Author: PK
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Mirin Seasoning
Hailing from Japan, Mirin seasoning is basically sugar, salt and MSG.
I use it when I want to add a bit of a sugar pop to my Asian styled broths and stir fries. I always add a splash to my Udon broth for example. Last night I splashed some in Beef in Oyster Sauce stir fry.
Note: This sauce is not the same as fermented Mirin, which like Sake is rice wine but has less alcohol and is sweeter.
Dietary Info: Contains MSG
Enjoy,
PK
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JAPANESE CUISINE
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PK’s Panko Cheese Chicken Tenderloin Nuggets
I am always looking for meals that my lads will wolf down without complaints. I am happy to say that I can’t make enough of these baked chicken and cheese nuggets.
Let me know how you fare and there are more kid (and big kid) friendly meal links at the end of the post.
Steps
- Cutting and coating the chicken nuggets
- Cooking the nuggets
- Serving
Ingredients
- ~600g chicken tenderloins
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
- Nugget coating mix:
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, crumbled
- 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 pinch garlic powder
- 1 pinch paprika powder
- Black peppercorns, cracked, to taste
- Table salt, to taste
Equipment
- 1 chef’s knife
- 1 chopping board
- 2 mixing bowls
- 1 baking tray, lined with baking paper
Cutting and coating the chicken nuggets
- Cut the chicken tenderloins into smallish chunks.
- Melt the 2 Tbsp butter in one of the mixing bowls.
- Add the chicken chunks and mix until the chicken is fully coated in butter.
- In the second mixing bowl combine:
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, crumbled
- 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 pinch garlic powder
- 1 pinch paprika powder
- Black peppercorns, cracked, to taste
- Table salt, to taste
- Take 1 piece of chicken at a time and:
- Put it into the bowl containing the breadcrumb mix.
- Turn it over a few times to get a good coating.
- Place it on an oven tray lined with baking paper.
- Pop the tray into the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Cooking the nuggets
- Take the tray out of the fridge about 10 minutes before cooking.
- During that time preheat your fan-forced oven to 180C.
- Cook the nuggets for about 25 minutes aiming for them to be cooked through and a golden in colour (you could turn them over if you want mid way).
Serving
Chicken nuggets go with anything. 🙂
Here I have served them with a green salad and a generous amount of Sriracha Hot Sauce.
Enjoy,
PK
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MORE KID FRIENDLY MEALS
PANKO RECIPES
MORE CHICKEN DISHES
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Easy Prawn Cocktail Salad
A prawn cocktail salad is the perfect light and easy summer lunch or dinner. Very Xmas friendly 🙂
I made a colourful salad with lots of avocado, topped it with chilled pre-cooked prawns and doused the lot with Thousand Island dressing.
Secure your cooked prawns in the lead up to Christmas!
Make this recipe your own by using your favourite salad ingredients and garnishes.
Enjoy,
PK
Here are more prawn dishes and salad posts:
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Jacques Pépin’s Traditional Chicken Liver Pâté
Made from bird livers, Pâté is one of those things you either love or hate, there is no middle ground. I have eaten it ever since I was a small lad and my favourite is chicken with green peppercorns.
Edit – People have told me there is a middle ground if I would just stop mentioning that it is made from livers. 🙂
This is my first attempt at making it so I wanted to use a recipe from the amazing French chef, Jacques Pépin. The result was amazing and gave me the confidence to experiment with new ingredients going forward.
Steps
- Cooking the chicken livers
- Pureeing the livers with butter
- Setting the pâté over night
- Serving
Ingredients
- ~230g chicken livers
- 1/2 small brown onion, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 120g butter
- 2 tsp brandy
- Cracked black peppercorns to taste
- Additional butter to seal jars (optional), melted
Equipment
- 1 chef’s knife
- 1 chopping board
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 medium saucepan
- 1 wet blender
- Plastic wrap
- Jars or small bowls/ramekins
Cooking the chicken livers
- Bring enough water to cover the chicken livers to a boil.
