Ginger-Garlic Prawn & Broccoli Stir-Fry
A splash of water and a lid turn the wok into a steamer, so the broccoli is done before the prawns go in.
Why it works
Stir-frying alone scorches broccoli before the stems soften, so a covered steam does the interior and open heat does the browning. Mixing the cornflour into the sauce in advance means it thickens in seconds — long enough to glaze, too quick to overcook the prawns. The noodles soften in a bowl of boiling water while the wok runs and go in at the end, where they take on the sauce that would otherwise sit in the bottom of the pan.
Method
- Boil the kettle. Put the noodles in a large heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water and leave 5 minutes, until loose and just short of soft, then drain in a colander and shake dry.
- Stir the soy, Shaoxing wine, vinegar, honey, cornflour, sesame oil, chilli flakes and 3 tbsp water in a small bowl until smooth.
- Heat the wok until a drop of water skitters and vanishes. Add 1 tbsp oil, then the broccoli and pepper, and toss 1 minute for colour.
- Pour in the 60 ml water, add the sugar snaps, cover and steam 90 seconds. Lift the lid — the water should be gone, the florets bright green with give in the stem. Tip onto a plate.
- Back on high heat with the remaining oil. Add the ginger and garlic, stir 20 seconds, then the prawns in one layer. Leave 45 seconds, then toss 1 minute until opaque and just curling.
- Return the vegetables with the drained noodles, stir the sauce and pour it in. Toss 1 minute until everything is glossy and clinging; if the wok is too crowded to move, tip it all back into the noodle bowl and toss there. Add the spring onions and cashews, toss once and serve.
For the toddler
Lift out a few prawns, some broccoli and a nest of noodles at the start of step 6, before the sauce goes in — it carries soy, chilli flakes and honey, and honey is not for a baby under one, so use maple syrup instead if you want them to share it. Whole cashews are a choking risk under five, so grind them fine or leave them off. Cut the noodles up and chop the prawns small.
How the toddler notes workChef’s notes
Sliced chicken breast needs 3 minutes instead of 2. Tenderstem or green beans swap straight in; mangetout skips the steam.
Buy the broccoli ready-cut and use straight-to-wok noodles — the wok work is still five minutes.
A jar of chilli crisp on the table, and cucumber smacked with the flat of a knife and dressed with black vinegar and garlic.
Keeps 2 days. Eat cold or reheat fast in the wok; a microwave overcooks the prawns.