A Collection of Recipes

Yunalesca

Yunalesca's Kitchen

If no one else can cook and if you can find them. Maybe you can hire, The B-Team.

A note from Yunalesca

Hello, reader.

A lot of folks in the B-Team have posted their many creations to the food channel on the server, and I very much enjoy sharing my food with everyone as well. Much to my chagrin, I can't feed you my cooking over voice chat. If there's anything you've seen that you want to try, this is an attempt to write down some of my favourite things I've cooked so that you too can give it a go.

If you think this is cool, feel free to send me a recipe and photo and I'll try and add it so we have a collection of tasty food everyone can enjoy.

Time for dinner (ultimate).

— Yunalesca ✦
The Recipes
01

Beef Stroganoff

Serve with Wild & basmati rice
Heat Medium–hot
Ingredients

The Seasoning Mix

  • 1–2 beef OXO cubes
  • 3 heaped tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp crushed black pepper
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • Salt, to taste

The Rest

  • Diced steak (amount to preference)
  • Mushrooms, sliced
  • Red onions, sliced
  • Splash of dry red wine, e.g. Malbec or Rioja (for deglazing)
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Tabasco sauce
  • Soy sauce
  • Crème fraîche
Yuna's note: Don't be shy with the smoked paprika — three heaped teaspoons is not a suggestion.

If you use a sirloin steak, trim the fat off and fry it separately first to render out the beef fat. Fry your mushrooms and red onions in that fat instead of oil — it makes a noticeable difference.

For the wine, go for a dry red like a Malbec or Rioja.
Beef Stroganoff
Method
  1. Combine the OXO cubes, paprika, black pepper, cayenne and salt in a bowl to make the seasoning mix. Toss the diced steak through it until well coated.
  2. Fry the mushrooms and red onions in a hot pan until they've sweated out their water and are starting to colour. Season to taste, then set aside.
  3. In the same pan, brown the beef over high heat — get a proper crust on it.
  4. Deglaze with a splash of red wine, scraping up all the good bits from the bottom. Add a dash each of Worcestershire, Tabasco, and soy sauce. Let the alcohol burn off.
  5. Stir in the crème fraîche and return the mushrooms and onions to the pan. Simmer gently for a few minutes until the sauce comes together.
  6. Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve over wild and basmati rice.
02

One-Pot Chicken Rice

Marinate 15 minutes
Cook time ~30 minutes
Style Bengali / Aromatic
Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

  • 500g boneless chicken
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp plain yogurt
  • 1 tsp ginger paste
  • 1 tsp garlic paste
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • ½ tsp red chilli

One-Pot

  • 3 tbsp cooking oil
  • 80g sliced onion
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ¼ tsp ginger paste
  • 300g basmati rice, soaked 30 min
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 360ml hot coconut milk
  • 240ml hot water
  • ½ tsp garam masala
  • 1½ tbsp fresh coriander
  • 1 tsp ghee
Recipe via Banglar Rannaghor. The coconut milk makes this something special — don't substitute it.
One-Pot Chicken Rice
Method
  1. Mix the chicken with all the marinade ingredients. Cover and leave for 15 minutes.
  2. Heat the oil in a pot and cook the chicken on low–medium heat for 10–12 minutes until browned. Remove and set aside.
  3. In the same pot, add the sliced onions, a splash of water, bay leaves, ginger paste, and the drained soaked rice.
  4. Pour in the hot coconut milk and hot water. Nestle the chicken back in.
  5. Cook on low–medium heat with the lid on for 10–15 minutes.
  6. Finish with garam masala, fresh coriander, and ghee. Give one gentle stir and serve.
03

