Cooking with Khoo

Beer braised lamb shank 🥘🥩

Ingredients | Serves 4
4 x lamb shanks
Carrots, tomatoes, brown onion, garlic
2 bay leaves & rosemary sprig
2 tbsp Cayenne pepper
500ml bottle of pale ale
1 cup of beef / lamb stock
Salt, pepper

Coat your lamb shanks in a dry rub (cayenne pepper, chilli flakes, salt, pepper, herbs) • Brown both sides and transfer to oven dish • In the same pan, sauté garlic, onion then add in your veges • Add stock, beer liquid and rosemary• Reduce heat to simmer • Transfer the remaining ingredients onto the oven dish • Cover your dish with foil and cook in the oven for 2.5 - 3 hours at 180 degrees • Serve with mash potato/ rice / pasta. Enjoy 🤗

Sesame prawn toast 🍤🥪

Ingredients | Serves 4-6
500g prawn, peeled & deveined
2 stalks of spring onion
4 tbsp soy sauce
Fresh k**b of ginger
Half clove of garlic/ 1 tbsp garlic mince
1/2 cup sesame seeds
White bread
Egg white
Salt & white pepper

Blitz raw prawns, ginger, garlic, egg white, spring onions, light soy sauce, salt and white pepper in a food processor to form the paste • Slice bread into triangles • Spread the prawn paste onto the bread, roughly 1 tbsp onto each triangle • Dip paste side onto plate of sesame seeds • Ready for deep fry with paste side down • Cook 1-2 minutes paste side and flip to cook the other side for 1 minute or until golden brown. Enjoy 🤗

Thai red curry fried rice w/ prawns 🍚🍤🍴

Ingredients | Serves 4
Cooked rice (preferably a day old)
Capsicum, Carrots, Asian veg, mushrooms diced
Prawns, bite-sized (optional)
1 can of corn kernels
Garlic
4 eggs
1 tbsp ginger lemongrass paste
3 tbsp red curry paste
1 tbsp brown sugar
Lemon / lime juice
Salt, pepper

Finely chop the vegetables. In a large frying pan, make scrambled eggs, then put aside. Cook the prawns separately as well. Then in the same pan, stir fry the vegetables until tender, add Asian greens last. Add ginger lemongrass paste, curry paste, brown sugar and stock powder to the pan. Add cooked rice, stir to combine and cook for another 5 minutes. Add a generous squeeze of lemon/ lime and season to taste. Now, transfer the eggs and prawns back to the pan and let it heat through, 2 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges, roasted peanuts and a pinch of chilli flakes 😊Enjoy !

Even though I didn’t post many recipes this year, rest assured that I’ve still been eating very well. Here are my top 10 favourite cooking for 2021 (in no actual order) 👩🏻‍🍳😋🍴

1. Tiger prawns spaghetti with homemade rustic Italian tomato sauce 🦐
2. Sushi feast 🍣
3. Tteokbokki 😍
4. Steam silken tofu with Chinese veg 🫕
5. San choy bow 🥬
6. Bimbimbap 🍚
7. Japanese chicken Katsu curry 🥘
8. Bun Bo Hue 🍜
9. Greek/ Lebanese inspired ‘Yiros’ 🌯 10. Hotpot 🍲

Lamb Ragu Parpadelle 🍝🥫

Ingredients | Serves 5+
1.5kg lamb shoulder, cut into mid medium sized pieces
Celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
Onion & garlic, diced
Fresh Rosemary & thyme
4 bay leaves
1 can of chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp of tomato paste
1/2 cup of red wine

Coat lamb pieces in flour, shake off excess and cook them on a fry pan until deeply browned on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer them into a slow cooker. In the same pan, cook the onion, garlic and half the carrot and celery mixture for about 5 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes until caramelise. Then transfer them into the slow cooker, along with the rest of the ingredients. Slow cook on high for 4-5 hours. When ready, shred the lamb & stir to combine. Serve with your favourite pasta (Parpadelle is the go-to option) and finish with some grated Parmesan or finely chopped herbs. Enjoy 😋

Sweet Potato Shepherds Pie 🥧🍽

Ingredients | serves 4
500g beef mince
1 capsicum, diced
2 carrots, diced
Celery, diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
Garlic & onion diced
Fresh Rosemary & thyme
Bay leaves
2 tbsp tomato paste & Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup beef stock

Mashed potato
1 giant sweet potato
2 carrots
1/4 cup of milk
2 tbsp of butter

1. Cook potatoes and carrots in boiling water for 10-15 minutes or until soft. Drain then return to pot and add milk and butter, mash until soft
2. Sauté carrots, celery, capsicum, onion and garlic for 5 mins then add in beef mince. Cook for 10 mins then add in herbs, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, red wine, stock and stir well
3. Bring to simmer, then turn down heat so it is simmering rapidly. Cook for 20 mins, stirring occasionally. Stir through peas after and season to taste
4. Transfer filling onto pie dish and let it cool for 1-2 hours
5. Spread mash onto pie, use a fork to draw squiggles over the surface. Sprinkle with parmesan and top with cooking spray
6. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until deep golden on top. Enjoy ☺️

