Braised Duck Leg with Egg Noodles

At home we enjoy eating duck, it's more flavorful than chicken and it's hard to miss. Duck legs can easily be found in most Asian stores.  After cleaning, I brown the duck legs in a pan, without any oil, as the duck skin will sweat. When all the duck legs are evenly golden, drain off the fat. To add a splash of soy sauce, Chinese wine, Chinese vinegar, brown sugar, a piece of ginger, and braise over slow heat until tender (about 40 mn.). Meanwhile, boil some water and blanch the egg noodles as per package instructions till al dente and drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Fry some minced shallots in a little oil till golden, not brown, and mix with the noodles. I usually serve this dish with blanched Chinese vegetable like pak choy, choy sum or broccoli. It's a simple and satisfying meal.

Lamb Shank Couscous

We love couscous, it's nutritious and less starchy than rice.  I like to make all kinds of couscous, vegetarian, chicken or lamb.  Today I found nice lamb shanks at the supermarket, which is not a commonly found cut. So it's the perfect occasion to serve them with couscous.

The easiest way is to use a slow cooker. First put a pack of frozen vegetable at the bottom of the slow cooker, lay the lamb shanks on top, cover with a can of stewed tomatoes, chicken broth, spices such as cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, anis seed, cayenne pepper, a little salt, and cook on slow for about 3 hours, add a can of chickpeas, cook on slow for another 30 mn. The lamb shank meat should be really tender by then, if not cook a bit longer.

I serve the delicious lamb shanks with couscous (I usually get the instant kind that can be ready in 5 mn by adding a knob of butter and boiling water).