Chicken
Honey and sesame chicken with teriyaki spring noodles
When cooking a stir-fry on a high heat it only takes a few minutes for everything to come together, so it is vital to prep everything you need in advance and have it ready and to hand. If you are feeling obsessively thorough then you can arrange it all in order on your chopping board. By slicing everything thinly you increase the surface area in contact with the pan and subsequently reduce the cooking time. A fast cooking time also means that you keep a semi-cooked bite to the veg which is part of the charm in a dish like this.
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves
- 25g ginger
- 1 fresh chilli
- small bunch spring onions
- 1 courgette
- 125g flat green beans
- 1 kohlrabi
- 150g udon noodles
- 1 Little Gem lettuce
- 30g fresh coriander
- 50ml sesame oil
- 300g diced chicken breast
- ½ tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 tsp honey
- 3 tbsp teriyaki sauce
- salt
Method
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Step 1
Peel and finely chop or grate both the garlic and the ginger. Deseed and finely chop the chilli. Put a pan of salted water on to boil. Trim away the root end from the spring onions and remove any tired looking outer layers.
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Step 2
Slice the onions very finely at an angle. Wash the courgette and, using a veg peeler, peel it into long ribbon-like lengths. Turn as you go, until you reach the soft central core. Slice the ribbons into fine strips (this is easily done by stacking 3 or 4 on top of each other at a time).
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Step 3
Wash the green beans and slice them as finely as you can at angle. Lightly peel and cut the kohlrabi into matchsticks. Place the noodles into the boiling water and cook for 8 minutes until just tender, drain, and cool them immediately in cold water to stop them cooking.
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Step 4
Leave them in the cold water until needed. Meanwhile, wash the little gem. Shake dry. Remove and discard the very end of the root from the Little Gem. Cut it into thin wedges, lengthways. Wash the fresh coriander, shake dry and roughly chop the leaves.
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Step 5
Heat half the sesame oil in the wok. Season the chicken with salt. When the oil is very hot add the chicken and stir-fry it vigorously for 3-4 minutes until nicely coloured. Add the sesame seeds and honey to the chicken and cook for 1 more minute.
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Step 6
Remove the chicken from the wok and keep it to one side. Give the wok a quick wipe out before adding the remaining sesame oil. Heat the sesame oil in the wok until very hot. Add the beans and kohlrabi; beware of spitting oil as you do so. Fry them vigorously for 1 minute, moving constantly.
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Step 7
Add the courgettes, Little Gem, chilli, ginger, garlic and a pinch of salt and continue to fry for 2 more minutes.Throw in the chicken, spring onions, teriyaki sauce and 3 tablespoons (45ml) of water. Allow it to bubble and reduce while you drain the noodles.
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Step 8
Add the noodles and toss them together with everything for 1 minute until heated through. Remove from the heat and throw in the most of the coriander. Toss together and divide between bowls, scattered with the remaining coriander.