Have you been using a spiralizer? Well, I’ve been hooked on it for almost two years. I always watched these videos on Zoodles and kept saying, “I wanna buy that spiralizer.” And yet, like everything else, I have to buy things overseas and have them shipped to me. Often, they end up on my wishlist and never get bought. One day, I received a spiralizer in the mail. My lovely friend, Gloria from Homemade and Yummy, has sent me a spiralizer as a gift. I was so excited. And I’ve been using it since then and really enjoy it. I love that I can use zucchini noodles, sweet potato noodles, and other such things rather than regular flour noodles (my waistline does not like flour very much). I also spiralize my veggies for a salad, which gets the kids to eat more veggies. My kids love spaghetti and noodles, so all these veggies work great. Most of all, it’s a great way to eat healthier while not feeling deprived. This is my first zucchini noodle recipe, and it’s a stir-fry. Having lived for over 10 years in Asia, stir fry is close to my heart. So, I make them often.
Ingredients and substitute
Chicken – The breast meat works best for stir fry because it cooks quickly and absorbs the sauce well. Broccoli – A great veggie to stir-fry because it cooks quickly and still looks bright and vibrant. Also, don’t throw away the stems. Instead, chop them up smaller and add them to the pan first. This will cook them and still keep them crunchy. Onions – Sliced thickly, onions add a nice bite to the dish. However, if you don’t like onions, you can also slice them up thin, which adds flavor to the sauce. Garlic and ginger – Ain’t no stir-fry without these two flavor boosters. Herbs – I love cilantro. And yet, Chinese parsley is most commonly used in stir-fries. Cashew nuts – These add a nice bite to the dish. While you can use any nuts you like, cashews seem to be most commonly used in Asian cooking.
Step-by-step instructions
Marinate chicken
Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl. Use a paper towel to remove any excess moisture from the chicken breasts. Cut chicken into thin slices. Add the sliced chicken pieces and give it a good mix so each piece is well coated in the marinade. Leave this for at least 10 minutes while you prepare everything else. You can also marinate for an hour or more in the fridge.
Cut veggies
Wash and chop broccoli. Drain any excess water. Keep any extra stems separate so you can use them. Cut the onion into thick slices and separate the layers. Chop the ginger and garlic into thin slices. Dice the scallions/green onions. Add the white and light green parts to the onions, and add the green leaves to the cilantro and parsley. Roughly chop the cilantro or parsley.
Prepare the sauce
Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl – and set aside. The cornflour will sink to the bottom, so it needs to be mixed up before use.
Spiralize the zucchini
Wash and cut the ends of the zucchini. Spiralize it using a thicker blade. Place the noodles in the colander lined with cheesecloth or paper hand towel to soak up excess moisture – and set aside. Just before adding the noodles to the stir-fry, give it a good squeeze with the cloth or paper towel.
Saute
This gives the cashews a toasted look and the chicken a crisp coating and color. Add 1/2 tbsp oil in a wok – stir fry the cashew nuts until lightly toasted. Remove from the pan on a paper towel. In the same pan, add another tbsp oil and stir-fry the chicken on high heat. The cornflour in the marinade will give it a crispy coating. Cook for about three minutes. Remove the chicken and keep warm while you cook the rest.
Stir-fry
Stir fry is a quick process, so have all your ingredients ready to go. Add the remaining 1/2 tbsp oil to the wok. Now add the ginger and garlic, followed by the onion and broccoli stems. Saute for about two minutes on med-high heat. Add the broccoli and 2 tbsp water (water creates steam and helps cook the broccoli). Cook on medium-high heat until the broccoli is tender. Add the chicken and cashew nuts back to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the prepared sauce, add to the wok, and coat everything in the sauce. Add the Zucchini noodles and saute for 3 to 5 minutes while keeping it al dente. Lastly, add in the cilantro or parsley. Check and adjust seasoning. (if needed – add salt – depending on the brand of soya sauce used, you may or may not need any additional salt.) Enjoy!
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