Sweet And Sour Chicken Stir Fry

Make this using whatever veggies you have, switch up the chicken with prawns/shrimp, pork, beef or even fish. This is a winner!

I know my local supermarkets pretty well. I know exactly where to go for most items (except cling wrap, which, for some reason, I always forget which aisle it’s in and Woolies people tell me it’s the single most asked question) and I know the aisles pretty well. At least, I thought I did. It dawned on me the other day that there is one whole section of the supermarket that I don’t know at all – the prepared meal base aisle. You know the section of the supermarket that sells things like Honey Mustard Sauce in jars and vacuum seal packs? I am honestly not trying to sound snobby because I don’t judge. She who does the drive through of shame through KFC and Maccers on the odd occasion cannot judge. 😉 Anyway, I actually stopped to take a look the other day and was quite astonished at the range of meal bases that are on offer. Everything from Chow Mein, to Chicken Cacciatore, Goulash, Chilli Con Carne – all the favorites. Including Sweet and Sour Sauce. I have no idea what the jar stuff tastes like, but I’m pretty sure it won’t be as nice as homemade. And it’s so darn fast to mix together!

PS It looks watery but once simmered, it thickens. 🙂 See? Look how nicely it coats the stir fry?

Oooh – quick little tip for you for chopping capsicum / bell peppers. Doesn’t it annoy you when the seeds inside fly around all over the place? Well, maybe it doesn’t annoy you, but it annoys me! So this is how I chop capsicum. Fast and mess free!

I like to use chicken thigh for stir fries because it’s juicier than breast and tenderloin. If I make this with chicken breast, I always tenderise it using a Chinese restaurant technique using baking soda (bi-carb). It’s super simple, see directions here: How to Velvet Chicken. Now, when it comes to stir fries, I am very generous with my sauce. Because the 7 year old inside this 30 something year old body still thinks that the best part of stir fries is scooping up the rice soaked in the delish sweet and sour sauce. So as with all my stir fries, there is plenty of sauce. Plenty!! – Nagi x