Admit it, more often than not, what you have in your pantry would be hassle-free instant food. As any person who’s lived independently (ahem, alone) knows, they’re pretty painless and require minimal to no cooking, which means not only do you get to eat faster, but also lessen the potential damage you can inflict on your kitchen.
But hey, eating shouldn’t just be about filling your stomach, good food can work wonders for the soul – and your ego – since you’re actually going to do this. A quick scan through The Maya Kitchen’s trove of recipes has provided these 3 simple ways to transform your instant meals into tastier, healthier, and over-all, fancier dishes. Let’s get down to business.
From canned tuna to Italian sandwich! This Chili Corned Tuna Salad in Panini Toast provides a yummy twist to your canned staple. And you can do this in just 3 steps! Start by mixing drained corned canned tuna with celery, onion, pickle relish, mayonnaise, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Lay thin cuts of cucumber and red onion on top of a slice of toasted batard bread. Lastly, spread the tuna salad mixture onto the bread. Enjoy it by yourself or share the hefty servings!
Instant noodles to Thai stir-fry! Your favorite pack of instant noodles is filled with endless possibilities far beyond the instructions on the back. Use it to whip up this Thai Chicken and Peanut Stir-Fry Noodles recipe, a great (and healthier!) option to your usual instant fare. Pan fry pieces of chicken until lightly browned, then add in carrots, onion, garlic, mushroom, bell pepper, and oyster sauce. Cook the noodles together with peanut butter sauce for 5 minutes. Place noodles on a platter, then top it with the stir-fried chicken, vegetable mixture, wansoy leeks, and roasted peanuts. And voila, you’ve added a Thai dish to your menu!
Cake mix to delectable dessert! Store-bought dessert? Nope, but it’ll definitely look like it. Stock up on MAYA Happy Mug Cake Mix’s two flavors, chocolate cake with caramel sauce or caramel cake with chocolate sauce. Just follow the instructions on the back to prepare your base. Now, here’s the exciting part: upgrade your mug cakes by adding mashed bananas (best with chocolate cake), sweet matcha powder, ube jam, strawberry jam, or cookie butter into the mixture. Pop these little treats in the microwave for 2 minutes, then drizzle the sauce over the top as you add fresh fruits and whipped cream before digging in—the same way your fave pastry chefs do.
Nothing beats quick, easy-to-follow recipes from The Maya Kitchen to help you turn your instant meals into everyday gourmet dishes. Learn more uncomplicated ways to eat well at www.themayakitchen.com.
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Learn great recipes at www.themayakitchen.com. If you want to take your baking and cooking skills up a notch check out Maya Kitchen’s course offerings at the website, e-mail contactus@themayakitchen.com, or visit The Maya Kitchen Culinary Center every Tuesday to Saturday at 8F Liberty Building, 835 A. Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road), Makati City or call 8921185 or 892-5011 local 108 or +63929 679 6102.
RECIPES
1 can corned tuna, 380 grams, drained
2 tablespoons celery, chopped
1 piece red onion, sliced or chopped
3 tablespoons pickle relish
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
3 pairs prepared buttered batard bread slices,
pressed in panini machine
cucumber, thinly slice
red onion, thinly slice
In a bowl, put and mix together drained tuna, celery, onion, pickle relish, mayonnaise, and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Get a piece of toasted batard bread and lay pieces on top, thinly slices of cucumber and red onion slices. Scoop dollop ample amount of tuna salad mixture on top of cucumber and onion, place them alternately on top of one another, cover with another batard bread on top. Serve with slices of lemon on the side.
Yield: 3 servings
3 tablespoons oil
150 grams chicken breast fillet, chopped
1 piece large-sized carrots, julienne
1 piece medium-sized onion, sliced
1 tablespoon garlic
100 grams sliced fresh shitake mushrooms
1 cup bell peppers (red, yellow and green)
3 tablespoons oyster sauce or light soy sauce
500 grams fresh egg thick noodles “miki”, blanched,
washed and cleaned
prepared peanut sauce
1/3 cup wansoy, chopped
2 stalks leeks, sliced diagonally
freshly roasted peanuts, as needed
- Heat oil in a sautéing pan and pan-fry chicken until lightly browned.
- Add in carrots, onion, and garlic and continue sautéing until onions and garlic are translucent and aromatic.
- Stir in mushrooms, bell pepper, and oyster sauce, give a quick stir. Do not overcook the vegetables. Set aside a little amount of stir-fried chicken and vegetable mixture for toppings.
- From the same pan, toss in noodles and pour in the prepared peanut sauce. Cook no more than 5 minutes.
- Before turning off the heat, mix in the wansoy and leeks into the noodles.
- Serve noodles on to the platter, top with the remaining stir-fried chicken and vegetable mixture and sprinkle on top with roasted peanuts before serving.
Yield: 5-6 servings Peanut Sauce:
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2-3 tablespoons Chinese chili-garlic sauce
1 cup water
2 tablespoons rice wine/mirin
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated ginger
salt and pepper to taste
In a clean bowl, mix all ingredients together until all sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
Banana Chocolate Mug Cake
1 pack MAYA Happy Mug Chocolate Mug Cake Mix
3 tablespoons water
½ piece overripe banana, mashed banana,
mug cake sauce
- Mix Happy Mug cake according to package instructions, fold in mashed bananas.
- Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Remove from microwave. Be careful, the container will be hot.
- Top with more bananas, mug cake sauce. Serve immediately.
Green Tea Mug Cake
1 pack MAYA Happy Mug Caramel Mug Cake Mix
2 teaspoons sweet matcha powder
3 tablespoons water/milk
whipped cream, green tea powder.
- Mix Happy Mug cake according to package instructions, mix in the sweet matcha powder.
- Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Remove from microwave. Be careful, the container will be hot.
- Top with whipped cream and dust with green tea powder as desired. Serve immediately.
Ube Mug Cake
1 pack MAYA Happy Mug Caramel Mug Cake Mix 1 tablespoon ube jam 3 tablespoons water/milk, ube jam, whipped cream
- Mix Happy Mug cake according to package instructions, fold in ube jam.
- Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Remove from microwave. Be careful, the container will be hot.
- Top with more ube jam and whipped cream as desired. Serve immediately.
Strawberry Mug Cake
1 pack MAYA Happy Mug Caramel Mug Cake Mix
1 tablespoon strawberry jam
3 tablespoons water
fresh strawberries, whipped cream
- Mix Happy Mug cake according to package instructions, fold in strawberry jam.
- Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Remove from microwave. Be careful, the container will be hot.
- Top with fresh strawberries and whipped cream as desired. Serve immediately.
Caramel Biscuit Mug Cake
1 pack MAYA Happy Mug Caramel Mug Cake Mix
1 tablespoon caramel cookie butter
3 tablespoons water
caramel biscuits, whipped cream
- Mix Happy Mug cake according to package instructions, fold in cookie butter.
- Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Remove from microwave. Be careful, the container will be hot.
- Top with caramel biscuits and whipped cream as desired. Serve immediately.
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