Cauliflower and Chicken Fried Rice Noodles – Good Serving for 4

Cauliflowers are also in season and in this delicious recipe I use the whole cauliflower, to ensure a zero-waste principle. Cauliflower leaves contain more than twice the amount of protein and three times the amount of minerals than in the cauliflower itself. It is a really good source of calcium, iron, and dietary fibre so they are certainly worth using. 

You Will Need:

• 200g cooked rice noodles.
• 500g of chicken, cut into strips (I prefer to use chicken thighs as they are one of the juiciest parts).
• 2 eggs, fried or poached.
• 1 carrot, cut julienne.
• 3 spring onions, cut julienne.
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped.
• 1 onion, thinly sliced.
• ½ chicken stock cube, diluted in ¼ cup of warm water.
• 150g cauliflower, stem and leaves, washed and chopped.
• 2-3 tbspn of soya sauce.
• 2-3 tbspn of Indonesian Kecap manis/Indonesian sweet soya sauce.
• 1 tbspn of sesame oil.
• 1 tbspn of oyster sauce.
• A good pinch of salt and pepper.
• 3-4 tbspn vegetable/sunflower oil.

To Make:

I always blanch my greens to begin with. This means boil the chopped cauliflower, stem, and leaves for under 3 minutes then quickly put them into cold water. By doing so, it will retain their crisp bite and you won’t have to worry about over-cooking them.

Another tip is to marinate your chicken to give you maximum flavours. In a bowl, add chicken, soya sauce, kecap manis, sesame oil, and oyster sauce. Put aside for 30 minutes to absorb. You can get the Indonesian soya sauce/kecap manis in the UK in M&S or order online.

In a wok or non-sticky pan, heat the oil. Add garlic and onion for a couple of minutes. Then add and stir fry the already marinated chicken. Leave for around 10 minutes until all moisture is gone and the chicken is cooked. 

Add carrots, blanched cauliflower, stem and leaves, into the pan. Quickly mix them. 

Then add the cooked rice noodles. Now season well with chicken stock, salt, and pepper. If you think it needs more kecap manis or soya sauce, add just 1 tbspn each. Quickly mix them well until all are covered well.

Add chopped spring onions (I sometimes add chopped coriander leaves as well) before switching off the heat. Give it a good stir and it is ready to serve. 

As an addition, I sometimes quickly fry some eggs sunny side up to serve it with.

Dina Watt grew up in Bandung, West-Java, Indonesia and now happily married and living in Aberdeenshire, she is known as The Indonesian Cook. In her regular column, Dina shares her own adventurous recipes for delicious home cooked meals that are easy to make, mostly using the homegrown, seasonal, fresh fruits and vegetables from her own Scottish garden.

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