HEALTHY MEALS

Recipe by : chef ssentongo

* > CLASSIC BEEF LASAGNA –

that cheesy pull you see:

Ingredients

• 500g minced beef
• 12 lasagna sheets – no-boil works
• 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 can crushed tomato 400g
• 2 cups mozzarella, 1 cup parmesan/cheddar
• 2 cups béchamel: 2 tbsp butter + 2 tbsp flour + 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil, salt, pepper, oil

Method

1. Ragù: Brown beef 5 min, remove. Sauté onion + garlic, add tomato + herbs. Simmer 15 min. Add beef back.
2. Béchamel: Melt butter, add flour 1 min. Whisk in warm milk till thick. Salt + nutmeg if you have.
3. Layer: Dish → thin ragù → pasta sheet → béchamel → cheese. Repeat 4-5 layers. Top = béchamel + lots of mozzarella.
4. Bake: 180°C, covered with foil 25 min. Uncover, broil 5-7 min till golden + bubbly like pic.
5. Rest: 15 min before cutting. Hot lasagna = soup. Rest = clean slices + cheese pull.

Keys for that cheese stretch

1. Cheese mix: Mozzarella for pull, parmesan/cheddar for flavor. 100% mozzarella = bland.
2. Sauce ratio: Dry = cardboard. Too wet = soggy. Ragù + béchamel should coat spoon.
3. Rest time: Hardest part. 15 min lets it set so you get that lift, not collapse.

No oven? Use stovetop: heavy pot, lowest heat, 40 min covered. Top won’t brown but inside cooks.

Making this for guests or meal prep?

* > PAN-SEARED CHICKEN BREAST IN CREAMY GARLIC SAUCE + MASH + VEG: – In 25 min

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, pounded 2cm thick
• 1/2 cup cooking cream/heavy cream, 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tbsp butter, 1 tsp mustard, parsley, salt, pepper, paprika
• Potatoes for mash, broccoli, carrots, green beans
• Oil

Method

1. Chicken: Salt + pepper + paprika both sides. Hot pan + oil, sear 5-6 min/side till golden + 74°C inside. Rest 5 min.
2. Sauce: Same pan, melt butter. Sauté garlic 30 sec. Add cream + mustard + pepper. Simmer 3 min till thick. Stir in parsley.
3. Mash: Boil potatoes till soft. Mash with butter + warm milk + salt. Pipe swirl like pic.
4. Veg: Steam/boil broccoli, carrots, beans 4 min. Keep crisp + bright. Toss with butter + salt.
5. Plate: Mash + veg + chicken. Pour sauce over chicken + mash.

Keys

1. Rest chicken: Cut too soon = all juices run out. 5 min rest = juicy inside.
2. Don’t crowd pan: 1 breast at a time for crust. Crowding = steaming.
3. Sauce from fond: Those brown bits = flavor. Deglaze with cream, don’t wash pan.
4. Pound chicken: Even thickness = cooks evenly, no dry edges.

No cream? Use yogurt + splash of milk. Add yogurt off heat so it doesn’t split.

Want the exact spice rub I’d use for this in Juba heat so it doesn’t taste bland?

* > BEEF & BELL PEPPER STIR-FRY IN SOY SAUCE : – In 15 min

Ingredients

• 400g beef sirloin, sliced thin against grain
• 1 onion, 1 red + 1 green bell pepper, 1 carrot julienned
• 2 garlic cloves minced, 2-3 chili pieces
• Sauce: 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water slurry, oil

Method

1. Marinate beef: Beef + 1 tbsp soy sauce + 1/2 tsp baking soda 10 min. Makes it tender. Pat dry.
2. Sear beef: Wok/pan smoking hot + oil. Beef in single layer, 1 min/side till browned but not cooked. Remove. Don’t crowd pan.
3. Veg: Same pan, toss onion + peppers + carrot + garlic + chili 2 min. Keep crisp.
4. Sauce: Add remaining soy + oyster sauce + sugar + pepper. Return beef. Toss 1 min. Add cornstarch slurry, cook 30 sec till glossy.

Keys

1. Against the grain: Slice beef across muscle lines or it’ll be chewy.
2. High heat + fast: Stir-fry = 3-4 min total. Overcook = tough beef + soggy veg.
3. Baking soda trick: 1/2 tsp per 400g = restaurant tender beef. Rinse + pat dry after 10 min.
4. Prep first: Everything cut before fire on. Wok waits for no one.

Serve with: Steamed rice. The sauce is perfect for soaking rice.

Want a version without oyster sauce using ingredients easy to find in Juba?

* > PAN-SEARED FISH STEAK MASALA – that golden crust in  12 min

Ingredients

• 2 thick fish steaks: kingfish/surmai, tuna, or Nile perch
• 2 tbsp yogurt, 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala, salt, lemon
• Oil for frying. Garnish: onion rings, cilantro, carrot + lime like pic

Method

1. Marinate: Make paste: yogurt + all spices + salt + lemon. Coat fish 20 min. Thick steaks need time.
2. Sear: Non-stick pan, medium-high heat + oil. Fish in, don’t move it 4 min till deep golden crust forms. Flip, 3-4 min other side. Done when opaque + flakes.
3. Plate: Rest 2 min. Serve with onion rings, cilantro, carrot rose + grilled lime wedge.

Keys for that crust

1. Dry fish + thick steaks: Wet fish = steaming. Pat dry. Thin fillets will overcook before crust forms.
2. Hot pan, no moving: Put fish down, leave it. Crust only forms with contact. Move it = no color.
3. Yogurt in marinade: Tenderizes + helps browning. No yogurt? Use lemon + oil.
4. Rest 2 min: Lets juices settle so it doesn’t fall apart when you plate.

No oven/grill needed: This is pure stovetop. Cast iron = best crust.

Nile perch works great here since it’s local in Juba. Want me to adjust spices for a milder version?