050 - NUTELLA WONTON! (50TH POST SPECIAL)

Hello and welcome to the special 50^th edition of My Big Fat Cooking Blog recipe post!

Fifty. FIVE O. That’s a huge number for me! Can’t believe I’ve got this far. Sure I could use more tweaks here and there. But hey, it’s better to take things slow than doing nothing at all :)

This week, i’m going to take you to another Nutella filled journey. This time, in a form of Wonton. So please give it up for…….NUTELLA WONTON.

Remember, this time around, there are no rules. Nothing.

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For as many servings as you like, you’ll need

As many wonton wraps as you like (rule of thumb: there are 2 shape, square and circle. Square worked for Boat shaped, the latter for Half-Moon and Gyoza)

As many Nutella as you like (rule of thumb: use ½ tsp Nutella per-Wonton. 1 tsp for the Boat shaped)

As many Mini Marshmallow as you like (rule of thumb: 3 per Half-Moon/Gyoza shaped, 4 for the Boat Shaped)

Oil for frying

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Ready? Here We Go!

Step 1 – Fill a small bowl with water, get it ready beside you

Step 2 – Get a piece of Wonton/Gyoza Wrap, fill it with Nutella and Marshmallow (follow the amount listed above)

Pure, untouched.

..then it got tainted.

..with Marshmallow.

Step 3 – Wet your finger, and give the edges a wipe. Now it’s time to fold. If you’re using Gyoza style wraps, you can just fold it halfway (to make a half moon fold), or make a Gyoza fold by joining the center part together, and fold the sides 2 times on both ends. To make the boat shape, it’s more intricate. Get a piece of Square Wonton wraps, fill it up, wet the edges, fold one corner so it meets the opposite end. Give it a nice seal, tuck the middle part with your finger in, fold the long edges so it meets one another, and VOILA!

Gyoza Fold:

Wet the edges

Hold it up

Let the center part meets

Fold the sides toward the insides

Gyoza!

Half Moon Fold:

Hold it firmly

Wet the edges

Fold it in half

Boom!

Boat Fold:

Wet the edges

Make a triangle fold

Wet the left side of the triangle

Tuck the middle part in

Fold inwards so the dry part meets the wet part

Seal

Boat!

Step 4 – Fill a wok with Oil, heat it on medium-high. Deep fry time fella. Frying is quick, approximately 1 minute. Careful, and watch it, as Marshmallow can leak!

Heat test: look at how the chopsticks emit bubbles

FRY!

Step 5 – Serve!

Okay, so this wasn’t the healthiest idea around. But who gives a f**k? It’s 50^th post!

Remember, the Nutella nad the Marshmallow is only the tip of the iceberg. You can improvise as crazy as you want!

Cheers

xx

049 - Pan Fried Chicken Breast

Ever had one of those dreadful ‘Chicken Nightmare’?

It’s not cool is it? So you’re in this super nice new hot joint in town with your girlfriend/boyfriend, you ordered some fine wine, a soothing Jazz music playing in the background, and, oh, here comes your order. A pan fried Chicken Breast fillet. You grab your knife, make a slice, and in goes.

Boom.

As dry as Sa-f*cking-Hara desert.

Night’s ruined. You complaint. The booze can’t even help you forget the dreadful chicken experience.

No, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s the Cook who forgot that Chicken….

Well they uh.., let’s just say they dry out easily.

Fear no more! I’m here to save you and your pride from embarrassment! I’m gonna show you how to make those lovely, killer, juicy chicken breast at home! It’s easy, it is so cheap, and it definitely, taste good!

PAN FRIED CHICKEN BREAST, it is.

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For 2 Servings, you will need

2 Large chicken breast

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

For the Brine

600 ml of Water

1 ¼ Tbsp of Salt

1 Tsp of Whole Peppercorns

2 Cloves of Garlic

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Ready? Here We Go!

Step 1 – First things first, let’s make the Brine. Mix the Water, Salt, Peppercorns, and Garlic together. Stir until all of the salt has dissolved.

