Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Day in Bath

As I am sitting here fretting about what I have forgotten to pack for our 1 week away in Portugal, I suddenly remembered that I haven't yet posted the blog about the demonstration that I did for the Jamie Oliver's food revolution day in Bath. I watched the programme not long ago and remembered how horrified I was that the children in America did not know what chips are made of. I also remembered that they showed a town in Italy where McDonalds closed down as there weren't enough business as a comparison! Children as well as adults deserve to eat well and sometimes it just takes a little effort and love to produce something simple and nutritious. You are what you eat! My mother always said it doesn't matter if we do not have new clothes, shoes or toys but in our house, the food is of top quality and the best we can afford! I live by that example. So when Zita from Zest Bootcamp http://zita.co.uk contacted me to see if I am interested to do an educational demonstration on food, I jumped at the chance. I decided to do a demonstration on stir fry. One wok wonder I call it as it is easy, delicious and super quick. I figured in this day in age where people lead such busy lives that stir fry are appropriate for simply home cooked meals.

My ever so supportive husband took half a day off to take care of Alexa while I prepared for the demonstration. I was delighted to meet some fantastic talented people there such as Bini from Sweet Cumin, Noya from Noya's Kitchen and Simi from Simi's Kitchen.

I set up stall and had a few people coming round to taste the noodles I made but my favourite part of the day was a little girl who seem to be interested in making the noodles. So we went through some ingredients together where she knew 80% of them, gave her a chef's hat and she helped me cook some noodles. Her mother was dead proud as was I. That's how it should be, children should  get involved in cooking as part of their education. There are many wonderful things in life and food is a big part of it. My motto in life is we live to eat and not the other way round.

Here is a stir fry recipe I was giving out at the demo. So go on, if you are cooking this week make it this one!

Easy Stir Fried Noodles

Stir fries are easy and convenient when you have a busy household; they make a balanced and healthy meal too.

Recipe and amounts can be adapted to individual preference.

Ingredients - Stir Fried Noodles (Enough for 2 greedy adults or 2 sensible adults and 1 child)

2 cloves of garlic chopped finely

½ red pepper sliced

½ yellow pepper sliced

1 small onion sliced

Leftover cooked meat (chicken, pork, beef, lamb)

Bunch of asparagus, sliced diagonally

A bag of beansprouts

1 bag of yellow noodles

2-3 tablespoons of oyster sauce

White or black pepper

1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil

A dash of water

Heat wok or frying pan and add oil. Wait for the oil to heat up and start smoking before adding garlic, onions and peppers. You want to stir quickly as you want to achieve a charred texture on the peppers & onions but not burnt. Stir fry for a couple of minutes or until they start to soften. Add meat, noodles, oyster sauce and a dash of water. Stir well to incorporate the sauce in the mix. Lastly add asparagus and the whole bag of beansprouts. You can add the beansprouts bit by bit but you have to work quickly as you do not want to overcook them. Cook until the beansprouts just begin to wilt and still maintain a crunch. Stir well to incorporate all ingredients, taste and add more oyster sauce if necessary.

Tips & variations

• ·       Use different noodles i.e. rice vermicelli, flat rice noodles, udon noodles.
• ·       For a vegetarian alternative, substitute the meat with tofu and vegetarian oyster sauce.
• ·       Substitute with rice. Either use jasmine rice or microwave varieties for quick fixes.
• ·       Add different sauces i.e. satay, sweet chilli, black bean etc.
• ·       Use the recipe above which is suitable for children then add chilli (or other sauces) for a more adult taste.
• ·       Spice it up with a dash of chilli sauce after cooking.
• ·       Use different vegetables as this gives the stir fry different texture and colour. For an even more convenient stir fry you can buy a bag of mixed vegetables.
• ·       Add eggs to make it a more protein packed meal. Beat eggs, add a dash of sugar, soya sauce and sesame oil. Scramble them and make sure they are cooked well. Set aside and add to the noodles or rice later
• ·       It’s important to use garlic as it really lifts the dish (don’t be shy). You can also add ginger or chillies.  

Happy Cooking and Happy Eating!