Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries

Today I am bringing you a recipe for a supper dish that is fast, easy and full of interesting flavours. It’s an Asian-style dish using chicken, Chinese cabbage, spring onions/scallions, fine noodles, cashew nuts, sesame seeds and all the usual ginger and soy flavourings but also CHERRIES. This is a dazzling and unusual combination but trust me it’s one that works. You’ve doubtless already had duck with cherries – this is just another (but easier) flavour combo and variation.

I have made with Picota cherries that are dark red in colour and have a more fleshy, crunchy texture than other cherries – so are perfect in a seasonal summer dish. Not only are they deliciously sweet they are nutritious too containing flavonoids, vitamins and powerful antioxidants.

Try them now when in season and life can really be a bowl of cherries!

As a long term post-op patient I can easily tolerate most kinds of wholemeal pasta and thin noodles in small quantities. If you have issues with this then SPIRALISED VEGGIES (like courgetti or zoodles from zucchini) can be used instead of the fine noodles in this recipe. Use raw or blanch quickly to barely cook and soften. Or don’t add at all, the mixture is great without.

Likewise I also have re-introduced some good fats and oil to my dietary regime so happily use sesame or olive oil for the dressing in this recipe. You can of course substitute a reduced-fat or oil-free dressing for the one given but do zip it up with some grated ginger and soy sauce for an authentic taste and experience.

ASIAN-STYLE CHERRY AND CHICKEN SUPPER

Ingredients

METRIC/US

1 nest of fine noodles (or use spiralised vegetables – see intro) I used Waitrose Cooks’ Ingredients

100 g/about 1 generous cup Chinese cabbage, shredded

8-10 radishes, sliced

4 spring onions/scallions, finely sliced

a few fine slices fresh red chilli (optional)

175 g/6 oz (about 1¾ cups) cherries, halved and stone/pitted

150 g/¾ cup cooked skinless chicken breasts, torn into pieces

juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil or olive oil

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp soy sauce

salt and freshly ground black pepper

25 g/scant ¼ cup toasted cashew nuts

2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

lime wedges to serve

Method

Cook the noodles according to the pack instructions – usually 3-4 minutes (or blanch the spiralised vegetables). Drain and rinse with cold water.
Mix the noodles with the Chinese cabbage, radishes, spring onions/scallions, cherries and red chilli if using. Share between two or more serving bowls and arrange the chicken on top.
Make the dressing by beating the lime juice with the sesame or olive oil, ginger, soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over the noodle and chicken mixture.
Scatter with the cashew nuts and sesame seeds and serve with lime wedges to garnish and for squeezing over.

SERVES 2

WLS PORTION: ½

CALORIES PER PORTION: 464

PROTEIN: 27.2 g

CARBOHYDRATE: 35.4 g

FAT: 23.5 g

Image courtesy of https://cerezadeljerte.org/en/