Rice noodles and chicken from the wok

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 150 g Japanese rice noodles
• 2 m.-sized chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil or sesame oil
• 1 carrot(s)
• 1 stalk(s) leek
• 8 mushrooms, fresh
• 150 g spring onions
• Chili pepper(s), fresh
• ½ jar bamboo shoots
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 piece(s) ginger, approx. 1 cm x 1 cm x 1 cm
• 1 chili pepper(s), red, dried
• 4 tbsp soy sauce, light
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 50 ml chicken broth
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp sesame seeds (Lien Ying Goma), roasted
• black pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 45 minutes

in Asian style

Cut the chicken breasts into approximately 1 cm thick strips and place them in a bowl with 3 tablespoons of light soy sauce (please don’t be too precise, chicken breasts often vary in size. Make sure the meat has a marinated appearance), a clove of garlic, and a teaspoon of toasted sesame seeds. Letting them sit for an hour is ideal, but for everyday use, it’s perfectly fine to keep the meat in the sauce while chopping the vegetables. Then heat the rapeseed or sesame oil in a wok or stir-fry pan. I recommend using extreme caution with sesame oil, as it is very aromatic. Briefly sauté the finely chopped garlic, finely chopped ginger, the dried chili pepper, and the coriander seeds before frying the meat with the soy sauce for about 2-3 minutes. I personally just crack the pod open and add the seeds to the oil. Another option is to place the pod whole in the oil and remove it before adding the meat. This will impart a pleasant aroma to the oil and keep the spiciness to a minimum. Remove the meat and set it aside. Add the leek rings, carrot slices, mushrooms, and chili peppers (I used very mild ones, but bell peppers would be an excellent alternative) to the remaining oil and sauté for a few minutes. Then deglaze with a dash of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of fish sauce. Stir in the bamboo shoots and spring onions, let them heat briefly, and then add the meat back in. The vegetables, soy sauce, and fish sauce should have given the dish enough liquid. To balance and round out the flavor, I recommend adding a little chicken broth. I would omit the salt in this dish, as the soy sauce is already quite salty. Just before serving, stir in the rice noodles, prepared according to the package instructions. Sprinkle with sesame seeds on the plate. Tip: If you’re new to fish sauce, use it sparingly, and don’t be put off by the smell. It will dissipate after a few seconds in the pot.