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Chinese plum sauce noodles with chicken and veggies
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Chinese plum sauce noodles with chicken and veggies

Perfect for any time of day, this recipe delivers great flavor effortlessly.

Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
45 mins
Servings: 3 servings
Calories: 635 kcal
Course: Dinner

Ingredients

→ chinese plum sauce:
  • 11 oz plums any kind will work, 300g
  • 3 star anise
  • 4 cardamom lightly crushed, capsules
  • 6 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 clove garlic grated
  • 1 inch ginger grated, 2.5 cm piece
→ pot:
  • 4.5 oz egg noodles Mie noodles or ramen noodles, dried, 125g
  • handful of green beans 5.5oz/125g, frozen
  • ½ broccoli 250g / 8.8 oz, head
→ pan:
  • 2 chicken breast
  • 1 garlic large clove
  • 1 inch ginger 2cm piece
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch optional
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil for frying
  • 6 medium button mushrooms (about 3.5 oz/100g), cut into thick slices
  • 1 carrot cut into thin matchsticks, medium
→ to serve:
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
  • 2 tablespoons cashews I used salted and roasted

Instructions

→ make the plum sauce:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Cut the plums into quarters, remove the stone, put into a medium pot, add the remaining ingredients for the sauce.
  2. Cook over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, until the plums start to fall apart and the sauce thickens.
  3. Discard star anise and cardamom capsules and puree the sauce until smooth.
  4. Season to taste: add more sugar, vinegar, or soy sauce depending on whether it’s not enough sweet, sour, or salty (it will depend on the type of plums used). The taste should be balanced and distinctive (it will mellow a bit later when we will add other ingredients). Set aside.
→ pot (cook the noodles, broccoli, and green beans):
  1. I cook green beans, noodles, and broccoli in one pot - noodles and green beans in water and I steam the broccoli in a sieve, hung over the pot (you can also add the broccoli to the water, cook it as long as the beans and noodles). Split the broccoli into florets, peel the thick stalk and cut into thick slices, wash, arrange the broccoli, florets-side-up on a sieve, which fits the selected pot, cover with a lid (it doesn‘t have to be a perfect fit). Broccoli, depending on the size of the florets, need to be steamed for about 8 minutes.
  2. In a big pot, bring water to the boil, steam the broccoli for about 4 minutes, then add the green beans and noodles into the water, cook for about 4 minutes. Drain, set aside.
→ pan (cook the chicken, mushrooms, and carrot):
  1. Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch (2-3 cm) cubes, mix with a little oil, finely chopped ginger and garlic, season with salt and pepper to taste (if you have time, you can leave the chicken to marinate for about half an hour or longer). Toss the chicken with cornstarch (optional).
  2. Heat the oil in a big frying pan, cook the chicken over high heat for 2 minutes on one side and then one minute on the other, until browned, remove from the pan and transfer on a plate (if it’s still a bit pink in the middle, you can add it to the pot with hot plum sauce and wait 1-2 minutes until the meat is cooked through).
  3. Add the mushrooms to the pan, spread out in a single layer, then put carrot matchsticks on top. Don‘t stir for the first 2 minutes (otherwise the mushrooms will release water), and when the mushrooms are golden brown cook them, stirring, for about 1-2 minutes, until the mushrooms and carrots are tender, but still crunchy.
→ assemble:
  1. Add the chicken, noodles, green beans, broccoli, and plum sauce to the pan, toss everything together, warm up.
  2. Serve topped with roasted cashews and sesame seeds.
  3. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Storage: As with any stir fry, this dish tastes best freshly made. You could store it in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat it in the pan. It will still taste good but the noodles will be completely soggy from the sauce. A better option would be to store everything separately from the sauce, then combine and warm up just before serving.
  • Calories = 1 serving (1/3 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!

Nutrition Information

Calories 635kcal (32%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 3 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 635

% Daily Value*

Calories 635kcal 32%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.