Happy Chinese New Year: Chinese Chicken with Mushroom and Peppers

Kung Hei Fat Choy to all, or Happy Chinese New Year as we welcome in the year of the Monkey. In honour of the new year, I'd like to share a couple of my favourite Chinese-inspired dishes - the first being a diet-friendly option (as regular readers will know I'm on a fat-fighting, healthy eating quest at the moment), and the second a more gluttonous dumpling recipe.

This dish ticks the comfort food box and is a nod towards the type of dish I might order from a takeaway but is stripped right back to include only a teaspoon of sesame oil, 1 tbsp Shaohsing wine and everything is weighed and measured to adhere to my current 1200 calorie-a-day regime. These smart tweaks have been instrumental in my diet and so far, since 1st January I've managed to shed 10lbs from following this diet (with treats at weekends) and with some yoga, HIIT and general cardio thrown in as and when I can fit it in.

A portion of the below (which serves 2) comes in at 530 calories when served with a 75g portion of cauliflower rice (fried with garlic, ginger, chilli and with fresh chives stirred in before serving) and a 50g serving of Tung Ho or Chinese greens. 

Chinese Chicken with Mushroom & Peppers

Here's how:

• X2 100g chicken breasts or pieces
• 1 heaped tbsp Chinese five spice
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 red chilli
• 40g fresh grated ginger
• 4 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp shaohsing wine
• 20ml light soy sauce
• 1 green pepper
• 100g mushrooms
• 500ml chicken stock (I used Knorr) 
• 1 tsp corn flour

Firstly prepare the chicken by slicing the chicken into bite-sized pieces and placing into a bowl. Now add the Chinese five spice and turn each piece of chicken until it is well coated.

Now for the vegetables - crush the garlic and grate the ginger and add to a wok on a medium heat with the sesame oil. Slice the chilli and add to the wok.

Cut the green pepper into bite sized pieces and slice the mushrooms then set aside for a minute.

If you need to make up the stock do so now.

Once the garlic, ginger and chilli has started to soften, add the chicken and sear each side of every piece. Now add the pepper and mushrooms and allow to stir fry for a minute or two.

Now pour over most of the stock retaining a good couple of spoonfuls. 

Chinese Chicken with Mushroom & Peppers

Add the cornflour to this retained stock and mix well - it will form a thick gluey paste, add to the wok and stir well. This will help to thicken the sauce and create a really lovely thick and aromatic gravy. Cook on low for ten minutes. Enjoy!

Honey, Chilli and Coconut Prawns With Ho Fun Noodles

This is a lovely warming dish that feels like the kind of guilty pleasure you'd get from a Chinese takeaway, but in fact, with a few simple tweaks and measuring of all the naughty ingredients, such as the oils and honey, is actually a healthy balanced meal with a good protein:carb:vegetable ratio.

Ho fun are a wide flat noodle and are much better fresh if you can find them - they sell them in most Asian supermarkets and they work really well with this dish. If you can't find them, substitute for another low-calorie rice noodle such as Mama, and if you're on a reduced carb diet, omit from using them at all.

The tiny amount of desiccated coconut adds a fantastic sweetness along with the honey which puts me in mind of a sweet and sour dish, and is balanced well against the sriracha, five spice and shaohsing wine.

The below serves two and comes in at 520 calories per portion with a 100g portion of stir fried hot tun (Chinese greens) - I must stress how important it is to weigh out ingredients if like me you are on a fat fighting/ healthy eating journey as otherwise this could be a seriously calorific dish - by sticking to the below quantities this is a fantastic mid-week meal.

Honey Chilli and Coconut Prawns with Ho Fun

Here's how:

• 200g king prawns
• 200g fresh ho fun noodles
• 1 green pepper
• 2 carrots
• 50g sweetcorn
• 100g broccoli
• 50g fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 2 tbsp sriracha sauce
• 1tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp shaohsing wine
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 2 tsp runny honey
• 1 tsp Chinese five spice
• 20g desiccated coconut

Firstly prepare everything as this takes very little time to cook. Crush the garlic and peel and slice the ginger into matchsticks.

Slice the pepper, chop the broccoli into small florets and peel the carrots then also turn into matchsticks.

De-vein the prawns and set aside for the minute.

Now place the coconut oil, sesame oil ginger, garlic and dried chilli flakes into a wok and place on a medium heat till it begins to soften. Now add the Chinese five spice, shaohsing, soy, sriracha, honey and desiccated coconut, and allow to bubble - this will make the delicious gravy or sauce for the dish.

Now firstly add the carrots and broccoli into the wok and allow to cook for a minute. Now add the pepper and sweetcorn and cook for a further minute.

The prawns go in next and only take about 3-4 minutes to cook - you'll know they are cooked when they become pink in colour.

As soon as the prawns are cooked, add the ho fun; or whichever noodles you are using. These will cook in a couple of minutes. Use a spatula to break up gently and mix all the while to ensure the noodles are well coated in the sauce.

Serve alongside some braised or quick-fried Chinese vegetables such as pak choi, ho tun (as I have) or chinese cabbage. Enjoy!

Five Spice Rump Steak with Stir Fried Vegetables

This is the perfect midweek dinner for two – it that takes barely any time at all and is fairly healthy too but packed full of flavour.

You only need one 250g(ish) rump steak, and you can of course use a different cut, this just works quite well.

I served here with some instant noodles that take less than three minutes to cook but you can just add more vegetables to the stir fry if you prefer.

The Chinese Five Spice marinade works really well with the steak and is aromatic and warming rather than overly spicy.

Here’s how:

• 1 rump steak (250g)
• 1 carrot
• 1 pepper (I used green but any colour is fine)
• 1 red onion
• 100g beansprouts
• 1 small gem lettuce
• 1 red chilli
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp rapeseed or vegetable oil
• 2 tsp Chinese five spice
• Handful of cashew nuts
• 1 lime

Firstly marinade the steak in the rapeseed or vegetable oil and the Chinese five spice. I combine the two in a bowl then pop in the steak and leave for five-ten minutes while you prepare the vegetables and nuts.

Mince the garlic and roughly slice the onion and chilli and set aside – this will flavour the oil when you begin cooking shortly.

Now slice the pepper, lettuce and peel, then finely slice the carrot or use a peeler to make ribbons.

Pop your wok or pan on a medium heat and gently toast the cashews – this will only take a minute or two, until the colour changes subtly. Then remove from the heat and place into a sandwich bag or wrap is some cling wrap and bash with a rolling pin or mallet to crush a little bit.

Now extract the oil from the steak and pour into the wok and place back on a medium heat. Once hot, place the steak in and cook for two minutes exactly on each side for blushingly rare (recommended) – or slightly longer as you prefer. Time this, as overcooked steak is not a thing of deliciousness. Once the four minutes (or longer) is up, remove the steak and place onto a plate with a bowl over the top to keep the heat.

Immediately pop the onion, garlic and chilli into the oil and add the sesame oil and soy to the equation too. Cook until the onions are softened – probably 1-2 minutes.

Next add the peppers and carrot and cook for a further three minutes.

Finally add the beansprouts and lettuce to the pan – these both take less than a minute to cook – and will turn to mush if overdone so don’t be tempted to cook for longer.

During this final moment of cooking, slice the rump steak thinly.



Dish up the stir fry, with noodles or rice if this is how you’re having it, then add the strips of steak on top, scatter over the cashew nuts and give a squeeze of lime. Enjoy!