Chicken & Cabbage Stir Fry

 So the other day I had a lot of leftover Napa cabbage from when I made dumplings. I did some research and decided that I was going to use the cabbage to create a delicious, savoury stir fry. I also knew that so many of my stir fries have rice in it…and I was not feeling rice that evening. So I thought…and I thought…and I pondered. What else can I use? And then it struck me! Instant noodles! Easy to cook up and they work as amazing sponges for sucking in tasty sauces. I hope the following recipe will inspire you to recreate this idea and to use it as a good method for cleaning out some ingredients in your fridge.

Ingredient List

• ·         2 packages of instant noodles
• ·         ½ head of Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
• ·         2 carrots, thinly sliced
• ·         2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ·         2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• ·         3 stalks of green onions, finely chopped
• ·         1 boneless, skinless chicken, minced
• ·         4 to 5 large leaves of fresh basil, finely chopped
• ·         Pinch of salt
• ·         1 tbsp black ground pepper
• ·         1 tbsp white pepper
• ·         Pinch of red chili flakes
• ·         2 tbsp sesame oil
• ·         4 tbsp hoisin sauce
• ·         2 tbsp oyster sauce
• ·         1 tbsp soy sauce
• ·         Small splash of rice wine vinegar

Preparation

Alright my lovely muffins! First you will want to make sure all of your ingredients are chopped in their proper way. This takes some time but, to be honest I find chopping food to be very satisfying. The act of taking one ingredient and preparing it to the appropriate size is quite enjoyable for me. In general, I find cooking to be relaxing in many ways, as long as it isn’t rushed. How you can take different materials and form them into one masterpiece is absolutely stunning. As I have said before, food is art, and art is therapy.

Okay, after getting all your ingredients prepped, grab a deep pot or a wok (if you have one) and splash some sesame oil or olive oil into the pan and start heating it up on a medium setting. Throw in your chicken with the garlic, ginger and half of the sauce ingredients (ie. 1 tbsp. sesame oil, 2 tbsp. hoisin sauce, 1 tbsp. oyster sauce, etc.) and cook until the chicken is golden brown on the outside and juicy on the inside. Once this is complete, set aside your chicken into a separate bowl.

Next, boil water for your noodles and cook them until soft. But make sure you still keep an eye on the noodles, you will not want them to sit in hot water for too long. Otherwise they will turn to mush. Yuck! We want them to be just a little past the al dente stage.

Now, in the leftover oils in the pan, sauté the cabbage and carrots until they are softened. If you only have a little bit of oil left from the cooked chicken then you can add 1 tbsp. of oil to the vegetables to ensure they do not stick to the pan. Once they are finished, fold in your noodles, chicken, spices and what remains of the sauces until all ingredients are evenly combined.

Take the food off of the heat. And finally, add in the basil and green onions. The remaining heat of the stir fry will lightly soften these greens while still allowing them to release their essences into the dish. If you added these ingredients earlier in the preparation, while keeping the pot on the heat, this would cause them to overcook, making them wilt. This may even release a slightly bitter flavour. Demonstrating how cooking is all about balance. Some ingredients can cook for long periods of time and develop phenomenal tastes. Others should only cook for short periods, or else they will be ruined. Again, all about balance and love.

If you are a saucy person, that loves hoisin or oyster sauce and isn’t shy when using them, you can always add more. This is just a basic reference for those that aren’t into heavily seasoned foods.

Now your dish is ready to eat!

Taste Test

Grab your fork and load it up with the perfect amount of chicken, veggies and noodles. You want to ensure you can have every ingredient in that first bite. This experience should be used to its fullest.

And when you do take that initial taste, you will have the perfect combination of umami flavours. There is a thick, sweetness from the hoisin and oyster sauces. These sauces are rich and almost syrupy as they coat and caress every ingredient in your bowl. There will also be a saltiness from the soy sauce, followed by a slight kick from the pepper. And if you are like me and love pepper, you may have quite a bit of heat from the peppery ingredients. I enjoy making my taste buds feel like there are fireworks going off in my mouth from spicy food.

Furthermore, the vegetables should balance well with the slippery noodles. You want the veggies to be softened yet still have a slight crunch, to satisfy that texture appeal. That is what umami is, the perfect harmony of flavours, accompanied by a spectacular symphony of textures. Once you have achieved this style of cooking, you will be continually craving more.

In summary, this meal is packed full of wonderful tastes and is a great way to use up some ingredients in your fridge and pantry. You don’t just have to use carrots and cabbage, you can use other veggies and even different meats and spices. That is the beauty of stir fries. They are simple yet provide you with a world of possibilities for creating new combinations and flavours.

Enjoy!