Spicy Chicken Whole Wheat Stir-Fry

My wok is one of my most trusted and reliable instruments in the kitchen. It has never failed me when the tick-tock to dinner is on the countdown, and fast food pronto becomes a necessity. My idea of fast food is not the fast food you are familiar with, my fast food is healthy, crunchy, balanced, easy and quick to prepare with zing and a lot of oomph, check out this link for easy recipes.

There is nothing more versatile than a wok. It can be used for boiling, braising, frying, steaming and of course my favourite stir-frying. The end result of your dish heavily relies on several factors:

· What material the wok is made of. The results can be phenomenal or a disaster. After testing many woks over the years, I can firmly say carbon steel is the best for conducting heat and in return, the best for stir- fry cooking.

· When it comes to choosing the right vegetables, you need to determine what cooks fast like peppers, bok choy, spinach, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, snow peas and a few more to count.

· Cutting the vegetables to the right size. Small is better as it releases its moister and cooks faster.

· Finally, the heat factor is just as important, always use the highest heat you have for stir-frying otherwise you end up with braised food rather than stir-fried foo

Everyone is familiar with stir-fried rice or noodles, but to be honest, the food scene has gone beyond the traditional, you can use any grain you fancy. Whole wheat gives it a distinctive nutty flavour. I highly recommend it as part of your diet as it is very healthy, low in calories and helps in weight loss as it maintains the sense of being full for a more extended period compared to other foods. It has a low glycaemic index GI which helps regulate blood sugar, high in fibre which improves the digestive system, not to mention its richness in iron, magnesium, thiamine. This stir-fry is a diabetic-friendly dish, but please read notes below to adjust the recipe.

Servings: 4

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Start to finish: 40 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

For the wheat stir-fry:

• 3 cups pre-boiled whole wheat

• 1 medium onion

• 1 red pepper

• 3 carrots

• 200 grams of canned corn

• 200 grams of mushrooms

• 1 cup frozen peas

• 1/2 Napa cabbage or regular cabbage

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

For the marinated chicken:

• 1-kilogram skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 2 tablespoons sriracha

• 4 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 cloves minced garlic

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Method:

· Prepare the vegetables as follow: slice the onion, peel and dice the carrots into ½ cm cubes, do the same for the peppers, slice the mushrooms and thaw the peas.

· For the chicken, Place the boneless ad skinless thighs or breasts in a glass bowl.

· Add the honey, sriracha, soy sauce and garlic and mix.

· Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for at least a few hours.

· In a wok or a cast iron frying pan saute the chicken on one side for a few minutes on medium heat until caramelised then turn over and repeat the same. Check that the juices run clear before removing from the pan. Control the temperature if you feel the sugars in the marinade are burning.

· Remove, set aside and cover.

· In a wok under high flame stir-fry the onions in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil for 2 minutes, then add the carrots and peppers and cook for a further 2 minutes.

· In the same wok add the sliced mushrooms and stir-fry until the liquid is dry, then add the drained corn, the cooked wheat and stir for a minute and add the sliced cabbage, defrosted peas and soy sauce. Mix and cook for a further 3 minutes stirring continuously, adjust the flavour as desired, you may prefer extra soy sauce.

· You can either serve it as a sharing platter with the chicken on top or individually.

· Garnish with coriander leaves and toasted sesame seed if desired

TIPS:

· It is better to use pre-cooked wheat from the day before as the starch would have solidified and does not give a soft and mushy texture.

· Make sure the chicken is not too thick otherwise cut it horizontally to achieve thinned pieces.

· You can use any type of meat or seafood, just follow the same method of cooking.

· You can add other vegetables if more fibre is desired, just make sure to stir-fry the firmer vegetables first.

· For a diabetic-friendly dish, exchange the corn and peas with more fibre rich vegetables and omit the sugar in the marinade or use an alternative sweetener.

· To achieve a vegetarian option, exchange the chicken with firm tofu and follow the same steps.

· To achieve a vegan option, use agave syrup instead of honey.

Per Serving: 495 Calories; 13g Fat (23.8% calories from fat); 39g Protein; 58g Carbohydrate; 11g Dietary Fiber; 118mg Cholesterol; 1957mg Sodium.