Although this popular Chinese takeaway is made with stir-fried veggies, it’s not always that healthy as there’s invariably a lot of sodium in the dish. Sodium raises blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease, so it makes sense to limit your intake of it. Making this dish at home makes it much healthier than ordering takeout. Using low-sodium soy sauce means that the marinade retains that classic umami flavour, the perfect balance of sweet and salty so characteristic of this dish.
INGREDIENTS
- 600–700g chicken breast fillets, thinly sliced
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 cups sliced cabbage
- 2 onions, sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 4 celery sticks, sliced on the diagonal
- 2 cups mangetout (snow peas or sugar snap peas)
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 400–500g egg noodles
- ½ cup hot water
- 2 teaspoon cornflour, plus a touch of water to make a slurry
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sherry
- 2 chicken stock cubes, crumbled
- 2–3 sliced spring onions to garnish
- Mung beans to garnish
For the marinade
- 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sherry
- 1 teaspoon cornflour, plus a touch of water to make a slurry
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD
1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a wide bowl, then add the chicken strips. Toss, ensuring the chicken is well-coated. Refrigerate for approximately 1 hour.
2. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add the cabbage, onions, red pepper, celery and mangetout, and sauté for approximately 4 minutes, or until the vegetables start to soften. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. To the same pan, add the sesame oil, increase the heat and sear the chicken on all sides. Reduce the heat, add any leftover marinade and continue to sauté until the chicken is just cooked.
4. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions and set aside.
5. Mix together the <hot?> water, cornflour slurry, soy sauce, sherry and crumbled stock cubes. Add the mixture to the chicken, then add the vegetables and cooked noodles to the pan.
6. Toss well, ensuring all the ingredients are well-coated. Continue to cook for another minute or two, making sure everything is heated through.
7. Serve in bowls or boxes, garnished with the spring onions and a sprinkling of mung beans.
