Must be the first Monday of the month because I am cooking from the Foodland Ontario calendar again. If you aren't familiar with my love affair with this annual, free, calendar then let me briefly explain. The Foodland Ontario calendar provides a different seasonal recipe for every month of the year and this year I have decided to make them all (to the delight of my family). January and February were big hits in our house. Delicious soup and stew, perfect for the winter. This month's dish is ideal for a Monday night meal. Everyone loves a good stir-fry.
Chicken & Vegetable Stir-fry
⅓ cup sodium-reduced chicken stock or water
2 ½ tablespoon tonkatsu sauce
1 tablespoon each Asian chili garlic sauce and rice vinegar
1 teaspoon each granulated sugar and cornstarch
4 teaspoon vegetable oil
375g boneless Ontario chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 onion, cut into thin wedges
2 carrots, cut into thin diagonal slices
½ each sweet red pepper and yellow pepper, cut into julienne strips
a handful of snow peas
1 tablespoon minced ginger
¼ cup chopped fresh coriander
1. Stir together broth, tonkatsu sauce, chili garlic sauce, vinegar, sugar and cornstarch until smooth, set aside.
2. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 2 teaspoon of the oil over medium-high heat.
3. Stir-fry the chicken pieces for about 5 minutes or until juices run clear when the chicken is pierced...remove to a bowl.
4. Add remaining oil to skillet, stir-fry onion, carrots, peppers and ginger until tender...about 3-5 minutes.
5. Add the peas and return the chicken to the skillet.
6. Add the sauce to the skillet, bring to a boil and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with coriander and serve with rice or rice noodles.
My version of the recipe is a little different from the Foodland recipe. I happened to have tonkatsu sauce (a soy sauce-based sauce with some Worcestershire, molasses, sugar and vinegar). The original recipe called for hoisin sauce, but I didn't have it...so the substitution was made. This dish was delicious and makes for an easy, healthy and well balanced weeknight dinner. Remember you can find the Foodland Ontario recipes online. I can't wait to get cooking next month's recipe...pizza!