Superfood bowl 🥙 🥗

Ingredients | serves 3
1/4 pumpkin, diced
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Kale bunch, removed from stem
Mushrooms, 300g sliced
1 cup of Wild rice and quinoa, cooked
1 avocado, sliced
1/2 lemon, cut into wedges

Wash and thoroughly dry kale. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and sugar. Bake for 20 mins or until crispy • Season pumpkin with olive oil, turmeric powder, salt, pepper and chilli flakes. Bake for 30 mins then add mushrooms onto the same tray and bake for another 5-10 mins • Combine all ingredients and serve ☺️

Chicken Nanban w/ Japanese Tartar sauce 🍚🍶🍗🥢

Ingredients | serves 4
4 thigh fillet
1/2 cup of flour
2 eggs

Nanban sauce:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sugar

Tartar sauce:
3 boiled eggs, mashed
2 tbsp KEWPIE Mayo (normal Mayo just isn’t the same)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
Salt, pepper

Cut ‘open’ the chicken thighs, so each pieces lay flat • Season with salt & pepper • Lightly dust each pieces with flour and coat evenly with beaten egg • Gently place the egg-coated chicken into frying oil • Remove the chicken from pan once golden brown on both sides and place onto a plate with paper towel to soak off excess oil • To make the Nanban sauce, combine the ingredients in a new pan and bring the sauce to a boil • Once chicken is cooled, dip each pieces into the Nanban sauce • Slice and serve the chicken with tartar sauce • To prepare the tartar sauce, add the ingredients together, stir to combine. ENJOY 😊

Thai Drunken noodles 🍜🥩🍅🥒

Ingredients | Serves 4-5
1 packet of fresh rice noodles
Vegetables of choice: zucchini, beans, capsicum
3 cloves of garlic
1 brown onion, diced
1 red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
1 fresh lemongrass stalk, finely chopped & bruised (optional)
Handful of fresh Thai basil, chopped (I didn’t include this in mine, but to make it traditional, that’s what you would put in)

Beef marinade:
600g diced steak
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp corn starch
Pinch of white pepper

Stir fry sauce:
1 tbsp brown sugar (dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp each dark soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, shao xing wine
1 tsp white pepper

Marinade beef for at least one hour • Brown them on a frying pan • In a separate pot or wok, sauté onion, garlic, chilli and lemongrass for 2 minutes then add in your vegetables • Soak noodles in boiling water for 2-3 mins, rinse then add into the pot/ wok, along with stir fry sauce & toss well over. ENJOY 😊

Lentil and egg curry 🥘🥚🥣

Ingredients | serves 4-5
1 can of brown lentils, rinsed and drained
1-1.5 can of diced tomatoes
1 brown onion
1 tbsp garlic & ginger mince
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp coriander seeds/ ground coriander
1 tbsp sugar
5 curry leaves (if unattainable you can substitute it for bay leaves)
1 cup vegetable stock/water
2 handful of baby spinach
4-5 soft/ hard boiled eggs, halved

Coconut sambal (garnish)
1/3 cup desiccated coconut
1 handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice

Mix all the ingredients for coconut sambal in a bowl • In a pot, sauté onion, garlic & ginger mince • Add in curry leaves & spices, cook stirring for 2-3 minutes • Add tomatoes, stock and lentils. Bring to boil • Simmer, with lid off for 15 minutes • Season to taste & add spinach • Once wilted, turn off heat & add boiled eggs and coconut sambal on top. ENJOY 😊

Pesto Pasta made in under 10 minutes with 5 ingredients 🍝

Ingredients | serves 3-4
250-300g dry pasta or penne
60g silvered almond, toasted
1-2 handfuls of fresh rocket
1 tub of semi dried tomatoes (save the oil for the pasta)
1 tub of pesto dip ***
1/3 cup of Parmesan (optional)

*** This pesto dip is the game changer, way better than pesto in a jar and tastes just like fresh pesto

Cook the pasta for suggested time • Drain and rinse till they are cool and put them in a big salad bowl • Add all ingredients & the remaining oil from semi dried tomatoes • Season with salt and pepper • Toss to coat

Honey cashew chicken 🍗🍯🥜



Ingredients | serves 3-4

Marinade:
1 piece of chicken breast, diced
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp white ground pepper
1 tbsp rice vinegar



Sauce:
3-4 tbsp soy sauce
3-4 tbsp honey
1 tsp garlic mince
1/2 cup water
+ 1 tsp corn starch, dissolved w/ water



Choice of greens:
1 head of broccoli
2 carrots, diced
+ 1 cup of dry roasted cashews



Marinade chicken for 1-2 hours or overnight • Cook chicken till brown, then add garlic mince • Add greens and sauce, lid on and cook in medium heat for 10 minutes • Add corn starch and let the sauce simmer for 2-3 minutes, then add in cashews • Stir to combine • Garnish with sesame seeds and shallots. ENJOY 😊