5-a-day Chinese Noodles

Happy Chinese New Year! It's the year of the horse, (or, according to the BBC news, the year of the whores). I was born in the year of the monkey. I always wished I had been born in the year of the rabbit when I was little, but I'm cool with the monkey now. Anyway, Chinese food, yay! As if I needed an excuse to eat some.

I'm always craving Chinese, and last weekend I decided to have a go at making a Chinese style dish instead of ordering from my local takeaway. 

To my surprise, this tasted just as good as what I usually get at Kong's (the Chinese I order from — best in Abergavenny!) and worth sharing with you all.

Who'd have thought you could get your five a day in one dish? Not me. I'll be honest, I couldn't finish this. It makes a fair amount, but if you have a big appetite or are willing to share then this will serve you well.

This is totally meat free but obviously you can add some if you wish. I would suggest prawns, beef or chicken — or all three — but it's just as good without any meat. This 'recipe' is extremely versatile — you can add or takeaway any ingredients you like — but do keep the Chinese five spice in as that is where a lot of the flavour is.

It took me about half an hour to prep and cook this cheap, healthy and authentic noodle dish. Here's how, in four easy steps...

You will need:

• One nest of egg noodles 
• One egg
• One carrot, grated
• Handful of peas
• Three broccoli florets, roughly chopped
• Eight cherry tomatoes
• One clove of garlic, crushed
• Half an onion, finely chopped
• An inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
• Soy sauce
• Sweet chilli sauce
• 1 tsp Chinese five spice
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar (optional)
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Ground pepper

Method:

1. Cook the noodles according to packet instructions and put to one side. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan (or wok, if you have one) with the olive oil and gently fry the onions, garlic and ginger.
2. When the onions have softened add the Chinese five spice and stir. Then add the broccoli, carrots, peas, tomatoes, rice wine vinegar and tomato puree. Stir it all together and let it cook on a slightly higher heat for about five to ten minutes.
3. Finally, crack your egg into the pan and stir it into the vegetables as if you're scrambling it. Add the noodles, a splash of soy sauce and stir until everything is mixed together.
4. Et voila — serve with as much soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce as you desire and enjoy.

I'm no pro in the kitchen but I was pleased with my creation and I'd be happy to make this again if I'm ever feeling like eating a 'healthier' version of a Chinese takeaway. What's your go-to homemade Chinese style dish? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me @hello_flower