Chicken Chopsuey

Chopsuey is a traditional Chinese dish concocted with an assortment of vegetables and a choice of meats including beef, chicken, pork, prawns and fish. Usually served with boiled rice, chopsuey can be enjoyed in restaurants typically with the hallmark Chinese stir-fried noodles. However, in my preparation I had chopsuey with boiled rice noodles simply because I wanted to curb my intake of oil. Getting really health conscious, you see :o

Ingredients:                                     Cooking time: 30 minutes ü  1 Carrot (chopped) ü  40 gm cabbage (chopped) ü  60 gm of string beans (chopped) ü  3 stalks of celery (chopped) ü  1 onion (chopped) ü  3-4 cloves of garlic (chopped) ü  1 chicken breast (chopped) ü  50 gm prawns ü  2 cups of chicken stock ü  1 cup of green peas (frozen or boiled) ü  1 red or orange bell pepper (chopped) ü  2 tsp cornstarch ü  2 tbsp oyster sauce ü  1 tbsp dark soy sauce ü  1 tsp Chinese five spices (optional) ü  1 tsp chilli flakes ü  Black pepper, taste wise ü  Salt to taste ü  2 tbsp peanut oil ü  2 tbsp sesame oil Method: 1) Heat peanut oil in a wok. Add garlic and brown. Add onion and fry till translucent. 2) Add chicken and prawns. Stir-fry them till they lose the pink color. 3) Add carrot, cabbage, string beans, bell pepper and celery, one after another in that order. Stir-fry for couple of minutes. Then pour 1 1/2 cups of the chicken stock in. 4) Add green peas. To the remaining chicken stock, stir in cornstarch, oyster sauce and soy sauce. Be careful of lumps. Pour the cornstarch mixed chicken stock into the wok. 5) Add black pepper, Chinese five spices and chilli flakes. Bring the gravy to a boil now. 6) When the vegetables and chicken are tender, mix in salt. Drizzle the sesame oil on top. 7) Serve hot with boiled rice or stir-fried noodles.