Chicken Lo Mein

Cut about 3 chicken breasts into thin strips. Marinade the meat (i.e. coat it in this mixture) for half an hour in a mixture of:

• 2 teaspoon cornflour
• 2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 0.5 teaspoons of salt

Put some assorted vegetables on a plate. Here are some suggestions, you should mix and match as you like, but DO include the garlic:

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped (always use this)
• 1 tin Bamboo shoots
• Handful of chopped mushrooms
• Stick(s) of celery, chopped
• Carrot, chopped into thin strips
• Red/green/yellow peppers, chopped
• Whatever you're having yourself

You should have enough veg to fill a medium size dinner plate.

Mix in another bowl:

• 60ml of chicken stock
• 2 desert spoons of soy sauce
• 3-4 desert spoons of oyster sauce
• 1.5 teaspoons sugar

You will also need some peanut oil, some toasted sesame oil, and a couple of chopped spring onions/scallions.

Cook some dried noodles (actually, you might adjust that depending on the type of noodle, some are more filling than others) in boiling/boiled water until they soften. Drain the noodles, and rinse them in cold water. When they are drained and cold, toss them in a little toasted sesame oil. The quantity of noodles you use depends on how many you are cooking for. I would use 5 "squares" of noodles, for 3-4 people (when using noodles that come in squares). I think most dried noodles that come packaged are divided into roughly the same quantities. Probably the weight is about 300g.

Heat some peanut oil in a pan/wok (enough to cover bottom) till it is hot, but not burning/smoking. Add the chicken, and stir-fry it till cooked. Remove the chicken to a bowl/plate, leaving oil in the pan.

Top up oil in pan. Add the garlic and vegetables. Cook for about a minute.

Then add the mixed sauce. Stir the veg and sauce, then cover the pan and allow it to simmer/steam for a minute or so.

Add the noodles and chicken to the pan, toss the whole lot (veg, sauce, noodles, chicken). Ensure that everything heats right through. In practise, if you are cooking this for a few people, you will have too much to stir-fry in one go. I recommend completing the dish as follows:

1. Add the chicken back to the veg and sauce mix. Stir on heat for half minute till all hot.
2. Remove the chicken and sauce to another pot.
3. Add a tiny bit of oil to the now empty pan/wok. Take a handful of noodles (enough for one serving) from the colander an put it in the pan. Take a ladle of the veg/meat/sauce mix, and put it in the pan. Note that the hand is the best tool for moving the noodles!
4. Maybe throw in a few chopped spring onions. Stir fry the mix until hot through (about a minute). Transfer to an individual plate and serve. Repeat for each serving.