Chinese!

I have mixed feelings about Chinese food. Not often have I had a good Chinese. I like the idea of it, and anytime someone says they are staying in and ordering Chinese, I imagine those American cardboard takeout containers and crunchy stir fry veg and noodles. The reality usually is greasy, stodgy chicken balls or glow-in-the-dark sweet and sour sauce. It always proves to be a let down. I have been to one good Chinese restaurant, but I can't remember the name.

The kids do love egg fried rice and this has proven a successful vehicle for vegetable delivery, but they are a little suspicious of Chinese food too. No doubt they are picking up on my reservations.

I had a gorgeous beef stir fry in The Ballymore Inn last weekend and have been dreaming about the sauce ever since. Think I'll just have to figure out a way of prying it out of the chef. But it put me in the mood for freshly made and tasty Chinese, without the gloop.

I don't cook pork very often as it often fails, but when it is nice it is gorgeous. I must blog one day about Darina's Pork Carbonnade. It is truly divine.

This recipe was not the biggest hit with the kids it must be said. They ate it. But there were no marching bands or dancing girls. Declan and I liked it. I would like to try it with oyster sauce sometime as hoisin has a hint of fennel to it, and can be an acquired taste.

This recipe did not take that long, but you need to work fast at each step so it helps to have everything prepared in advance.

Pork Chow Mein

serves 4

You will need

500g Pork fillet (get the butcher to trim it)

300g Noodles

1 small tin of water chestnuts (drained)

I head of broccoli

I bunch of spring onions

Fresh Parsley or Coriander

I inch piece of fresh ginger

2 cloves of garlic

2 Tablespoons of hoisin sauce

2 Tablespoons of sesame seeds

drizzle of sesame oil

splash of soy sauce

First, prep your ingredients

Chop the spring onions, chop off only the broccoli florets into small chunks, finely slice the ginger and garlic, chop the parsley and measure out the sesame seeds.

Chop the pork into thin strips.

Then in a pot of boiling salted water, add the noodles. Once they are in, work fairly quickly, they do not take long. Just before they are cooked add in the broccoli for the last few minutes. You really want the broccoli to stay crunchy.

In a very hot but dry pan or wok add the sesame seeds and toss for a minute until they start to pop. Put them on a plate while you cook the rest.

Put a tablespoon approx of veg or sunflower oil into the hot pan and add the pork. Stir fry until golden all over and add the ginger and garlic. Toss around for 30 secs and add the spring onions and parsley. Keep stirring and add the drained tin of water chestnuts. Add the hoisin and soy and toss together.

Drain the noodles and broccoli when the noodles are just cooked. Don't let them get too soft. Throw them into the pan and stir around with the meat and sauce. Drizzle with a little sesame oil, about a teaspoon. It is strong so you do not need much,

Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds.

The kids get good crack out of chop sticks so if you need a gimmick to sell Chinese to them, they may be just the ticket!