Cooking - Chicken Chow Mein

Living away from home has affected me the most. Not for the typical reasons like missing my friends and family, but having to cook for myself. University life has introduced me to many things and having come from a household where food is readily available, life away from home hit me hard.

Two weeks have passed since I began my degree and I have had enough of the countless ready meals and two minute soups. It's time to learn how to cook.

For my first proper meal I decided to cook chicken chow mein. As all of the ingredients had been bought before hand the only real difficulty would be my time handling and my ability to tell when the food is burnt. 

Ingredients

• 150g/5oz dried yellow shi wheat flour noodles, or medium egg noodles
• dash toasted sesame seed oil
• 300g/11oz skinless chicken breast fillets, sliced into strips
• dash dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• 1 tsp chilli sauce (optional)
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1-2 tbsp groundnut oil
• 1 red pepper, de-seeded and finely sliced
• 150g/5oz bean sprouts
• 1 large spring onion, sliced lengthways
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• freshly ground black pepper

The Method I Used

1. Cook the noodles in a pan of boiling water for 2-3 minutes until al dente, or according to packet instructions. Drain, then rinse under cold running water and drain again. Drizzle with a dash of sesame oil and toss through to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other.
2. Place the chicken strips in a bowl and season with a dash of dark soy sauce, the five-spice powder and chilli sauce, if using. Mix well, then lightly dust the chicken strips with the cornflour.
3. Heat a wok until smoking and add the groundnut oil, then add the chicken and stir fry for 3-4 minutes, or until the chicken is golden-brown and cooked through.
4. Add the red pepper and stir fry for one minute, then add the bean sprouts and spring onion and stir fry for 30 seconds. Stir in the cooked noodles and season with the light soy sauce, a dash of sesame oil and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Pile the noodles onto a serving plate and serve immediately.

Taken from the BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chickenchowmein_89258

Thankfully I did not burn anything and surprisingly my friends also enjoyed the meal. Either Chicken Chow Mein is an easy meal to prepare, or I have found something that I am talented in. I choose to believe the latter. 

Over the next few weeks I shall look into other easy meals suitable for the university lifestyle. Cheap and quick. 

What is the best meal for a new cook on a budget?