or 70deg fan-forced. The chicken will now be roasted in the low temperature oven for about 3-4 hours, or until the breast meat is *60deg.

* Warning: Whilst Heston cooks his chicken to an internal temperature of 60°C, if you want to stick to safety guidelines your chicken should reach 75°C in the thickest part of the breast.

Whilst the chicken is in the oven, I make a basting liquid which I will use to baste the chicken, before and during them final browning session.

Melt the butter in a small pot, add the cheap (haha!) dry white wine and a few sprigs of thyme - I also added some rosemary since I already bought a bunch! Bring the liquid to boil and set aside for basting. Use a basting brush and generously baste the chicken throughout the roasting process (every 30 mins).

Basting Liquid

Remember the piece of chicken fat that you trimmed earlier? It's going to be put to good use, dont you worry. Heat a small fying pan and place the chicken fat on it. Fry it (without oil please) until it becomes golden brown and crispy.Whilst you are frying it on the pan, the oils from the chicken fat is released. You will then use the chicken fat to make roux for the gravy later. Meanwhile, reward yourself to a crispy piece of chicken fat for the amount of effort that's going into this roast chicken!!

Crispy chicken fat! OOO LAAAA LAAAAA!

Heston's gravy recipe doesn't call for roux. I understand that the English prefer runny gravy whilst I prefer thick gravy. To make a thick gravy, we need to use roux. Roux is basically a thickening agent that is used to thicken the gravy or sauces. It is typically made from melted butter and plain flour, but in this recipe, I used the chicken fat oils instead of butter. I bet you can already imagine how delicious the gravy is going to taste! Never let anything go to waste, is my excuse! HAHAHA

So, as soon as you remove the piece of crispy chicken fat, add 2 tbs of plain flour into the pan with the chicken fat oils in it, and cook the flour until is becomes slightly brown. Place aside to cool.

Roux made with chicken fat oils

Once the roast chicken reads at least 60deg (mine was 70deg) at the thickest part of the breast, you need to remove it from the oven and rest it for 45 mins. Unfortunately, I have been waiting for this chicken to cook since 4pm, and I am hungry. So, I skipped the resting step and move straight onto the browning step. Before that, I removed the juices from the roasting tray to be used in my gravy.

Make sure you check the temperature of the chicken

Turn up the heat on the oven to the highest, and continue to roast the chicken for 10 mins or until golden brown. Whilst waiting for the chicken to brown, cook the gravy.

Ingredients for Heston's Gravy (my take on it -> ingredients in blue are my own additions)

• 20ml dry white wine
• 250ml brown chicken stock
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard (I use Maille brand)
• 1 sprig of tarragon
• 1 sprig of parsley
• All the juices on the roasting pan
• Season with sea salt & cracked pepper
• 2 tbs cream
• Chicken Fat Roux (prepared earlier)
• 1 drop of thick dark caramel soy sauce (I use Cheong Chan brand)

Brown chicken stock is essentially stock made from roasted chicken and roasted chicken bones. Roasting the bones and meat gives the stock a richer and deeper flavour. Because I am lazy, I am using Essential Cuisine all natural chicken stock which I found in Thomas Dux Grocers at Lane Cove. This is a brown chicken stock which is only made from the roasted bones, roasted meat and water. It has no added salt, which I like (so I can adjust according to my taste). This is a apparently a new product at Thomas Dux and it's chilled! I have never bought chilled stocks before and this is my first time. Definitely an interesting product - it contains no preservatives or anything artificial which is the reason why it needs to be chilled - that's the good thing I like about it. Guess where I found it in store? In the meat section next to the meats! I never thought I would find such a great product in the meat section. Since I got it on Sunday, I chucked it into the freezer so it will lasts longer (up to 3 months frozen), because I was unsure at that time if I was going to roast the chicken today. Well, fortunately, I did roast the chicken today. Here's the website if you want to find out more: Essential Cuisine. 

      

I will definitely go back to Thomas Dux to buy more of the Essential Cuisine stocks! I like it when I find natural ingredients that helps make healthy meals for me and babs :) The stock is priced at $4.29 a pack - very reasonable for product that is as close to home-made and the best part is I dont have to spend 8 hours to make it myself!

Ok, to make the gravy, place the juices from the roasting tray, chicken stock, herbs, and white wine into a small pot and bring to a boil. Add roux, continuously stir to avoid clumping. Then add cream, Dijon mustard and a drop of thick dark caramel soy sauce (for colour). Continue to stir until gravy it becomes thick. If there are lumps, use a whisk to remove the lumps. Finally, season with sea salt & cracked pepper. Delicious!! 

Home-style real chicken gravy

Remove the chicken when the skin is brown and golden. And cut the chicken into quarters for serving.  

The roasted chook is ready to be served

For tonite's meal, I cooked some vegetables as sides instead of spuds. Here's how complete meal looks:

1 chicken only serves 2 in my house! HAHAHA

The roasted chicken was definitely moist and it had a super crispy skin. I have however roasted chicken in less than 1 hour and the outcome was as good as this. It could be because I didnt follow Heston's recipe 100% (I skipped the 45mins resting step). If I had followed the recipe 100%, perhaps the chicken might have come out far better than my regular roast chicken recipe.

