This is a wonderful dish – it sounds bad (but isn’t) and tastes delicious. According to the Food Focus website, it’s 422 calories per portion, with 6g of fat, 64g of Carbs, and 26g of Protein – I wasn’t very strict about weighing stuff (maybe that’s part of the problem), but having gone back through the ingredients, I’d say it’s pretty close.
So, the ingredients (per person):
- 80ml of basmati rice (this is the dried amount – using a Rosemary Conley portion pot, so handy!)
- Enough vegetable stock to cover the rice (I use Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bouillon)
- 1 chicken thigh (skin and bone removed if necessary, and chopped into small chunks)
- 1/2 red pepper, chopped
- 2 large spring onions, chopped
- 50g mushrooms, sliced
- 90g bean sprouts
- Tablespoon of Soy Sauce (I use reduced salt)
The rest is easy.
Use the stock to cook the rice, adding more water if required. I find that 2 portions takes around 10 minutes, so adjust time accordingly. Do this first to ensure that it’s ready in time – it doesn’t matter if it goes cold as it will be added to the rest of the dish later.
Brown the chicken pieces (I find that by using a non-stick pan there’s no need to use any oil). Next add the mushrooms, spring onions and red peppers. Fry until soft (around 10 minutes), giving it the occasional stir. Finally stir in the bean sprouts, rice and soy sauce. Cook for another 5 minutes until the remaining ingredients are warm right through, then serve.
Shovel down with spoons in the smug knowledge that it’s much better than the pizza you had last night.