tasty tuesday ~ chicken chow mein

One of my frugal challenges lately has been to recreate some of our favorite Chinese take out recipes in order to save a few dollars on those nights where I would normally order out. I have not had much success with a wok. I think part of it is because I have an electric stove and I think  woks work better over gas flame. It couldn't possibly be my lack of skill. LOL! Just my opinion mind you. 

When I saw this recipe in a magazine it looked fairly simple and the flavor combination included some of my favorite, honey and lime. So I thought I would give it a shot. I cleared my counters off, got out the chopping board and got to work. Chinese cooking is all about mis en plas (everything in it's place). It's very important to make sure your ingredients are all cut into similar sizes so that everything cooks evenly and your not waiting on one ingredient or another. 

This recipe was really easy and I actually got the whole wok thing down fairly well. I browned the chicken without killing it and all the peppers still had a crisp edge to them. The one thing that I didn't like was the overwhelming lime. Next time I will only use the juice of one lime and I think the balance will be a better. 

Celebrate the Feast!

Mary

Ming Tsai's Chicken and Tri-Bell Pepper Chow Mein

adapted from Popular Plates Magazine, Comfort Food edition

Ingredients:

1/2 pound fresh or dried chow mein or Shanghai noodles

Kosher salt

6 Tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil, plus more for coating the noodles

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut across the width into 1/3-inch strips

3 Tablespoons minced garlic

2 Tablespoons minced ginger

1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, cut into 1-inch lengths

1/4 cup naturally brewed soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

Juice of 2 limes

3 small bell peppers, red, green, and yellow, cut into 1-inch dice

1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil, for drizzling

Directions:

Fill a large bowl with water and add ice cubes. In a wok, cook the noodles in abundant boiling salted water until al dente, 3 minutes if fresh, 8 to 10 minutes if dried. Drain and transfer the noodles to the ice water. When cold, drain, transfer to a plate, coat lightly with oil, and set aside. Drain the wok, dry it, and heat over high heat. Add 4 tablespoons of the oil and swirl to coat the pan. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Add the remaining 2 Tablespoons of oil to the wok, swirl, and when hot, add the garlic, ginger and scallions. Stir-fry until soft, about 1 minute. Add the soy sauce, deglaze the wok, and add the honey and lime juice. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by one quarter, about 30 seconds. Return the chicken with any juice in the plate to the wok and add the peppers. Toss, add the noodles, and heat through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter, drizzle with the sesame oil, and serve.