Air fried Prawn Paste Chicken

Got a new kitchen toy using the Giant vouchers "generously" bestowed to us by our company.  I never like shopping at Giant. With only 6 months' validity for the vouchers, I decided to invest in an air fryer with it.

Tried deep frying once at home in my miserably small kitchenette, I swear never to do that again! And since then, I stuck myself to mostly stir-fries, steamed dishes and stews.  Hehe!

Took me a short while to make this purchase decision and well, not much cash top up required, so went for it.

My official 1st dish made by this new toy was prawn paste chicken.  I was initially quite skeptical about how the end result would be. How will the outlook of the air fried wings be? How will it taste? Will the insides be dry and all?  Verdict: my concerns were unfounded. Everything was great. Hubby and brother were tasters for the wings too and gave thumbs up.

Now that gave me quite a boost in my confidence for this new kitchen gadget! So this also meant I have got more dish varieties from now on! YEAH....!

I used the recipe by Noob Cook and marinated the wings a day before. It gave the chicken wings a fuller flavour. Crispy on the outside, tender on the insides.

Air Fried Prawn Paste Chicken

(Serves 2 to 3)

300 grams mid-joint chicken wings (or drumlettes)

2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil

Marinade (A)

1 tbsp prawn/shrimp paste

3/4 tsp sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp ginger juice grate some ginger & squeeze the pulp

1/2 tsp Chinese cooking wine (Hua Tiao/Shao Hsing)

In a bowl, combine the marinade ingredients (A) until a paste is formed. Marinade chicken with the sauce for at least an hour or preferably overnight in the fridge.

Just before deep-frying, add corn flour to the marinade chicken. Stir to coat evenly, shaking off excess flour on the chicken.

Preheat air fryer at 180°C (356°F) for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly brush chicken pieces with olive oil.

Arrange chicken one layer on the fryer basket and slide the basket into the airfryer. Set timer and air fry for 8 minutes. Pull out the tray, use tongs to turn chicken pieces over, and set timer for another 7 minutes. Drain cooked chicken on paper towels before serving.

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberries are going cheap now in the supermarkets and I have punnets of them lying around in my fridge. Nice, plump and sweet, good when mixed in oats and best for muffins!

I aren't giving blueberry muffins a miss for sure with the abundance of it I have on hands. And so I baked them.

Slight crispy crumbs on the outside, fluffy and moist on the inside. Yummy!

Blueberry Muffins
Recipe by Noob Cook
Makes approx. 12

• 190 grams (about 1 1/2 cups) plain flour
• 1 1/2 eggs beaten
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 225 grams (1 cup) caster or super fine sugar
• 150 grams blueberries
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 65 grams butter, softened

1. Sift flour, baking powder and sugar together, and mix well.
2. Add in milk, vanilla extract, eggs and butter and stir until just blended (and lumpy). Be careful not to over mix as it will result in a tough texture.
3. Fold in the blueberries into the mixture. Place baking cases in muffin tins. Spoon the mixture into the cases till almost full.
4. Bake for 20 minutes in preheated oven of 200°C (392°F) or until slightly golden brown. Allow to rest for several minutes before serving. Store for a day in an airtight container. Freeze extras in ziplock bags and whenever you need a muffin or two, toast them for a few minutes in the oven till they are warm.

Chilled Baileys Cheesecake

With the bottle of baileys and blocks of cream cheese lying in my fridge, I decided to settle for a no-bake cheesecake with these.  Not only is it easy to do, no-bake cheesecakes make a wonderful and sinful sweet treat.  I love how fuss-free and quick it is to make no-bake cheesecakes, as compared to the bake ones!  Oh but well, I love cheesecakes, baked or no-bakes, I will just do it anyway!

