Kung Pao Chicken

Looks like I'm back on the Asian dishes again. This is one of my husbands favourite Chinese Dishes.
So i decided to adapt the usual one for Slimming World and it turned out quite well.
It's not the usual sticky sweet dish you get from a takeaway but it still has loads of flavour, Personally i don't like the sticky sweet one, but this one was really good!!!
This dish isn't syn free mainly because of the nuts, but they are optional.
This dish serves 2 to 4 people and is 6.5 syns on extra easy without the nuts for the whole pan. If you add the nuts add 7.5 syns.

Ingredients


1 tbsp light soy sauce
1.5 tsp corn flour  1.5 syns
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine  1 syn
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast diced

1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar, or balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce  2 syns
1 tsp sesame oil  2 syns
½ tsp sweetener
2 garlic cloves grated
1 inch ginger grated
½ tsp sichuan peppercorns
8 ten dried chillies
8oz oriental mushrooms
8oz tenderstem broccoli
1 onion diced


25g cashew nuts optional

Rice or noodles to serve

Method

In a bowl mix together the first 3 ingredients and add the chicken let it marinade for at least 10 minutes.

In another bowl mix together the next 7 ingredients set aside.
In a hot wok sprayed with frylight stir fry the dried chillies and peppercorns for 1 minute, add the chicken and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, remove from the wok. Spray the wok with more frylight and fry the onions for 2 minutes, add the tenderstem and mushrooms, fry for 2 more minutes, then add the chicken and chillies back to the pan, pour in the sauce and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, then stir in the cashew nuts if using, serve with the rice or noodles.

Sichuan Style Pork with Peanuts

I know this dish isn't syn free, but it's so tasty it is worth the syns, and to be honest, no more syns than a take away. The good thing is you know what's in this and can control the syn value.
I personally think cooking a Chinese meal at home is a lot quicker than ordering and collecting or having a take away delivered. Also the home cooked ones taste so much better, as you can control the heat and sweetness, plus add whatever ingredients you personally like!
I say it's win win all the way!!!

This whole dish is 4 syns on extra easy without the peanuts or 11 with but this amount will serve 3/4 people.

Ingredients

Sauce

3 tbsp chicken stock
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 tsp chinkiang rice vinegar you can get this in most Asian supermarkets, if your can't get it use balsamic vinegar.
1 garlic glove grated
2 inches of ginger grated
½ tsp sesame oil  1 syn
¼ tsp sweetener
¼ tsp chilli flakes, more if you like it spicier

Pork

1 large pork tenderloin, sliced thinly
1 tsp cornflour  1 syn
1 tsp Shao Hsing rice wine again can get this in any Asian supermarket, but it's also in Asda, and Tescos  2 syns
1 punnet of tenderstem broccoli
1 onion chopped
8oz oriental mushrooms
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 red chilli sliced
2 spring onions sliced on the diagonal
25g dry roasted peanuts (optional)  7 syns
dried egg noodles cooked to packets instructions, to serve.

Method

Mix all the sauce ingredients together then set aside.

In a bowl combine the pork with the cornflour, then fry in a hot wok sprayed with frylight. When the pork starts to change colour, pour in the Shao Hsing rice wine, after 30 seconds add the broccoli and onions, chilli and soy sauce, stir fry for 2 minutes, then add the mushrooms, Stir in the sauce and stir fry for 3 minutes until it is slightly thickened, stir in the noodles, sprinkle with the spring onions and peanuts and serve.

Steamed Thai Salmon

This is a beautiful light Thai dish, full of flavour!!

The original recipe called for the salmon to be grilled but i decided to steam the salmon instead as it remains nice and moist and enhances the flavours, plus it is healthier.

I served it with stir fried vegetables and noodles. I used the marinade from steaming it as a sauce for the vegetables and noodles, so the flavour ran through the whole of the dish.

I used a wok and a bamboo steamer. I put a plate in the steamer with the salmon and marinade on top. A trick to getting the plate back out the steamer is to put a clean new j cloth under the plate with the edges hanging over the side of the steamer, then you can take the plate out with the cloth, and that way you won't spill anything, as you are left with lots of lovely juices that you don't want to waste!

This dish serves two and is 1 syn each on extra easy.

Ingredients

1lb salmon fillet

1 inch ginger

2 red chillies

3 garlic cloves

¼ cup light soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil 2 syns

handful thai basil leaves torn

A selection of vegetables of your choice, enough for two. I used broccoli, mushrooms, peppers, chilli, spring onions and thai basil.

Dried egg noodles, cooked as per packet instructions.

Method

In a blender blitz the chilli, ginger and garlic, divide it into two portions.

In a bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients apart from the salmon. Add one portion of the chilli mixture to the sauce.

Place the salmon on a plate and put into the steamer on top of a j cloth, pour half the marinade over the salmon, leave for 10 minutes.

Fill the wok with water, up to the where the bottom of the steamer will sit, bring to a boil, place the steamer in the wok, turn the heat down to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the fish is cooked to your liking.

Take the steamer out the wok and with the j cloth lift out the plate, be careful it will be very hot.

Empty the water out the wok and spray with frylight, add the broccoli and mushrooms and stir fry for 2 minutes, then add the rest of the vegetables  and the second portion of the chilli mix, stir fry for 1 minutes, then pour in the remaining sauce and any juices from the salmon, stir fry for 1 minute, add the cooked noodles to the wok, warm through then serve with the salmon.

