073 - Crispy Enoki Mushroom!

Deep fried food is my love/hate kinda thing. I loved the fact that they’re crunchy and tasty, but I hated the fact that they tend to be greasy and fattening. But indulging on them once in a while is a-okay on my book!

Anyway, my friend introduced me to this dish at one of our favorite Chinese restaurant, and I’m forever hooked. Needless today, I managed to make a replica, which is also hell of a lot better!

Introducting, the CRISPY ENOKI MUSHROOM!

For 1 Serving, you will need;

·         1 pre-packed Enoki Mushroom (Approximately 50 grams)

·         1 Egg

·         100 ml Water

·         Oil for frying

For the breading

·         200 grams of Cornstarch

·         150 grams of All Purpose Flour

·         1 tsp of Garlic Powder

·         1 tsp of Onion Powder

·         1 tsp of Paprika Powder

·         1 tsp of Chili Powder

·         1 tsp of Salt

·         1 tsp of White Pepper

·         1 tsp of Black Pepper

·         2 tsp of Dried Parsley

·         ½ tsp of Mustard Powder (Optional)

Ready? Here We Go!

Step 1 – Cut off the root part of the Enoki, and proceed to tear the Enoki into small strand using your fingers. Set aside

Step 2 – Combine all the breading ingredients on a large bowl, mix to combine.

I love spices!

Step 3 – Crack your eggs, add the water and stir.

Step 4 – Set up your breading station, the order goes Eggbath – Breading – Oil. Meanwhile, heat up your oil on a medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, or until hot.

Step 5 – Dip your Enoki strands on the eggs, add it to the breading, and proceed to dip it into the oil. Deep fry for about 1-1,5 minutes, or until golden brown. Repeat.

Step 6 – Serve!

Get yourself a dipping sauce, preferably a mix of Asian inspired Sweet-Spicy Sauce and American Favorite Garlic Mayo. These tasted like HEAVEN!

You can even use this to top off a vegetarian sandwich. F yeah

Give this a try, you’ll love it

Cheers

xx

063 - BUTTERED CHAMPIGNON MUSHROOM

Ever had one of those Steak dinners where the side dishes were almost as good as the mains? Well, I had, and this side dish I’m about to teach you how to cook is just that.

Meet Buttered Champignon Mushroom.

For the record, I had no clue how to make this dish in the first place. But you know, wise people say, “nothing ventured, nothing gained”. So I was mixing things up in the kitchen with some leftovers Mushroom I got lying around inside my fridge and,…voila. Here it is.

Do pay attention to what I’m about to say; the amount of seasonings shown in the picture ARE NOT accurate to the list below. Long story short, I f*ck up the amount of seasonings used prior to the photo session. But don’t worry, I’ve adjusted it, so your end product will look even better than mine!

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For 2 Servings, you will need:

140 grams Champignon Mushroom

1 Tbsp Butter/Margarine

Salt to taste

White Pepper to taste

1 Garlic, minced finely

¼  tsp Garlic Powder

¼  tsp Onion Powder

2 Tbsp Water

1 tsp Parsley

Oil for sauteeing

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Ready? Here We Go!

Step 1 – Grab a sharp knife, and proceed to cut the Mushrooms into halves and cut it again into quarters. Set aside.

Step 2 – Get a non-stick pan, heat your oil on high heat. Once smoking hot, turn the heat down a bit and put Garlic in. Quickly stir to avoid burning and add your Mushrooms. Continue stirring constantly to avoid burning. After about 20 seconds, add Salt, and stir. Add the splash of Water and cover to steam for 1 minute.

Canola Oil

Garlic

Salt

Water

Step 3 – Once all water had evaporated, add the Butter, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, and White Pepper, quickly stir to combine. Be gentle, by this time, the mushroom had turn soft. Give this process about 30 seconds. Finish with Parsley, and you’re done!

Butter, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, White Pepper

Parsley

Step 4 – Serve!

As you can see, I’m serving the Mushroom with a nice Striploin cooked to a tender Medium Rare (or was it Rare?). It was a lovely combination.

Give this a go!

Cheers

xx

062 - OYSTER SAUCE SHITAKE MUSHROOM!

Side dishes are often forgotten. They’re like a supporting actor, needed in time, but never get to be in the spotlight. Think Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club.

…wait a minute. He did get a spotlight.  (-__-)

Anyway, this dish I’m about to show you is a side dish that deserves a spot light. Eaten right after it’s finished, tasty as f*ck. Eat after refrigeration overnight? EVEN BETTER.

