Wen's Chow Mein - Slimified!

So my cousin married the most amazing woman, Wen. She has become a good friend and a couple of years ago they came down to visit so she could give me some Chinese cooking lessons.  Her chow mein is out of this world, better than any takeaway and to watch her cook is such a joy.  She uses chopsticks for almost everything and has a natural instinct in the kitchen.

The recipe she gave me is so wonderful and versatile that it will really work with just about any meat and veg.  The version I post here is fairly true to Wen's method, only I remove the oil and the fried onions on top (moment of silence for the onions please...). I do add half a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil at the very end for the flavour of it, which is what really makes Chinese food. That is one syn for the whole recipe, which should easily serve 5-6 people.

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 250g medium egg noodles (dry weight)
• 500g chicken fillets (sliced into thin strips)
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin slives
• 1 large onion, sliced
• Beansprouts, half package
• Mange Tout, half packet
• 1 tbsp fresh garlic
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 3 tbs dark soy sauce
• 3 tbs oyster sauce
• sweetener (optional) to taste
• white pepper
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil

Cook noodles according to package directions, cut into smaller pieces, set aside to cool.

Spray wok with cooking spray and cook chicken slices until cooked through. Remove from wok.

Re-spray wok and cook carrots for a minute or two then add onions.  Cook until beginning to soften.  Add mange tout and beansprouts. Cook for a minute or two.  Add garlic and ginger and cook for another minute or two. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce and sweetener. Season with white pepper.

Add chicken and noodles to wok.  Stir fry and ensure the noodles are all coated in the sauce. If you need to, add a bit more soy and oyster sauce (equal parts).  Once ready, stir in sesame oil and serve. 

Better than Take-Away Cashew Chicken

It's a rare thing that I cook something that everyone raves about.  I've made this before as per the original recipe and it was ok, but this time I added some twists and it was out of this world.  Both the girls raved about it and had seconds and himself kept saying it was better than take-out.  I would have to agree, this is a simple and delicious dish that comes together quickly and pleases just about everyone.  You could certainly add any other vegetables you prefer.

The recipe is a little odd in terms of the oil used, but basically it makes an emulsified sauce that somehow works and isn't at all greasy.  This comes together really quickly as well, so have your rice cooked and ready to go!

Better Than Take-Away Cashew Chicken

• 4 large chicken fillets, cubed
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup tamari (dark soy sauce)
• 3 tbsp chilli powder
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 cups unsalted cashews, roasted
• 2 large onions, roughly chopped
• 1 large carrot, thinly chopped
• 1 package of mushrooms, quartered
• 2-3 scallions, sliced diagonally

Marinade chicken by adding oil, tamari, chilli powder, honey, garlic and ginger to a bowl with the chicken.  Stir until emulsified. Allow to marinade for at least 30 minutes, the longer the better.

Heat up a wok and remove the chicken from the marinade with a slotted spoon.  Reserve marinade. Stir fry until cooked through and remove from wok and set aside.

Pour marinade into wok and cook for a few minutes at a high boil to kill any bacteria from the raw chicken.  Remove all but 1tbsp from wok and set aside.

Add carrots and onions and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and stir until cooked through.  Add cashews and chicken and enough of the sauce to coat.  Sprinkle chopped scallions on top and serve with white rice.

Adapted from Simply Recipes. 

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