CHICKEN & RICE CASSEROLE WITH TOMATO ALFREDO SAUCE

Here’s a tasty all-in-one casserole that will be a hit at any get-together! The use of bottled pasta sauce helps cut down on prep time.

Serves 4 to 6 Prep Time 20 minutes
Cooking Time 50 minutes

     

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
1 kilo boneless chicken thigh fillets, each fillet sliced into four pieces
200 grams chopped bacon
1 (400-gram) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fresh milk, divided
1 (300-ml) bottle prepared Alfredo pasta sauce (we used Bertolli)
4 cups cooked rice
3/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup soft breadcrumbs

1. Add oil and butter to a pan over medium heat. Add chicken slices and sauté until cooked through. Add bacon and cook until brown. Set aside half of the bacon.
2. Add tomatoes, basil, thyme, Parmesan cheese, salt, and 1/4 cup fresh milk. Stir continuously for about one minute.
3. Continue to simmer sauce for another 10 to 12 minutes or until sauce has reduced by half. Set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine Alfredo sauce and 1/2 cup milk.
5. Stir in cooked rice, peas, and almonds. Mix until well combined. Transfer to a 9X9-inch baking dish.
6. Top rice mixture with sautéed chicken, bacon, and tomato sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of chicken, followed by breadcrumbs.
7. Bake, covered in foil, for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Spicy Tomato Queso Dip

This is a quick and delicious dip that assembles easily. It also lends itself to variations. For example, you can add crumbled vegan sausage or stir in some black beans. Serve with tortilla chips. To make it gluten-free, be sure to use a certified gluten-free oat flour or substitute your favorite gluten-free flour.

MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
SLOW COOKER SIZE: 1½-QUART
COOK TIME: 2 HOURS ON LOW
GLUTEN-FREE
SOY-FREE

     

INGREDIENT

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained

½ cup nutritional yeast

3 tablespoons oat flour

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup plain unsweetened nondairy milk

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

HOW TO COOK
Puree the tomatoes in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add the nutritional yeast, flour, mustard, onion and garlic powders, cumin, chili powder, and salt, and blend until smooth.
Lightly oil the insert of the slow cooker or spray it with cooking spray, and transfer the queso mixture to the cooker. Stir in the nondairy milk until well incorporated. Cover and cook on Low, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours, or until the mixture is thick and hot. If the mixture isn’t thick after 2 hours, turn the setting to High, remove the lid, and cook for 20 to 30 minutes longer.
When ready to serve, spoon about ⅓ cup of the queso into a small bowl, stir in the lemon juice, then stir the mixture back into the slow cooker. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed.

 

Seafood Ribbon Noodles

Char Kway Teow (Malaysia/Indonesia/Singapore)
Considered one of the national dishes of Singapore, this is also a popular street-hawker dish in Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Traditionally it is stir-fried in lard, and topped with an unusual type of cockle bursting with dark red juices known as a blood cockle, but I’ve used groundnut oil to be a bit healthier, and normal cockles as you can’t get blood cockles in the UK for love or money. Just as for Beef Chow Fun, ‘wok hei’ is important for this dish – in fact, I recommend cooking each portion separately to ensure optimum flavour and texture.

Serves 2 | Takes 20 minutes to make, 8 minutes to cook

     

200g fresh broad, flat rice noodles (ho fun) or 75g dried
8 tbsp groundnut oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Chinese sausage (lap cheong), thinly sliced at an angle
50g ready-made fishcake, sliced into strips
8 large raw prawns, peeled and deveined
50g beansprouts, topped and tailed
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp Indonesian sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
2 tsp chilli sauce (sriracha is particularly good)
2 eggs
2 garlic chives, cut into 5cm lengths
100g shelled fresh cockles
white pepper to taste

