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.