Chicken Chow Mein

Chow mein is arguably the best known Chinese noodle dish in the North America. Noodles are stir-fried with meat, seafood or vegetables. If you prefer you can use chicken thigh meat instead of breast fillet. Ask the butcher to debone the thigh as they can be fiddly.

Ingredients:
350 gr (12 oz) noodles
225 gr (8 oz) skinless chicken breast fillets
45 ml (3 tbsp) soy sauce
15 ml (1 tbsp) rice wine or dry sherry
15 ml (1 tbsp) dark sesame oil
60 ml (4 tbsp) vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
50 gr (2 oz) mangetouts (snow peas), topped and tailed
115 gr (4 oz) beansprouts
50 gr (2 oz) ham, finely shredded
4 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

Cook the noodles in a pan of boiling water until tender. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain well.

Slice the chicken into fine shreds about 5 cm (2 in) in length  Place in a bowl and add 10 ml (2 tsp) of the soy sauce, the rice wine or sherry and sesame oil.

Heat half the vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat. When it starts smoking, add the chicken mixture. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes then transfer the chicken to a plate and keep it warm.

Wipe the wok clean and heat the remaining oil. Stir in the garlic, mangetouts, beansprouts and ham, stir-fry for another minute or so and add the noodles.

Continue to stir-fry until the noodles are heated through. Add the remaining soy sauce to taste and season with salt and pepper. Return the chicken and any juices to the noodle mixture, add the chopped spring onions and give the mixture a final stir. Serve immediately. Serves 4.