Alcatraz Breakfast (with chicken and black bean sauce)

 Noodles were an important part of the diet of prisoners in Alcatraz (checkout Clint Eastwood's 'Escape from Alcatraz'). Why? No idea really, though it was an easy thing to cook for breakfast. The prisoners would have received a proper meal later in the day. 

I started with the chicken and black bean sauce and added the noodles. Five minutes to prepare the noodles. Stirred together. Delicious!

Singapore Fried Noodles with King Prawns

Cooked Nicaraguan king prawns from Sainsbury's along with curry flavoured Singapore noodles from the same store.

Served with diced chilli and garlic, spring onion and mushrooms. The vegetables were stir-fried alone in sunflower oil for four to five minutes at a high heat. The heat was turned down and the noodles were added to the pan.

The prawns were blanched in water brought to the boil for two minutes before being added to the wok containing the noodles. Stir fry vigorously for another two to three minutes at a medium heat. Serve with a drizzle of dark soy sauce. A favourite dish!

Mushroom, Cashews and Prawns, with a Garlic and Sweet Chilli Sauce

A simple and delicious noodle dish, prepared with prawns, mushrooms, onion, and cashew nuts, plus a garlic and sweet chilli sauce.

The noodles were prepared first, cooked in salted boiling water until tender. Then diced onion, quarterered mushrooms and cashews were stir-fried in some groundnut oil for five minutes at a medium heat.

While this was happening, I blanched the prawns in boiled water. After two minutes, the prawns were added to the vegetables and stir-fried at a medium to high heat. The heat was turned down and the garlic and sweet chilli sauce was added. Stirred together until hot.

The noodles were drained, and decanted to a serving bowl. The prawns and vegetables in the garlic and chilli sauce were placed on top. Drizzle with some dark soy sauce.

Singapore Noodle with Chicken and Peppers

Fabulous dish made with fresh and soft Singapore Noodles from Sainsbury's. First I julienned one white and one red onion, cut the peppers into strips, diced the two chillies, diced the root ginger, and crushed some garlic.

The chicken meat came from a steamed chicken thigh (deskinned), which spent the day before the preparation of this dish in the fridge. The groundnut oil (peanut oil) was heated to a high temperature in the wok, and the both the onion and the chicken meat were added.After which the heat was turned way down (I've mentioned before that my electric hob has a high degree of heat latency, meaning it takes a while to heat up and to cool down). Stirred continuously for about three minutes, and then the other vegetables and the cashew nuts were added.

The mixture of chicken and vegetables was cooked for another four minutes, stirring frequently.

The heat was turned up high before I added the noodles, and then turned down again immediately afterwards. Stir together continuously for another three or four minutes, until they are thoroughly heated.

Serve on a spiral of dark soy sauce. Delicious, and a trip down memory lane.

Beef and Garlic and Black Bean Noodle

Tender strips of beef from a slow-cooked joint of brisket, with a garlic and black bean sauce, augmented with a tomato sauce, made with diced leek and onion, plus beef and vegetable stock.

The tomato sauce was made during the cooking of the brisket joint, and kept in the fridge for a day or two.

The noodles were hydrated in a small lidded pan for about five minutes at a low heat. The beef was cooked in the sauce for around 15 minutes under glass. The beef and sauce was added to the serving bowl first, then the noodles, then stirred through. Fabulous dish!

Sweet and Sour Chicken Noodle

A simple dish of pieces of roast chicken in a sweet and sour sauce, on a bed of steamed egg noodles.

The meat came from a chicken thigh. The sauce came from Aldi, though I often make sweet and sour sauce from scratch, which I've described elsewhere on this site.

The noodles were steamed rather than fried. They were semi-dried, though you could blanch them for a couple of minutes if you prefer your noodles to be particularly soft. Completely dried egg noodles need to be soaked for several minutes before actual cooking.

The noodles were decanted from the steamer to the serving bowl, and were drizzled in a little sesame oil. The chicken pieces in the sweet and sour sauce were also prepared in a steamer, and placed on top the noodles. Dressed with a little black pepper.

