chicken katsu

Chicken katsu (katsu is Japanese for the literal translation of cutlet), is a variation of the Japanese dish, Tonkatsu, a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet. The dish can be served as a single dish, or as filling for sandwiches or accompanied by other dishes such as rice or pasta.

The preparation is pretty simple; in fact, I’ll use fewer words for this recipe and any other I have written. Have a boneless chicken breast, cut them into strips (size and length as per own liking), season with salt and pepper, dredged lightly in flour, dipped into beaten egg and then coat with bread crumbs before deep frying them until golden.

If meant to be served as a single dish, best to eat them with thick sauce such as HP or Worcestershire sauce.

jacket potato

There’s nothing better when you’re hungry than a hot, steaming, fluffy jacket potato. Even simply served with a knob of butter, or a drizzle of olive oil, or maybe with sour cream and some salt and pepper, it is one of the most comforting things to eat. The beauty of them is that they can be topped with some amazing combinations. When it comes to jacket potato, i’ve always use Russet potato, which is more suitable for baking compared to other type of potatoes. I’ve always ensure that my pantry is fully stocked, sometimes when i have nothing to do and some cravings, i turn to jacket potato. It also serves as a good snack, day and night, and also a good pairing with any main dishes for dinner.

To bake your potatoes, wash the potatoes well, dry them and prick several times with a fork/knife. This is to allow steam to escape during the baking process and avoid the potatoes from exploding in your oven. Pour some olive oil into your hands and rub over the potatoes, then scatter over some salt which should stick to the oil. Place directly on the shelf in the oven and bake on 220 degree C for 1 to 1½ hours, depending on the size of the potato. I personally prefer to wrap the potatoes in aluminium foil before baking which will help to retain moisture, while leaving it unwrapped will result in a crisp skin. When cooked, the potato should be golden-brown and crisp on the outside and give a little when squeezed. Split open to potato and serve with some of my favourite toppings:

Hollandaise sauce: personally my most favourite. Learn how to prepare hollandaise sauce here.

Three cheeses with chives: grate over some Parmesan, Cheddar and crumbled Feta. Sprinkle over some finely chopped chives.

Prawns: dress your prawns with mayonnaise. Lovely!

Smoked salmon and sour cream: when you split open the potatoes, make quite a large well in the centre and add the smoked salmon with sour cream, dress lightly with lemon juice.

Mozzarella and basil:torn-up some mozzarella ball into pieces, a little squeeze of lemon juice and some fresh whole basil leaves, a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper.