Recipe: Brendan Liew and Caryn Ng’s wanpaku sando

“Wanpaku sando, or ‘naughty sandwich’, is so large and extreme it’s almost comical. But it’s full of healthy vegetables and low-fat protein to fuel busy people through the day. What makes this sandwich Japanese is the cutting techniques, the layering of ingredients, and the use of colours,” writes Brendan Liew.

“Feel free to add or remove toppings as you like. The limit is your imagination.”

Ingredients

1 egg, at room temperature
½ tomato
½ cooked chicken breast (recipe follows)
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
½ teaspoon mustard
2 thick slices of Shokupan
1 slice of cheese
2 lettuce leaves, washed
½ carrot, peeled and shredded
½ avocado, flesh sliced

Note

When preparing the ingredients, dry them thoroughly on paper towels to prevent the bread becoming soggy and the ingredients slipping around.

Method

1. Bring a pot of water to the boil, carefully add the egg, then boil for 8 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl of cold water. When cooled to room temperature, peel the egg.

2. Slice the tomato and chicken 1 cm (½ inch) thick. Season with salt and pepper and place on paper towel to absorb the excess moisture.

3. Mix the mayonnaise with the mustard. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Working on a large sheet of baking paper, spread the mayonnaise mixture on both slices of bread. Place the cheese on one slice, then the lettuce, tomato, chicken, egg, carrot and avocado. The key is to keep most of the toppings around the centre, like a mountain.

5. Sandwich the second slice on top and wrap very tightly with the baking paper. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, then cut in half and serve.

Cooked chicken

Ingredients

2 boneless chicken breasts, about 250 g (9 oz) each, skin on or off
2 tablespoons neutral-flavoured oil
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
6 slices of fresh ginger
2 spring onions (scallions), green part only, cut into 3 cm (1¼ inch) lengths
2 litres (8 cups) water

Method

1. Place each chicken breast in an individual heatproof snap-lock bag, then add half the oil, salt and pepper to each and massage briefly. Divide the ginger and spring onion between the bags, placing them on the underside of each breast, not the smooth side. Seal the bags securely, expelling as much air as possible.

2. Pour the water into a large pot with a lid. Turn the heat up to high. While the water heats up, leave the sealed bags containing the chicken on the kitchen counter to come to room temperature.

3. If you have a cooking thermometer, bring the water to 80°C (175°F). Add the chicken, still in their bags; the chicken will lower the water temperature to around 70°C (160°F). Place the lid on and maintain the temperature of the water between 60°C and 70°C (140°F and 160°F) for 40 minutes, before removing the bags from the pot.

4. If you don’t have a thermometer, bring the water to the boil, add the chicken, then turn off the heat and place a lid on. Leave for 40 minutes, then remove the chicken.

5. Once you have removed the chicken from the water, cool quickly by placing the bags in an ice bath or in cold water. Transfer to the refrigerator and use within three days.