fresh asian salad/slaw

okay so this may not be 'chinese' but is a good accompaniment to the previous dishes i have posted.

2 handfuls fresh bean sprouts
1 tbsp mixed chopped coriander, mint and basil
1 large carrot shredded
4 large spring onions, thinly shredded
1/4 head of white cabbage finely shredded
1 mild chilli finely chopped

1tsp soy sauce
1tsp fresh squeezed lime juice (or white vinegar)
pinch of sweetener

the key to this dish is balance, if you like it sweeter, add more sweetener if you prefer it more sour leave out the sweetener and so on.

toss all together and you are ready to go!

chinese sticky chicken

I adapted the slimming world sticky chicken recipe a while ago and i love it this way.. if you cant get chinese vinegar use a mix of 1tbsp of balsamic and 2 tbsp white rice vinegar.

serves 4 at 2 syns per serving
you will need
700g chicken of any kind you like
3 tbsp honey
3tbsp chinese black vinegar
3tbsp soy sauce
pinch of black and white pepper
1 tsp grated garlic and ginger
1 tsp tomato puree.

mix all together in a sandwhich bag and pour into a hot frying pan cooking until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is sticky and thick.

fragrant steamed seabass.

healthy, light and delicious with an asian style side salad and steamed rice or noodles.
this is based on Gok wans chinese. serves 4-6

1kg seabass (it can be whole or portions of seabass)
2 tbsp small diced ginger
1 large chilli thinly sliced
2 large spring onions thinly sliced
1 tbsp light soy
1tsp sesame oil (2syns)
steamer and a plate.

lay the seabass on a plate and lay the ginger, chilli and spring onion in an even layer then pour over the sesame oil and soy sauce.
Place in the steamer until the fish comes away from the bone with no effort or if you are using portions for 10-20 minutes.

My chinese cooking essentials!

So giving you a quick break from recipes im going to share with you my chinese kitchen essentials. from crockery to store cupboard staples.

Some form of steamer: you can purchase a steamer or you could you a pot with some water, them put a bowl rim down and  put the plate with whatever you are steaming on top them cover the pot.

Wok: preferably non stick. if you cant afford a wok a good NON STICK pan is ideal and easy to put into a cupboard. A good thing about the frying pan is that the heat evenly distributes.

a flat stirring instrument like something you would flip pancakes with. perfect for stir frying.

seasonings: soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, black vinegar, sesame oil, sweet chilli sauce, garlic, ginger (ginger can freeze for months when you need some just use a fine grater and place back in the freezer)

store cupboard: rice, egg noodles, tinned water chestnuts and bamboo shoots.

I know that if i have all of these in my food cupboard i can make a delicious slimming world friendly meal!

sichaun prawns

This dish is good as part of a chinese meal or to serve as a starter.

200g raw, peeled tiger prawns
1/2 tsp sichaun pepper
generous pinch salt
1tsp 5 spice powder

for the sauce: 4 tbsp soy sauce, 1tsp sugar (1syn), 1 spring onion, finely chopped. (all mixed together)

toss the prawns in the 5 spice powder,sichaun pepper and salt.
Get a pan on a high heat.
add the prawns and stir fry.
when they are nearly cooked through add the sauce and toss until it thickens.
Serve hot or warm.
they are nice in lettuce leaf cups.

basic chinese mixed vegetables

Just like you get from the takeaway, although there isnt much flavour to them there is always something morishly comforting about the gravy on these vegetables!
(i sometimes add straw mushroom if i can get them, they come in a can just drain the liquid go through and cut them in half, they look odd, like little balls but when you cut them in half you can see the stalk, they are used a lot in chinese vegetable dishes)

Of course you could add meat to this.

1 large clove of garlic, grated.
2 tbsp soy sauce
300ml chicken (or veggie) stock,
1 tbsp cornflour (1 syn)
1/2 tsp sesame oil (1 syn - optional but the flavour makes it just like the chinese)
handful of bean sprouts,
1 small tin of mixed bamboo shoots and water chesnuts (just drain them and slice into bitesize pieces)
1 small carrot sliced then chopped into bitesize pieces
1 small onion in bitesize chunks
1/2 small green pepper in bitesize chunks
1tsp oyster sauce.

mix the oyster sauce, stock, soy sauce and cornflour with a generous pinch of black and white pepper.
get the pan hot then add the carrot and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. add the rest of the veg (but not the beansprouts) stir fry for 2-3 minutes then add your sauce mixture and stir constantly cooking until the sauce reduces and thickens and becomes gravy like. add your beansprouts. cook through for 1 minutes and you are done!

