Festive recipes to nourish the soul

Gain City’s Executive Chef Jeffrey Chua, who also helms Happy Café, and Sous Chef Ken Ng from Lucky Cuisine, each share a festive recipe that will surely uplift your upcoming reunion dinners.

Christmas is often associated with turkey. Why break with tradition and go with lamb instead?

Jeffrey: Turkey dishes here aren’t as well-received as they are in Western countries. As I deliberated on how to inject my own twist into the customary Christmas dinner, it came to me – one of our best-selling dishes here at Happy Café is our lamb chop. It’s halal, easy to find and incredibly forgiving to prepare even for novice chefs.

For non-fans, lamb tends to have a gamey smell.

Jeffrey: The key to removing its odour is to season it well. I infuse my cuts of lamb with a special spice rub made from rosemary, thyme and garlic. You can add in your favourite herbs into the mix. If you like to take it up a notch, you can poke holes into your lamb cuts and fill them with garlic cloves. Not only will they help remove the smell, they’ll keep the lamb tender during the cooking process.  

How do you ensure that your lamb cut always turns out perfect?

Jeffrey: All you really need is patience. I give my lamb plenty of time to fully absorb my spice rub before slowcooking it for another 4 hours in tomato stock (hence, the lamb shanks’ reddish hue). One more thing that both novices and veterans often overlook – ensuring that the lamb has enough liquid to fully simmer. Keep extra stock on hand in case your lamb shanks need a top up. 

Mashed potatoes are one of those dishes that are easy to prepare, but difficult to master.

Jeffrey: Russet potatoes are really the way to go if you want a mash that is silky and soft. While it is common knowledge that mashed potatoes have to go with a lot of butter, I find that adding cream takes its richness to a whole new level. For an extra kick, I like to add just a smitch of cinnamon powder

Slow-Cooked Lamb Shanks with Mashed Potatoes (Happy Cafe)

LAMB SHANKS
1kg Lamb Shanks
¼ cup Tomato Paste
1500ml Pronto Tomato(or any Tomato Broth)
700ml Water
1 Carrot (sliced)
2 cups Chopped Onions Spice Rub:
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Flour
2 teaspoons Oil
2 sprigs Rosemary
3 Dried Bay Leaves
5 cloves Garlic

Preparation:
1 Mix the condiments and herbs to create a spice rub. Let the lamb shanks rest in the rub for 45 minutes.
2 Heat up cooking oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Sear the outer layer of the lamb shank until the skin is golden brown.
3 Toss in the vegetables and give a light fry. Add in the tomato paste and mix well.

4 Transfer to a large crockpot. Fill the pot with Pronto Tomato base and water and let the contents boil at high heat.
5 Once it reaches a boil, add in the lamb shanks and let it simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. Stir constantly.
6 Reduce the heat to low and let the shanks slow-cook for 4 hours.

MASHED POTATOES
1kg Russet Potatoes (peeled and cut evenly)
¼ cup Cream (optional)
4 tablespoons Butter
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Black Pepper

Preparation:
1 Add potatoes and water into a large pot and boil over high heat until tender.
2 Drain the potatoes, and mash until smooth. Add in butter (and cream if using) gradually.
3 Season with salt and black pepper. 

What is it about an abalone dish that screams
“Huat ah!”?

Ken: It isn’t the abalone dish itself, but rather the Fatt Choy that typically comes with it! Consider Gong Hei Fatt Choy, the greeting that is expressed during Chinese New Year to mean “wishing you prosperity”. How much more auspicious can it be?

Speaking of broths, how do you create a delicious one from scratch?

Ken: Everything we use during our prep, whether it is the water we soused the shiitake mushrooms in or the brine that our chicken bones are boiled in, goes back into the broth. The chicken stock we add in later charges up all these natural ingredients, releasing a natural sweetness and savouriness that makes the broth so rich.

How can home cooks avoid the bane of Chinese New Year – rubbery abalone?

Ken: If you are getting canned abalones, steam the entire can with the lid firmly closed. Many chefs I know drain them, but I have learnt that the packing liquid is actually great as a steaming liquid. The can’s compact nature also ensures that the abalone is cooked evenly.

Any simple tips that actually make a huge difference in preparing an abalone dish?

Ken: Get the best kind of condiments there are in the market! Items like soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame sauce and even abalone sauce have many variants. Read the labels and look out for keywords like “Premium” and “Superior”.

Braised Abalone with Oyster (Lucky Cuisine)

1 can Abalone
12 Dried Oysters
12 Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
4 cloves Garlic (chopped)
10g Fatt Choy
1 cup Chicken Stock
1 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons Cooking Oil
4 tablespoons Oyster Sauce

Preparation:
1 Soak the dried oysters, fatt choy and shiitake mushrooms in separate bowls of warm water for 1-2 hours. Set aside the rehydrated oysters, fatt choy and mushrooms and save
the water.

2 Steam the canned abalones (without removing the lid) for 30–45 minutes.
3 Heat up cooking oil in a large pan over medium heat and gently fry the chopped garlic.
4 Add in shiitake mushrooms and oysters and cook for 4 minutes or until they begin to brown.
5 Stir in the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce and
Chinese cooking wine and fatt choy. Mix well.
6 Transfer the contents into a cooker and add in the steamed abalones, chicken stock and brine. Simmer for 20 minutes.
7 Thicken the broth with a cornstarch slurry (1:2 ratio of cornstarch to water) and serve.