Adam Liaw, a celebrity chef and the winner of the second season of MasterChef Australia, has created a 'mushroom meatery' in Sydney in collaboration with a well-known sustainable butcher.

The concept is the result of a collaboration between Liaw, Australian Mushrooms, and Kingsmore Meats, a butcher shop located in Coogee.

It will offer shoppers anything mushroom they need – from a pick-and-mix section to available delicious ready-made meals, allowing Aussies to appreciate the ingredient more in an environment that is traditionally dominated by meat.

While it is commonly believed that most people's diets worsened during the pandemic, a new study from Australian Mushrooms shows that more than half of Aussies have improved their diet and eating habits over the past year.

Liaw is here to continue the current trend of eating healthily by providing us with his recipe for making nutritious mushroom-and-chicken nuggets.

Adam Liaw demonstrates how to make mushroom and chicken nuggets with Southern barbeque sauce. Credit: Instagram/@adamliaw.​

The following is a list of the ingredients that you will need:

• 1 cup cornstarch
• approx. 1-litre vegetable oil, for deep frying

For the mushroom-and-chicken nuggets:

• 250 g button mushrooms, halved
• 2 chicken breasts, diced
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp salt

For the nugget batter:

• 1 egg
• 1 cup water
• ¾ cup self-raising flour
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp American mustard

And for that signature smoky barbecue nugget sauce:

• ½ cup tomato sauce cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp malt vinegar
• 1 tbsp American mustard
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika

And now for the detailed instructions on how to prepare the dish:

In a food processor, combine the mushroom, chicken, egg, and salt to make a paste. Roll about a tablespoon of the mixture into a small ball, then flatten into a nugget shape on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Repeat for the remaining portion of the mixture. Dust with cornflour, then place in the freezer for half an hour.

Next, whisk together all of the ingredients for the nugget batter until smooth. Then dip the nuggets into the batter and return to the tray and freeze for another hour.

For the smoky barbecue nugget sauce, simply combine all the ingredients into a bowl and mix them together.

Fry the nuggets for around ten minutes in oil heated to 150 degrees Celsius. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely. Fry for an additional two to three minutes at 180 degrees Celsius, until the food is golden brown and crisp.

Put them on a platter and serve them with the homemade nugget sauce. Then, dig in and enjoy!

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[Ricci]

No thanks. I just cannot stomach mushrooms.