This is a recipe that has proved very popular on our parent and child cookery course at the Neven Maguire Cookery School that we opened in 2015. I'm always amazed at how adventurous the children are with the amount of chilli they want to use – it shows a real change in Irish palates from when I was growing up! The meat is well cooked in this dish, so if you prefer it more rare, simply tip it out of the wok, then add it back in at the end to just warm through again.

SERVES 4

  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 450g (1lb) sirloin steak, cut into
  • thin strips
  • 50g (2oz) cashew nuts
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 mild red chilli, deseeded and
  • thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp freshly grated root ginger
  • 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and thinly
  • sliced
  • 1 red pepper, deseeded and
  • thinly sliced
  • 100g (4oz) baby corn, halved
  • lengthways
  • 50g (2oz) courgette, trimmed and cut
  • into sticks
  • 50g (2oz) carrot, cut into sticks
  • 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
  • steamed rice, to serve

1 Put the garlic in a small non-metallic dish with half of the soy sauce and sesame oil, then stir in the sirloin steak strips until evenly combined. Set aside for 1 hour, or overnight covered with cling film in the fridge is fine.

2 When you’re ready to make the stir-fry, heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Toast the cashew nuts for 4–5 minutes, tossing the pan occasionally to prevent them from burning. Tip into a

bowl and set aside.

3 Meanwhile, heat a wok until it’s very hot. Add the rapeseed oil and swirl it up the sides. Add the spring onions, chilli and ginger and cook for just 30 seconds. Add the marinated sirloin

strips and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes, until well sealed and lightly coloured. Add the peppers, baby corn, courgette and carrot and stir-fry for another 4–5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender but still crunchy.

4 Add the toasted cashew nuts to the wok with the rest of the soy sauce, the sweet chilli sauce and coriander, tossing briefly to combine. 5 Divide the steamed rice between 4 deep bowls and spoon the sirloin steak and vegetable stir-fry on top. Drizzle over the rest of the toasted sesame oil to serve.

Sweet chilli chicken and vegetable stir-fry

Stir-frying is a traditional Chinese cooking technique that is actually incredibly easy to master once you follow some basic rules. First, purchase a wok if you don’t have one. Always prepare and measure out all the ingredients before you even think about star ting to cook. I normally star t with garlic, spring onions and ginger, often referred to as the 'holy trinity’ of Chinese cooking. Add vegetables according to how long they take to cook, star ting with the harder ones. As a rough guide, use a ratio of three portions of vegetables to one portion of meat or poultry. Finally, and most impor tantly, once you star t cooking, don’t be tempted to add more oil to the wok. If it becomes too dry, sprinkle over a little water, stock or wine. This should evaporate immediately but prevent the food from drying out.

SERVES 4

  • 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp dry sherry
  • 2 tsp cornflour
  • 225g (8oz) boneless chicken
  • breast fillets
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 4 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tbsp freshly grated root ginger
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 small carrots, sliced on the diagonal
  • 175g (6oz) baby corn,
  • halved lengthways
  • 2 red peppers, deseeded and sliced
  • 100g (4oz) sugar snap peas
  • 2 heaped tbsp sweet chilli sauce
  • egg noodles, to serve

1 Place the soy sauce, sesame oil and sherry in a bowl, then stir in the cornflour until smooth. Cut the chicken fillets against the grain into small, thin strips and add to the marinade, stirring to combine. Cover with cling film and set aside for 10 minutes, or up to 24 hours is fine. 2 Heat a wok until it’s very hot, then add the oil and heat until it’s almost smoking. Remove the chicken from the marinade with a slotted spoon and stir-fry in the wok for a few minutes to seal the meat.

Transfer to a sieve or colander to drain off all the excess oil, leaving only 1 tablespoon behind in the wok. 3 Add the spring onions, garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 20 seconds, then tip in the onion and stir-fry for another minute. Add the carrots and continue to stir-fry for 2 minutes, until softened, sprinkling over a tablespoon of water if the mixture looks like it’s getting too dry. Add the corn and peppers and stirfry for 1–2 minutes, again adding a little more water if necessary, then add the sugar snap peas and stir-fry for another minute.

4 Stir in the sweet chilli sauce and toss with the vegetables until coated. Return the chicken to the pan and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes, until it’s tender and heated through. 5 Divide the cooked egg noodles between 4 Chinese-style serving bowls and spoon the chicken and vegetables on top.

VARIATIONS

Beef and vegetables with back bean sauce Replace the chicken with fillet or sirloin steak that has had all of the fat removed and use black bean sauce instead of sweet chilli sauce. Fragrant pork and vegetables Replace the chicken with pork tenderloin (fillet) or boneless pork chops that have been well trimmed. Replace the sweet chilli sauce with oyster sauce.