STIR-FRIED RICE NOODLES WITH CHICKEN & OCTOPUS

SERVES 4, OR 8 AS PART OF A SHARED ASIAN BANQUET

There are a lot of ingredients here but it is a cinch to put together. You can use any type of noodle – mung bean or fresh egg noodles work just as well as rice noodles.

125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) vegetable oil

3 skinless chicken thigh fillets, sliced

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

1 egg, lightly whisked

300 g (10½ oz) fresh rice noodles

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

80 ml (2½ fl oz/¹/₃ cup) dark soy sauce

125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) chicken stock

50 g (1¾ oz) cleaned baby octopus, sliced

2 pieces Chinese mustard greens (available from Asian grocers), julienned

handful bean sprouts

½ teaspoon powdered white pepper

1 teaspoon sesame oil

35 g (1¼ oz/¼ cup) roasted peanuts

2 spring onions (scallions), cut into fine rounds, including a little of the green

Heat a wok over high heat until just smoking and add 3 tablespoons of the vegetable oil. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 3–4 minutes or until almost cooked. Remove the chicken from the wok and place in a bowl.

Wipe the wok out with paper towel, place it back on the heat and add the rest of the vegetable oil. When hot, add the garlic and stir-fry for a few seconds. Add the egg and cook until it just starts to set, then add the noodles and stir well. Add the soy sauces and stock and bring to the boil.

Return the chicken to the wok and add the octopus. Cook over very high heat for 1 minute or until the octopus is cooked. Add the mustard greens, bean sprouts, white pepper and sesame oil, cook for 1 minute then transfer to a serving dish. Serve with the peanuts and spring onion on the side, or sprinkled over the dish.

NOTE: Try adding pork, prawn or crab meat along with the chicken for added interest.