Chicken & Lemongrass Fried Rice

Oh.  My!  It’s just that good…

I’m a sucker for a free magazine and always make sure I pick up the latest copy of Tesco Magazine on my trip to the supermarket.  I cut out ALL the recipes and have them stored in a folder on my kitchen windowsill.  Out of the hundreds of recipes I have collected, I’ve only tried a very small quantity of the recipes.  Every time I think I’ll try something new, this tasty dish catches my eye while flicking through the pages and I can’t help but cook it!

I’ve amended the ingredients slightly to suit my own taste buds but the depth of flavour in this dish is incredible – you get heat from the chillies, salt from the soy, sweet from the mirin and extra nuttiness from those toasted cashews on top.  You name it, this dish has it. 

Ready in less than 30 minutes, this recipe is super quick and can be made in one pan – keeping kitchen cleaning to a minimum (always a bonus in my house).  So grab the ingredients below and try it for yourself!

Ingredients:

150g Long Grain Rice, cooked according to packet instructions

1 tbsp Vegetable Oil

3 Garlic Cloves, chopped

3cm Ginger, grated

1 Red Chilli, chopped

1 Lemongrass Stalk, chopped

500g Chicken Breasts, sliced

1-2 Mixed Bell Peppers, sliced

1 Pak Choi, sliced

2 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tbsp Oyster Sauce

1 tbsp Sesame Oil

1 tbsp Mirin

60g Cashews, toasted and chopped

Handful Fresh Coriander, chopped

1 Lime, quartered

Method:

1.  Heat the vegetable oil in a large wok, over a medium-high heat.  Add your chicken and fry until cooked through, then set aside to rest.  

2.  To the same wok, add in your spices – garlic, ginger, chilli, lemongrass – and fry for 1 minute.  This will allow them to release their full flavour and aroma.

3.  Stir in your peppers, frying until they have softened.  If your wok gets too dry during this stage, and your spices start to stick to the bottom, add a dash of water to release them.  

4.  Add in the Pak Choi and cook for a further minute, before adding back your chicken, as well as your rice and liquids: soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and mirin.  Stir well to ensure the rice and chicken is coated in the sauce.  Cook for a further 3-4 minutes until the rice is piping hot.

5.  For the final step, stir in your cashews and dish into bowls (or onto plates).  Sprinkle with chopped coriander and squeeze a lime quarter over each portion. 

Look at that – only five steps to dinner perfection!  Give this recipe a go in your kitchen and share your results with me using the hashtag #HazelEyesBlog :-)