Ching-He Huang’s Sichaun chicken & asparagus chow mein
Have a fakeaway in a flash with Ching-He Huang’s Sichaun chicken and asparagus chow mein. This tasty stir-fry dish is fantastic to share and simple to make.
Serves 2-4 if served as a sharing dish
Ingredients
Season the chickenPieces of organic chicken thighs, skin off, deboned, sliced thinly into 1cm strips on the angle (2-4 thighs)1 large pinch of cracked sea salt1 large pinch of ground white pepper1 large pinch of Chinese five spice powder1 tablespoon of cornflour
For the stir-fry1-2 tablespoons groundnut oil2 small cloves of garlic, smashed, peeled using a teaspoon and grated1 inch piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated1 large red cayenne chilli, deseeded and sliced1 tablespoon Shaosing rice wine or dry sherry200g medium 1cm thick Asparagus spears, hardy base snapped off, washed, sliced to 0.5cm thick on the angle to long horse ear shapes250g medium round cooked egg noodles, dressed in toasted sesame oil1 tablespoon sodium light soy sauce1 spring onion, sliced julienne, soaked in ice cold water to get spring onion curls
For the Sichuan spicy sauce100ml cold water1 tablespoon chilli bean paste2 tablespoons Chinkiang black rice vinegar (or you can use balsamic vinegar)1 tablespoon low sodium light soy sauce1 teaspoon soft brown sugar1 tablespoon cornflour1 tablespoon shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Method1. Prepare all the ingredients.
In a bowl, add all the ingredients for the Sichuan Spicy sauce. Set aside.
Thinly slice your spring onion and soak in ice water for a couple of minutes to get lovely curly spring onions.
In another bowl, season the chicken with a pinch of salt, ground white pepper, a large pinch of Chinese five spice powder and dust with a tablespoon of Cornflour.
Heat a wok over high heat until smoking, then add the groundnut oil.
Add the garlic, ginger, chilli and stir for a few seconds, then add the seasoned chicken thigh strips, cook stirring for 2 minutes until it starts to brown and caramelize.
Then season with shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry. Stir for another minute until cooked through.
Use the biggest piece of chicken to check to see whether it’s cooked or not.
Add the asparagus slices and keep stirring for 30 seconds - 1 minute.
Once the asparagus have had 30 seconds - 1 minute in the wok, add the sauce and keep stirring for 1 minute until they have softened and the sauce has thickened, coating the chicken nicely. Add in the cooked egg noodles to one side of the wok and toss through well.
Season with low sodium light soy sauce to taste.
Then give the dish a final stir then take it off the heat, spoon onto serving plates with tongs, garnish with fresh spring onion curls and chillies dressed in soy sauce and serve immediately.