If using fresh ho fun noodles, carefully separate them (they should come apart in 2.5cm strands), then set them aside, lightly covered with a damp cloth or clingfilm. If using dried ho fun, put them in a large heatproof bowl and generously cover with just-boiled water. After a minute, untangle the noodles, then leave them to soak for a further 6 minutes until al dente. Drain in a colander and rinse thoroughly under running cold water. Set to one side in the colander so that any residual water can continue to drain.
You need to cook this one portion at a time for the best results:
Heat a wok on a high heat until you can feel the waves of heat coming from it with the palm of your hand (‘wok hei’). Add 2 tablespoons oil, half the garlic and half the Chinese sausage, and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and the sausage is glossy. With the heat still on high, add half the fish cake and 4 prawns, and stir-fry for another couple of minutes until the prawns turn pink.
Turn the heat down to medium and push everything to the side of the wok, then add half of the noodles and beansprouts, half of all the sauces and 3 tablespoons water to the cleared space. Mix these new ingredients together, then stir-fry for 2 minutes in the cleared space.
Now push everything to the side of the wok again. Add 2 tablespoons oil to the cleared space and, when it’s hot, crack in an egg. Break up the egg with your spatula, then pull everything back into the centre of the wok and combine well with the egg.
Next add half the chives and white pepper to taste and stir-fry to combine well. Lastly, add half of the cockles and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Serve immediately on a plate, with chopsticks. Repeat the process for the other portion.

 

Spicy Fried Noodles

Mie Goreng (Malaysia/Indonesia/Singapore)
Mie Goreng (also Bakmi or Bami Goreng, Mee Goreng or Mi Goreng – all of which just mean ‘fried noodles’) is a dish common in Malaysia and Singapore but found everywhere in Indonesia, from high-end restaurants to street stalls. If you’re a fan of instant noodles, Mie Goreng flavour is always a winner with its spicy fried taste (people have been known to buy boxes of the Indomie brand on eBay). Or you could just make your own using the recipe below.

Serves 2–3 | Takes 20 minutes to make, 12 minutes to cook

     

INGREDIENT
150g dried thin egg noodles (bakmi) or 250g fresh
4 tbsp groundnut oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2cm knob of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 skinless, boneless chicken thigh, about 100g, cut into small strips
8 raw king prawns, peeled and deveined
1 stick Chinese celery, finely chopped
1 large tomato, quartered
4 tbsp Indonesian sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
100g beansprouts, topped and tailed
100g choy sum, sliced
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
For the spice paste (rempah)
6 Asian shallots or 1 banana shallot, peeled
4 candlenuts or macadamia nuts, toasted
1 tsp white peppercorns
3 dried red chillies, soaked in warm water and drained
2 large, fresh red chillies
1 tsp salt
To serve
2 eggs
4 garlic chives, cut into 2.5cm pieces
2 spring onions (green and white parts), finely sliced
chilli sauce (sriracha is particularly good)

HOW TO COOK
If using dried noodles, prepare according to the packet instructions but reduce the cooking time slightly so that the noodles are al dente rather than tender. If using fresh noodles, they need no prep before adding to the wok (they are already al dente).
Grind the spice paste ingredients together to a smooth paste using a pestle and mortar, a blender or a food processor.
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a wok or deep frying pan on a high heat and stir-fry the spice paste for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the garlic and ginger to the wok and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes until they are fragrant.
Add the chicken and prawns and toss to mix into the spice paste, then stir-fry for 2 minutes until the chicken is opaque. Now turn the heat down to medium. Add the Chinese celery, tomato, sweet soy sauce and 100ml water and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced and thickened.
Meanwhile, fry the eggs in a separate pan in the remaining groundnut oil, then set to one side.
Turn the heat under the wok back to high and add the noodles, beansprouts, choy sum and soy sauces. Stir and toss to combine, then stir-fry for 2–3 more minutes.
Dish up into 2 pasta dishes and top each serving with a fried egg. Sprinkle with garlic chives and spring onions and serve immediately, with chopsticks and chilli sauce on the side.

Beef with Ribbon Noodles

Beef Chow Fun (Hong Kong)
Beef Chow Fun is a Cantonese classic served in dim sum restaurants and teahouses throughout Hong Kong. ‘Wok hei’ is vital in making this dish – the ‘essence’ imparted by a hot wok during stir-frying. This means the cooking must be quick and over a high heat – ideally a gas flame.

