The way to a kid’s stomach in our house is through crunch and colour, and this Rainbow Stir-Fry hits the pot every time. You can use any vegetables you like as long as they are crunchy and, yes, colourful. I used carrots, red and yellow peppers, and courgettes, all cut into batons, then stir-fried with ‘velveted’ chicken breast strips and Chinese Hoi Sin sauce. Serve with rice or you could use pitta pockets instead.
Serves 3-4 children
2 chicken breasts, skinless, cut into strips
White of 1 egg
1 tsp cornflour
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into batons
1 courgette, topped and tailed and cut into batons
Half red pepper, deseeded and cut into batons
Half yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into batons
2 rbsp hoi sin sauce, from a jar (I used Amoy)
To serve:
1 cup basmati rice, boiled in 2 cups water for 9-10 mins, until tender
1. In a bowl, beat the egg white and cornflour together until they form a batter. Add the chicken breast strips and set aside. This is called ‘velveting’ which protects the chicken from getting burnt and dried out.
2. Add 1 tbsp sunflower oil to a wok or large frying pan and heat until smoking. Remove the chicken from the egg white batter and drain off any excess. Stir-fry in the hot oil for 2-3 mins until the chicken is almost cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
3. Wipe the pan clean and add the rest of the oil. Stir-fry the vegetable batons for a couple of minutes, then add the Hoi Sin sauce, Continue to cook for 3-4 mins until the veg starts to become tender, then return the velveted chicken to the pan. Add the Hoi Sin Sauce and cook until bubbling, approx. 2 mins.
4. Serve on a bed of basmati rice or in pitta pockets.
