Greek Pastitsio

A Greek version of lasagne, the addition of cloves and cinnamon make a nice difference to the recipe.

  

Last weekend my husband and I decided to make a Greek Pastitsio. The best way to describe it is that it is a Greek version of lasagne.

It is constituted of pasta, meat sauce and white béchamel sauce. The method for assembling the Pastitsio is exactly the same as assembling a lasagne. Layer the pasta first, followed by the meat sauce. Repeat. Make sure to finish with a final layer of pasta before spreading the béchamel sauce over. Sprinkle on some cheese and bake!

We got inspired to make this dish after watching Rick Stein cook it on his Mediterranean Escapes series. I have included a link to the video here so you can watch it as well.

Rick Stein cooking Pastitsio – Mediterranean Escapes

Personally I like the meat sauce in the Pastitsio because you add in cloves and a cinnamon stick. It really adds a nice, warming aniseed flavour and smell to the sauce.

Do note that the original recipe calls for Greek kefalotiri cheese but I just used Mozzarella to substitute.

I really am looking forward to making this again. I hope you give it a try too. Enjoy!

XO Fried Noodles

XO sauce takes this fried noodle dish up a notch. Noodles just got serious. Try it!

Hello folks!

Guess what? I just had my first experience of an exploding watermelon. I went to bed and the watermelon was fine and sitting pretty on my kitchen counter. In the morning the husband is shouting “Oh No, Oh NO!” I ran down to the kitchen and was greeted by a watermelon mess. Dripping down the counter and flooding the kitchen floor with watermelon goo. Since I had to clean everything up I thought it was a sign that I should mop the whole kitchen up as well. Boo.

So now that my kitchen is back in a clean state let us talk about this noodle dish. I made this fried noodles a few nights back and you must try it. Really. You just must.

It is truly a quick mid-week or an any time super fast of meal. Home made fast food. Delish.

For those who are wondering, XO sauce is really a savoury Chinese seafood based sauce. You can certainly make it yourself but for other mere mortals such as myself, you can buy it ready made.

Since we are talking FAST meal here, I added half a bag of ready packed stir fry vegetables. Of course if you prefer, you can chop up your own favourite veggies and add them in. I also used ready peeled prawns, but once again, if you want to use chicken, tofu, other types of seafood – go right ahead.

I loved it so much I can’t wait to make it again. Let me know if you like it.

If you make this you can always show me on Twitter or Instagram by tagging @leowailin or using the hashtag #nomsieskitchen. Enjoy!

Malaysian Seri Muka Kuih

A sweet dessert made from glutinous rice and flavoured with gorgeous pandan (screwpine) leaves and coconut milk, it’s a real tea time treat.

Hello!

It has been a long time since my last post hasn't it? I blame the house move and no internet for my absence. Now, I finally have fibre broadband installed and have moved out of the dark ages.

So, what have I been cooking? Well, I made this delicious Malaysian dessert last week. Pandan and coconut milk always make such an aromatic and tasty combination.

I hope you don’t get overwhelmed by the recipe, it’s just a few steps that you need to plan for. Otherwise it really isn't that daunting and is very do-able! If you make this you can always show me on Twitter or Instagram by tagging @leowailin or using the hashtag #nomsieskitchen. Enjoy!