Family favourites from Giraffe's Family Cookbook
Nobody understands relaxed global home cooking in quite the same way as the Giraffe Restaurant chain. So we asked the Exeter branch to offer some tasty ideas for your supermarket shop on the way home from work.
Firecracker sesame chicken and egg noodle stir-fry
Mix and matching is very Giraffe. Fantastic noodles, crunchy chicken. Delicious. An Eastern-inspired promise delivered.
Quick, simple and easy.
5 tablespoons breadcrumbs 4 tablespoons coriander, chopped 1 tablespoon mixed sesame seeds 2 teaspoons Japanese chilli pepper 4 chicken breasts plain flour salt and pepper 1 egg beaten with two tablespoons milk
600g egg or hokkien noodles 4 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced 150g shitake mushrooms, sliced 1 red onion, peeled and sliced 1/2 teaspoon each grated ginger, five spice powder and chopped red chilli 100g sugarsnap peas 2 heads bok choi 1/2 Chinese cabbage, cut into 2cm slices 100ml dark soy sauce 100ml sweet chilli sauce 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds 2 limes halved
For the chicken
1. Combine the breadcrumbs, coriander, sesame seeds and chilli powder.
2. Cover each chicken breast with a sheet of clingfilm and bash with a rolling pin to flatten so each breast is about a centimetre thick.
3. Season two tablespoons of flour with salt and pepper. Dip the chicken breasts in the seasoned flour, then in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumb mixture.
For the egg noddle stir-fry
1. Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet, drain and refresh under cold water. Set aside.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok and stir fry the peppers, mushrooms and red onion for two minutes. Add the ginger, five spice and chilli and cook for two further minutes. Add the peas, bok choi and Chinese cabbage and cook for two more minutes.
3. Slice the chicken into strips and add to the wok along with the noodles, toss so everything is heated through and finish off with the soy and chilli sauces. Divide on to four plates, sprinkle over the sesame oil and seeds and garnish with a lime half on each plate.
4. You can also serve this dish with pineapple salsa, which is a somewhat lighter approach.
For the pineapple salsa
Quarter pineapple cut into 1cm cubes 1 green chilli, trimmed and finely chopped 1 spring onion, finely sliced including the green part A small bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped 1/2 cucumber, deseeded and finely diced 1 tablespoon olive oil juice of 2 limes salt and pepper 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Combine all the ingredients, mix well and serve with the chicken