Spicy Sesame Pork

Serves 4
Prep 10 min + 1 hr marinating
Cook time 20 minutes
Ingredients
  • 450g pork fillet
  • 1 tsp chilli oil
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 300g long-grain rice
  • 225g sugar snap peas
  • 2 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 1–2 tbsp chilli bean sauce
  • 100 ml water
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Marinating is non-negotiable here — the cornflour creates a lacquered crust when the pork hits the hot oil.
Spicy Sesame Pork
Method
  1. Slice the pork into 2 cm rounds. Place between cling film and bash thin with a rolling pin. Mix together chilli oil, cornflour, and soy sauce; coat the pork, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  2. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cook the rice for 10–12 minutes, adding the sugar snap peas for the final 2 minutes.
  3. Heat sunflower oil in a large frying pan over medium-high. Remove pork from marinade and fry in batches for 3–4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through.
  4. Return all the pork to the pan. Stir in the chilli bean sauce and 100 ml water; simmer for 2 minutes.
  5. Remove from the heat and scatter over the sesame seeds. Drain the rice and peas, and serve alongside.
04

Cheese Straws

Makes 18–20
Prep 25 min + chilling
Cook time 20 minutes
Course Snack
Ingredients
  • 200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • ½ tsp sea salt flakes
  • 125g unsalted butter, frozen for 1 hour
  • 150g Gruyère, grated
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp milk
  • ½ tbsp freshly ground black pepper
The key is keeping everything cold. Freeze the butter for at least an hour before starting, and chill the dough twice — once before shaping, once after. Don't skip either rest or you'll lose the flakiness. Gruyère is the move here; it has the punch and creaminess to carry the whole thing.
Cheese Straws
Method
  1. Tip the flour and salt into a bowl. Using a coarse grater, grate the frozen butter onto a plate, then add it to the bowl along with 100g of the Gruyère. Stir with a wooden spoon to distribute evenly through the flour.
  2. Pour in 100ml ice-cold water and use a cutlery knife to bring everything together into a ball of dough. Wrap in baking parchment and chill for 30 minutes.
  3. Line a large baking tray with parchment. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a neat 15×45cm rectangle, roughly 0.3cm thick. Whisk the egg yolk and milk together and brush over the top of the pastry.
  4. Sprinkle over the black pepper and remaining 50g Gruyère. Slice into 1.5×15cm lengths (you should get 18–20) and twist each one lengthways. Arrange on the tray and chill for another 30 minutes.
  5. Preheat the oven to 220°C / gas mark 7. Bake the chilled straws for 15–20 minutes until deeply golden. Cool briefly on the tray before serving.
05

Greek-Style Lamb Shanks

Serves 4
Prep 20 minutes
Cook time 5–7 hours
Equipment Slow cooker
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 lamb shanks, about 1.5 kg total
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 tsp coriander seeds, roughly crushed
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 600 ml lamb stock (chicken works if needed)
  • 150 ml dry sherry, dry cider, or white wine
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 2 tsp honey
  • Salt and pepper

To Garnish

  • Fresh oregano leaves
  • Grated lemon rind

Serve With — Pick One

  • Rice
  • Roast potatoes in goose or duck fat (see below)

Greek Salad

  • Tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • Cucumber, roughly chopped
  • Red onion, thinly sliced
  • Kalamata olives
  • Feta, crumbled or sliced
  • Olive oil and a pinch of dried oregano
Lamb stock makes a real difference here, but chicken stock works perfectly well if that's what you have to hand. Long, slow cooking is the whole point; don't rush it. The meat should be practically falling off the bone by the time you serve it.

Roast potatoes: Parboil floury potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edward) for 10–12 minutes until just starting to soften, then drain and give them a good shake in the colander to rough up the surfaces — this is what gets you the craggy, crispy edges. Steam-dry for a minute. Heat goose or duck fat in a roasting tin in a hot oven (220°C) until smoking, then carefully add the potatoes. Roast for 45–55 minutes, turning once or twice, until deeply golden and crisp.
Greek-Style Lamb Shanks
Method
  1. Preheat your slow cooker if needed. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the lamb shanks and brown well on all sides. Transfer to the slow cooker pot, standing them with the thickest parts at the bottom.
  2. Add the onion to the frying pan and fry for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Add the crushed coriander seeds and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the flour, then add the stock, sherry (or cider/wine), bay leaves, and honey. Season with salt and pepper, bring to the boil, then pour over the lamb.
  3. Cover and cook on High for 5–7 hours until the meat almost falls off the bone. Turn the shanks once during cooking if you can. (The High setting is needed because shanks are much denser than cubed meat.)
  4. Transfer the lamb to a warm serving dish and cover. Lift the slow cooker pot out and pour the liquid into a saucepan. Boil rapidly to reduce by half for a rich sauce — or thicken with a little cornflour mixed to a paste with cold water.
  5. Discard the bay leaves. Spoon the sauce and onions over the lamb, garnish with fresh oregano and grated lemon rind, and serve with your choice of roast potatoes or rice, and a simple Greek salad.
06

