RECIPE: Chicken Stir Fry with Fresh Peas

We've had some lovely, sweet, tender peas from the garden this year, and I wanted to make something that made more of a feature of them than simply having them boiled on the side of a plate: this is what I came up with.

I made it to serve 2 but it is easily adaptable to serve more.

Ingredients:

2 medium chicken breasts, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon Chinese Five Spice powder
2 teaspoons cornflour
2 tablespoons groundnut or rapeseed oil
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry
a few drops of sesame oil
6 spring onions, sliced diagonally
a piece of fresh ginger about the size of your thumb, cut into julienne strips
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
100g button mushrooms, wiped and quartered
100g of fresh peas (weight after podding)
150ml chicken stock

Place the chicken in a non metallic bowl and add half of the cornflour, mixing it in well - rub it into the meat with your hands for the best result. Then stir in half of the oil and soy sauce and the sesame oil. If you have time, leave this to stand for half an hour.

Heat the remaining oil in a wok or large frying pan, and when very hot, add the chicken and spring onions and stir fry for 3-4 minutes until the chicken is opaque throughout and starting to brown a little at the edges. Mix in the garlic and ginger, then stir in the mushrooms and peas. Add the remaining wine and stir well for 1-2  minutes, then add the soy sauce.

Place the remaining cornflour in a small cup or bowl and blend in a little of the stock, then add the remaining stock to the pan and mix well. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the mushrooms and peas tender - this should only take a minute or two. Mix in the cornflour mixture and bubble, stirring constantly, until thickened.

Serve with rice - I added some blanched beansprouts on the side.