Chicken Chow Mein

Preparation

• 1
  1. First make the marinade. In a bowl, mix together the soy sauces, the rice vinegar and the five spice powder. Sprinkle in the cornflour and stir. Slice the chicken breasts into thin strips and place them in the bowl, stirring to make sure they are well coated with the marinade. Leave to chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours if possible.
• 2
  2. Cook the noodles in boiling water according to the instructions, usually 4 minutes, then drain well and run under cold water. Place in a bowl and sprinkle over a few drops of sesame oil, mixing to coat the noodles and avoid them sticking together, then set aside for later.
• 3
  3. Prepare the vegetables. Peel and chop the ginger very finely and crush the garlic. Slice the mangetout in half diagonally. Deseed the red pepper and slice thinly. Slice the mushrooms. Top and tail the spring onions and slice each one diagonally into 3-4 pieces. Deseed and chop the chilli finely. Rinse the beansprouts.
• 4
  4. Heat a tablespoon of sunflower oil and another of toasted sesame oil in a large wok until hot, then cook the ginger and garlic briefly, for about 30 seconds, taking care not to allow it to burn. Tip in the marinated chicken and stir-fry over a high heat for 4-5 minutes, or until cooked right through. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set to one side.
• 5
  5. Add a little more oil to the wok and stir-fry the red pepper and mushrooms for 2-3 minutes. Add the spring onions, chilli and beansprouts and cook for a further 2 minutes.
• 6
  6. Return the chicken to the vegetables in the wok then stir in the noodles. Drop in in a further 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce, a level tablespoon of chilli sauce and a sprinkling of white pepper, then stir-fry for a further 4 minutes or until everything is really hot. Serve immediately.
• 7
  Additional notes:
• 8
  You can, of course, use fresh noodles rather than dried if you prefer, although dried ones work very well.
• 9
  Some recipes include oyster sauce as well as soy sauce.
• 10
  Other vegetables can be added to the dish, for example, sliced green beans, carrot sticks, sweetcorn or thinly sliced Chinese cabbage.