I’ve made a promise to my family that this year will see me being more creative in the kitchen. We were getting stuck in a real rut with meal times so instead of sticking with what I know I’ve been exploring new twists on some of our family favourite, with inspiration for this dish coming from Chinese take aways.
Nasi goreng is in essence, very similar to egg fried rice which the boys love. Although this version is much tastier with a hint of curry. You can serve it without marinading the chicken, or swap for a different meat or Quorn for a vegetarian dish. The marinade does tendorising it slightly and is so worth doing if you have time.
You can also add various vegetables; peas, peppers or sweetcorn. I’ve kept it simple with onions, bean sprouts and cucumber garnish for my younger children as I helps cool the very slight kick of the curry.
Chinese Chicken Marinade
Chicken breast strips (can also be substituted with Quorn for a vegetarian version)
2 tbs ground nut oil
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp dry sherry or rice wine
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp clear honey
2 tbsp Chinese 5 spice powder
Rice
400g long grain rice
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion finely sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed.
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground ginger
100g sliced mushrooms
100g bean sprouts
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 eggs
dried or fresh coriander
Method
Combined all the chicken marinade ingredients together in a bowl and coat the chicken, cover then leave to marinade in the fridge for at least an hour.
Put a pan on salted water on to boil, then add the rice. Cover and bring to the boil then turn off the heat, keeping the lid on.
Heat a frying pan with oil and shallow fry the chicken over a medium heat until cooked through (approx 20 minutes) stirring and turning over so it heats evenly.
Heat tbsp oil in a wok and add the onion, fry for a minute then add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute or until the over is soft but being careful not to burn the garlic.
Turn down to a low heat then add the paprika and ginger and cook for a minute.
Add the rice, soy sauce, mushrooms and bean sprouts and continue over a low heat for a further 5 minutes
Remove the chicken from the frying pan and set aside, covering with foil to keep it warm, then put a little oil in the pan and cook the egg (like you would an omelet)
One it’s cooked through use a sharp knife to cut it into strips then add it to the rice and mix through.
Serve with the chicken sitting on top of the rice and garnish with the coriander.
for more family friendly recipes try sausage and vegetable tray bake, slow cooker sausage casserole, fish pie with hidden veg
