Most chow mein recipes will tell you to use egg noodles. I use non-egg noodles so I do a chicken and a mushroom version, the mushroom one being vegan for my daughter.

These dishes are great when topped with Kale crisps.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 250g chicken breast, skinless and boneless
• 450g noodles, straight to wok pre-cooked
  • I use Aldi’s ‘Ready to wok’
• 3 tbsp groundnut oil
• 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 200g mung bean sprouts
• 4 tsp dark soy sauce
• 4 tsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• 10 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
• 2 tsp sesame oil

Marinade ingredients

• 4 tsp light soy sauce
• 4 tsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 2 tsp sesame oil

Method

• This can get tricky if you don’t prepare properly so get 4 bowls out to help.
• Put all the marinade ingredients in one bowl.
• Thinly slice the chicken into strips about 5cm (2″) long. Add it to the marinade and mix. Leave it for at least 10 minutes.
• Peel and finely chop/press/mince the garlic. Put it in the second bowl and also add the bean sprouts to the bowl.
• Finely chop the spring onions, put them in the third bowl.
• You should still have one empty, clean bowl.
• Add the 4 tsp dark soy sauce, 4 tsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine, 1 tsp salt, 0.5 tsp ground white pepper and 1 tsp sugar to the onions. Add the pre-cooked noodles to this bowl, breaking up with your fingers so they are not clumped together.
• Put a dry wok on a high heat, add 1 tbsp of groundnut oil and wait until it just starts to smoke.
• Quickly add the chicken and marinade from bowl one to the wok. Stir fry the chicken for two minutes. Put it into bowl 4.
• Wipe the wok with some kitchen towel, return to the heat and add 1 tbsp of groundnut oil.
• When it just starts to smoke again add the garlic and bean sprouts from bowl two. Stir fry for 1 minute.
• Add the noodle and onions mix from bowl 3. Stir fry for about 2 minutes.
• Now put the chicken from bowl 4 into the wok and stir fry for another 3 or 4 minutes.
• Add the 2 tsp of sesame oil and stir for another minute.
• Serve immediately.

Notes

For the vegan alt replace the chicken with mushrooms.

If you are cooking for a mix of vegans and omnivores then split the mixtures in the first 3 bowls accordingly. When cooking the mushrooms there’s no need to pre-cook, as there is with the chicken, just add them in to the wok/pan when the garlic and bean sprouts go in.