Chicken and Red Pepper Stir-Fry with Rice Noodles

Ingredients

• 600g skinless chicken breast fillets, thinly sliced against the grain
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 3 red peppers, deseeded and thinly sliced
• 120g baby spinach
• 30g fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 6 spring onions, whites finely sliced, greens reserved and sliced on the diagonal
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp groundnut or vegetable oil
• 250g dried flat rice noodles
• spring onion greens, reserved from above, sliced on the diagonal, to serve
• light soy sauce, to serve
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, to serve
• 2 limes, cut into wedges, to serve

Method

1. Drop the rice noodles into a large heatproof bowl, cover with just-boiled water and leave to soak for 8–10 minutes until tender but still with a little bite. Drain, rinse briefly under cold water to stop the cook, and toss with 1 tsp of the sesame oil so the strands stay slippery rather than gluing themselves into a brick.
2. While the noodles soak, toss the sliced chicken with the cornflour, a generous pinch of salt and a good grind of pepper until every piece is evenly dusted. Season now or you'll be chasing it later — the cornflour is what gives you that glossy, restaurant-style coat once the soy hits.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of the groundnut oil in a large wok over a high heat until it shimmers and the first wisp of smoke rises. Add the chicken in a single layer — in two batches if your wok looks crowded. Crowd the pan and water comes out, the chicken steams grey, and you've lost the sear. Cook undisturbed for 2 minutes, then turn and cook another 2–3 minutes until golden at the edges and just cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
4. Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil to the wok. Tip in the spring onion whites, ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds, no more — just until fragrant and pale gold. Burnt garlic turns the whole stir-fry bitter, and at this heat it goes from raw to ruined in seconds, so keep it moving.
5. Add the red peppers and stir-fry over a high heat for 4–5 minutes, tossing often, until they're charred at the edges and blistered in patches but still have a bit of bite. You want colour, not collapse.
6. Return the chicken and any resting juices to the wok. Pour in both soy sauces and toss hard for 1–2 minutes — the sauce will splutter, hit the hot wok, and reduce into a glossy slick that clings to the chicken and peppers.
7. Add the drained noodles and baby spinach and toss for 1–2 minutes, lifting from the bottom, until the spinach has wilted down and the noodles are heated through and stained mahogany by the sauce. Taste now — most of the salt comes from the soy, but a final pinch of salt or an extra splash of light soy ties it together. Adjust here, not at the table.
8. Off the heat, drizzle over the remaining 1 tsp sesame oil. Divide between four bowls, scatter the reserved spring onion greens and toasted sesame seeds over the top, tuck a couple of lime wedges alongside each bowl, and put the soy on the table for anyone who wants a final hit. Squeeze the lime over just before eating — the acid cuts through the soy and wakes the whole bowl up.