Five Spice Squid with Noodles

Here is another delicious fake away for you, a lot tastier and healthier than a take away from a Chinese.

7 syns for the whole dish.

Ingredients

2 tbsp hoisin sauce    4 syns
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing rice wine    1 syn
½ tsp five spice
1 tsp sesame oil     2 syns
200ml vegetable stock
2 garlic cloves
1 cm fresh ginger
1 red chilli
8 oz squid cleaned and sliced into rings
8 oz oriental mushrooms sliced
1 red pepper diced
1 onion diced
½ cup edamame beans
8 asparagus spears chopped
Handful of thai basil leaves
Cooked noodles

Methods

Mix together the first 6 ingredients, set aside.
In a blender blitz the garlic, chilli and ginger, set aside.
In a wok sprayed with frylight, fry the onion for 2 minutes, add the asparagus and pepper, fry for 2 minutes, add the mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes, add the squid and fry for 1 minute, add the garlic mix, fry for 1 minute. Add the sauce and edamame beans, bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes, stir in the noodles, heat through and sprinkle over the basil leaves.

Stir fried Vegetables and Noodles

This is a noodle dish i made to go with the Asian Flank Steak. It is full of superfree tasty vegetables, you can use whatever vegetables you want, i used what i like and goes well with Asian flavours.

You could have this as a vegetable dish by itself or add chicken or pork to it.

It's syn free on extra easy.

Ingredients

1 onion chopped

1 red pepper diced

a small head of broccoli 

a bunch of asparagus chopped into 4

1 cup edamame beans

8oz oriental mushrooms

2 portions of dried medium noodles cook as per packet instructions

1 inch ginger grated

1 garlic clove grated

¼ cup light soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp chilli flakes

handful thai basil leaves

Method

In a hot wok sprayed with frylight, fry the onion for 1 minutes, add the broccoli with 1 tbsp of water, then add the asparagus, pepper, and edamame beans, stir fry for 2 minutes, add the mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes, mix up the ginger, garlic, soy, fish sauce and chilli flakes and pour into the vegetables, stir in and then add the cooked noodles, heat everything through, tear over the thai basil leaves and serve.

Chicken Donburi Yakitori

This is a Japanese dish that was inspired from a trip to a wonderful Japanese restaurant we visit in Bristol called Yume Kitchen.
Even if i say so myself, it's not far off the restaurants dish!!

This dish is 4½ syns for the whole thing, so depending how many it serves, depends on the syns per portion.


Serves 4

Ingredients

3 skinless and boneless chicken breasts sliced
12 large shrimp
4 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 packet of medium egg noodles
2 carrots cut into matchsticks
1 red pepper thinly sliced
6 asparagus spears sliced
1 punnet of oriental mushrooms
a large handful of edamame bean (soy beans)
3 tbsp tariyaki sauce (1½ syns per tbsp)
200ml chicken stock
4 Nori seaweed strips

Method

Cook the noodles as per pack instructions.
Put the sliced chicken in a bowl and stir in the dark soy sauce.
Heat a wok sprayed with sunflower frylight and stir fry the chicken until its nearly cooked through, reserve the soy sauce, add the vegetables and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Pour in the Tariyaki sauce and stock bring to a boil add the noodles and shrimp,and if needed some of the reserved dark soy, stir fry until the shrimp are cooked and serve with thin strips of Nori seaweed snipped on top.

Sticky Lemon and Garlic Pork

This is a gorgeous Asian dish, full of crunchy vegetables and tender pork.

Syn free on extra easy.


Serves 4

Ingredients

1 large pork tenderloin sliced thinly
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 lemon juiced
4 garlic cloves
3 cm fresh ginger
1 red chilli
1 large onion roughly chopped
1 carrot shaved with a peeler or cut into matchsticks
½ bag of bean sprouts
1 tin of bamboo shoots
1 red pepper thinly sliced
1 punnet of oriental mushrooms
small handful coriander leaves
Rice or noodles to serve.

Method

In a blender blitz the garlic, ginger and chilli. Mix with the soy sauces, and lemon juice. Marinade the pork for up to an hour.
In a wok sprayed with frylight, stir fry the pork till browned then add all the vegetables and rest of the marinade, stir fry for 5 to 6 minutes till pork cooked through and vegetables are to your liking. serve garnished with the coriander leaves.

Bang Bang Chicken Noodle Salad

This is a lovely light and refreshing meal, full of Asian flavours.

9 syns for the whole dish on extra easy

Serves 8/10

Ingredients

1 small packet rice noodles

3 skinless chicken breasts roasted and shredded

½ cucumber shredded

2 carrots shredded

8 spring onions halved and finely sliced lengthways

8 radishes finely sliced

Half bag of bean sprouts

Handful each of coriander and mint leaves roughly chopped

2 cm ginger grated

1 garlic clove grated

200ml chicken stock

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp sweetener

2 tbsp reduced fat peanut butter

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 lime juiced

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

Method

Put the ginger, garlic, chilli flakes, cinnamon stick and stock in a saucepan and bring to the boil, remove from the heat and let sit for 15 minutes.

Blend the peanut butter, sweetener, soy sauce, sesame oil and lime juice together till smooth, add the stock mixture, removing the cinnamon stick and blend again.

Mix together all the other ingredients then pour over the dressing mix together and let it stand for 20 minutes for the dressing to be absorbed and the flavours to mature, then serve.