Singapore Fried Noodle with Chicken

Stir-Fried vegetables and chicken pieces, with fantastic Singapore noodles from Sainsbury's.

The vegetables were stir-fried first in a little sunflower oil, at a high heat initially, but reduced a minute or so after the vegetables were added to the wok (I use an electric cooker, and the hobs take a while to cool down). The vegetables included mushroom slices, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, green cabbage, onion, and red chilli (deseeded).

I added the chicken pieces, which had been marinaded and pre-cooked in chicken stock with ginger. The stir-fry was on the hob altogether for seven minutes.

The vegetables and chicken pieces were then decanted to a pre-heated serving plate, and the wok was now used to fry the noodles. I added sunflower oil to the wok and cooked the noodles for two minutes at a medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking (the noodles came vacuum-packed, and ready to cook).

Once ready, the noodles were added to the serving plate, and the vegetables and chicken were mixed through. The dish was drizzled with soy sauce. Delicious!

Sweet and Sour Egg Noodles

A simple Chinese style dish made with mixed vegetables. I used diced carrot, courgette,  a third of a yellow pepper, plus a dessert spoonful of diced ginger root. A wide range of other vegetables can be used, including cabbage, sweetcorn, bamboo shoots, etc.

The vegetables (plus the ginger) were cooked in a little boiling water for twenty minutes until they were soft. Then left to cool under glass.

I used a shop-bought sweet and sour sauce (Aldi own brand), but it is easy to make one with some tomato puree, sugar, salt, and white spirit vinegar. It can be thickened with a teaspoonful of cornflour. It is best to make it separately. Stir in the sauce, and heat until the vegetables and sauce come to the boil.

Serve in a bowl with egg noodles, which cook in less than ten minutes. Stir the sauce and vegetables through the noodles. Add some Szechuan pepper, or black pepper. Delicious and easy to make!

Chicken Stir-Fry with Rice Noodles

Fresh rice noodles bought from Asda this morning, which I steamed for ten minutes. Chinese bowls such as the one shown, are good at surviving the steamer without developing craquelure in the glaze, so the noodles were steamed in the serving bowl.

The chicken was chopped into medium sized pieces, and stirfried with one chopped red chilli pepper (deseeded), one large chestnut mushroom (diced), a quarter of one yellow pepper, and one chopped spring onion.

The chicken and the vegetables were decanted into the serving bowl once it was removed from the steamer (there is an art to that!). Then they were stirred through the noodles.

Served with a dressing of a little dark soy sauce. Quick and delicious!

Singapore Fried Noodle with Pork

Singapore style rice noodles prepared with turmeric and coriander (from Morrison's), and served with thinly sliced pork loin, onion, orange pepper and half a scotch bonnet chili.

The pork was stir-fried for ten minutes in sunflower oil, and a couple of splashes of rice wine. The vegetables were added, and stir-fried for another five minutes or so.

The pork and vegetables were decanted to a small pan on another hob, and the wok was cooled and cleaned. Then a dessert spoonful of sunflower oil was added, and a high heat applied. When hot, the noodles were added, and stir-fried briskly for four to five minutes, depending on the heat.

The noodles were decanted onto the plate, where there was a spiral of dark soy sauce, and some white pepper. Add the pork and vegetables, and serve.

Egg Noodles and Pork in Hoisin and Garlic Sauce

A really simple dish which can be prepared quickly. Roast pork from a carved joint cut into strips and stir-fried with garlic and chopped spring onion. Cook at a high heat until the pork begins to brown.

Turn down the heat, and add the hoisin and garlic sauce. Stir in thoroughly and simmer under glass for five minutes. After which it is ready to serve.

The egg noodles (Sharwoods) were prepared in slightly salted boiling water, for ten minutes or so, until soft.

The noodles can be drained and served as they emerge from the cooking pot, but they can also be stir-fried until crispy. A matter of choice.