Chicken chow mein

Chicken chow mein

 

My version of the Chinese takeaway favourite. Using left over chicken from a whole roasted bird to make a exciting use of left overs. Would work well with beef or prawns as well. Packed full of flavour, you will never order it from the takeaway again.

 

 

 

 

Whats needed

Left over cooked chicken

Red pepper

Two white onions

Three spring onions

One med/large carrot

Two celery sticks

Thin/medium egg noodles

1 heaped teaspoon corn flour (dissolved in 50-70ml warm water)

Three cloves garlic

One stick lemongrass

Thumb sized bit of ginger

Brown sugar (1 table spoon)

Five spice (2 teaspoon)

Tamarind paste (1 teaspoon)

Dark Soy sauce (1 tablespoon)

Fish sauce (1 tablespoon)

Rice wine (1 tablespoon)

A lime

Black pepper

1-2 tablespoon veg oil

Dried corriander

 

Preparation

1. finely chop the garlic, ginger and lemon grass and collect in a small ramekin.
2. Chop the carrot into fine batons, the red pepper  into small chunks, celery into small chunks  and the spring onion into 3cm long batons. With the white onion peel and discard the inner core. Pull apart the layers and cut into chunks. Do not chop any of the veg too finely as you want them to retain some bite in the final dish.
3. Collect the chopped veg in a separate bowl.
4. Dissolve one heaped teaspoon of corn flower in warm water and set aside. Get the wok on max heat until the wok is smoking hot.
5. On the cooker get a large pan of salted water to the boil, heat the wok until smoking hot.
6. Collect the ingredients as shown below.

 

 

Next, Get cooking

1. Once the wok is smoking hot add the vegetable oil and fry the garlic, lemongrass and ginger. Remove wok from heat if needed to prevent burning but leave hob on maximum heat.
2.  After 1 minute and the fragrant scent is released add the vegetable mixture and continue to stir fry for a further minute.
3. Next add 2 teaspoon of five spice, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine and 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce. Next add one tablespoon of brown sugar, one teaspoon of tamarind paste, juice of the lime and continue to stir fry for 1 minute.
4. Cook noodles as per instructions on packet.
5. Now add the left over chicken and the dissolved corn flour and cook through- this should take around 2 minutes. It is ready when your chicken has been heat through and the sauce starts to thicken.
6. Combine the cooked noodles to the wok and stir through.
7. Add a sprinkle of dried coriander and crack some black pepper.
8. If the dish requires more flavour add some more soy sauce and five spice, more sweetness add sugar or more zing add some more lime.
9. Serve and enjoy!