Australian Natural Health Magazine - Nourish

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 300g fresh chestnuts
• ½ cup light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 long red chilli, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 400g minced pork
• 400g thin egg noodles
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 spring onions, chopped
• 1 bunch bok choy, quartered
• 125g bean shoots
• Handful coriander leaves
• Olive oil, for shallow frying

Method

Remove outer hard shell of the chestnuts and place in a medium saucepan. Fill with enough water to cover the chestnuts, and boil for 15 minutes. Drain.

Finely slice two-thirds of the chestnuts, chop the remaining one-third into matchsticks and set aside.

Place soy sauce, honey, lime zest and juice, garlic, chilli and ginger in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add pork mince along with the roughly chopped chestnuts and stir. Set aside for 10 minutes to infuse.

To make the crispy chestnut garnish, fill a small saucepan with approximately five centimetres of oil.

Place on high heat. When a piece of bread dropped into the oil sizzles, the oil is ready. Carefully place the chestnut matchsticks into the oil and gently move them around the pan until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel.

Prepare noodles according to packet instructions (they need to be cooked until almost soft) and set aside.

Heat half a tablespoon of the oil in a wok over high heat. Strain the pork mince mixture, reserving the marinade in a small bowl for later. Transfer marinated pork to hot wok. Cook pork for about five minutes until golden in colour but not fully cooked.

Remove pork from wok, and drain any excess marinade or juices into the bowl of marinade.

Heat remaining oil in the wok, add spring onions and bok choy and toss for one minute.

Add reserved marinade to wok and bring to the boil for one minute. Add noodles and return pork mixture to pan. Cook for a further couple of minutes until cooked through. Stir through most of the bean shoots and coriander.

Place into serving bowls, top with remaining bean shoots and coriander, and sprinkle with crispy chestnuts.

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Recipe from chestnutsaustralia.com.au