Thai Green Curry

Serves 2
Cook time ~20 minutes
Effort Very easy
Ingredients
  • 1–2 chicken thighs or breasts, thinly sliced or cut into chunks
  • 1–2 tbsp Mae Ploy green curry paste
  • 1 tin good-quality coconut milk (Kingfisher Oriental recommended — higher coconut extract % the better)
  • Jasmine rice
  • Cooking oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Veg — Pick Your Favourites

  • Sugar snap peas
  • Fresh red chilli, sliced
  • Bean sprouts
  • Bamboo shoots
  • Green beans
This is my go-to lazy weeknight meal — genuinely quick and very easy.

Mae Ploy is the paste to use. It's cheap, widely available, and punchy. Fair warning: it can be quite hot if you're not used to spicy food — start with 1 tbsp if you're unsure.

Coconut milk matters. Don't get scammed by thin, watery tins. Check the coconut extract percentage on the label — the higher the better. Kingfisher Oriental is the one to beat.

Leftovers: Reheats really well, but be mindful of portion size — if there's a lot of chicken it can pick up a microwaved taste if it takes too long to heat through. Smaller portions reheat much better.
Thai Green Curry
Method
  1. Allow 75g jasmine rice per person. Add the rice to a saucepan, then use the knuckle trick for water: rest a fingertip on top of the rice and add water until it reaches your first knuckle joint. Bring to the boil, cover, and reduce the heat to as low as it will go. Exactly 10 minutes. Keep it covered off to the side — it will stay warm until you need it.
  2. Heat a little oil in a large wok over medium-high heat. Add 1–2 tbsp of Mae Ploy curry paste and fry, stirring, until fragrant — about 1 minute.
  3. Pour in the coconut milk and stir to combine with the paste. Let it warm through until gently simmering.
  4. Add the chicken. Poach it directly in the curry — no need to fry it off first. Depending on thickness, it will take up to 7 minutes. Keep the heat moderate; don't let it boil hard.
  5. In the last 1–2 minutes, add your veg of choice — sugar snaps, sliced chilli, whatever you're using.
  6. The paste carries a good amount of salt already, so taste before adding more. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Fluff the rice with a fork before plating, then serve alongside.
07

Chilli Garlic Butter Prawns

Serves 2
Cook time 15 minutes
Ingredients
  • 300g raw king tiger prawns, peeled and deveined
  • 40g unsalted butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced or minced
  • 1–2 fresh red chillies, finely sliced (or ½ tsp chilli flakes)
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • Small handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • Salt and black pepper
  • Crusty bread or rice, to serve
Pat the prawns completely dry before they go in the pan — wet prawns steam instead of sear and you'll lose the colour.

The UCO method — judge doneness by the shape of the prawn. U-shaped means undercooked. C-shaped means cooked. O-shaped means overcooked. Pull them at C.

Great as part of a tapas spread alongside chorizo in red wine, cheeses, anchovies, and a simple salad.
Chilli Garlic Butter Prawns
Method
  1. Pat the prawns dry with kitchen paper. Heat a wide frying pan over high heat until very hot. Add half the butter and let it foam, then add the prawns in a single layer. Cook for 90 seconds without touching them.
  2. Flip the prawns. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for another 60–90 seconds. They're done when pink and C-shaped — don't push it to O. The residual heat will finish them off once the pan is off the heat.
  3. Remove from the heat. Add the remaining butter and squeeze over the lemon juice, tossing everything together as it melts.
  4. Scatter over the parsley, season to taste, and serve immediately with crusty bread or rice.