Day 47: Chicken noodle stir-fry

Note to self…buy a wok. I love gadgets in the kitchen. I love dishes. I especially love cups. I especially love floral ones. I love plates. I love nice bowls. I love bright casserole dishes. I love different types of jugs and my delf butter dish but do I own a wok? No. And the only time I remember to buy one is when I’m exactly in need of one as I embark on yet another new recipe. So, I really am going to have put sticky notes everywhere to remind me to buy a wok! Tomorrow. Deal.

So the reason I needed a wok tonight was because I was making Chicken noodle stir-fry.  Now, I don’t like Chinese food – well, not the Western version anyway because of all the MSG in it. I just think it’s a tray of horribleness that isn’t good for anyone with all the MSG, salt, sugar etc. I’ve mentioned about Chinese food in my blog before and, since then, one of my students who works in a Chinese has confirmed to me that her Chinese employers do not eat the food they sell. They eat the authentic Chinese food but definitely not the Western version of Chinese dishes. Enough said.

For the chicken noodle stir –fry, I had to use rice noodles. Now, I searched supermarket after supermarket in Donegal and Derry for rice noodles and could find plenty of egg noodles but no luck with finding rice noodles so when I was ordering the sumac from Mr. Bell’s in Cork, I managed to get them. And why is it that you find things then when you’re not looking for them? The day I was in Sainsburys looking for tarragon, I found, of course, rice noodles – fresh ones in the fridge section next to the herbs. Typical. The rice noodles I got from Mr. Bell’s were dried so I had to soak them in boiling water for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, I had to use the gold old reliable frying pan on a very high heat. Also, this evening, I discovered the difference between a high heat and blatantly burning the bottom out of the pan. Not a good start to the meal; however, apparently the aroma wafting around the kitchen had caught Dear Husband’s attention and he said that if the food tasted as good as it smelled then it was going to be 10 out of 10!

In the frying pan, I added some oil followed by garlic and finely grated ginger which I fried for 30 seconds before adding in the sliced carrot and half of the chopped scallions. After about 3 minutes, I added in sliced breast of chicken and cooked it until it changed colour. Then, I added in a can of coconut milk and a tablespoon of nam pla. That simmered for just over 2 minutes while I drained the rice noodles and added them in. I finished it all off by adding the remainder of the scallion and some freshly coriander leaves.

The verdict…

Unfortunately, the noodles did not live up to expectations and Dear Husband scored them 5 marks out of 10. He said that it tasted a bit bland. I’m seriously beginning to think he had blocked sinuses or something. How can a dish with garlic, ginger and nam pla be bland?!!! However, in fairness, I admit that I did accidentally burn the garlic and the first half of the scallions which is why I need to get myself a wok! It really was the equipment that was at fault. Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! Seriously, you’d think Dear Husband would even have tasted the burnt garlic and scallions but nope. A no-go with Dear Son, also.  

Despite all that, I’m going to try this recipe again when I get a wok. That’s the thing about cooking, you must accept that not every recipe will turn out perfect but as long as you learn from where you went wrong and try again, it’s not been a waste of time. Sure isn’t that life all over…