Chicken Sliders!

I promised a few burger recipes as part of the "Burger Series". I've covered Chicken burgers, and Fillet O Fish, and here's a great one for Sliders! You could try this in Beef as well - good quality Beef!

You'll be surprised how easy these are to make. For 1 lb of ground chicken (leg and thigh piece) add 1/2 a packet of Onion Soup mix (you could use more of the packet but be careful adding the salt later). I use Roasted Garlic and Onion Soup mix from Lipton. Mix together with a couple tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce, 1/2 tablespoon Tabasco (optional - or to taste), and a dash of Salt.

Depending on your soup mix you may want to fry a small sample of the chicken mixture first to figure out how much salt you need to add. You could do the same before adding the Tabasco sauce if you're unsure about the spices!

Heat griddle (or any large flat frying pan) to med-high heat and add a few teaspoons of oil.  Sliders are basically mini cheese burgers, traditionally very thin and eaten as 3-4 sliders per serving. I make my sliders slightly different, much thicker than usual burgers, and I don't always fry them with onions - you could if you like.

I take a big chunk of meat in my hands, lay it out on the griddle, and use the spoon to shape it round enough to fit the mini buns. Flip over when one side is done. The middle part will be raw so cover it up as it cooks the second side and you'll have juicy thick burgers grilled to perfection!

For an original slider, fry some chopped onions on the griddle and place a thin burger patty on top of the onions. Cook till one side is done and flip over and cook till both sides are cooked through.

Slide on the burger to the buns straight from the griddle. Top with cheese and sauce of your choice (mayo, ranch, chipotle, etc.) and eat them fresh and hot!

Garlic Bread / Bruschetta

Here is a good side for pasta, fish, or baked chicken.

Slice a roll of french bread into thick slices. Rub each side with Margarine or butter and sprinkle with Italian Seasoning mix (includes garlic powder). Toast in oven till sides are brown.

For Bruschetta, do the same but add some chopped tomatoes (I chop the tomatoes with some garlic) mixed with some parsley (I use curly parsley or Italian parsley as they don't get soggy and add some crunch). Toast in oven till sides are brown.

Filet O Fish!

No need to go to a restaurant next time you crave a Filet O Fish. Its the simplest dish to make and ever so yummy!

Most restaurants use Cod or Haddock to make the fillets, but I prefer the texture and taste of Basa. Cut each fillet into half, wash and pat dry.

For the batter, mix together equal parts of white flour and corn starch,  and season with salt, pepper, chilli powder. For 8 halves (4 fillets) I use 3/4 cup white flour and corn starch each. The seasonings are to taste, around 1 tsp of salt will do the job. Also add 1 tsp baking powder and baking soda each.

Bring the dough together by adding 1 egg and some "cold" water till mixture is smooth and not too runny. Add a tbsp of lemon juice and give it another mix.

The fillets are deep fried so depending on what you use for frying, prepare the deep fryer or skillet so the oil is heated through at med - high. Dip each fillet in the batter and when coated well transfer into the hot oil.

Basa cooks fast so you will need to cook each side for around 3-4 minutes or till the outsides are golden brown and crisp.

Top the burger with your favorite toppings: lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese etc. I use tartar sauce instead of mayo.

For any left over batter I take some sliced red onions, dip them in and fry them for Onion Rings.

You could also cut strips of the fillet and fry the same way for a great snack for kids, or for adults serve the strips with Garlic Bread / Bruschetta.

Chicken Pot Pie

I have a much older post on a pie already but that one uses a pre-made crust. Its been a while since I make pie with my own crust and finally I got it on camera so I can share it.

This is a regular in our family, Ebrahim's most favorite lunch, snack, dinner, and even breakfast (when possible!).

The crust takes some time to prepare so you might want to start off early.

Mix together 2.5 cups white flour, 1 tsp salt, and 2 tbsp sugar in a food processor. Add 1 cup, unsalted butter, cubed and chilled. Blend till mixture becomes a course mix. Add 1/4 - 1/2 cup of ice cold water and mix in short bursts. Don't over mix - the consistency will be right when the flour comes together very slightly and sticks together if you pinch between your fingers.