Chilled Baileys Cheesecake
(Adapted from Grace Kitchen Corner but with slight changes/additions)

Recipe for 8 inches baking tin 

Bottom base: 

90g digestive biscuits crumbs (base was a little thick, so if you do not like thick base, you can half the amount of the digestive biscuit and oreo cookies)

30g oreo biscuits crumbs 

75g butter (melted) 

Fillings: 

250g cream cheese 

60g sugar 

15g Baileys Irish cream

2 teaspoon gelatin (dissolve with 1 tablespoon hot water) 

170ml whipping cream 

Method:

1. Mix the crumbs and melted butter in a bowl. Press crumbs mixture onto bottom baking pan or little chef rings and keep in the fridge.
2. In another bowl, beat cream cheese until soften, gradually beat in sugar until the sugar dissolve. Add in the Baileys mixture until well blended.
3. Whisk the whipping cream in another bowl until thicken.
4. Mix the dissolved gelatin into the Baileys mixture until well incorporated. Fold in the in the whipped cream until everything well combine.
5. Pour into the baking pan and chill in the fridge until it set.
6. After the cheesecake has set. Let it set in the fridge.
7. Run a sharp knife at the edge of the cake pan and unmold when everything has set. Enjoy!

Pork Floss Buns

How time flies! It is already July now. June was a month of little cooks and bakes. Bad knee problems and I am trying to refrain from standing too much and for too long.  Hopefully condition gets better and I can get back in action.  I got a new toy and I cannot wait to put it into full use!

Made these buns some weekends back, so once again, this is quite an overdue post.  Please bear with me for I am trying to keep up with my blog pace and be active once again :)

Buns using Sponge dough method

(Recipe by Kimmy-Cooking Pleasure

Step 1 - Sponge dough preparation

2 tsp instant yeast

160ml-170ml water 

230g bread flour

1. Mix yeast with water in mixing bowl, then add in flour. Knead to form a smooth dough. (I mixed using a spatula, and did not knead by hand to get smooth dough)

2. Cover and leave to proof for 1 to 1.5 hour or double in size.  (I covered top loosely with a clingwrap and left it in the fridge for up to 16 hours till use)

Step 2 - Ingredients

60g sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp yeast

1small egg

25 ml water 

100g bread flour

30g butter (softened at room temperature)

1. Add all Step 2 ingredients (except for butter) to sponge dough from Step 1.  

2. Continue to knead on medium speed until dough is soft and smooth (takes about 7-10 minutes).  Add in softened butter and continue to knead till dough is soft and elastic (window pane stage).

3. Shape dough into ball and cover. Leave aside to proof for 15 minutes.4.  Punch down dough and divide into 60g per portion or into any portion required.

4.  Shape dough into any shapes with fillings.  Leave to rise for 30 to 40 minutes or until double in size. Brush with egg or milk glaze.

5. Bake in preheated oven at 190 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. 

Pork Floss mixture

8 tbsp mayonnaise sauce

2 tbsp condensed milk

Pork floss (desired amount to cover buns)

1. Mix mayo sauce with condensed milk and stir till well mixed.

2. When the buns have cooled, make a slit halfway into top of each buns.

3. Spread the mayo mixture in the cut of the buns and all over the bun top. Gently press the bun tops into a bowl filled with pork floss.  Coat the bun evenly with pork floss. Do the same for the rest of the buns.

Steamed Pandan Cake

Have been out for the longest time, but now am back.

June was somewhat like a busy month. Went for a short getaway on my birthday and got myself busy with some photo projects.

Quite a number of outdated makan posts but am unable to write all at once. Give me time! I will catch up soon.

Here are some steamed cakes for you to feast your eyes on :)

Steamed Pandan Cake

Recipe by Little Corner of Mine

4 large eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp pandan extract

1 1/2 cup self-raising flour, sifted

50ml 7-up or Sprite

1. In a large bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer u til light and frothy. Add in sugar and continue to beat u til thick and creamy, when you lift the beater and write the digit 8, it will stay there for a few seconds add in pandan extract and beat to mix well.

2. Use a spatula and fold in flour lightly in 3 batches ( in 1 direction), lastly add in 7-up and mix well.

3. Put steamer to boil. Scoop batter into individual paper lined silicon cups and steam on high heat for 15 minutes. Best eaten warm on the same day.