Chicken and vegetable stir fry

Serves: 4

Ingredients for chicken and vegetable stir fry

2 tbsp canola oil
4 chicken thigh fillets, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2cm piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 bunch broccolini, cut into thin florets
1 bunch bok choy, trimmed and cut into 5cm lengths
2 large handfuls bean sprouts
Basmati rice to serve
For the sauce:
2 tsp cornflour
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp five-spice powder
2 tsp rice vinegar
 

Preparation for chicken and vegetable stir fry

1. To make the sauce, combine cornflour with 1/3 cup water in a bowl. Add the soy, Chinese cooking wine, sugar, five-spice powder and rice vinegar. Whisk together until well combined.

2. To brown the chicken, place a wok over a high heat. Leave it to heat for a couple of minutes, then add half the canola oil. When the oil starts to smoke, add the sliced chicken pieces. Spread the chicken out using a spatula and leave undisturbed for one minute – this allows the wok to regain its temperature and the chicken to start browning.

3. Stir and toss chicken until nearly cooked through (about 1min) then transfer to a bowl and set aside. Depending on wok size, you may need to brown the chicken in two batches to avoid overloading the pan.

4. To cook vegetables, wipe the wok with kitchen paper, return to high heat, and pour in remaining canola oil. When it starts to smoke, add the garlic and ginger. Cook for about 10 sec only before adding the broccolini.

5. Cook, stirring regularly, until broccolini softens and browns around edges (3-4min). Add the bok choy and continue cooking for a further 2min.

6. To finish, return chicken to pan and add bean sprouts. Give the stir fry sauce a quick whisk, then pour it into the pan. Working quickly, move the vegetables and chicken around so that they are completely covered in the sauce and the whole dish looks glossy. Serve immediately with basmati rice.

TIP: Having too many ingredients in the pan at any one time will lower the temperature at which you’re cooking, causing your food to end up stewed and limp, rather than brightly coloured, crisp and tasty.