Transfer the mix to a parchment paper and knead very slightly, just enough so all the flour comes together to form a dough. This pie is covered from the top so you will need two sheets of pie, bottom and top crusts. Split the dough into two unequal parts since the top crust will need less dough than the bottom crust.

Wrap each ball in plastic and leave in the fridge for a couple of hours. The picture below shows more than the recipe originally yields. I increased the amounts so I could make some smaller sized pies as well.

For the filling, boil 1/2 lb chicken (boneless or bone-in) till cooked. Add the salt to the boiling water so you don't have to season it later. Shred the cooked chicken and keep aside.

In a frying skillet, saute a couple of cloves of chopped garlic and add vegetables of your choice (peas, chopped carrots, sweet corn, potatoes, mushrooms) and season with salt, pepper, and paprika. When the vegetables are cooked, add the shredded chicken and mix well. Take off the heat, and into a mixing bowl. Add 3 tbsp of cream cheese (I use garlic and herb flavored cream cheese) and 3 tbsp of Mayo. Mix till sauce and filling are combined evenly. You may want to adjust the Mayo and Cream Cheese to reach your desired consistency of creaminess.

Note: Don't put all the vegetables together  in one go. The ones that take longer to cook, like potatoes, go in first, and the ones that take the least time, like sweet corn and mushrooms, go in last. All vegetables should be cooked through and not mushy.

To prepare the crust, take the larger ball of dough (for the bottom crust) and leave it to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes - or till it becomes just soft enough so you can roll it out or flatten it with your hands. For those in tropical climates, leaving it out for 10 minutes in the summer time will be too long. If the dough becomes too soft then it will be too sticky to roll out. If it is soft enough that you can flatten it slightly with the palm of your hand, you can start rolling it.

One easy way to roll out the dough is to keep the dough between two layers or parchment paper so the rolling pin does not come in direct contact with the dough. Flatten it out to fit the size of your pie pan. Add the filling and put it back in the fridge while you do the same to prepare the top crust.

When the top crust is rolled to the right size, layer it on top of the pie, pinch together the sides using your fingers. Once the pie is sealed you can press down the edges with a fork, or with the handle of a fork.

Poke some holes on the top with a fork to allow steam to escape while the pie bakes. Lightly brush the top with some milk - this is to evenly brown the top of the pie.

Bake in pre-heated oven at 350 F for 30 - 40 minutes or till the top is evenly browned and the edges are not stuck to the pan.

After it is baked, remove from oven and leave it to rest for 20 minutes before you cut it. If you cut it immediately the filling will be runny and will ooze out of the pie when you cut out a slice.

You can also use the same recipe to make smaller snack-sized pies. They are a hit with kids for school lunch time and at parties!

They freeze really well too. So you can make small pies ahead of time and freeze them (uncooked). To cook, bake directly at 350 F for 40-45 minutes till tops are browned (no need to defrost). Don't forget to brush the tops with milk before popping in the oven!

Chicken Burgers!

My husband is a great critic of burgers and it took me a while to perfect a grilled chicken burger. This is the first in a series of burgers that I've made. You'll get more of Fillet-o-Fish, Chicken Sliders, and Mini Zingers in posts soon to come!

For 1 lb of ground chicken (leg and thigh pieces), I used half a bunch of chopped green onions, 2 tbspn bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves, 1 tsp fresh garlic and ginger paste, 1 egg white, 1 tbspn chopped fresh mint, salt, and 1 tsp dijon mustard (not regular mustard).

Mix everything together and leave to rest for 10 - 15 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the burger toppings and heat up the grill. I use a stove top girdle to grill the burgers.

Shape the meat into the desired patty size. Grill burgers on very lightly oiled skillet till each side is browned. Flip once and do not press on patty.

When burger is done place a slice of cheese on top of the patty till it melts just slightly.

Dress up the burger with your favorite toppings. I use italian style burger buns, with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, and cucumbers. Instead of Mayo I use a sauce made by combining Peppercorn Ranch dressing with Chilli Garlic sauce.

Serve with fries, pasta salad, and grilled corn.