There was a time when fresh egg noodles were the provenance of specialist stores, however they can now be found in the fridge compartment of most supermarkets. If your supermarket hasn’t quite caught up then use the dried version, following the package instructions for rehydrating. Use this recipe as a template; it works just as well with pork or prawns as it does with chicken. Also feel free to add other vegetables, such as peppers, green beans or pak choi.

Serves 4
chicken breasts 2 large, cut into 1cm strips
light soy sauce 4 tbsp
sunflower or vegetable oil 2 tbsp
garlic 3 cloves, finely sliced
red onion 1 large, cut into about 8 thin wedges
fresh ginger 2cm piece, peeled and finely chopped
mangetout 100g, cut in half widthways
fresh egg noodles 400g
Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry 3 tbsp
sesame oil 2 tsp
spring onions 4, trimmed and finely sliced

Place the chicken breasts in a small bowl and pour in 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, mix and leave to sit for 5 minutes.

When ready to cook, heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok over a high heat. When hot add the garlic, red onion and ginger. Fry for 2 minutes, stirring almost constantly.

Add the chicken slices, pouring in any of the soy sauce that is in the bowl too. Continue to fry, stirring regularly for 3-4 minutes. Tip in the mangetout and stir-fry for a further minute before adding the egg noodles. Mix everything together: it may be useful to use a combination of two wooden spoons for this. Pour in the rice wine and let it bubble up and steam, until it almost completely evaporates. Mix again using the two wooden spoons, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining soy sauce and the sesame oil.

Scatter the noodles with the spring onions before serving.