A simple stir fry goes a long way. It’s packed with nutritious ingredients and is wonderfully quick to make. 

Once, during a stay in Howick, my friend Karyn and I bought a stir fry and made a meal of it. I was tired from swimming the Midmar so I didn’t do anything fancy. I just fried the vegetables in a smidge of oil and cracked in some black pepper, salt, and lemon. Voila! It was the perfect supper.  

There’s this perception that vegetables are not filling enough. To bulk up this meal, I add noodles and chicken. My marinade for the chicken is simply, chicken spice, salt, paprika, and a tablespoon of yoghurt. 

I also like adding some extra mushrooms to my dish because the varieties are bountiful and they taste meaty. 

Did you know: A stir fry is carb-free, if you don’t add noodles. It’s the perfect supper if you’re following a carb-free diet at the end of the day. You can also substitute the noodles with spinach and cauliflower noodles from Woolworths. 

Ingredients

1 packet stir fry

1/2 punnet button/shitake mushrooms

1/2 tbsp chili flakes (optional)

2 chicken breasts

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1 tbsp chicken spice

1 tsp white pepper

1 tbsp Greek yoghurt

1 tbsp olive oil 

1 tbsp sweet chili sauce

1 fresh lemon (optional)

a packet of egg noodles 

coriander or basil for garnish

Method

1. Marinate chicken breasts in salt, paprika, white pepper, chicken spice, and yoghurt. Leave it to rest in the fridge for 5 minutes.  

2. Slice 1/2 punnet of mushrooms, wash and dry. 

3. Heat oil and chili flakes in a large wok or pan with a lid. Medium to high heat.  

4. Add chicken to the pan and sear it until it gets a nice golden colour to it. Remove from the pan and set aside. 

5. Add vegetables, including the mushrooms to the pan and fry it on high heat. 

6. Add the juice of a lemon to the pan to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the surface. 

7. Turn down the heat. Add noodles and sweet chili sauce to the pan and give everything a toss. 

8. Add chicken to the pan and toss some more.

9. Serve while hot and garnish with chili, fresh basil or coriander.