OK, so I'm officially 1 day too late, as Chinese New Year was 31st January but as today is Saturday it gave me more time to create a recipe and try it out before posting. Well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!
I was planning on making a banquet, but time got the better of me and I only made 2 dishes; Schezwan noodles with vegetables and a spicy kale and mushroom stirfry. I was really happy with the kale and mushroom dish, try it and see what you think.
Ingredients - serves 2 as a side dish
1 Tbsp Sesame oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 Garlic clove, finely grated
1 thumb size piece of ginger, finely grated
½ Chilli, sliced
3 handfuls of kale, chopped
1 Tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
4-5 Tbsp Water
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
2 Large mushrooms, diced
Salt & Pepper
Method
Gently fry the onion in the sesame oil until translucent.
Next add the garlic, ginger and chilli and fry for another minute.
Add the kale and continue to move around the wok until it starts to wilt. Add the Chinese 5 spice powder and a little water if it starts to stick, adding more water as necessary.
Add the soy sauce and mushrooms and stir fry for another 4-5 minutes, adding further water if necessary.
Add salt and pepper to taste and serve at once.
My slow cooker had been on all week making dinners for hubby, he's been treated to all corners of the earth with his food! I wanted something with a bit of spice but not too much heat, some crunch and something different to what I had been eating. I was tired from a long day at work and I really needed something quick and easy. I looked through my store cupboard and fridge for inspiration. Lurking at the back of my cupboard was a chowmein stirfry sauce by Blue Dragon. The best before date had not been reached but it wasn't far off! I can't remember when I bought the sauce. There is a common theme running here, I always seem to buy food and then forget about it. The previous weekly menu planning only lasted two weeks, as I like to get creative in the kitchen as a stress reliever when I get in from work!
Anyway, back to tonights tea, after spotting the chowmein sauce, I got a sudden urge to rustle up a vegetable chowmein. Let's face it, the ones you cook at home always taste better than a take away and I can't be 100% sure if the takeaway we use is 100% vegan not that I imagine they use dairy or eggs! Since turning vegan I haven't ordered a Chinese takeaway, in fact no takeaway has passed my lips, which can't be a bad thing can it?
This was easy to rustle up as I also had some Cauldron Organic Marinated Tofu Pieces in the fridge. An essential standby to have for nights like this. After a quick check on-line that both the sauce and tofu were vegan I set to preparing tea. The vegetables I used were: spring onions, green beans, baby corn, broccoli and sweetcorn, which I just threw in the wok with some groundnut oil, over a high heat stirring all the time. I added a little soy sauce when the veg started sticking to the wok, I don't think I use enough oil but then again I don't want to either. I stir fried for about 5 minutes, then added the marinated tofu and chowmein sauce. I'd also had a pan of boiling water ready for the rice noodles which only need 4 minutes cooking before you add them to your wok. Stir fry the vegetables, sauce and noodles for another couple of minutes to ensure everything is coated with the sauce and serve. Dinner is served in 15 minutes or less!