Serves 4 | Takes 25 minutes to make, 8 minutes to cook

     

INGREDIENT
For the stir-fry
250g flank steak, cut into thin 2.5cm-long slices across the grain
400g fresh broad, flat rice noodles (ho fun) or 150g dried
2 tbsp groundnut oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2cm knob of fresh root ginger, peeled and julienned
1 medium onion, sliced
100g beansprouts, topped and tailed
2 spring onions (green and white parts), sliced lengthways and then cut across into 5cm pieces
For the beef marinade
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp caster sugar
½ tsp white pepper
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
For the noodle sauce
50ml beef stock
1 tbsp fermented black beans, finely chopped
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp white pepper

HOW TO COOK
Toss the beef with the bicarbonate of soda to coat, then leave for 5 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with cold water and pat dry. Mix the beef with the remaining marinade ingredients in a bowl, then set aside for at least 15 minutes.
If using fresh ho fun noodles, carefully separate them (they should come apart in 2.5cm strands), then set them aside, lightly covered with a damp cloth or clingfilm. If using dried ho fun, put them in a large heatproof bowl and generously cover with just-boiled water. After a minute, untangle the noodles, then leave them to soak for a further 6 minutes until al dente. Drain in a colander and rinse thoroughly under running cold water. Set to one side in the colander so that any residual water can continue to drain.
Heat a wok on a high heat until you can feel the waves of heat coming from it with the palm of your hand (‘wok hei’). Add the oil to the wok followed by the garlic and ginger and stir fry for 2–3 minutes until fragrant.
Add the marinated beef and stir-fry for another couple of minutes before adding the onion and stir-frying for 2–3 minutes until it is translucent.
Next add the noodles, beansprouts, spring onions and the noodle sauce ingredients. Being gentle so you don’t break the noodles, toss everything together for 2–3 minutes until piping hot. Divide among 4 pasta plates and serve immediately, with chopsticks.

Cook’s Tip
Don’t be heavy-handed when tossing the ingredients in the wok, or with the amount of oil you use, as this will result in the sort of claggy mess you find in some restaurants and takeaways

 

Singapore Noodles

There’s no debate about one aspect of the origin of these noodles – they are certainly not from Singapore, and if you even suggest it to a native Singaporean (such as my friends who run the Plus Six Five supper-club), they get ever so slightly vexed. It’s suspected that Singapore Noodles were invented in Hong Kong or even by Chinese immigrants in the US. Wherever they come from, they’re delicious and a popular item on any takeaway menu, but easy to make at home yourself.

Serves 2 | Takes 20 minutes to make, 20 minutes to cook

     

INGREDIENT
100g skinless, boneless chicken thighs, sliced into strips
100g peeled large, raw prawns, deveined and cut crossways in half
150g dried rice vermicelli noodles
5–6 tbsp groundnut oil
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp Madras curry powder
1 medium onion, sliced
1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced
100g beansprouts, topped and tailed
100g Chinese barbecue pork (char siu), sliced into strips (optional)
4 spring onions (green and white parts), sliced diagonally
sprigs of fresh coriander, to garnish
For the chicken and prawn marinade
1cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp golden caster sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground white pepper
For the sauce
50ml hot chicken stock
1 tbsp Indonesian sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
1 tsp golden caster sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground white pepper

HOW TO COOK
Combine the chicken and prawns with the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes. Whisk the sauce ingredients together in another smaller bowl and set to one side.
Put the noodles into a heatproof bowl. Pour over plenty of just-boiled water and untangle the noodles with a fork, then leave to soak for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with running cold water. Set to one side in the colander so that any residual water can continue to drain.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or large frying pan on a medium heat. Add the beaten egg and move the pan around to spread the egg out evenly into a thin omelette. When the omelette is firm all the way through and golden on the base, use a spatula to ease around its edges and flip the omelette over. Cook for a further 1–2 minutes until golden on both sides. Transfer the omelette to a plate and let it cool, then slice into strips before setting aside.
Heat another tablespoon of oil in the wok on medium-high heat. Add the marinated chicken and prawns and stir-fry for 4–5 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the prawns have turned pink. Scoop them out into a dish and set aside.
Add 2–3 tablespoons more oil to the wok and heat on a high heat for a minute. Now turn the heat down to medium, add the curry powder and swirl the spiced oil in the wok for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Next add the onion and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes until starting to soften. Add the red pepper and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes, then tip in the beansprouts and stir-fry for a further 1–2 minutes.
Finally, add the noodles, cooked chicken and prawns, omelette strips, barbecue pork (if using) and spring onions. Using chopsticks or tongs, toss the ingredients to combine, then drizzle the sauce over them. Toss a few more times to ensure even distribution and that everything is heated through, then dish up on to 2 plates. Garnish with coriander and serve with forks.

