But then, on the return flight, the first fantasies of pasta started popping into my head (okay, if I’m being completely honest, a cheese pretzel came first). Still, I wasn’t ready to swap flavors yet. Tomato sauce and parmesan? Didn’t work yet. And who wants to stand in the kitchen for more than 30 minutes after a long flight? After all, the suitcases don’t unpack themselves.
So a quick stock check. Lemons were still there, chicken broth and Instant noodles. What was missing were garlic, chicken and spring onion. This was quickly obtained.
And yes, it was the perfect welcome home meal. Fresh, lemony, with a subtle hint of spiciness and the great combination of Soy sauce and Honey. The chicken is sticky and buttery tender. And with the same noodles that are also served for breakfast in Indonesia.
Of course I could have just ordered something but this is a thousand times better. And somehow, despite the many culinary experiences in Bali, I longed for my own cuisine.
I will report on these culinary experiences in more detail.
Lemon Honey Garlic Chicken with Instant Noodles
For two
100 ml chicken broth
2 tbsp tamari
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp Sriracha chili sauce
Zest of an untreated lemon
70 ml lemon juice
2 large cloves (ideally fresh) garlic, pressed
½ tsp toasted sesame oil
170g Instant Mie Noodles
1 tsp neutral vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
Sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
250g chicken breast
Cornstarch
2 tbsp neutral vegetable oil
Cut the green part of a spring onion into fine rolls
some sesame seeds for sprinkling
Mix everything for the sauce from the chicken broth to the sesame oil.
Cook the pasta for 4 minutes according to package instructions, strain, stir in the oil and set aside in a pot or bowl.
Mix the egg with the soy sauce. Stir in a pinch of salt and a few turns of the pepper mill.
Slice the chicken breast and halve the slices. Pour into the egg mixture and stir so that all parts are well coated.
Add a few tablespoons of cornstarch to a shallow bowl.
Using tongs, lift the chicken pieces out of the egg mixture and coat in the starch. If you like, you can do this twice. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and add the now quite sticky chicken pieces. Fry all over until golden, about 7 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the pan and add the sauce to the pan. Bring to the boil once. Turn the temperature down to medium heat and return the meat to the pan. After about 1 minute, push the meat together on one side of the pan. Add the pasta to the other side and mix well with the sauce.
Divide the noodles between two bowls. Place the chicken pieces on top and pour the remaining sauce over them.
Sprinkle with spring onion and a little sesame.
