Sautéed Brown/White Shrooms

Mushrooms...my favourite!

Be it shiitake mushrooms, white mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, abalone mushrooms, brown mushroom....you named it, I love them all.

Sautéed mushrooms are simply delicious. Add a little garlic or cheese or just salt and pepper to sauté. They taste wonderful and most importantly, they are nutritious. 

Today we will be cooking white/brown mushrooms. 

Ingredients
200g fresh white/brown mushrooms
1 tsp of butter
1 tsp of olive oil
1 slice of cheddar cheese
Kosher salt, to taste

Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste

Method
1. Slice the fresh mushrooms. Note: Do not slice too thinly as the mushroom will shrink in size.
2. Heat pan and add the butter and olive oil. Once the butter is melted, add in the sliced mushroom.
3. Over medium heat, toss the mushrooms till golden brown and caramelized.
4. Season it with salt and pepper to taste. 
5. Remove from heat, tear the slice of cheddar cheese in to slips and stir it into the mushrooms. 
6. Once the cheddar is melted, dish up and serve.

Well this is how I prepared my mushrooms. Sometimes I add finely minced garlic. Do note that if you are using finely chopped garlic, give it a few quick toss (make sure you don't burn the garlic) and add in the mushrooms. Omit the cheddar if garlic is added. But it's up to you. Cheers!

Oven Grilled Miso Chicken

Chicken is the most frequent cooked meat in my household. So I need to think of different methods to prepare this poultry.

I have oven baked with simple salt and pepper, you can refer to Oven Baked Chicken for the recipe. Simple and hearty meal with Chicken Stew. These are just a few recipe for your consideration. 

As for today, I'm going into Japanese cuisine, using white miso paste to marinate the boneless chicken thighs. This goes well with a bowl of steam rice. 

Of course, by the look of the photo before, I have made it into a Japanese-Western cuisine - baked baby potatoes and sautéed mushrooms.

A fusion of Western and Japanese

Ingredients
4 boneless chicken thighs
8 baby potatoes

Marinate
1/4 cup of white miso paste
3 tbsp mirin
3 tbsp sake
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp soya sauce

Method
1. Combine all ingredients in the Marinate, mix well and set aside. 
2. Wash the chicken thighs and trim off excess fats on the chicken thighs. *I left the skin on. Pat them dry.
3.  Marinate the chicken thighs for at least 3 hours, or overnight. 
4. Pre heat oven at 215°c. Drizzle some olive oil on the baking tray.
5. Wipe excess marinate from the chicken and arrange them skin side up. 
6. Coat all the baby potatoes with the marinate and place them around the chicken. 
7. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 215°c, turn the chicken over and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. 

Once done, slice the grilled chicken and enjoy it with a bowl of steam rice...as for me, I had mine with potatoes and sautéed mushrooms. 

Tori Yaki Udon (Chicken Stir Fry Udon noodles)

Tori Yaki Udon

Ingredients (6 servings)
3 chicken thighs (cut into bite sizes)
3 packets of pre-cooked udon noodles (approx. 200g per pack)
4 shiitake mushrooms (sliced)
1 cabbage (chopped)
1 green onion (thinly sliced)
1 carrot (thinly sliced)
Sliced fishcake (optional)
1 cup of Chicken stock
2 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
A dash of ground white pepper





Direction
1. Pour hot boiling water into a pot with the  frozen pre-cooked Udon in it. Allow it to soak for 5 minutes or so.
2. Heat up the wok with a tbsp of olive oil. Stir fry the chicken pieces with the green onions and mushrooms for 2 minutes.
3. Drain the pot of udon & toss the udon into the wok.
4. Add the carrots & cabbage into the wok and stir fry.
5. Pour the chicken stock, sesame oil and soy sauce into the wok and stir fry until heated through. A dash of ground white pepper and mix thoroughly 
6. Garnish it with scallions and drizzle sesame oil before serving.
Note: If you are a seafood lover, you can add shrimps and clams into this dish. However if you are a vegetarian, simply omit the meat and change the chicken stock to vegetable stock.

Claypot Chicken with Mushroom & Black Fungus

My husband prefers chicken over pork and so most of the dishes I cook for him are chicken or beef. For this dish, chicken will taste much better than any other meat. 

This dish has meat, mushrooms and I have added black fungus. Everything in a pot! So one dish to conquer the meal!

Ingredients:

5 pieces of chicken thigh (bones & skin removed), cut into bite sized
6 dried shiitake mushrooms

A handful of black fungus
1/2 teaspoon cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1-inch piece peeled ginger, cut into slices
1/2 cup water
2 stalks scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
Salt to taste

Marinade:

1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1/2 tablespoon corn starch

Sauce:

1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
3 dashes white pepper
A few drops dark soy sauce, optional, for coloring purposes

Method:

Marinate the chicken with the Marinade for 15 minutes. 

Mix all the ingredients in the Sauce in a small bowl, set aside. 

Soak the mushrooms and black fungus separately in warm water for 30 minutes or until softened. Remove the stems and slice the mushrooms. If the black fungus are too big, cut into smaller pieces.  

Heat up the claypot with the sesame oil & cooking oil. Add in the ginger and stir-fry until aromatic. 

Add the chicken into the claypot and stir for 30 seconds. Add in the mushrooms and fungus, do a few quick stirs. 

Pour in the sauce, stir to combine well. Add the water and lower the heat to low. 

Cover the claypot and let cook and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. 

Add the scallions, give it a stir and this Claypot of Goodness is now ready to serve!