Fifteen-Minute Chicken Chow Mein

Ingredients

Tick the ingredients as you go

Stir-fry

• 200 g (6 oz) chicken breast or thigh fillets, thinly sliced
• 4 cups green cabbage, finely shredded
• 1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil (or other cooking oil)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 200 g (6 oz) chow mein noodles
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
• 3 green onions, cut into 5 cm (2") pieces, white and green parts kept separate
• 1/4 cup (65 ml) water

Sauce

• 2 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce (all-purpose or light)
• 1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce (or hoisin)
• 1 1/2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine, or mirin
• 2 tsp sugar (1 tsp if using mirin)
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• White pepper (black pepper is fine)

Instructions

1. 1

   For the sauce, stir the cornflour into the soy sauce until smooth, then mix in the rest of the sauce ingredients. (Alternatively, use 1/3 cup of a Chinese all-purpose stir-fry sauce.)

2. 2

   Coat the chicken with 1 tbsp of the sauce and let it marinate for 10 minutes.

3. 3

   Prepare the noodles according to the packet (typically a 1-minute soak in boiling water) and drain.

4. 4

   Heat the oil in the wok over high heat.

5. 5

   Add the garlic and stir-fry for about 10 seconds, just until it starts to turn golden; do not let it burn.

7. 6

   Add the chicken and stir-fry for about 1 minute, until browned on the outside but still raw in the middle.

   
8. 7

   Toss in the cabbage, carrot and the white parts of the green onions and stir-fry for 1½ minutes, until the cabbage has mostly wilted.

9. 8

   Add the noodles, the remaining sauce and the water and stir-fry for 1 minute, tossing constantly.

   
10. 9

    Add the bean sprouts and the green parts of the onions and toss for about 30 seconds, until the sprouts just begin to soften.

    
11. 10

    Take off the heat and serve straight away.