'General Tso chicken'

General tso is a popular american dish that is slowly spreading to the uk, a pungent dish with a good kick!

serves 4
4 skinless/fatless boneless chicken thighs in bitesize chunks
1/2 tsp baking powder (1/4 syn)
1tbsp cornflour (1syn)
2tbsp soy sauce
Sauce: 1 tbsp tomato puree, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1tsp sesame oil (2syns), 2 tsp each grated ginger and garlic, 1 red chilli finely diced (more or less as much as you can handle),  1tbsp rice vinegar, 3 tbsp water, 1 tsp sweetener. - all mixed together.

mix the chicken, baking powder, cornflour and soy sauce and set aside for 20 minutes to let the baking powder tenderise the meat.
Any veg go well with this dish so you could add them to the chicken or on the side.
start by getting a pan nice and hot with a few sprays of low cal spray and spread the chicken on an even layer and let  sit for 1 minute before slipping, it should look nice and brown and crisp. leave to cook for another minute and keep turning until the chicken is crispy and you cant see any pink.
Add the sauce and toss, let the sauce reduce and keep tossing to coat the chicken thoroughly.
DONE!
if you aren't partial to chilli you could always leave it out but it doesn't give the same punch obviously!
i hope you enjoy!

Beef with ginger and spring onion

Quick, easy and delicious this stir fry is good on its own or with rice.
4-6
500g of steak thinly sliced
1 thinly sliced onion
1 thinly sliced green bell pepper
1tbsp grated ginger
4tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp oyster sauce
1tsp sesame oil (2 syns)
1tsp baking powder
generous pinch of salt and pepper
1 bunch of spring onions chopped into 1 inch pieces.

mix the steak with salt, pepper, baking powder, sesame oil, oyster sauce and soy sauce.
Get a pan nice and hot and add the onion and green pepper along with the white parts of the spring onion. toss and stir fry until they char and the spring onion is a little limp.
remove to the side and add the steak along with the ginger. let sit in the scorching pan for a minute or so then toss and let rest again.
when the steak is almost cooked add back in the vegetables including the green parts of the spring onion and toss through throughly and if needs be add a little more soy sauce.

quick, easy and delicious.

Chinese Cashew Chicken

Cashews on slimming world? okay so there might not be as many as in the chinese version but if you chop of the cashews you get a little bit in every bite, which, for me is what a good dish is about, being able to get a little of everything into one bite.

this serves 4-6 people and the cashews, depending where you get them from will vary in syns so i will only give you the syns for the basic other ingredients. Just bare in mind that syn values can change!

6 bones less skinless chicken thighs (no visible fat, cut into bite size chunks)
1 large red and green peppers cut into bitesize pieces.
1 large onion cut into bite size pieces.
4tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp oyster sauce
1 large grated clove of garlic
1tsp grated ginger
1tsp sweetener
1tsp white vinegar
50g chopped up cashews (just plain or if they only have salted thats okay, i guestimate this at around 16 syns by most of the syn values maybe a little less, personally id rather over syn than under syn!)
1 tsp sesame oil (2syns)
(this dish divided between 6 is 3, between 4 is 4.5 which is still lower than the takeaway version!)

get a frying pan nice and hot add the peppers and onions and char them all over then remove from the pan.
add the chicken, leave to cook for 1 minutes before turning and letting cook for another minute.
while the chicken is cooking mix the soy, sesame oil, oyster sauce, ginger, garlic,sweetener and vinegar.
once the chicken is nearly cooked through, add back in the vegetables and add the sauce, stirring for 30 seconds. leave the sauce to reduce.
When almost no liquid is left add the cashews and toss together.

serve over rice with broccoli or my garlicky greens :)

Satay chicken stir fry

As chinese new year is on monday i thought i would share a few chinese style recipes in the slimming world way.
serves 4-6 people but makes great leftovers and can be frozen! (2.5 syns for 4 people, even less for 6 people)

6 bonesless skinless chicken thighs (or use breasts if thats all you can get)
1 tsp baking powder (half syn)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 large onions in bitesize pieces
2 large green peppers in bitesize pieces
1 grated garlic clove and the same amount of grated ginger (would be roughly a tsp)
1 pack of green beans in bitesize pieces.
1 pack of amoy satay sauce (120g-10syns)
i usually serve this with rice! It is also very nice with some broccoli.

cut the chicken in bitesize pieces and coat in the soy sauce, garlic, ginger and baking powder. Put to one side for 20 minutes (this is a good time to prep your veg)
get your pan on a high heat spray generously with low cal spray and add your chicken in an even layer. leave for 30 seconds or until it will move freely in the pan. turn over the chicken, add in the green beans and cook for another minute., add a small splash of water and cover the pan to help steam the beans. When the water has evaporated let the pan get back up to heat and add the onions and green peppers.
Toss with the chicken and let them char a little. cook until the onions only just start to soften. (the onion flavour isnt as strong but still has a nice crunch to it)
add the stir fry sauce and a little water and toss through the chicken and veggies.

i hope you guys enjoy this recipe!