For those who don’t know, Brine is a salt-based solution that can make the driest chicken juicy. In short, it can make the muscle tissue hydrated with moisture. It’s totally customizable to your own taste bud. Like chili? Add ‘em. Cinnamon? Add ‘em. Star Anise? ADD ‘EM. There’s no limit.

Start with Water

Peppercorns

Salt and Garlic!

Stir until all salt has dissolve.

Step 2 – Put the Chicken into the brine and let sit for at least 4 hours. Preferably, overnight.

Here's some proof how brining changed the Chicken meat;

The left one is raw, the right one is brined. You can tell that the right one is hella juicy ain’t it?

Step 3 – Heat a non-stick pan on high. Pour some cooking oil, and let it smoke. Meanwhile, take your chicken out of the brine and dry it out with paper towels. As always, ensure it’s in room temperature!!

Before seasoning, give a nice bash with a meat tenderizer (or anything hard and blunt) to ensure even cooking. And season them with Salt and Pepper on both sides.

Bashing without worry; cover the chicken with plastic wrap before smashing it

Seasoning. Salt and Pepper.

Step 4 – Once the pan is hot, put the chicken in and DON’T, F*CKING, MOVE IT. Let it sear for a good 4-5 minutes. After that, give it a flip and cover. This will help cook the insides while still giving it a nice char marks. After another 5 minutes, it’s done!

Don't let this move. Seriously, don't give in to temptation!

Isn't she lovely?

Cover will help cook the insides!

Step 5 – Serve!

One can’t deny that Chicken Breast is the go-to meat for main course. With this trick I just taught you, people will be in awe. If there’s any other easy way to cook up juicy chicken breast in a relatively short time period, please let me know. Because at this moment, I don’t think there aren’t!

Please give this recipe a go. Tell your mum, your dad, your girlfriend/boyfriend, anyone you knew who might be interested in this daring recipe. Your support helps me keeping this blog up and running!

Cheers

xx

048 - Vanilla Panna Cotta

Hey Sweetie! Let me put some sugar on yer lips!

Yes, this week recipe is, well, you guessed it, DESSERT!

Let me introduce you to the wonder that is... 

VANILLA PANNA COTTA. 

Panna Cotta is an Italian dessert made by basically cooking cream and sugar. The real recipe is said to have the mixture cooked in a bain-marie on a low temperature. But this method is hard. Like, Halo 4 ‘Legendary’ difficulty HARD.

So, in order to make it easier, a lot of restaurant outside of Italy basically made Panna Cotta by cooking Milk, Cream, Sugar and Gelatin and letting it set in the fridge before serving, resulting in a very wobbly looking but fine tasting Dessert.

I tried out this recipe because it just so happens that I found a Halal. Yes, you read that right. HALAL Gelatin Sheets!! This is not a sponsored message, but I got it at Grand Lucky Superstore at SCBD, and I haven’t found it anywhere else. 

But but, if you can’t find one, you can use the widely available Agar. Bear with me though; the result will be a lot firmer and less wobbly.

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For 1 Servings, you will need:

50 ml of Whole Milk

150 ml of Cooking Cream

1 ¼ tbsp of Sugar

1 tbsp of Vanilla Extract

1 Sheet of Gelatine (Can be substituted with 1 tsp of Agar Agar)

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Ready? Here We Go!

Step 1 – Get a sauce pan on medium heat. Pour your milk, cream, and sugar. Let it come to a simmer. This should take around 2-3 minutes.

Pour your cream/milk mixture in. Hmm hmm.

Sugar goes in

Stir!

Step 2 – Once the liquid starts to simmer; add the vanilla extract and grab your Gelatin and mix it with the liquid. It should melt right away. You can use a whisk to ensure the mixture blend completely.

Vanilla

Gelatin action

Step 3 – Pour it into a mold, and let it harden in the fridge for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.

Step 4 – To knock the Panna Cotta out of it's mold, dip it in hot water for around 30 seconds to loosen the edges. After that, grab a sharp knife, slowly stab and run along the edges to loosen it. and...VOILA!

Step 5 - Serve!

Panna Cotta is definitely one of the creamiest desserts ever. Pair this with a Stawberry Coulis and you got yourself a party!

Cheers

xx