Give a round of applause to the OYSTER SAUCE SHITAKE.

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For 2 servings (as side dish), you will need

100 Grams of Shitake Mushroom. Make sure you clean it with damp towel, NOT water. NEVER.

2 Tbsp of Oyster Sauce.

1 Tbsp of Rice Vinegar. Regular vinegar would do fine as well

1 Tbsp of Sesame Seed Oil.

1 Garlic. Minced finely

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Oil as required

Water as required

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Ready? Here We Go!

Step 1 – Cut your mushrooms into strips. Make it rather thick, because, *ahem*, ladies like it….OH NEVERMIND THE SEXUAL INNUENDO. Anyway, set it aside.

Step 2 – Get a non-stick pan, pour the oil and turn the  heat up to medium-high. Once smoking, pour the Garlic in and quickly stir to avoid scorching it. After about 10 seconds, the Shitake goes in and gets stirred. Add the Salt and quickly stir. This will help draw out moisture. Add a splash of Water and cover to steam for 30 seconds

In case you're wondering, this is Olive Oil i'm using

Garlic

Shitake goes ga-ga

Salt will help to bring out the moisture

Splash of h2o

oow, i bet it's hot in there

Step 3 – Turn the heat to medium and add the Oyster Sauce, Vinegar, Sesame Seed Oil and stir to combine. After 30 seconds, add the Pepper and splash of Water. Cover to steam for another 30 seconds.

Step 4 – Finished!

Serve this alongside a piping hot White Rice, hearty Mackerel, and Pickles. Leftovers? Keep it in the fridge, it’ll keep for 2-3 days just fine.

Cheers

xx

021 - Portobello Mushroom Burger! (Vegetarian Friendly!)

Hey vegetarians, boy, do I have a surprise for you! I managed to recreate one of the best veggie burger recipes around with my twist on it. All hail the PORTOBELLO BURGER. 

Portobello mushroom is your neighborhood regular ol’ button mushroom all grown up and ready to go hara-kiri for your indulgence.

This burger tasted good. Seriously! If I were to describe the consistency, it tasted exactly like meat, only juicier.

Here’s everything you’ll need:

1 Large Portobello Mushroom cap

1 Burger Bun

1 Slice of Ripe Tomato

1 leaf from a Romaine Lettuce

1 slice of cheese (cheddar worked wonder)

4 tbsp of Olive Oil
1 tsp of Salt

1 tsp of Pepper

(Optional – Carrot+Cucumber Pickle)

20 grams of Carrot – Shaved

20 grams of Cucumber – Shaved

2 tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar

½ tsp of Salt

1 tsp of Sugar

(Optional – Spread)

1 tbsp of Mayonnaise

1 tsp of Wasabi.

Ready? Here We Go!

Step 1 – The pickle we’re going to make is dead easy. Put all your shaved carrot and cucumber into a bowl and mix it with the vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine, and let sit while we cook the burger. Instant and easy ain’t it?

Carrots goes in

So does the cucumber

Vinegar Bath

Sugar shower

Salt Rain

Calm after the storm

Step 2 – Create a slice across the mushroom cap, and cut off the bottom stem. Sprinkle generously with salt.

There goes the stem

na na na na na SALT RAIN

Step 3 – Heat your pan and drizzle it with olive oil. Use high heat setting. Once the pan is smoking hot, put your mushroom in. Be VERY careful, I burned my hand doing so. Leave the mushroom be for around 3 minutes before the first flip.

Step 4 – Flip your mushroom to cook the otherside. By now, the side you just flip would be golden brown. SQUISH IT. This will help remove the excess moisture inside the mushroom. And after that, this is purely optional, I give it a drizzle of Worcestershire sauce. Leave it to cook for another 2 minutes before the final flip.

After the initial flip

SQUISH

That's better!

WORCESTER, I'M CALLING YOUR NAME

Step 5 – After the final flip, lay down the cheese, and cover the pan to steam and melt the cheese. After about a minute or so, it’s DONE!

Step 6 – Assemble! And remember, don't forget to toast the bun! Here’s how I do the assembly:

Bread

Wasabi Mayo

Romaine Lettuce

Tomato

Mushroom

Pickle

Ready to swallow some saliva?

Okay, here’s a fun fact: I ate the whole burger after the last picture. LOL

As always, give this a try, it’s a much much healthier alternative to fast food burger, and it tasted so much better too!

Peace

xx