2014 Cooking Club Week 1: Chicken Satay Skewers, Peanut Sauce & Noodles

Here's week 1 of this year's Cooking Club, I'm looking forward to all your recipes during 2014

Chicken Satay Skewers, Peanut Sauce & Noodles
(Serves 4 hungry adults)

Marinade:
3 tbsp. soy sauce
3 tbsp. sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch chilli flakes

Skewers:
4 chicken breasts cut into approx. 3 inch pieces
1 red pepper, diced
6 button mushrooms, halved
Honey

Peanut sauce:
1 red chilli
Thumb sized piece of ginger, finely grated
Bunch of coriander
1 tsp soy sauce
1 small clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lime
Approx. 4/5 good heaped tbsp. peanut butter (to taste)
Approx. half a tin of full-fat coconut milk (to taste)

Spicy noodles:
2 packs of straight-to-wok noodles
Juice of 1 lime
1 red chilli, finely sliced
Small bunch of coriander, finely chopped
75g bag cashew nuts
1 tbsp. soy sauce

1) Soak bamboo skewers in a dish of cold water, if needs be use a plate to keep them submerged.

2) Mix together the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Cut the chicken breasts into pieces of about 3 inches each, add to the marinade bowl and make sure all the chicken is covered. Turn your oven grill on to a nice high heat.

3) Now for the peanut sauce. In your food processor/blender, add the chilli, grated ginger, coriander, garlic, soy and lime juice. Blitz. Then add some of peanut butter and the coconut milk and blitz again – The quantities of peanut butter and coconut are a bit of a guideline as some people like more peanut butter and some like a little more creaminess from the coconut milk, so keep a spoon handy and adjust according to your own tastes! (The full fat coconut milk is thicker so if you prefer low fat use less than half a tin).



3) Thread the chicken, peppers and mushrooms onto the skewers. Thread the chicken on to the skewer in a “C” shape. Season and drizzle with honey before putting under the grill, turning occasionally, for about 16-20 minutes, or until the chicken has cooked through.



4) Slice the chilli, finely chop the coriander, juice the lime & give the cashew nuts a quick smash in a pestle & mortar. Warm through the noodles in a wok as per the instructions on the pack, and at the very end stir in the other ingredients.

5) Serve up the sauce in a bowl and the noodles & chicken on platters in the middle of the table, so everyone can help themselves!