- Add:
- 230g chicken livers
- 1/2 small brown onion, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- Reduce to a simmer and cover, stirring occasionally, until livers slightly pink in the middle.
- Remove pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
Pureeing the livers with butter
- Take the bay leaf out of the saucepan.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the livers, onion, thyme and garlic to a wet blender.
- Add the 120g butter.
- Blend until you get the consistency you like (I like a smooth mousse texture).
- Add 2 tsp of brandy and blitz again, adding salt and pepper a bit at a time to get the taste you like.
Setting the pâté over night
- Scrape the pâté into your jars, bowls or ramekins, gently pressing out any air pockets.
- Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pâté and refrigerate until firm. Serve chilled.
- The pâté containers can also be covered with a thin layer of melted butter before being wrapped in plastic.
The jars look oh so fancy if you top them with melted butter and some herbs to keep out nasties.
Serving
I love smearing pâté on water crackers, sandwiches and even on toast. Another guilty pleasure is topping a thick beef steak with large amounts of Pâté and slices of melted cheese!
Enjoy,
PK
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FRENCH CUISINE
MORE CHICKEN DISHES
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Chicken And Couscous Salad: Make It Your Way
I have recently become addicted to Couscous. These tiny pebbles of Durum Wheat Semolina were boiled in chicken stock and a bit of olive oil to stop them sticking for 5 minutes.
I then drained them and let them cool while I made a simple green salad and tossed in a precooked and cooled chicken breast (see my Quick Pulled Chicken Breast trick here).
Add the couscous and hey presto. 🙂
Make this recipe your own by using your own favourite salad ingredients, dressings and garnishes.
Enjoy,
PK
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MORE MAKE IT YOUR WAY POSTS
SHOW ME MORE SALADS
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Full Proof Thickened Egg Yolks: Electric Power Drill Hack
I bought a cheap milk whisk the other day with the thought of using it to thicken egg yolks. It didn’t have enough oomph to get through the egg yolks.
So I pulled it apart and in a shed meets kitchen hack I put the whisk part into my Ryobi electric drill driver.
A few bursts on a low speed setting and the yolks thickened beautifully. I was making Jamie Oliver’s Egg Mayonnaise so I added the rest of the ingredients and mixed everything a few more times. Magic!
Hope this helps or at the very least makes you laugh,
PK
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MORE FOOD HACKS
COOKING WITH ALCOHOL
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Using Brandy In The Kitchen
Brandy is a spirit that is made by distilling wine. The spirit is then aged or coloured to make it look aged.
I predominantly use it to make Pâté and my wife makes a mean Christmas cake every year with brandy soaked raisins. Brandy is also great for making sauces and marinades.
Enjoy,
PK
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RECIPES USING BRANDY
COOKING WITH ALCOHOL
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Sea Salt Flakes
Salt flakes are made using techniques that result in generally flat but irregularly formed salt crystals. It is their crunchy texture that endears its use as that little final bit of garnish on food just before serving.
This is the brand I grew up with and is easily available in Perth (Saxa Salt):
They are going to cost you about 10 times what the same weight of table salt will. #worthit
Enjoy,
PK
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OTHER SALT PRODUCTS
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Black Mustard Seeds
These tiny little seeds come in a range of colours from very dark brown to yellow depending on the climate where they were grown. They taste like yellow mustard seeds but slightly more intense and aromatic.
Their taste reminds me of a green pea but earthier and with a pronounced but very pleasant warmth. They have a similar aroma.
I use them to make mustard pastes, spice blends and Indian curries and soups.
I have some serving suggestions for you and recipes using this spice in the links below.
This particular cooking ingredient is in PK’s Essential Pantry Cupboard Contents.
Dietary Info: Is an allergen for some people.
Enjoy,
PK
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
USING MUSTARD SEEDS OR POWDER
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GICICI Foto Friday 05 October 2018
Here are my favourite photos from the week gone. 🙂
In the kitchen:
In the garden:
Out and about:
Enjoy and feel free to use any of these images,
PK
Related Links:
- Please see more of my favourite photos here.
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