Chicken Chow Mein

This meal is a consistent household favourite.  It has the nice authentic Chinese takeaway flavour, without the commercial preservatives.  It's authentic Chinese as it was made by a Chinese chef. I got this recipe from BBC's Chinese Cooking Made Easy by Ching He-Huang.  As it's so easy to do, you can have it almost every week!

• INGREDIENTS:
  
  
  150g/5oz dried yellow shi wheat flour noodles, or medium egg noodles
• dash toasted sesame oil
• 300g/11oz skinless chicken breast fillets, sliced into strips
• dash dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp five-spice powder
• 1 tsp chilli sauce (optional)
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1-2 tbsp groundnut oil
• 1 red pepper, de-seeded and finely sliced
• 150g/5oz bean sprouts
• 1 large spring onion, sliced lengthways
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method

1. Cook the noodles in a pan of boiling water for 2-3 minutes until al dente, or according to packet instructions. Drain, then rinse under cold running water and drain again. Drizzle with a dash of sesame oil and toss through to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other.
2. Place the chicken strips in a bowl and season with a dash of dark soy sauce, the five-spice powder and chilli sauce, if using. Mix well, then lightly dust the chicken strips with the cornflour.
3. Heat a wok until smoking and add the groundnut oil, then add the chicken and stir fry for 3-4 minutes, or until the chicken is golden-brown and cooked through.
4. Add the red pepper and stir fry for one minute, then add the bean sprouts and spring onion and stir fry for 30 seconds. Stir in the cooked noodles and season with the light soy sauce, a dash of sesame oil and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Pile the noodles onto a serving plate and serve immediately.

Recipe No. 2: Quick Seafood Paella

This recipe is taken from the BBC's Goodfood 101 Low Fat Feasts.

It's surprisingly easy and really tasty!  For added flavour, I added 50 grams of chorizo.  Although it's a budget paella dish, the chorizo makes it closer to the real thing.  I also used olive oil instead of vegetable oil and a bit of paprika to enhance the flavour.

Paella is a perfect summer dish, that can be enjoyed in the garden.  Even the magpie loved it as well!


Ingredients:
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
230 g can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp turmeric
300 g long grain rice
1.3 litres vegetable stock
450g bag frozen or  mixed seafood (prawns, mussels and squid rings) thawed (fresh is even better!)
175 g green beans or sitaw, halved
handful of chopped fresh parsley
1 lemon cut into wedges

Takes 30 minutes, Serves 4

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion and pepper for 5 minutes until softened but not brown. Stir in the garlic, tomatoes and turmeric and cook for 1 minute more, stirring occasionally.
2. Tip in the ice and cook for 1 minute, stirring to coat the grains.  Pour in the stock, stir well and brig to the boil, then simmer uncovered for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is almost cooked
and most of the stock has been absorbed.
3.  Add the seafood and beans and cook for 3-4 minutes more.  Stir in the parsley and season.  Serve straight from the pan with lemon wedges.

Recipe no. 1: Mung Beans Stew (ginisang monggo)

Ingredients: (serves one)

1/4 cup monggo or mung beans
50 grams pork belly o liempo, diced
2-3  small prawns
1 sibuyas, chopped
2 garlic cloves,minced
1ripe vine tomato, chopped
1/2 cup spinach
1 vegetable broth cube, crushed
salt and pepper to taste

Boil the monggo in 1/2 cup of water for 15- 20 minutes until soft.  Set aside.

In another saucepan, fry the pork for 5-7 minutes in medium heat until brown.  Add the garlic, onion
and chopped tomato, and stir fry for another 3-4 minutes.  Add the the spinach, stir for another minute, and lastly, add the prawns.

Stir in the monggo beans with the water.  Add the vegetable crushed vegetable broth cube.

Cover, and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes in very low heat.

Season with salt and pepper and serve with boiled rice and patis!  Enjoy!!