Ginger Chicken

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root

1Tablespoon soy sauce

1 Tablespoon rice vinegar mixed with pinch sugar

1 Tablespoon chicken stock

455 g thinly sliced chicken

45 ml vegetable oil

In a large bowl, mix together the ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar and vegetable stock. Add the sliced chicken cover, and marinate for about 1 hour.

Heat the oil in a skillet or wok over high heat. Add the chicken, and fry until brown. The chicken should have a dark crispy look to it. Do not cook on low or medium heat, as the juices will not cook fast enough to get a crispy texture. Discard leftover marinade.

* As somebody (that would be me) didn't buy enough chicken breasts, we actually used chicken thighs with bones. After we browned the chicken, we put it in a 200 C over to finish cooking and crisp up. As a substitute, it worked fine :-)

Our Miso Soup

1 packet dashi powder

1 litre water

50 g miso paste

250 g tofu, diced

2 green onions, sliced diagonally into ½ “ pieces

Udon noodles, cooked and drained

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine dashi granules and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and whisk in the miso paste. Stir in tofu. Separate the layers of the green onions, and add them to the soup. Add noddles. Simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

Yakisoba Chicken

3 ml sesame oil

15 ml canola oil

30 g chilli paste

2 cloves garlic, chopped

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes

120 ml soy sauce

1 onion, sliced lengthwise into eighths

½ medium head cabbage, coarsely chopped

2 carrots, coarsely chopped

225 g soba noodles, cooked and drained

In a large skillet combine sesame oil, canola oil and chili paste. Stir fry 30 seconds. Add garlic and stir fry an additional 30 seconds. Add chicken and 1/4 C of the soy sauce and stir fry until chicken is no longer pink. Remove mixture from pan, set aside and keep warm.

In the emptied pan combine the onion, cabbage and carrots. Stir fry until cabbage begins to wilt. Stir in the remaining soy sauce, cooked noodles and the chicken mixture to pan and mix to blend. Serve and enjoy.

Yakitori Don

8 chicken pieces

6 g grated fresh ginger root

1 clove garlic, crushed

40 g white sugar

160 ml soy sauce

3 teaspoon rice vinegar mixed with a large pinch of sugar

2 Tablespoon chicken stock

30 ml cooking oil

Rinse chicken, and pat dry. In a glass baking dish or bowl, stir together the ginger, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar and chicken stock. Place the chicken into the mixture to marinate. Refrigerate, covered for several hours, or overnight.

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken pieces into the pan skin-side down, reserving marinade. Cook until light brown, then flip and brown the other side. Drain off grease, and pour the marinade into the pan. Cover, and reduce heat to low, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking, shaking the skillet occasionally, until marinade is evaporated. Serve hot with rice or noodles.

* The picture depicts Yakitori Don cooked with chicken strips. These could then also be served on a skewer (rather than the chicken pieces our recipe called for).

Teriyaki Chicken

3 chicken breasts (cut thin)

½ cup soy sauce

½ cup chicken stock

3 Tablespoons rice vinegar mixed with 1 teaspoon sugar (or mirin)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ginger juice

1 glove garlic crashed

Sesame seed (optional)

2 Tablespoons cornflour (dissolved in ¼ cup cold water)

Mix all sauce ingredients together (except cornflour).Marinade chicken in sauce for about 45 min. (stir in half way).Get chicken out from sauce and cook on wok till ready. Meanwhile boil sauce and add cornflour and water put on low medium let it thicken. Put all over chicken and simmer for other 5- 10 minutes serve over rice.