#48 - Chicken with Mushroom Sandwich

It has been a long weekend for me. I was actually sick over this last weekend and as a result, I had to cancel/postpone all my work commitments so that I could get some rest at home and focus on recovering soon. 

But as always, whenever I have the full day to myself at home (and this time it was 2 full days), I just could not stay out of the kitchen. I know I am such a contradicting person but it seems like baking/cooking has a healing effect on me. 

This was a really well-spent weekend for me. Not only did I get some rest (away from work), I also managed to accomplish trying out many food items on my To Bake/Cook List. I am so excited to share these recipes with all of you on MMC. I promise, you will soon see the following recipes coming up on MMC. 

1. Peanut Butter Bread
2. Stir Fry Celery with Pork
3. Lemon Butter Chicken & Rice (One-Pot)
4. Pineapple-Berry Lemonade Popsicles
5. Bailey's Ice Cream
6. Tuna Salad Burritos
7. Laksa Fried Rice

Another good thing about a well-spent weekend is that you will wake up on a Monday morning, feeling great about the start of the week ahead. This was exactly how I felt this morning! 

To kick start the week ahead, I decided to put in a little more work into this morning's breakfast and this was what I came up with - Chicken with Mushroom Sandwich. Mind you, I added a little bit of wine into this recipe and the result was EXCELLENT. The splash of wine really built up the flavour and its fruity taste goes really well with my favourite, mushrooms! 

I feel so satisfied now(and ready for the rest of the day) after such a hearty and tasty sandwich! I totally see myself making more of such sandwiches very soon and in my next try, I am already decided that I shall be adding some cheese to go along with this recipe. Imagine the cheesy goodness together with the mushroom and chicken. Wow! 

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Recipe: Adapted & modified from Pass the Sushi

Servings

2 Sandwiches (4 slices)

Ingredients

Chicken Thighs (2 pieces)
Garlic Salt (to taste)
Black Pepper (to taste)
Butter (1tbsp)
Corn Oil (1tbsp)
Onion, chopped (50g)
Garlic, chopped (35g)
Mushroom, sliced (90g)
Cherry Tomatoes (5 nos)
Wine, of your choice (2 tbsp)
Chicken Stock (2 tbsp)

Directions

1. Season chicken thighs with garlic salt and black pepper to taste.

2. In a saucepan over medium heat, add in butter. Sear chicken (on both sides), skin-side down until golden brown. Transfer to a plate.

3. Once chicken has cooled down, shred it into pieces. Set aside. 

4. Add corn oil to the saucepan and lower heat to medium. Cook onion and garlic until they are fragrant. Stir well.

5. Add in mushroom and cherry tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes until they soften.

6. Add in wine and chicken stock before seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.

7. Lightly butter the bread. Using air fryer, toast the bread at 160C for 2 to 3 minutes until it is lightly browned. 

8. Remove bread from air fryer and start assembling the sandwich with the shredded chicken (Step 3) and mushroom mixture (Step 6).

9. Serve warm. 

#47 - Air Fried Crab Sticks

1 INGREDIENT RECIPE - AIR FRIED CRAB STICKS!

For the last couple of years, deep fried crab sticks has managed to make its way up the list of Chinese New Year goodies. In my opinion, this is such an easy item that we can all make in our home kitchen. It is totally not worth it to pay $15 for a bottle of such goodies. I rather spend that money on a bottle of pineapple tart or some extra bak kwa. Don't you agree with me? What's more, when you make it at home, you have the choice to either deep fry them or opt for a healthier version (which was what I did) by air-frying them.

These are super easy to make and although Chinese New Year is almost over, I have been making more batches of these over the last few weeks to give away to friends, for them to have it as snacks. These are totally addictive and I shall be replenishing the stock I have at home again so that I can enjoy them anytime of the year, not only Chinese New Year. I may be wrong, but somehow, I am under the impression that consuming these goodies should be better than those high sodium chips or high sugary stuff. Isn't it?

Another reason why I prefer the homemade version of these crab sticks is how they are crunchier and less oily when we make it at home. If you are like me, opt for air-frying the crab sticks instead of deep frying them. That really save me a lot of trouble. Easier preparation, easier cleaning up, equally crispy and fragrant treats at the end of the day. If you would like to, you may even sprinkle the crab sticks (before air-frying) with some sesame oil, paprika powder, curry powder or any other seasoning of your choice. I however, prefer the original version. Try it!

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Recipe: Adapted & modified from Noob Cook Easy Recipes.

Servings
Enough to fill up 1 large, 1 medium, 1 small container (as shown below)

Ingredients

DoDo Crab Flavoured Stick (4 packets - 1000g, 64 crab sticks)

Method

1. Preheat air fryer to 160C for 5 minutes.

2. Prepare the crab sticks by removing the plastic sheet and unrolling the crab sticks.

3. Separate the crab sticks into 1.5cm width each (try to keep to the same width if possible to ensure even frying) and set aside.

4. When air fryer is ready, place the crab sticks ( I do half a packet, 8 sticks, at a time) in the air fryer. You do not have to arrange the crab sticks neatly because you want them to be spread out randomly so that they will not stick together.

5. Air fry them at 160C for 15 to 18 minutes until they are golden brown. During the frying, it is important to pull out the basket of crab sticks in the air fryer and toss them using a pair of tongs (or shake the content in the basket) to ensure the crab sticks do not stick together and they may be evenly cooked.

6. Cool completely before storing them in air tight containers. 

#44 - Air-Fried Ice-Cream Sandwich

If you know me better, you'll know how much I adore simple and easy to do recipes at home. I believe in making food with simple ingredients and techniques that do not put beginners-in-kitchen off. This is one of such recipe! 

Air-fried Ice-Cream Sandwich, something I would even recommend you trying out together with your kids at home. I am sure they will have plenty of fun helping out with the scooping (of ice cream),  cutting & pinching (of the sandwiches). Not to mention, the yummy treat of their favourite ice-cream at the end of the day. 

And since we are using the air-fryer for this recipe, you don't have to worry about the mess that will be created. No greasy oil spills and definitely a healthier option in my opinion. Go try it!  

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Recipe: Adapted & modified from <The Baking Biatch>.

Serve 2

Ingredients

Wholemeal Bread - 4 slices
Ice cream - 2 scoops
Almond (diced) - 2 tbsp
Butter (melted) - 20g

Method

1. Place a scoop of ice-cream on one slice of the bread. 

2. Sprinkle the top with some diced almond before covering it up with another slice of bread.

3. Using a small bowl or a cookie cutter of your choice, cut out both slices of bread. Avoid cutting into the crust of the bread to ensure good sealing.

4. Make sure that the bread is sealed properly by pinching the edges together.

5. Repeat Step 1 to 4 for the other two slices of bread.

6. Keep the sandwiches in the freezer for at least 1 to 2 hours.

7. Remove from freezer and butter both sides of the sandwiches with some melted butter.

8. Air-fry the sandwiches at 180C, 3 minutes on each side, or until the sandwiches is golden brown.

9. Serve while it is hot.