Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry

Carmen, author of Tía Alia, brings us a chicken and vegetable stir fry, a tasty, healthy, natural recipe. She makes it in a wok, and it’s a recipe that has it all, from color to flavor, perfect for everyday meals.

Whatever we call it, stir fry or salteado (the latter is more ours), this dish is a true delight in every way. Healthy ingredients, little oil, this chicken and vegetable stir fry isn’t a diet recipe, but it could well be.

We can do without the noodles and the cashews to reduce the calorie count, and we can vary the vegetables to taste or to what we have on hand in our fridges. Snow peas, green beans, zucchini, leek, asparagus are some that I find perfect for this combination.

To prepare this stir fry we need a wok in which to cook each ingredient for the required time without having to remove it to add the others. We just push them to the sides of the wok and leave the base free to sauté the next item. This way they stay hot and don’t overcook. It’s advisable to use utensils that won’t scratch the wok’s metal so it will last you many years. Something that, once you try cooking with a wok, you will want to happen no matter what.

Wok made of carbon steel Ken Hom, Ken Hom bamboo utensil Set, Star Wave porcelain bowl by Tokyo Design Studio and Nezumi ceramic bowl by Tokyo Design Studio.

Ingredients (for four servings)

• 200gr of noodles
• 50gr of cashews
• 300gr of chicken breast
• 2 cloves of garlic
• A piece of fresh ginger 5 cm long
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro
• 1 broccoli
• 2 spring onions
• 3 carrots
• 30ml of soy sauce
• 15ml of fish sauce
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• Vegetable oil
• 1 lemon (optional)

Preparation

1. We cook the noodles following the manufacturer’s instructions, leaving them slightly firm or al dente (if the package says 4 minutes, we leave them 3). We drain and immerse them in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again and sauté in our wok with a little vegetable oil. Set aside.
2. We toast the cashews in a pan without any oil, over medium heat so they don’t burn, stirring occasionally. In five minutes they’ll be ready. Set aside.
3. We prepare the rest of the ingredients so the cooking moment is quick and uninterrupted. We’ll need a knife well sharpened and a cutting board because the next tasks consist of chopping.
4. We cut the chicken breasts into 1 cm strips and season with salt and pepper.
5. We peel the garlic cloves and chop them finely. We do the same with the piece of fresh ginger.
6. We remove the cilantro leaves from the stems. We chop the stems finely and keep the leaves whole, although this is optional and you can chop them if you prefer. In fact, you can omit the cilantro if you don’t like it.
7. We separate the broccoli florets from the stem. We cut the florets into small pieces of similar size. We peel the trunk and cut it into sticks or long strips.
8. We remove the green part of the spring onions and peel them. We chop finely.
9. We peel the carrots and cut them into thin slices about 2 mm thick. To make them look nicer we can cut them on a slight diagonal.
10. We pour a little oil into the base of our wok and heat it. We stir-fry the chicken over high heat for a couple of minutes. With the help of a bamboo spoon or spatula we move the chicken pieces from the center of the wok to the edges. This way the chicken stays hot without overcooking.
11. We add a little more oil to the wok and add the garlic, ginger and chopped cilantro stems. We stir for a minute before adding the broccoli, spring onion and carrot. Sauté for 2 or 3 minutes.
12. We bring the little chicken pieces down from the sides of the wok and mix well. Next we add the noodles along with the soy sauce and fish sauce. We stir with the bamboo tongs, lifting the noodles so they loosen from each other and mix well with the rest of the ingredients.
13. Once everything is well mixed, we sprinkle with cilantro leaves to taste and add the cashews. Serve in bowls immediately before it cools, accompanying the stir fry with lemon wedges.

Star Wave porcelain bowls by Tokyo Design Studio, carbon steel wok Ken Hom, Ken Hom bamboo utensil Set and Nezumi ceramic bowl by Tokyo Design Studio.