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How to Cook a Chinese Takeaway Meal for Two

This will be one epic mealtime!

So for the menu this evening we have: Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls, Plain Chow Mein, Beef and Mushrooms, Chicken and Green Pepper with Black Bean Sauce!

Time: Prep 30 mins / Cooking 30 mins

Difficulty: Average

Mild

Ingredients

Serves 2

In order of use:

Note: To make it easier, staple ingredients like salt, sugar, oil, we will note in the instructions rather than in the list below.

2 chicken breasts
200g beansprouts
1 spring onion
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
8 mushrooms
200ml chicken stock
1 green pepper
2 tbsp cornflour mixture
900ml vegetable oil
300g beef strips
2 tsp fermented black beans

For sweet and sour sauce:

35g vinegar
55g granulated sugar
25g ketchup
5g tomato puree
10g Worcester sauce

For the chicken balls batter:

100g self-raising flour
100ml cold water

Equipment needed: 1 x 9 inch saucepan, 1 x small pan, 1 x frying pan / wok

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Preparation

Prep the chicken breasts.

With 1 of them, cut into 8 strips for the chicken balls. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and a sprinkle of white pepper. Then coat pieces with 1 tbsp self-raising flour.
Cut the other breast into larger strips. Add 1 tsp cornflour, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp soy sauce and 1/2 tsp vegetable oil and mix.

Set both chicken strips aside separately.

Prep the vegetables.

Wash and drain 200g beansprouts
Slice spring onion thinly
Cut 1 onion into chunks
Dice 2 garlic cloves
Quarter 8 mushrooms
Prepare 200ml chicken stock
Cut 1 green pepper into chunks
Prepare 2 tbsp cornflour mixture by mixing 2 tbsp cornflour with 4 tbsp water

Make the sweet and sour sauce:

Add vinegar and sugar into pan and heat on low heat until sugar dissolves
Add ketchup, puree and worcester sauce and mix. Once dissolved in, the sauce is ready, set aside.

Heat up 900ml vegetable oil on medium-high heat for a 9 inch saucepan, you want about 1 inch of oil at the bottom of the pan.

Cook the meat.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok on high heat. Fry chicken strips (the larger strips, not the ones for the chicken balls) for 1.5 minutes and set aside.
Using same wok, fry beef strips for 3 minutes and set aside.

Ready? Let's cook!

Make the chicken ball batter. Add the self-raising flour and the salt together. Mix 100g of cold water into the flour. Let the mixture rest for 5-10 minutes as it will rise a little and become a smoother batter. Add 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil into the mix to make it shiny.

Fry the Chicken Balls:

Turn pan of oil to low heat. One chicken strip at a time, place a chicken strip into the batter and coat it. Then put it in to the oil. Repeat this step for the other strips.
Fry the balls for about 4 minutes until the batter is golden. If the balls are not floating after 4 minutes, leave it for an extra 1-2 minutes. Tip: If you find your batter browning too fast then add more oil to cool it down. Tip: when the balls float it generally means that the chicken is cooked. Use a slotted spoon to take the balls out and drain on kitchen towel.

Cook the Plain Chow Mein:

Clean wok, heat 1 tbsp oil on high heat until hot.
Fry beansprouts and noodles for 4 minutes.
Add salt, sesame oil and soy sauce to taste, mix in and fry for another 1 minute.
Serve on plate with spring onions on top.

Cook the Beef and Mushrooms:

Heat 1 tbsp oil on high heat until hot.
Add 1/2 the onions and 1 diced garlic clove and fry for 1 minute, be careful not to burn the garlic.
Next add in the mushrooms and beef and fry for 2 minutes.
Pour in one ladle of chicken stock and leave for 2 minutes or until it is starting to boil.
Then gradually add the 2 tablespoons of cornflour mixture. Once this mixture is well incorporated the sauce should thicken.
Add 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp oyster sauce, salt to taste and serve.

Cook the Chicken and Green Pepper with Black Bean Sauce:

Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil on high heat in wok until hot.
Fry 1/2 the onions and the green peppers for 1 minute.
Add 1 diced garlic clove and the fermented black beans and fry for 30 seconds.
Add the chicken strips (be careful you don’t add the juice that has come out of it) and fry for 1 minute.
Add in 2 tbsp water, 1/2 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste) and mix in.
Mix together the cornflour mixture and slowly pour in a little at a time. Once the sauce thickens stop adding. If you’ve added too much and the sauce is too thick, add a little water back in to loosen it.
Add 1 tsp soy sauce, or to taste, and fry for another 30 seconds.

Serve.

Equipment needed: 1 x 9 inch saucepan, 1 x small pan, 1 x frying pan / wok

Done! 祝您好胃口!