It is now 10.20pm. I started working on the chicken at 4pm, ate it at 9pm and finished washing up at 10pm. 6 hours in total! WHOA!! What a night! 

Have you tried any of Heston's 'extraordinary' recipes? If you have, which have you tried and what was your experience like?

Cheers.

Frangos and La Patisserie @ Petersham

If you want to have Portuguese food in Sydney, it has to be Petersham, also known as Little Portugal. I went to Petersham today and had really good charcoal chicken and yummmmy Portuguese egg tarts!!

I have had Frangos charcoal chicken at their Bella Vista branch (close to work), but am not sure why it tasted much better here.

So lunch was 1/2 charcoal chicken ($10), small fries ($6) and giblets Portuguese style ($12). The chicken has a nice charcoal flavour, still juicy inside and saucey outside. The portion for 1/2 chicken is quite small, so if you expect half a chicken like roast chicken from the roasters, you better order a whole chicken (especially if you are sharing, otherwise 1/2 chicken is more than enough for 1). The giblets were not just giblets, but it also had chicken liver and chicken hearts. I love chicken giblets and hearts but not so much the liver. The sauce was smokey with paprika flavours, savoury tasting, awesome dunking the fries into it. To ensure you fully enjoy your meal. you have to ask for their famous Peri-Peri sauce and mayonnaise. Mixing both the Peri-Peri sauce and mayonnaise and eating it with the chicken and fries is so soo goood!!

Left to Right - Giblets Portuguese Style, Small Fries and 1/2 Charcoal Chicken from Frangos

Opposite the road from Frangos, is where you can find La Patisserie. It is famous Pasteis de nata, which is Portuguese style egg tarts. I walked across after lunch and had 2 egg tarts and 1 custard coconut tart. Both were so good, I was laughing out loud as I was eating it!!!!!! The egg tart had a crispy shell, and the burnt sugar on the top is so goood. The custard coconut tart is soft and the coconut bits are at the bottom. This tart is very sweet but extremely yummmy - cant have too much of it though. 

Portuguese Egg Tarts from La Patisserie

Custard & Coconut Tart from La Patisserie

I will definitely be back for more charcoal chicken and egg tarts. Next time, I will also try the other desserts in La Patisserie. 

Frango Charcoal Chicken, Petersham 

Phone:  02-9560 2369      

Address: 98 New Caterbury Rd, Petersham NSW 2193

Open 7 days: Monday to Thursday 10am till 9pm, Friday and Saturday 10am till late for dinner, Sundays & Public Holidays - 10am till 8.30pm

La Patisserie

Address: 45 New Canterbury Rd, Petersham NSW 2049

Phone: 02-9569 1107      

Cheers.

Happy Easter 2012

Tomorrow is Good Friday, so today's the last day of work until next week. Here in Australia, Good Friday is a public holiday and the Monday after Easter Sunday is also a Public Holiday. This is my 3rd Easter in Sydney, and the first that I am happy. I dont celebrate Easter as part of my religion but I do join in the festivities by buying and eating lots of easter egg and bunny chocolates! hehehe So this holidays, instead of dining out, I decided to buy a whole heap of meats and cheeses from Thomas Dux (and 1 item from Aldi) and indulge. Have a look at my Easter indulgence below:

Really yummy Prosciutto from Aldi for only $4.99/pack (I bought 4 packs! hahaha) - I love this compared to others

Huon Smoked Salmon, Traditional Wood Smoked Flavour - Smoked for 40 hours!! 

Black Pig Sugar Cured Middle Bacon x 2 packs - OMG!!!!!!! oink oink hahahaha

Confusing! Issit chicken or beef sausages? hahaha Well I think it is Chicken Sweet Chilli Basil & Mozarella

Now this is Beef! WOO HOO -- Grass Fed Sirloin Steak - Aged 20 days

Wagyu Beef Sausages - Gluten Free but not Preservative Free!! (I was deceived by the lovely meat)

Chicken Sausages (again!) with Fresh Lime & Spices but this time extra lean LOL

Wagyu Beef Burger - Hormone & Chemical Free - but look closer at the ingredients listing....

The best yoghurt ever! Made from non-homegenised milk and cultures - 2 ingredients only!!

Maggie Beer's Burnt Fig Jam - OOOoooOLLLAaaalAAAAAAAAAAA

And finally, the cheese and pate stash!!!! YEEHAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWW

You must think I am feeding an army or the world ends tomorrow, but if it really did, I would die a happy lady. It's all the yummy food that I've wanted to eat for a while now, so why not use this Easter holidays as an excuse to just do it rite? hehehe I really love specialty foods but I just dont buy them on a regular basis - just dont think I'd spend that kind of money all the time. Today's damage was $120! Not to mention the 3 bottles of wine which I didnt manage to take photos of.....

Alrighty, the night is still young..so I might just start with a glass of wine, cheese and prosciutto.

Have a good break everyone and Happy Easter!

Cheers.