I never considered posting this recipe because it feels like something that is almost too easy to have to explain. It is just something I cook up when I’m in a hurry but want something nice. Perfect if you have unexpected guests for dinner or if you just want to change from the usual pasta dish.
Kaffir lime leaves are quite easy to find in Dubai in most supermarkets. In North America and Europe, you would need to get them at an Asian store. The good news is that they freeze quite well. They are extremely fragrant and the taste is much like that of lemongrass.
If you have no time to make the sauce, you can substitute with a ready made stir-fry sauce. You could also skip the marinating, but it would be a shame (and prep only takes 10 minutes). As for the vegetables, feel free to add any that you have in your fridge that can be sauteed (cauliflower, chop suey, shredded carrots or cabbage, etc).
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
For marinade:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
juice of 2 limes
2 tbsp of sesame oil
2 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp of fish sauce
1 tsp of soy sauce
5-6 kaffir lime leaves or 1 stalk of chopped up lemon grass
For the sauce:
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
2-3 tbsp of sesame oil
1-2 tbsp of peanut butter
Asian hot sauce
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp of ginger
2 chicken breasts cut up into strips/or 10 tiger prawns
300 grams of rice vermicelli
3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 small onion, cut into slivers
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1/2 cup snow peas
1 bunch of pack choi
1/2 cup of broccoli (I have a penchant for broccolini)
Garnish:
Cashews and loads of chopped coriander
Instructions:
Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl and put the chicken or prawns to marinate for 30 minutes.
Just a picture so you can see what the kaffir lime leaves look like
Meanwhile, using a wok, saute the garlic on medium heat in a tpsb of vegetable oil and then add the onions. Don’t let them brown. I usually saute them for about 2 minutes total, you may want to reduce the heat if they start browning or increase the heat if onion still looks raw.
Using the same wok, fry up the chicken/prawns with a few tbsp of the marinade (include a few of the kaffir lime leaves + some of the garlic) on medium heat for about 7 minutes or until cooked through. Prawns might take a little less time.
Add all the other vegetables and saute for about 4 minutes or so and take off the heat.
Mix all the sauce ingredients until the peanut butter is well emulsified.
Bring to boil a big pot of water and add vermicelli until cooked, around 4 minutes. Strain and add to the wok along with the sauce. Toss everything on medium/high heat for about 3 minutes. Garnish with coriander and cashews.
Tada!
Sploutch 