Chicken Pilaf
Ingredients for 2 people
- 250 g pre-cooked rice (long grain or basmati)
- 360 g chicken breast
- 2 walnut sized pieces ginger
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ red pepper
- ½ yellow pepper
- 1 carrot
- 1 small courgette
- 3 spring onions
- 8 Thai basil leaves
- 1 T-spoon Sambal Olek
- 2 dessert spoons light soya sauce
- 1 dessert spoon sesame oil
- Salt
- 1 T-spoon cornflour
- 3 dessert spoons oil for frying
Preparation
To make the marinade, peel the ginger and finely grate or dice into a small bowl. Peel and press or dice the garlic and add. Add the soya sauce and sesame oil, mix well and then add a pinch of salt and the cornflour and mix again. Wash and pat dry the chicken breast, cut it into short thin strips, add to the marinade and mix well.
Peel and roughly chop the spring onions. Wash the peppers, remove the white parts, seeds and stalk and cut into short thin strips. Peel or scrub the carrot and chop into thin sticks or slice finely. Wash the courgette and remove the stalk and tip. Cut into quarters lengthwise, remove the core and slice finely.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the vegetables (full heat) for about 2 mins, stirring continuously. Add the meat and marinade and fry for a further 3-4 mins until cooked through and browned. Add the pre-cooked rice and fry for a further 2-3 mins. Remove from the stove and add the roughly chopped basil leaves. Sambal Olek can be added to taste as required.
This tasty rice recipe is made with par-boiled rice, but is cheaper and also quicker if you use boil-in-the-bag rice or pre-cooked express varieties, such as those by Uncle Ben’s. Left-over rice can be kept for a few days if you have a suitable fridge or cool box. If you can’t get Thai basil, then use ordinary basil and spice it up with a bit of lemon zest. You can substitute (or even omit) some of the vegetables listed if they are not readily available, but the spring onions are a must and the dish looks best when several different colours are represented.
