Baked chicken drumsticks (烤鸡腿)

 

This is an easy no-fuss meal to cook, and the children love it. You can eat it as it is or add a side salad. 

Ingredients

1 large onion
4 potatoes
White button mushrooms
Salt and pepper

1 chicken drumstick per person

Pull the skin back and make slits on the flesh

Season with freshly ground salt and pepper
Pull the skin back over the flesh

Cover the chicken with cling film and let it marinate for an hour or more

Heat some oil in a pan and fry the chicken drumsticks

Remove when the drumsticks are slightly browned

Alternatively, you can use the air fryer to fry the drumsticks
Set the air fryer temperature at 190 degrees

Set the timer for 17 minutes
Turn it on for 1 minute to warm up so the chicken won’t stick to the basket

Put the chicken into the fryer and start cooking

Turn the chicken over halfway through
Remove and set aside

Wash and cut the potatoes into chunks
Place in a baking tray with the corn
Season with olive oil and some rosemary or mixed herbs

Wash and slice the mushrooms
Place the mushrooms on the potatoes

Place the drumsticks on the mushrooms

Peel, wash and slice the onions
Place the onions on the chicken

Pour the chicken juices from the air fryer onto the onions

Cover with a sheet of baking paper

Cover with a sheet of tin foil

Bake in the oven at 210 degrees C for one hour

Remove the baking sheet and tin foil
Let the chicken brown and then it is ready for serving

Remove from the oven and serve 

 

Mashed potatoes ( 土豆泥) with air fried bacon

Mashed potatoes are a favorite side dish whenever we have western meals. It goes well with sausages and any other roast meat. Mashed potato can be an ingredient of various other dishes, such as shepherds and cottage pie.

Ingredients 

3 medium-sized floury potatoes
2 bacon rashers
1 stick salted butter

 

Method 1 – smooth mashed potatoes

Peel and cut the potatoes into bite-size cubes

Transfer the potatoes to a pot
Put in enough water to cover the potatoes

Cover and cook on high heat.

When the water is boiling, reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are cooked

Dry and cut the bacon

Set the temp at 190 degrees

Set the timer for 6 minutes

Put the bacon into the air fryer

 Remove the bacon when it is nicely browned

Put the potatoes, bacon and butter into the blender
Season with freshly ground black pepper

Add 100 ml warm milk and blend until the potatoes are smooth

This is how it looks

Transfer to a serving bowl

 

Method 2 – small lumpy mashed potatoes

Cut the bacon into small pieces

Set the temp at 190 degrees and the timer for 3 minutes

Put in the bacon and fry until brown and crispy

Remove and set aside

Put the butter into the cooked potatoes

Mash the potatoes until most of it is smooth and there are some small lumps

Add the bacon and 100 ml warm milk  
Season with freshly ground black pepper
Mix thoroughly

Transfer to a serving bowl

Air fryer aubergines (eggplant/brinjal 茄子) with minced pork

I love aubergines but unfortunately, you need to fry it in oil to make it fragrant and tasty which makes the dish very oily. Today I decided to fry it in the air fryer, and it turned out great without the excessive amount of oil swimming in the dish.

 Ingredients 

2 large aubergines
½ onion
200 gm minced pork

Remove the top and bottom of the aubergines
Cut into half and make some slits on the flesh

Brush the flesh with oil

Place the aubergines in the air fryer and brush the skin with oil
Fry at 190 degs until the skin is brown

Turn the aubergines over to brown the other side

When the aubergines are nicely browned, remove and place on a serving platter

Marinate the meat with:
½ tsp soy sauce
½ tsp sesame oil
½ tsp corn flour
Salt and pepper

Mix thoroughly and set aside

Slice the onion

Heat 2 tbsp oil in the wok

Add the minced meat and stir until it changes colour.

Add the sliced onion 

Add
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
¼ tsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Stir until the onions are soft and well mixed with the pork

Spoon the pork mixture onto the aubergines and serve.