It’s January and I am trying to eat a bit better than I did for half of December, to lose a few pounds obviously but also to help keep me healthy as we need all the goodness we can get right now!

This started out as a standard stir fry but actually tasted like something you would get from the chinese takeaway served with rice! I ate it as it is in the photo ( low carb) but you could definately pair with noodles or rice for a nice treat meal that is not unhealthy.

Ingredients
Serves 2
20 mins – plus 1 hour marinade time.

400g chicken breast or mini chicken fillets
1 Red pepper – sliced
3 Spring onions cut into 1 inch pieces on the diagonal
1 carrot cut into small slices
1/2 head of brocolli cut into small florets
10 – 12 baby corn – sliced in half lengthways
handful of corriander chooped – including stalk
1 tbsp ginger paste
2 inch piece of ginger peeled and cut into thin strips. Ginger Julienne
handful of cashew nuts

Sauce

1 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp Soy sauce
1 tbsp Mirin
1 tsp sesame oil
2 cloves of garlic crushed
2 tsp chilli flakes ( less if you dont want it spicy)
150 ml Water

First of all marinate your chicken with the ginger paste and a teaspoon of salt for at least 1 hour. I like to cook the breasts or fillets whole first and then chop afterwards to keep them moist inside then add to the stir fry at the end. You can just add chicken chunks with the veg to save time but the meat will be quite dry.

When the chicken has marinated, heat a splash of oil in a frying pan and sear each piece for around 2 minutes on each side to brown it a little. Put in the oven at 180 for around 10 – 12 minutes until cooked through with clear juices. Rest for a few minutes and then cut into chucks.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan or wok and then add the vegetables in the following order leaving a few minutes between each addition. Brocolli, baby corn, spring onion, carrot, red pepper and finally the ginger strips and corriander – keep frying and stiring so it doesnt stick until the brocolli gets softer adding a splash of water now and then if it starts to stick.

Mix the cornflour with the soy sauce in a jug and stir to make a paste then add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Add this to the pan along with the cashew nuts and cooked chicken chunks. Warm it all through until the sauce thickens and then serves on its own or with rice or noodles. If it is a bit thick just keep adding a splash of water until you get a good consistency. There shouldn’t be a lot of sauce, just enough to cover the meat.