Chow Mein

I was after a quick and healthy fix for tonight's dinner so I remembered my friend Vanessa's chow mein. She has a wonderful little food blog too so if you need some more family friendly meal ideas, check out her blog at http://mums-in-the-kitchen.blogspot.com.  I decided to use ground turkey to keep it light and to make the most of this American favorite ground meat.  There is not a lot of choice in Asian noodles here so I made tonight's dish with just regular dried 2 minute ramen noodles.  The girls love them so I always have some in the house for emergencies and I figured by not using the 'sachet of evilness' I can actually make it into a totally acceptable meal.  It worked, this was awesome and super cheap and easy. I added the chili and chili sauce to our portions only, so the girls enjoyed it too.  They did their best to avoid the vegetables but it was proving difficult so they ended up just spooning it up.  I love a quick dish like this and you can mix it up using ground chicken, beef or even strips of flank steak or chicken breast for a chunkier version.  The ground meat works beautifully with kids in the picture as it just becomes a part of the meal not the main feature. Give this one a go for sure, you won't regret it.  

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
500g or 1lb ground turkey (or chicken) breast meat
1 tblspn sesame oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 brown onion, finely diced
1 cup carrots, grated or blitzed
3/4 red pepper, finely diced
1/2 cup green beans, diced
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tblpsn oyster sauce
1 tblspn curry powder
2 tblpsn hoisin sauce
1 tspn sriarcha sauce (hot chili sauce) or to your taste
1 fresh red chili, diced
2 tblspn fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 chinese cabbage, shredded or about 2 cups
170g (6oz) singapore egg noodles (or 2 packets of dry ramen noodles)

Method:

• Boil the kettle and cook the noodles in a saucepan for approx 2mins until just tender.  (I added some chicken stock powder to the water for added flavor - do not use the sachet included in the noodles....evil!)  Once tender, drain and then pour over some cold water to stop the cooking process.
• In a large wok or fry pan, heat the oil and cook the onion until clear.
• Add the ground turkey and fry until fully cooked and browned.
• Add the garlic and continue to stir until fragrant, then add the fresh chili
• Add the oyster and hoisin sauces and curry powder. 
• Add the carrot, beans and red pepper and cook for a few minutes
• Now add the cabbage and the chicken stock and either put a lid over the wok to help steam or stir continuously until softened.
• Stir in the noodles and add a little more chicken stock or water if necessary to keep it loose and to create a little sauce.
• Stir through the cilantro and serve