This was quite a spontaneous dinner but turned out super delicious! I was basically craving Wagamama’s ginger chicken udon with (obviously) ginger, spices, chicken and noodles. Instead, I created my own healthy version of this recipe using natural ingredients and wholesome, fuelling ingredients! You got a kick from the chilli and soy but also zesty flavours of lime and ginger – and of course the fun factor of swirling lots of long courgetti with your fork (or chopsticks)! It only serves 2 people so double up on any of the ingredients if you’re catering for more!
For the meat and vegetables you need:
- 2 free-range chicken breasts
- 1 large courgette
- 1/2 leek
- 1/2 large red pepper
- 6 fresh leaves of cabbage (mine were huge so add more if you want to)
- 3 spring onion stalks
And to get the amazing ginger flavour:
- 1 garlic clove
- Fresh ginger the size of your whole thumb (ie. a lot)
- A handful of fresh coriander
- Lots of tamari soy sauce, roughly 20 dashes/2 tbsp
- Juice from 1 lime
- A handful of cashew nuts
- 1 tbsp Cypressa tahini
- Chilli powder depending on tolerance
- Cayenne Pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- Salt and pepper to taste
Start by spiralizing your courgette so it resembles long spaghetti, then put it aside and leave until the final couple of minutes. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees, ready to toast the cashews.
In a large frying pan, add a dash of your preferred cooking oil as well as the soy sauce. Swish it about whilst it heats up, then cut your chicken straight into the pan to slowly cook through and infuse the salty flavour. Keep stirring it and begin to prepare your vegetables: finely slice the garlic, ginger, leek and spring onion, and slice the cabbage and pepper into longer strips.
The chicken should be cooked by now (on the outside at least); add the lime juice, all of your vegetables, spring onion, garlic and ginger and stir it all thoroughly. You can add a dash of hot water if the pan looks a little dry.
Let it simmer for about 10 minutes at which point the chicken will definitely be cooked and the vegetables soft. Stir in the tahini, with a few drops of hot water (roughly 10ml) so it doesn’t dry up all the moisture; 1/2 a tsp of chilli powder – or however much spice you like – and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Then add your handful of cashews to a baking tray and pop them into the oven for 5-8 minutes, until they brown on the outside and smell amazing! Finally, add your courgetti to the pan and try to mix everything together without splattering your kitchen sides!
Keep stirring your mixture and once the cashews are done, the courgetti should have wilted and softened a little bit. Add them to the pan with the fresh coriander, a few more dashes of soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste and then serve between two of you!
It’s literally divine, so warming and tasty with a definite chilli kick! And it doesn’t take that long to cook, giving you every reason to skip a bland dinner and have a fresh, nutritious meal! And all the ingredients are so complimentary on each other, giving you a zesty, sweet kick infused with saltiness, body-glowing vegetables and the roasted cashew crunch, well, it’s the best part! Definitely one to make this week!
Syrup & Spice 