Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry

It doesn't have to be chicken! Feel free to use prawns, beef, tofu, or just plain veg

You can't go wrong with a stir fry – all you need to do is chuck everything in one wok, mix, and serve!! Simple.

I highly recommend that you use my Teriyaki Sauce recipe for this dish – but if you're looking for a quick fix for dinner, you can also use a pre-bought teriyaki sauce.

There are two options for this recipe.

1. You can either buy pre-packed stir fry vegetables from a supermarket (this is what I do). It's a lot easier and less work if you're looking for a quick dinner.

2. However, feel free to use freshly chopped vegetables and add these to your stir fry instead. There is no limit to how much veg you put in – after all, vegetables are delicious and super nutritious! I've listed out some veg below that are great in stir fries.

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INGREDIENTS

3 nests of wholewheat medium noodles

6-8 chicken thighs, roughly diced

Stir fry vegetables (I usually buy a pack from Sainsbury's which has all the veg pre-packed)

2-3 tbsp teriyaki sauce

2 tbsp sesame or stir fry oil

Pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp sriracha sauce (add more if you're good with spice!)

if you want to use fresh veg, I would include the following:

Broccoli

Carrots

Pak Choy

Spinach

Red Pepper

Spring Onions

Snow Peas

METHOD

1. Start by cooking the noodles by following the instructions on the packet. Once the noodles have cooked, drain them using a sieve and drizzle a little bit of oil on them so they don't stick together whilst you make your stir fry. Leave aside.

2. Put a large pot or wok on medium heat and pour in 1 tbsp of oil. Once the oil starts to sizzle a little, add in the chicken and cook all the way through.

3. Pour in the teriyaki sauce and mix everything together. Once chicken has cooked and everything is combined, place chicken into a bowl and leave aside.

4. Put the rest of the oil into the wok and add in vegetables. Cook until they soften, then season with pepper and garlic powder.

5. Once vegetables are cooked, add the chicken back to the wok and mix everything together. Then add the noodles in and mix thoroughly.

6. Add in the siracha sauce and give everything a final toss before serving.

Crunchy Chocolate & Hazelnut Butter (a.k.a Nutella)

Believe me when I say this is better than Nutella.

Crunchy Hazelnut & Chocolate Butter sounds a lot more tempting than Nutella. No?

I had the idea of re-creating this most-loved spread by many, when I had a conversation with my mum. My mum manages a franchise of organic bulk foods stores, and one of the products they're known for is their nut butters. They are made in-house and with absolutely NOTHING but nuts. Cool right?

So this gave me inspiration to create my own nut butter right here at home. Just me and my pestle & mortar.

TIPS

You will need a pestle & mortar for this, as you can easily crush the nuts to small grains – it takes longer to do if crushing them in a zip-lock bag, but it is do-able!

If you have a food processor, I would highly recommend using this as it is effortless and speeds up the process.

PLEASE NOTE

This is a homemade nut butter with only few ingredients and no emulsifiers or preservatives. This means that your nut butter will harden over a couple of days as there are no ingredients in there to keep it smooth (like Nutella). If you find your nut butter has hardened and is no longer at spreading consistency, just add a couple of teaspoons of vegetable oil to it and give it a good stir. This should bring your nut butter back to a soft consistency.

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INGREDIENTS

180g blanched hazelnuts

360g milk chocolate (I used ordinary bars of Dairy Milk Chocolate)

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

METHOD

1. Preheat your oven to 175ºC fan, and bake the hazelnuts for about 10 minutes. Switch the oven off once the nuts have baked.

2. Once the hazelnuts are baked and slightly browned, grind them with a pestle & mortar or in a food processor until fine grains. If using a pestle & mortar, don't worry if you have slightly large chunks – this just means your butter will be a little crunchier! If you prefer a smooth spread, keep grinding until nuts are super fine. Put nuts into a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

3. Place the chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl. On low heat, bring a small pan of water (less than half filled) to a simmer. Balance the bowl on top of the pan (it shouldn't be touching the water) and gently stir the chocolate until it has completely melted.

4. Whilst waiting for the chocolate to melt, mix together the vegetable oil, cocoa powder and vanilla essence with the crushed hazelnuts with a fork until well combined.

5. Once chocolate has fully melted, turn off the heat and pour the nut mixture into the melted chocolate. Mix thoroughly. Be careful as the bowl will be hot!

6. Pour your nut butter into a jar or container and leave it out overnight/for 24 hours for it to set.

7. Enjoy in porridge, on toast, with strawberries, or on it's own on a large spoon ;)

Teriyaki Sauce

Make your own teriyaki sauce and add that extra OOMPH to your stir fry

I've always wanted to make a proper chicken stir fry as I have heard a lot of good things and that it's super easy to make.

It's just a matter of chucking some chicken, veg and noodles in a wok and mix it all up – right?

Well yes, but personally I love a lot of sauce and flavour. So I made my own teriyaki sauce to add that burst of flavour to my stir fry.

This teriyaki sauce is super simple to make and is a mix of sweet, tangy, and salty – you can even use it as a marinade for meats or tofu! Just make sure you allow your meat or tofu to soak up the marinade for at least an hour before cooking.

Two tips I have for this recipe

1. Some may find the tamari sauce a little too salty. If this is the case, feel free to squeeze in some more lemon juice until you find the sauce acquired to your taste!

2. When adding the cornstarch, make sure it’s mixed with water, as if you put the powdered cornstarch in without mixing with water first, you’ll have clumps in your sauce – no thanks.

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INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped or you can use ginger paste

1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped or you can use garlic paste

1 tbsp sesame/stir fry oil

1/2 cup tamari sauce or soy sauce

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp light brown sugar

1 tbsp runny honey

1/4 cup water + 1 tbsp cornstarch, mixed and dissolved in a glass

1/2 - 1 tbsp lemon juice

METHOD

1. Put a large pot or wok on low to medium heat and pour in the oil. Once oil starts to sizzle a little, add in the garlic and ginger. Keep stirring the garlic and ginger to prevent it from burning/overcooking. If you see them starting to brown quickly, turn your heat lower.

2. Add in the sugar and honey and mix until well combined and the mixture starts to bubble a little.

3. Pour in the tamari or soy sauce and mix. Then add in the cornstarch and water, and lemon juice. Mix until everything is combined. Turn your heat to low.

4. Allow the sauce to simmer for 15 minutes, but keep stirring the sauce every 30-40 seconds so nothing sticks to the pan. Remember to keep the heat on low!

5. Once the sauce has thickened, transfer to a jar, or container and allow to cool a little before refrigerating or marinating. Feel free to start cooking with it right away if desired.