Stirfry Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables

First of all I must say

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MISS FISH

She will be 23 years young today, and is very excited about it.

So yesterday and today I am in Birthday mode, she busily went to our friends last night and invited them for tea tonight.

Luckily I am making pizzas so I should be able to stretch to 2 extra people.

This slightly blurry photo, I don't know what I did, is of the stir fried noodles with chicken and vegetables.

Now I used fine dried egg noodles, but you could use any noodle you like, and you can add anything, prawns, no meat more vegetables the choice is yours.

Stir Fried Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables

1 chicken breast cut into thin bite size pieces, 2 cup of chopped vegetables, make sure they are small enough to cook quickly, noodles I used 5 bundles of dried egg noodles, 2 tbsps oyster sauce, 2 tbsps light soy sauce, 2 tbsps shao hsing wine

Marinade
2 tbsps light soy sauce, 2 tbsps hoisin sauce, 1 tbsp shao hsing wine

Mix together in a bowl and add meat. Leave to marinate while you chop the vegetables.

Preparing the noodles - if all ready cooked, place into a large bowl and cover with boiling water, leave for 2 minutes, the drain and rinse under cold water. If the noodles are dry cook in boiling water for 3 minutes for fine egg noodles or 4 minutes for hokkien noodles. Then  drain and rinse under cold water.

In a hot wok or frypan heat 2 tbsps peanut oil, Add the vegetables and strifry for 2 -3 minutes.

Push the vegetables to the edge then add the chicken draining off the marinade BUT keep it to add as part of the sauce. Stir fry chicken till it changes color the stir together with the vegetables.

Add the noodles marinade , soy sauce, shao shing wine and oyster sauce, stirfry till the noodles are heated through and coated with the sauce. Serve and enjoy.

Beef Madras Curry

Sorry about no blog yesterday, but I spent the day full of pain killers trying to get some relief from my shoulder injury.

I did however manage to do quite a bit of cooking over the weekend, and you will see over the next few days all the recipes had a distinct Asian feel.

Now this recipe was quite easy because I used a bought curry paste, what wasn't easy was the fact that when I went to check to see if the potatoes had cooked they not only had cooked, but they had boiled dry and burned to the bottom of the pan.

Why does things like that go wrong when you really can't be bothered cooking. So I had to start again with a new frypan  and more potatoes.

I served this with plain steamed rice.

Madras Beef Curry
750 gm piece rump steak, all fat and sinew removed then cut into thin strips, 4 large potatoes peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes, 1 dstsp madras curry paste, 1 cup chicken stock, 1 onion cut into wedges, 1 tbsp soy sauce.

To Serve - Steamed rice.

In a large frypan heat 2 tbsps olive oil, add potato and onion, saute 1 -2 minutes. Add water curry paste and stock, reduce heat and cover. Simmer till potatoes are tender. Add soy sauce and beef stir till beef has cooked through, 2 -3 minutes.

If sauce too thick add more stock/water or if not thick enough let simmer for  2 - 3 minutes til it has thickened. Serve on a bed of steamed rice.

Chicken Shepherds Pie

Anyone would think it was Winter time with all my wintry recipes. It's not but the weather isn't really summery and Mr CLI has been under the weather this week. so I thought this would be great comfort food for him last night, and I was right.

Not only did he have one large serving he then asked for and ate another huge portion.

As I have never made this before it was very gratifying that he liked it so much. So this recipe will be another one add to the mental collection of recipes we all liked.

Now you can make this earlier in the day, or even the day before,  then pop it in the oven closer to tea time. The only thing is you will need to cook it longer to heat it through.

I made mine a hour or so before I put it in the oven, it took 20 minutes till the filling was bubbling then another 15 minutes till the top was lovely and brown and crispy, which is a must for a Shepherds Pie a crispy potato top.

Chicken Shepherds Pie
2 skinless chicken breast, chopped into 1cm cubes or 500 gms chicken mince, 2 medium carrots finely diced, 1 stalk celery finely diced, 2 large tbsps chopped parsley, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 red capsicum diced. 1/2 red onion finely diced, 2 large garlic cloves finely diced, 2 tbsps tomato paste, 3 tbsps Worcestershire sauce, 1 can crushed tomatoes or 500 ml tomato passatta, 1 cup water, salt and pepper

Topping - Mashed potato, but make it with less milk, if it is too soft it won't crisp up in the oven

Preheat to 200c. I used a 20 - 25 cm pyrex dish.

In a large fypan heat 2 tbsps olive oil add carrots, celery, onion and capsicum, cook 2 -3 minutes. Add chicken and garlic cook till the chicken has turned white, if using mince make sure you break up the lumps.

Push the chicken and vegetables to the edge of the frypan put the tomato paste in the centre let cook for 1 minute, then stir into the chicken and vegetables. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce heat to medium and let simmer till the sauce has thicken 15 - 30 minutes.

Once cooked and the sauce has thickened put into your baking dish.

The filling awaiting is cloud of creamy mashed potato. After topping the filling with the mash score it with a fork, the ridges you create will crisp in the oven.

Spray the the top with olive oil spray this will help in the crisping. Bake for 30 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the top is brown and crispy. Serves 4

I am having an apron of a time ...

Well here is Miss Fish all dressed to go to the gym, modelling one of the aprons that I have been busy making.

I am going to put them on the internet to sell.

They are quite easy to make the main body of the apron is a teatowel and I add to rather large pockets.

I do love an apron with a pocket, when I was a child is was for your hankie. Nowadays you would probably put your iphone in it. lol 

I have also been sewing hundreds of 2 1/2 " squares cut from my scrap basket, together. This is for another quilt top. For a pattern called Nana's garden.

Miss Fish keeps looking at the little squares and admiring them even though she has 2 quilt already, made for her by her Nana, my Mum.

When this quilt is finished I might see if she would like. it.

Well back to the sewing machine while I am captured in the house today - no car it is around at the mechanics because somehow all the brake lights have failed, and as I was injured in last years big bang I don't wish another bang by someone not paying attention while driving and hitting me up the rear.

So till tomorrow happy sewing or cooking or eating or resting or whatever you are doing.