Mia Cooks: Healthy Oyako Don

Yes, as if oyako don itself isn't healthy enough (as compared to katsu don). But hey, it wasn't a cheatday and I just wanted to eat cleaner. 

So here's my #eatclean recipe for a healthy oyako don, using chicken breast and brown rice! 

For (relatively normal) 2 servings, you'll need: 

1 skinless & boneless chicken breast (about 200g raw weight) 

1 small/medium white onion (about 100 - 120g)

3 medium/large eggs (about 50-55g each, without shells)

1 tbsp milk

120ml chicken broth (I used Swanson)

30ml light soy sauce

30ml rice wine vinegar (or mirin)

1/2 tsp sugar (if you're using rice wine vinegar instead of mirin)

1 serving of cooked brown rice, or any other type of cooked rice preferred. 

(or even half portion of rice, if you're watching your diet)

Firstly, to get the sauce mix out of the way, it should always be in the 4:1:1 ratio, 4 parts broth to 1 part soy sauce and mirin/rice wine vinegar+sugar. So if you're halving or doubling the recipe, you can do your own maths. But do note that the ratio should be following the number of eggs you're using and not the amount of chicken you're adding. 

To prepare the chicken breast (especially if you're using frozen ones like I did), immerse it in a bowl of salt water and leave to chill in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours. Brining your chicken is very important, especially if you're using frozen chicken, or chicken breast. It not only make the breast meat more tender, but also help to eliminate the "icy frozen meat taste" that tends to be quite distinct in frozen chicken meat. Rinse the brined chicken under running tap for a few seconds and pound the meat slightly using a tenderiser or the back of your knife. Then, cut the meat into bite size chunks.

Wash the white onion and slice it into thin slices (or however thick you prefer). Spread the onions out evenly onto your lightly greased non-stick pan and turn on the heat. Allow the onions to cook until they're slightly translucent (I prefer to "roast" mine over medium to high until they're slightly charred) before adding in the chicken. Then, pour in the sauce mix and cover the pan with a lid and allow the meat to fully cook through on medium heat. 

In a clean bowl, first crack in 2 eggs and beat it with a tablespoon of milk. Add the mixture into the pan evenly and allow to cook until the egg is set. Then, crack in the last egg and just lightly stir it to break the yolk; do not beat the egg into a homogenous mixture. Pour the egg mixture over the set eggs and cook it until the eggs are set to your liking. 

If you're making just 1 serving (with just 2 eggs) in a smaller pan, you can just slide the whole "cake" off the pan and directly onto your bowl of rice and serve with a sprinkle of chopped spring onions. 

But since I was making 2 servings together in the same pan, I had to scoop them out bit by bit. Hence my final product wasn't that IG-worthy. HEH!

Till then,

Mia Foo

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Mia Cooks: Chickpea Toasties

Chickpeas fans, anyone? 

-credits to medicalnewstoday-

Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are a type of legume that's rich in fibre and protein. It contains a range of nutrients, which is necessary for bone, muscle and skin health. Chickpeas (both canned and dried) has been one of my main choice of protein sources (alongside tofu, chicken breast and white fish fillets) for my #stayhomelunch these days. 

I've been mainly stir-frying them with zucchini and tomatoes in sriracha sauce to go alongside a serving of rice or oatmeal porridge

And then I thought, why not make a toastie sandwich out of them? 

So let's get over the ingredients, so we can get started! Do tweak the amount depending on how generously you'll like to fill up your sandwich. I obviously prepared way too much filling, so much so that I had to do a "double-decker". 

100g boiled chickpeas or canned chickpeas, drained

30 - 40g white onion, chopped

a pinch of salt

25g natural plain yogurt

1 tbsp (~10g) sriracha sauce

a dash of black pepper

a dash of chili powder

a dash of ground ginger

two slices of bread according to your choice

optional toppings:

lettuce slices

tomato slices

cheese

First up, chop the onions as finely as you fancy and sauteed them over a lightly greased pan, with a pinch of salt, until they're slightly transparent (cooked). If you prefer your onions to be sweet, you can also cook them further until they're soft and caramelised. Then, dump the cooked onions into a bowl along with the chickpeas and mash them up with a potato masher (you can try using a sturdy fork as well, or even a food processor) until the mixture is mashed up to your liking. Add in the yogurt, sriracha and seasonings and mix well. Do give the mixture a taste test and add more seasonings according to your preference. 

Then, grab two slices of your choice of bread (I used wholemeal) and pop them into the toaster or oven, and toast them until they're browned and crisp to your liking. Assemble your toastie with the prepared filling, plus whatever toppings you like. 

I actually added some shredded mozzarella cheese onto my bread while they toast, but the chickpea filling will be quite flavourful and you won't be able to taste the mozzarella at all. If you'll like to have some cheese in your toastie, I'll suggest that you use a cheese with a sharper flavour. 

And tadaa~
My double-decker chickpea toastie, served with some pan roasted vegetables.

Till then,
Mia Foo

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