Ginger, Mushroom and Chicken Stir Fry

This week I am diving deep into my recipe collection. All the way back to the 90's in fact - they seem like forever ago! Today's dish is adapted from a stir fry recipe I made in my high school Home Economics class, nearly 20 years ago. I even have the original (rather yellowed) handout from that class, on it a handwritten recipe that was copied on the old "rolio machine", which then made its way from a school ring binder all the way to my current recipe book shelf.

So I think you get the idea, this is definitely an old family favourite. Over the years I have tweaked and updated the recipe, and today I have given it a new spin by including plenty of delicious shiitake and portabellini mushrooms. In fact, I have gone halvies with the chicken and mushrooms to create a dish that is healthier, more economical and totally tasty!

Blendability has been the buzzword on the blog lately, and I hope you have been enjoying the recipes in the #JoinTheBlendTrend series so far! Mushrooms are a big feature in many of the meals that I make at home, and I especially love using them because of their flavour. Mushrooms are rich in umami (often referred to as the fifth taste) - a delicious savoury flavour that makes them the perfect addition to meat dishes. In this particular dish I have used portabellini and shiitake mushrooms to add a tasty richness to the stir fry.

Pssst... remember to look out for the pink mushroom punnets on sale this month as part of The Power of Pink campaign. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and studies have shown that mushrooms play a potential role in the prevention of this devastating disease. R1 from the sale of each punnet will go to Reach For Recovery, so make the healthy choice for yourself and support this wonderful cause at the same time.

Cook's notes: It is worth getting your hands on some dark soy sauce for the marinade, it really adds richness and intensity to the flavour. If time allows, try and marinade the chicken for a few hours if possible to make it extra tender and tasty! 

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GINGER MUSHROOM and CHICKEN 

STIR FRY

Serves 4

For the marinade:

250g chicken fillets (about 2 small fillets) 

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp cornflour

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp fine salt

1 tbsp sherry

2 tsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp lemon juice

For the sauce:

2 tsp cornflour

3 tbsp light soy sauce

200ml chicken stock

2 tsp olive oil
180g noodles

1 tsp garlic paste

100g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
150g portabellini mushooms, sliced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 medium carrot, cut into julienne strips

50g mange tout, cut into thin strips

Step 1.) To make the marinade: cut the chicken fillets into bite sized chunks. Combine the brown sugar, cornflour, ginger, salt, sherry, soy sauce and lemon juice in a bowl and mix until smooth. Add the chicken chunks and toss until they are evenly coated in the marinade. Set aside. 

Step 2.) To make the sauce: Combine the cornflour, soy sauce and chicken stock in a bowl. Set aside. 

Step 3.) Heat one teaspoon of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the chicken and marinade and fry until the chicken is just cooked. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. 

Step. 4) Cook the noodles as per the instructions on the pack. While the noodles are cooking you can start cooking the veggies. 

Step 5.) Heat another teaspoon of olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic paste and cook for 30 seconds. Turn up the heat and fry the shiitake and portabellini mushrooms for 5 minutes. Add the red onion, carrots and mange tout and cook over a high heat for a further 2 minutes. 

Step 6.) Give the sauce a stir and then add it to the pan along with the cooked chicken. Allow everything to simmer for a minute or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Check the seasoning. 

Step.7.) Drain the noodles and add them to the sauce mixture. Toss everything together, then heap onto heated plates and serve. 


Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by MushroomsSA. Recipe, words and images are my own and were created for the #JoinTheBlendTrend campaign.