This recipe from the Summer 2011 issue of the LCBO’s Food and Drink is a new favourite. Chicken breasts are marinated in soy sauce, oil and ginger root, grilled and then glazed with honey during the last few minutes of cooking. Meanwhile, vegetables, eggs and noodles are stir fried with garlic, ginger, curry paste, soy sauce and hot chili sauce.

I used angel hair pasta instead of rice vermicelli

Stir-fry egg until just set

Combine noodles, vegetables and spices and top with grilled chicken

To serve, place slices of the grilled chicken over the noodle mixture. You can make the chicken ahead of time, so this would be a great party/buffet dish. I used angel hair pasta instead of rice noodles and it worked fine; I also substituted asparagus and a hot banana pepper for the carrots and celery.

Singapore Noodles with Burnished Barbecue Chicken

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use tamari sauce instead of soy, curry paste that is all-natural (I use Thai Kitchen brand) and a hot sauce that is free of colour and chemicals (I use Tabasco original flavour sauce).

Ingredients:

Chicken

1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp pureed ginger root

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each about 8 oz.

¼ cup liquid honey

Noodles

12 oz. rice vermicelli or angel hair pasta

Hot water (if using rice noodles)

3 tbsp vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

6 carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal

4 stalks celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal

2 onions, thinly sliced

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 sweet red peppers, thinly sliced

2 tbsp minced ginger root

1/3 cup Indian yellow curry paste

2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari

1 tbsp Asian hot chili sauce

Chopped fresh cilantro

Lime wedges

Preparation:

For the chicken, combine soy sauce, oil and ginger in a shallow dish or sealable plastic bag Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover or seal bag and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or for up to 1 day.

Preheat barbecue to medium

Remove chicken from marinade, discarding any excess. Grill, covered and turning once, 5 to 6 minutes per side or until no longer pink inside. Brush 1 side with honey, turn and grill for 1 minute. Brush remaining side with honey, turn and grill for 1 minute or until well glazed. Transfer to a bowl or cutting board, tent with foil, and cool slightly. Shred chicken into large pieces or slice thinly.

Soak rice vermicelli in a large bowl of hot water for about 5 minutes until softened or according to package directions. Drain and set aside (if using angel hair pasta, cook in boiling salted water until tender but still firm).

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil over high heat in a large wok or pan and swirl to coat. Pour in eggs and fry without stirring until almost set. Stir to break up eggs slightly and fry until just set, than transfer to a plate. Add half of remaining oil to wok. In 2 batches, stir-fry carrots, celery and onions for 3 to 4 minutes or until onions are softened. Transfer to a bowl. Add remaining oil between batches. Add garlic, red peppers, ginger and curry paste to wok and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until peppers are tender.

Return carrot mixture to wok and add noodles, soy sauce and chili sauce. Fry, stirring gently, but thoroughly, with 2 large spatulas, until noodles are well coated in spices and steaming. Add eggs and stir just to combine. Arrange noodles on a platter and add chicken. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges. Serve with extra chili sauce on the side. Serves 10 to 12.

From the Summer 2011 issue of Food and Drink