Cost of living got you overspending on groceries and struggling to make ends meet? Chelsea Goodwin, the mastermind behind $10 Meals Australia Facebook Community is taking her online tips to the next level with the recent release of her debut cookbook, “$10 Meals with Chelsea.” In it, Chelsea unveils her secrets to feeding a family of three on just $70 a week. Drawing from her own experience as a single mum, Chelsea shares meal plans and recipes that are not only budget-friendly but also easy to prepare with supermarket staples. Including this recipe for Chicken Pad See Ew.
INGREDIENTS:
400 g dried pad thai noodles
1 large bunch of gai lan
(Chinese broccoli)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 eggs, beaten
Marinated chicken
250 g chicken breast, thinly sliced 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Sauce
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1.5 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
To serve
sliced green onion
PREP:
1. For the marinated chicken, place all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together well. Set aside.
2. For the sauce, mix ingredients together in a bowl or jug.
3. Place dried noodles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them soften for about 10 minutes. Check regularly and once they are softened but al dente, drain in a colander. Meanwhile, chop the gai lan stalks into 5 cm pieces and slice the leaves (keep separate).
COOK:
1. Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat then add 1 tablespoon oil. When oil is hot, add chicken and spread out over the bottom of the pan. Allow it to sear for a minute, then stir-fry for another minute or until cooked through. Transfer to a large plate.
2. Add 2 teaspoons oil to the wok, bring the heat back up to high and add garlic and gai lan stems. Stir-fry for 1–2 minutes then add the gai lan leaves and stir-fry for another minute or until wilted.
3. Push the gai lan to the side and tip in the beaten eggs. Let them cook for a few seconds then stir to scramble and mix through the vegetables. Transfer the gai lan and eggs to the plate with the chicken.
4. Bring the wok back up to very high heat then add remaining oil. Give the sauce a quick stir then add the noodles to the wok followed by the sauce. Toss gently for 1–2 minutes, to heat through and caramelise the noodles, coating them with the sauce.
5. Add the chicken, egg and gai lan back into the pan. Stir gently to coat all of the ingredients with the sauce. Stir-fry for another couple of minutes to heat through. Serve immediately, garnished with green onions.
NOTES:
Gai lan: If you can’t get your hands on gai lan (chinese broccoli) you can substitute with choy sum, bok choy, broccolini or a small head of broccoli.
Gluten-free: Use tamari or gluten-free soy sauce in marinade. Use 4 tablespoons tamari or gluten-free soy sauce in place of the light and dark soy sauces in the sauce mixture. Make sure the oyster sauce is gluten-free.
Leftovers: Store in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat in the microwave or in the wok. I don’t recommend freezing this dish.
Noodles: You can use fresh rice noodles instead of the dried variety. These can be found at Asian grocers and some major supermarkets. You will need about 750–800 g fresh noodles for this recipe.
Protein: Substitute the chicken with tofu, beef or pork.
Sauce: If you like very saucy noodles, you can increase oyster and dark soy sauces to ¼ cup, light soy and fish sauce to 1 ½ tablespoons and sugar to 2 tablespoons.
Spice: Add sriracha, sambal oelek, chilli oil or fresh chilli for some heat, either just before serving or at the table.