Shanghai Fried Noodles

Shanghai Fried Noodles are popular in both Hong Kong and in the West, but it seems that, like the Indian balti, the dish was invented by enterprising chefs abroad rather than born in Shanghai itself. The dish is usually made with fresh Shanghai noodles, which you can buy in Chinese supermarkets, but you can use fresh udon noodles (yude udon) instead, as they’re similar and much easier to find.

Serves 4 | Takes 25 minutes to make, 15 minutes to cook

     

INGREDIENT
200g beef flank steak, sliced into strips
400g fresh Shanghai noodles (cui mian)
groundnut oil
For the meat marinade
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp white pepper
For the stir-fry
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2cm knob of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
200g Chinese leaf, shredded
50ml chicken stock
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

HOW TO COOK
Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk thoroughly. Add the meat and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, blanch the noodles by putting them in a bowl, pouring just-boiled water over them and leaving them for 5 minutes. Drain, then toss with 1 teaspoon groundnut oil to prevent them from sticking together.
Heat 2 tablespoons groundnut oil in a wok or deep frying pan on a high heat. Add the marinated meat and stir-fry for 5 minutes until cooked through. Empty the contents of the wok into a dish and set to one side.
Heat another tablespoon of groundnut oil in the wok, still on a high heat. Stir-fry the garlic and ginger for a couple of minutes, then add the Chinese leaf. Return the cooked meat to the wok along with the stock and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
Now add the noodles to the wok plus the soy sauces, oyster sauce and sesame oil. Stir and toss everything for 2 more minutes. Divide among 4 pasta dishes and serve immediately, with chopsticks and Chinese spoons.

Cook’s Tip
Shanghai fried noodles are usually made with beef, but pork and chicken can also be used. A leafy green vegetable is a must – here I’ve used Chinese leaf, but pak choi would be just as good.

Chicken Chow Mein

Chow mein is just the Chinese term for ‘fried noodles’, so it’s not surprising that there are countless variations. Wholeheartedly adopted overseas, and often the default order from a takeaway menu, it’s so easy to make your own version at home. Your stomach will thank you for it, as the home-made version is much less likely to be greasy.

Serves 2 | Takes 20 minutes to make, 12 minutes to cook

     

INGREDIENT
200g fresh standard thick wheat noodles (lo mein) or 125g dried, or you can use medium egg noodles
2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, about 250g total weight, cut into small strips
3 tbsp groundnut oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
100g mangetouts, julienned
1 large carrot, julienned
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp golden caster sugar
1 tsp white pepper
100g beansprouts, topped and tailed
2 spring onions (green and white parts), sliced diagonally into rings
For the marinade
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp cornflour
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
½ tsp white pepper

HOW TO COOK CHICKEN CHOW MEIN
Prepare the noodles according to the packet instructions. Set aside.
Mix together the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat, then set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.

Heat a wok or deep frying pan on a high heat until you can feel the waves of heat coming from it with the palm of your hand. Add the groundnut oil to the wok followed by the garlic and stir-fry for a couple of minutes until fragrant.

Add the chicken and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes until it loses its translucency (it will be cooked outside but not yet inside), then add the mangetouts and carrot. Keep the heat high and stir-fry for another minute.

Add the noodles, soy sauces, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar, white pepper and 2 tablespoons cold water. Stir and toss everything for a couple more minutes, then add the beansprouts and spring onions and stir again to incorporate. Serve immediately in pasta dishes, with chopsticks.

Cook’s tip
You can use pretty much any vegetables you have to hand – try cabbage, peppers or mushrooms – as long as you cut them into similar-sized pieces so they will cook in the same time. You could also use ham or peeled prawns instead of chicken, or keep it entirely vegetarian and add strips of omelette instead.