✕

Plum Sake & Ginger Chicken Noodle Stir-Fry

Umeshu replaces both the mirin and the maple syrup. You get the sweet-and-sour balance with no refined sugar, the alcohol burns off instantly, and what's left is a thick glossy glaze.

serves 2 15 mins dinner quick one-pan
Plum Sake & Ginger Chicken Noodle Stir-Fry

why it works

Wholewheat or buckwheat noodles keep the grain's fibre intact, which slows digestion and stops the triglyceride spike you'd get from refined egg noodles. The beans thrown in at the end are the real secret weapon — a heavy dose of soluble fibre in a dish that usually has none.

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
  • wholewheat or buckwheat soba noodles
  • baby corn, mangetout, a bag of stir-fry mix
  • a big pile of baby leaf spinach
  • 1 tin edamame, black-eyed beans or butter beans, rinsed
  • lots of fresh garlic and ginger, minced and grated
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce
  • 4 tbsp plum-infused sake
  • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes

Method

  1. Whisk the soy, plum sake, rice vinegar, honey, toasted sesame oil and chilli flakes together in a mug before the wok goes anywhere near the heat.

  2. Oil hot, in goes the pile of garlic and ginger, and stir-fry for 30 seconds only. Burnt garlic will ruin the whole thing.

  3. Chicken strips in, stir-frying until cooked through.

  4. Baby corn, mangetout and stir-fry mix in. Heat to maximum and toss for 2–3 minutes so they stay crunchy rather than steaming.

  5. Cooked noodles, spinach and the rinsed beans in, then pour the sauce over the top and toss on high for a final 60 seconds until it turns into a dark, glossy, sticky glaze and the spinach has wilted.

  6. Use toasted sesame oil, not plain. Plain sesame oil is a neutral frying oil; toasted is pressed from pre-roasted seeds and is a finishing oil — intensely nutty and smoky, and potent enough that a teaspoon is plenty.

remix

  • No wholewheat noodles in the shop? Buy wholewheat spaghetti, snap it in half, boil to al dente and throw it straight in the wok. Flawless substitute
  • Edamame or black-eyed beans hold their bite; butter beans go creamy inside and crisp outside
  • Peanut satay version: 2 heaped tbsp peanut butter, 4 tbsp soy, 3 tbsp plum sake, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp honey, splash of warm water
  • Prawns or firm tofu instead of chicken
  • A teaspoon of cornflour slaked in cold water if you want the glaze even thicker