Asian inspired vegetable and rice noodle soup

This is another one of the recipes in my repertoire that I cook when I want something quick and easy.

Ingredients (to serve 4)

1litre of vegetable or chicken stock
2 packets of rice noodles (400-450 gms)  (I have used the fresh variety which I rinsed in water to separate before adding to the soup)
1 can of sweet corn kernels drained
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 inch piece of ginger finely chopped
1 red chilli finely chopped (optional)
3 carrots diced
1/2 cup of chopped beans
1/2 cup of peas
Handful of coriander springs
1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of oil

Method

In a large saucepan, heat up the oil and add the ginger, garlic and chilli (if using). cook for about 1 minute and add the fresh vegetables. In my case only the carrots were fresh and the beans and peas were frozen so I reserved them for later. Cook the carrots for 2-3 minutes and then add the stock. Continue to cook the carrots in the stock, once it comes to the boil, simmer and add the corn kernels followed by the frozen vegetables and rice noodles. Season with salt and pepper and allow the soup to come to a boil again. Simmer further for 2-3 minutes and add the chopped coriander and lemon juice. Serve hot and garnish with coriander and slices of fresh lime.

Sweet and sour chicken

Sweet and sour chicken is a chinese takeaway staple, but generally it is greasy, laden with msg, loads of corn flour and who knows what else. My version is a healthier, lighter and delicious version.

The ingredients below will serve 4-5.

Ingredients

600 gms of chicken thigh fillets cut into strips

2 spanish onions sliced

1 green capsicum sliced

1 yellow capsicum sliced

4 small to medium carrots sliced

1 cup of fresh pineapple or 1 small can of pineapple 

6 cloves of garlic minced

Small piece of ginger finely chopped or grated

2 red chilies finely chopped

Juice of 1 orange

Juice of 1 lemon

3 heaped tablespoons of tomato paste

2 tablespoons of black strap molasses

1 tablespoon of raw/ brown sugar

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (or any other vinegar of your choice)

3 tablespoons of potato flour

3 tablespoons of oil

salt, chilli powder and pepper to taste

Method

Add the chicken strips in a mixing bowl and cover with the three tablespoons of potato flour. I also season the potato flour with a little salt. Once all the chicken strips are coated well, heat a non stick fry pan and add two table spoons of oil. Pan fry the chicken on high heat, cooking both sides, we are not after a lot of colour here. The idea is to seal the chicken and the potato flour helps to crisp it and then also thickens the sauce when added to the vegetable mix. Pan fry all the chicken in small batches ensuring that you never crowd the frying pan.

Once all the chicken has been pan fried, place it on kitchen towel and set aside for later.

In a wok or the same fry pan if it is big enough, add 1 tablespoon of oil. I always start with the carrots first as I like them a bit more cooked than the remaining vegetables, but you can choose to start with the other vegetables or with the ginger, garlic, chilli and onions.

Once, you have given the carrots a 3-5 minute head start, add the other vegetables (reserving the pineapple), stir fry on a high heat stirring occasionally to ensure the vegetables do not burn.

In a small mixing bowl, mix the tomato paste, molasses, vinegar, sugar, salt, chilli powder and pepper with 150 ml of water. Taste, to ensure the sauce is well balanced, if you need to add more of anything adjust it to your liking, though remember the orange and lemon juice are yet to be added. Once the vegetables have softened add the sauce and mix, add the chicken strips and pineapple chunks and ensure they are well coated. Next add the orange juice and simmer the sauce until it thickens and has the right consistency. Take off the heat and add the lemon juice and coriander. Serve immediately as the chicken will go soggy the longer it sits in the sauce.

I choose to serve it with plain rice.

Rice noodles with stir fried vegetables

Ingredients

1 packet of dry rice noodles (200 gms)
2 onions
3 carrots
1 green capsicum
1 yellow capsicum
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
4 spring onions
1-2 fresh red chillies
Handful of coriander springs
Salt to taste
Chilli powder to taste
1 tablespoon of molasses
Oil to cook
Lime halves to serve

I love asian food, and while at uni, i was a regular at many restaurants in Melbourne's Chinatown, that is until I moved in with two Chinese girls and learnt how simple Chinese food was to make at home and as a added bonus was so much healthier. Since then I have significantly expanded my Asian repertoire but cooking without soy and sea food has been hard. But where there is a will, there is always a way, and I am glad to say, while I have not found substitutes for soy sauce, I have managed to cook delicious meals without it with a little bit of creativity. I think the real challenge when cooking without key ingredients is to make the food look and feel the same. Soy sauce gives Asian meals saltiness and colour along with flavour. While I can't do much about the flavour (except make up for it by using other ingredients) I get the saltiness from salt and the colour from adding molasses - which also adds a touch of sweetness to a dish, similar to what kechap manis (sweet soy sauce) does.

I have opted for a vegetarian option here, using vegetables I had in the fridge. If you prefer you can add thinly sliced meat of your choice or add other vegetables like beans, mushroom or baby corn - whatever you have handy or like to eat.

With any stir fry, the key lies in the preparation, finely chop the garlic, ginger and chillies. Cut all the vegetables into thin strips, roughly the same size as this will help them to cook at the same time. Turn on the kettle or bring about 1 litre of water to the boil in a saucepan. Cover the dry rice noodles with
the boiled water and set aside for 3-4 minutes. Once the noodles are rehydrated, drain and rinse them and set aside to be added to the vegetables when ready.

Heat a large wok, add about two tablespoons of oil (I use rice bran oil because of the high smoking
point) followed by the chopped  ginger, garlic and chillies. Stir and add the rest of the vegetables,
cooking on a high heat stirring often. When the vegetables are semi cooked, but still have a bite, add the salt and chilli powder along with the molasses and stir. Add the rice noodles and toss well to
ensure they are well combined. Add the chopped coriander and serve hot with a slice of lime.